Name: Mini Easter Cheesecake Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup flaked coconut; 2 drops of green food coloring; 1 teaspoon of water; 60 Easter robin egg candies; ¾ cup of granulated sugar; 24 ounces of Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature (3 packages); 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract; 3 eggs; 10 ounces of pretzels; ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed; 2 tablespoons of sugar

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Looking for a whimsical Easter dessert that the whole family will love? These Easter mini cheesecakes are fun to make, and they’ll be the hit of your party dessert table.

These portion-sized cupcakes are made with cream cheese, baked on a pretzel crust, and topped with green coconut and robin egg candies to look like mini-nests.

As Easter approaches, your kids will love to help with this cute food project! Keep reading to find out how to make these robin egg cheesecake cupcakes.

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Ingredients for the Easter mini cheesecakes recipe

To make these Easter cheesecake cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:

For the crust

10 ounces of pretzels
¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons of sugar

For the cheesecake filling

¾ cup of granulated sugar
24 ounces of Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature (3 packages)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
3 eggs

For the Easter egg cheesecake nests

1 cup flaked coconut
2 drops of green food coloring
1 teaspoon of water
60 Easter robin egg candies

Making the Easter cheesecake cupcakes

It is a treat in more ways than one to make a pretty and fun dessert for your Easter table that is REALLY easy to make.

Prepare your oven and muffin pan

Start by preheating the oven to 325º F (160º C).
Place paper liners in your muffin pans. (The recipe makes 20 cheesecake cupcakes.)

Make the pretzel crust

Crushed pretzels are perfect for these mini cheesecakes. They are salty and complement the creamy cheesecake nicely.

Place the pretzels, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the butter in a food processor.
Pulse until you get a very fine crumb texture.
Press the mixture into the bottom of 20 paper-lined muffin cups.

Making the mini cheesecakes

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and ¾ cup of sugar until they are well blended.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix on low until they are just blended.
Use a cookie scoop to place the filling on the crusts in the muffin cups.
Fill the muffin cups quite full, so they will crack when you bake them. This will make a nest-like base for the candies.

Bake the cheesecake cupcakes

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the centers start to brown and puff up.
Cool and then place the Easter cheesecakes in the fridge for 30 minutes.
When they cool, the Easter baked cheesecakes will sink a little. This is intentional to get a sunken nest look.

How to decorate the mini egg cheesecake cupcakes

Now for the fun part – decorating the Easter cheesecakes!

Tinting the coconut

Place the coconut in a zip-lock baggie.
Dissolve a few drops of food coloring in a teaspoon of water.
Pour the food coloring over the coconut, seal, and shake until it is the color you want.
You can make it all one color, or divide the coconut and make several colors for a more natural look.
Place the coconut on a silicone mat or waxed paper to dry after you tint it.

Making the nests

Because the cheesecakes have so much filling in them, they will rise and then fall, making a sunken center. This is exactly what you need for the nest shape.

Press down a little on any cupcakes that didn’t sink too much.
Add the dried green coconut to the center of each cheesecake to make your nest.
Place 3 robin egg candies in each nest.

Pro tip: My candies sat fairly well in the nests but if you plan to transport these cupcakes, add a drop of frosting under each egg to make sure they stay in place.

Look how cute the Robin’s eggs look in the little green nests. These won’t last long on my dessert table, will they?

If you are taking them to someone else’s house for Easter, put them into a decorated Easter basket!

Tasting the mini Easter cheesecakes

Time to take a bite. After all, I have to test them to make sure the recipe is right, don’t I?

These Easter egg nest cheesecakes are yummy, creamy, and salty bites of Easter goodness. One would really think the Easter bunny had made a trip to our house!

More Easter recipes to try

Looking for more desserts for your Easter party table? Try these recipes:

Be sure to also check out my collection for more cheesecake recipes, too.

Share these Easter egg nest cheesecakes on X

If you enjoyed making these mine Easter cheesecake cupcakes, be sure to share the recipe with a friend. Here is a tweet to get you started:

Easter is right around the corner. Treat the kids to a whimsical Easter egg cupcakes recipe for dessert. So yummy and fun to make.🧁🐰🐤🐣 Share on X

Pin these Easter egg nest cupcakes for later

Would you like a reminder of this Robin’s egg Easter cheesecake recipe? Just pin this image to one of your holiday boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Admin note: This recipe for mini Easter cheesecakes first appeared on the blog in March of 2017. I have updated the post to add a printable recipe card, new photos, and a video for you to enjoy.

Yield: 20 cheesecake cupcakes

Mini Easter Cheesecake Recipe

These individually-sized baked cheesecake cupcakes are decorated with grass coconut, and Robin's egg candy for a fun Easter dessert.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes