These Pineapple Cheesecake Bites are smooth, creamy, and full of sunny tropical flavor. With a buttery graham cracker crust and a creamy cheesecake center swirled with crushed pineapple, they’re the perfect bite-sized treat for summer gatherings, brunches, or just a sweet afternoon pick-me-up. They chill beautifully, making them an easy make-ahead option too!
I started researching cheesecakes that had pineapple added to the filling. I came across a recipe for another pineapple dish that used a food strainer to extract most of the juice. Well, this was not something I had tried before, so what the heck? I would give it a try; it made all the difference in the world.
Why You'll Love These Pineapple Cheesecake Bites
- Creamy and refreshing tropical flavor
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Perfect for summer parties, picnics, and make-ahead desserts
- Great for mini dessert tables
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Ingredients for Cheesecake Bites
I divided the ingredients into what you will need for the crust, along with a separate one for the filling and topping.
CRUST
- Pamela's Honey Grahams Graham crackers
- Melted butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Macadamia nuts
For the crust, I always use Pamela's Honey Grahams. These dense graham crackers hold up when I add nuts to my crust, making them easy to carry around. You can certainly try your brand and see how they work, but Pamela's was the only one I found that held together the way I wanted.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar white
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Crushed pineapple - Half of a 20 oz. can
TOPPING
- Cool Whip
- Crushed pineapple - Half of a 20 oz. can
Ingredients Tips!
- Use full-fat cream cheese for best outcomes
- Use Pamela's Honey Grahams for a solid carry around crust
- Drain pineapple throughly to avoid excess moisture
Making the Pineapple Cheesecake
This is not a hard cheesecake to make, but it needs to be refrigerated overnight to set.
Start with the Pineapple
I could not find the small 8-oz. cans of crushed pineapple in the grocery stores, so I purchased the larger one for both the cheesecake filling and the topping.
1. You want to strain the pineapple and press the crushed pineapple along the sides to extract even more juices. I do this three or four times and let it sit there while I start the crust.
Creating a Sturdy Crust
Grab a food processor or a blender to make this an easy crust.
2. Start by adding the macadamia nuts and pulse them until they are very small pieces.
3. Then, turn the food processor on and drop all the graham crackers through the top. Then, I pulse the mixture until everything is small pieces.
4. Add the crumbs to a bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top. Add the melted butter and blend it all together using a fork. You want the butter to moisten the graham crackers. It's time to get the baking pan ready.
5. You will need handles on either side of the pan so you can pull the cheesecake out of the pan. So pull out a generous amount of tin foil on each end.
6. This can be tricky but take your time. You do not want any tears in the tin foil, but you do need it to form to the pan. If it is not flat against the bottom and sides, the tin foil will rip when you add the crust and press it down flat along the bottom.
7. Add the buttered graham cracker crumbs on top of the tin foil and press down to form a crust covering the entire bottom.
Set the pan aside and time to make the filling.
Mixing and Baking the Cheesecake Filling
The filling does not take very long to mix so you can turn your oven on to preheat to 325°F(165°C or 170°C).
Weigh or measure the sugar and add it to the mixer along with both blocks of cream cheese.
8. Mix the cream cheese and sugar until it is creamy. This will depend on how cold your cream cheese is but at least 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom to make sure all the cream cheese has been incorporated.
9. Next, add one egg at a time. I break the egg into a small bowl before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and half of the strained 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple. Mix until blended.
10. Add the pineapple cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Smooth the filling evenly to cover the crust.
11. I pick up the pan about an inch off the counter and l drop the pan. This is to bring to the surface any air bubbles.
12. Bake at 325°F(165°C or 170°C) for 40 - 42 minutes. When done, it should jiggle just a little. Set the pan on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Then, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pan and refrigerate overnight to set.
After the Cheesecake Has Set
13. Take the handles of tin foil on each side and lift the cheesecake out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. I pull the sides away from the cheese cake and put my one hand under the tin foil and the other hand pulling the tin foil from the bottom. It is not real fragile but the crust will break if it bends to far.
14. Because of the butter in the crust the tin foil comes off easily from the bottom. Now you need to decide on the size of your squares. You can do 4 or 5 cuts down and 4 or 5 across. The choice is yours depending on how many people will be eating the cheese cake.
15. So, take a big sharp knife and cut down through the cheesecake. When serving I add whip cream on top with a spoonful of the reserved strained pineapple,
Enjoy!
FAQ's
If you still want the macadamia nuts in your crust, you will need a blender or chopper to chop them into very small pieces. If you do not have a blender, you could omit the nuts, put the graham crackers in a plastic storage bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them.
Yes the graham crackers by Pamela's is a gluten-free graham cracker.
Try to avoid over-mixing the batter or overbaking the cheesecake. If it happens all the time, I would get a cheap oven thermometer from Amazon or a grocery store and test it to see what the oven's temperature is.
Other Summer Cookies
Recipe
Pineapple Cheesecake Bites
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
CRUST
- 7.6 ounces (7.6 ounces) Pamela's Honey Grahams Graham crackers
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) Melted butter unsalted
- 1 ½ tablespoon (1.5 tablespoon) Sugar white
- ¼ cup (33.5 g) Macadamia nuts
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 16 ounces (16 ounces) Cream Cheese
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- 2 (2) Eggs
- ¼ cup (57.5 g) Sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 8 ounces (8 ounces) Crushed pineapple
TOPPING
- 8 ounces (8 ounces) Cool Whip
- 8 ounces (8 ounces) Crushed pineapple
Instructions
- I take the can of crushed pineapple and add it to a strainer. I press the pineapple against the mesh, moving it around and pressing it several times to get as much juice as possible out. If there is too much juice, it will cause cracks in the cheesecake filling.
CRUST
- In a food processor, turn the button on and add the macadamia nuts. You want them to be in very small pieces. So, you may need to pulse the machine a few times. While it is still running, add the graham crackers. Then you turn it off and pulse until there are no more chunks of the graham crackers left. Add the mixture to a medium-size bowl and run your fingers through to ensure no chunks. Add the sugar plus the melted butter and stir with a fork until all the crackers are moist. Line a 9X9 pan with one sheet of tin foil. Make sure it is long and hangs over two opposite sides. You will use these as handles to pull the whole cheesecake out of the pan.
- Take the graham cracker mix, dump it into the tin foil-lined pan, and press it out so it covers the whole bottom. Pack it down; it will be stiff because of the denseness of the honey graham crackers. So, when you cut the cheesecake, you can pick up a square piece and walk around with it just like a cookie.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Add the cream cheese and sugar in a stand or hand-held mixer and mix until the sugar is incorporated. I add an egg to a small bowl (to ensure there are no eggshell pieces) before adding it to the mixer. Blend through before adding the 2nd egg. Add the vanilla extract, sour cream, and strained pineapple to the batter. I stop the mixer, scrape the sides and across the bottom, then mix for another minute to ensure all the cream cheese is blended.
- Pour the pineapple cheesecake filling over the packed graham cracker crust and smooth it out. I gently drop the pan to get any air bubbles out. Preheat oven to 325°F(165°C or 170°C) and bake for 40 - 42 minutes. When you pull it out of the oven, give it a gentle jiggle in the dish; it should only move slightly. Cool for at least 1 hour, then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Taking the pan out of the refrigerator, you want to grab the tinfoil by the long ends and pull the whole thing out of the pan. The tinfoil comes off easily from the bottom crust. Using a sharp knife, I cut down about 4 or 5 columns, depending on how big you want your pieces. Then, cut across the columns to the size squares you would like. Arrange on a plate and add the Cool Whip and some strained pineapple. This is such a fun and refreshing cheesecake. Keep refrigerated any leftover cheesecake.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Jen says
The ingredients list sour cream in the cheesecake filling, but the instructions don’t say when to add the sour cream to the mixture.
Otherwise, this is a great recipe!
Barbara says
Hi Jen, When I changed theme a while back, I had to redo all of my recipes. You are not going to believe this, but I was going to redo this recipe this coming Monday. I needed step-by-step photos and write up the post. This means also reviewing the recipe. Thank you for finding this and I have made the correction. Happy Easter! - Barbara
Colleen Fox says
I used digestive cookies for the crust instead of graham crackers. Just for a change. No nuts. I also made this in paper cup cakes in tart tins. Just a little fancier for Christmas. Cut back on baking time. Worked perfectly and so delicious. Thanks!
Barbara says
Hi Colleen, What a wonderful idea putting them into cupcake wrappers! I had not thought of that, but I might steal that idea for my Christmas dinner with my family this year. Thank you!
Doreen Horan says
Colleen how long did you bake them for since you used cup cake tins?
Theresa says
How do you addapt this recipe to a 9 by 13 dish?
Barbara says
Hi Theresa, I would just double it. You probably will not need all the bottom crust because it might be too thick. But even if the cream cheese filling is thicker you might just have to add a little more time. I have not made this in a 9 by 13 but that sounds like a great idea. If you make it please let me know how it turns out.