These Strawberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bites are one of my favorite ways to celebrate summer. The filling is smooth and creamy with just the right amount of tartness from fresh key lime juice. It all sits on a firm, buttery crust made with graham crackers and a handful of macadamia nuts for a little crunch. Swirls of strawberry preserves bring a pop of sweetness to balance it all out. Whether you’re planning a get-together or just want a cool, fruity treat, these little bites are always a hit.
Why You'll Love These Cheesecake Bites
Strawberries just feel like summer to me. Sweet, bright, and easy to work into almost any dessert. I had a bottle of key lime juice on hand and a jar of strawberry preserves that needed using — and together; they turned into a batch of creamy, tangy cheesecake bites that feel like sunshine in dessert form.
Plus NO WATER BATH REQUIRED.
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Ingredients Needed
Macadamia Nut and Honey Graham Crust
- Graham crackers
- Macadamia nuts
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
Key Lime Cheesecake Filling
- Key lime juice
- Cream cheese
- Condensed milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- Sugar white
Ingredient Notes!
- Key Lime Juice: Provide a more intense flavor than regular limes.
- Strawberry Preserves: Opted for a high-quality preserves and I love Bonne Maman
- Macadamia Nuts: Are a rich buttery taste with 5 health benefits. VeryWellHealth.com.
- Pamela's Honey Grahams: These grahams are gluten free, but the best part is that when they are baked, they form a solid crust that you can carry around like a cookie.
Step-by-Step for Making Cheesecake Bites
Grab your food processor, and 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 square baking pan and let's get started.
Prepare the Pan and Graham Crust
1. Line your baking pan with tin foil. You want some of the tin foil to hang over the edge. You will use this to lift the cheesecake out of the pan the next day.
2. In a food processor, pulse the macadamia nuts until they’re in small pieces.
Then add the graham crackers and pulse again until you have fine crumbs.
3. Add the melted butter and sugar and using a fork mix until all the graham crackers are moist from the butter.
4. Cover the whole bottom of the tin foiled lined pan with the graham cracker mixture. Finally, press the crackers down so they form a solid crust for the filling.
Prepare the Cheesecake Filling
Preheat the oven to 325°F(165°C or 170°C) while you are making the filling.
5. On medium speed, blend the cream cheese and sugar until it looks smooth and slightly stiff.
6. On a low mixer speed, add one egg at a time. I stop and scrape down the bowl. This will help to mix the eggs into the cream cheese and sugar.
Jam Tip!
I like a lot of jam in my cheesecake, but if you want smaller crevices in your baked cheesecake, put smaller dollops of preserves around the top. This is just a preference of mine.
7. Now add the condensed milk, key lime juice, and the vanilla extract and mix. The mixture will be thin. I stop and scrape down the sides and across the bottom and turn the mixer on for another 30 seconds.
8. Pour the cream cheese filling on top of the crust. I lightly drop the pan to bring the air bubbles to the top. Add Dollops of strawberry preserves around the top.
9. Swirl the preserves with a butter knife—but don’t go too deep, or you might cut into the crust. Bake for 40 minutes. Once out of the oven, cool the pan for 45 minutes on a rack. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to set.
10. Once out of the refrigerator, take the tin foil overhang and lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Peel the tin foil off the bottom and set the cheesecake on a cutting board. You can make any size squares you like, but I usually cut 4 strips and then cut each strip into 4 pieces.
Serve as is or with some cut up strawberries and whip cream.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
What a packed question. First, key limes have a unique flavor that I only find in key limes. For fresh or bottled fresh I am leaning towards bottled as long as it is Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice.
My main reason is consistency. With fresh key limes, if they are not ripe, their taste can be tart. When buying Nellie and Joe's, you get the same taste with multiple bakes. The only time I get fresh key limes is if I need the key lime zest along with the juice.
The outside should be firm, and the middle should only jiggle a little. It will continue to set as it cools and overnight in the fridge.
Of course not, BUT I caution that if you use regular graham crackers, they may not hold up as well for a solid crust. This could be a problem when you take the cheesecake out of the pan. It may also be harder to peel the tin foil off the bottom.
Other Great Cheesecake Bites
Recipe
Strawberry Key Lime Cheesecake Bites
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- ¼ cup (60.5 g) Key lime juice
- 16 ounces Cream Cheese 2 bars
- ½ cup (153 g) Condensed milk
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 (2) Eggs
- ¼ cup (1.76 oz) Sugar white
CRUST
- 7.5 ounces Pamelas Honey Grahams
- ½ cup (67 g) Macadamia nuts
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) Melted butter unsalted
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar white
SWIRL
- 6 ounces Strawberry preserves
Instructions
CRUST
- In a food processor, pulse the macadamia nuts into small pieces. Add the entire box of Pamela's Honey Grahams and continue pulsing until fine. Transfer to a bowl, add the sugar, and stir in the melted butter with a fork until evenly moist.
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan with foil, leaving overhang on two sides. Press the graham mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan, then set aside.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C or 170°C).
- Using a mixer, blend the cream cheese and sugar together. Stop and scrape down the sides and add one egg at a time and mix until combined. Add the key lime juice, condensed milk, and vanilla extract and blend. The mixture will be thin but will thicken while baking. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and lightly drop the pan to ensure there are no air pockets.
STRAWBERRY SWIRL
- Drop small spoonfuls of preserves over the top of the cheesecake layer. Use a knife to gently swirl the preserves without cutting into the crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes. To tell if it is set give it a little jiggle there should be much movement. Let it cool on the counter for 45 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and setting in the refrigerator. Leave it in the fridge overnight. This amount of time gives the cream cheese time to set and the flavors to meld.
- After chilling overnight, lift the cheesecake out of the pan using the foil overhang. Carefully peel off the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into squares and serve as-is or topped with whipped cream and diced strawberries.
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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.
susie deyo says
These cheesecake bites are extraordinarily delicious. One of the best desserts ever and fun to make.
Barbara says
Hi Susie, Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad you liked the cheesecake. - Barbara