This Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake is rich and creamy. An easy recipe perfect for your Valentine day celebrations and dinners. 

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake - rich and creamy recipe

I think it’s time we go all red velvet, pink and red hearts around here as Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you need to start thinking of what to make. YES you do!! This mini red velvet cheesecake is a great place to start because after all you want to try the recipe before making it for your Valentine!

We love cheesecake in our house, especially my husband. He loves a rich, decadent cheesecake and I decided it was time to give him a red velvet version since that’s our Valentine’s Day tradition. Every year since I started baking, he gets a red velvet treat for Valentine’s Day. There were these classic red velvet cupcakes, mini red velvet bundt cakes and now these mini red velvet cheesecakes. Can you tell he LOVES red velvet?

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake - rich and creamy recipe

This cheesecake is rich. I am going to put that out there again. It’s based off my favorite cheesecake recipe. To make it red velvet, I used buttermilk, added cocoa powder and apple cider vinegar to the base. I also used vanilla wafer cookies for the crust instead of Oreo cookies. Given the creamy, rich and delicious cheesecake, I didn’t want to bug it down further with chocolate (YES, I know that sounds ridiculous as I say it out loud). The vanilla crust is perfect here for it! But of course, feel free to use Oreo cookies if you want some chocolate.

I hope you will give this red velvet cheesecake a try! Whether it’s for your Valentine or a dinner party, it will be a great hit!

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake - rich and creamy recipe

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake - rich and creamy recipe
Yield: 4 mini cheesecakes

Mini Red Velvet Cheesecake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For Crust:

  • • 15-20 Vanilla Wafer Cookies
  • • a pinch of salt
  • • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For Filling:

  • • 2 8-ounce cream cheese blocks, softened at room temperature
  • • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • • 3 tablespoon buttermilk
  • • 1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • • 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • • a pinch of salt
  • • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • • 2 teaspoon red food coloring (or drops of red gel color paste)

Instructions

To make Crust:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of 4 mini springform pans with two foil sheets.
  2. Using a food processor, pulse the cookies into a fine crumb. Add salt and melted butter and process until combined.
  3. Transfer the crumbs to the prepared pans and evenly spread them. Press down on the crust with a flat bottom cup to create an even layer.
  4. Bake crusts for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool while you prepare the filing.

To make Filling:

  1. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and mix until combined, another minute, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  3. Add cocoa powder, buttermilk, flour, apple cider vinegar, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix well on medium-low speed. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing each time until combined. Add in the red food coloring. Mix filling until smooth for an additional minute.
  4. Divide the filling into the prepared springform pans with crust. Place the mini springform pans into a much larger baking pan. Add hot water to the larger baking pan to reach halfway up the side of your springform pans.
  5. Bake cheesecake at 325 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake slightly jiggles. Then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecakes in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour before chilling. Chill for 6 hours or overnight.
  6. When ready to serve, remove cheesecakes from the pan and top with whipped cream.

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