Cheesecake Balls

Cheesecake, with its crunchy graham cracker crust and creamy filling, is by far one of my favorite desserts. However, making one can be time-consuming and require a little expertise — that’s why I love these easy no bake cheesecake balls.

With just a few simple ingredients you probably already have, or can easily pick up at the grocery store, you can whip these up in no time. You can also use all sorts of different toppings (or filling flavors) to add a fruity, nutty, or chocolatey twist to the standard recipe.

The best part of these mini cheesecake bites (besides how easy they are to make) is that they can be kept around for a quick sweet treat. Whether it’s an after-school snack or an evening indulgence while binge-watching, they’re perfect small bites of crunchy, creamy cheesecake goodness.

The next time you have a cheesecake craving, or you need an easy recipe to take to a party, check out these cheesecake bites.

Why You’ll Love Cheesecake Balls

• No baking – These are no-bake cheesecake bites so they require little prep time and even less cleanup.
• Easy – With just a few simple steps you can get all of that cheesecake flavor without spending a whole afternoon in the kitchen.
• Portable – These are easy to take to a party, cookout, or picnic.
• Customizable – There are tons of options to use your own favorite toppings to make this your own!

Ingredients

Balls

• Cream cheese –  Using cream cheese that has been softened until it is at room temperature will make it easier to work with. Make sure to use full-fat cream cheese to achieve the perfect texture and flavor.
• Salted butter – Make sure that the butter is at room temperature so it is easy to incorporate.
• Powdered sugar – Make sure to use powdered and not granulated sugar to get the smooth consistency of creamy cheesecake.
• Graham crackers – These crushed graham crackers help to act as a binding agent so that the balls stay together. They also add the perfect level of crunchiness.
• Vanilla extract – This flavoring helps to round out all of the sweet flavors of the cheesecake balls.

Coating

• Graham crackers – Make sure to crush the graham crackers finely. This is accomplished most easily by placing the graham crackers in a plastic bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin or beating them with a mallet or meat tenderizer.
• Sprinkles – Use chocolate or make them colorful!

How To Make Cheesecake Balls

1. Place cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and graham crackers in a large bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer (or a stand mixer), combine the ingredients until they are all equally incorporated and the mixture is smooth. You can also use a food processor.
3. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the cream cheese mixture from the side of the bowl, as well as the beaters of the hand mixer (if using), to ensure all ingredients are combined.
4. While the mixture hardens in the refrigerator, prepare two separate shallow bowls. Fill one small bowl with the crushed graham cracker crumbs and the other with sprinkles.
5. When ready to form the cheesecake balls, use a miniature ice cream scoop or small cookie scoop. For best results, grease your hands to help you to roll them out uniformly.
6. If the mixture is not maintaining its ball form, try mixing in more graham cracker crumbs.
7. Once the balls are formed, then roll them until they are completely coated in graham crackers or sprinkles. 
8. Place them on a parchment paper (or wax paper) lined baking sheet or serving tray.
9. Enjoy the cheesecake balls immediately or return them to the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. 

Variations

• Toppings – Try using crushed nuts, shaved dark chocolate, white chocolate, or mini M&Ms. You can also make Oreo cheesecake balls using crushed Oreo cookies.
• Fruit or juice – Lemon juice, blueberries, finely chopped strawberries can all be folded into the cheesecake mixture to add a fruity element. Lemon zest works well, too.
• More filling additions – Add cocoa powder, spices like nutmeg or cinnamon, or a dash of an extract you like (eg, lemon, coffee, or almond extract) for some additional or seasonal flavor. You can even add a bit of peanut butter (or pipe it into the center once the balls are formed).
• Liquor – To make an only-adult version, try adding a touch of your favorite liquor or liqueur — Kahlua, Frangelica, and Bailey’s are all good options. If you want to use a harder liquor, try a flavored vodka (like caramel) or rum.
• Lower carb/sugar – To make a lower carb version of these cheesecake balls you can use an alternative powdered sugar. To make them keto you can also try using coconut flour or almond flour instead of graham crackers in the cream cheese mixture (and omit them entirely from the topping).
• Drizzle – You can drizzle these with any melted chocolate you might like, or experiment with caramel as well.

Storage and Freezing

Store cheesecake balls in the refrigerator in an airtight container or ziploc bag. You can also wrap them individually with plastic wrap (or put them in a freezer-safe container) and store them in either the fridge or freezer.

They will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

Other Cheesecake Recipes

• Blueberry Cheesecake Dip
• No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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Cheesecake Balls

This no bake Cheesecake Balls recipe couldn't be easier! All the flavor of cheesecake wrapped up into a 7 ingredient dessert bite!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake balls

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 16 balls

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Kathryn Donangelo

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1 tablespoon salted butter room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
• Sprinkles

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and vanilla extract. Beat together on medium speed with an electric mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be smooth with the exception of the graham cracker crumbs.
• Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to harden.
• Grease your hands and use a mini ice cream scoop (equivalent to 2 heaping tablespoons) to scoop balls and roll with your hands. If the mixture is hard to shape, add more graham cracker crumbs.
• Place the crushed graham crackers and sprinkles in two separate shallow bowls- or any other coatings that you want. Roll the balls until they are coated in graham crackers or sprinkles. Enjoy right away or place them back in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They will be more firm if you let them chill for an hour. Enjoy!
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 0.4mg