Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites

Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites – decadent mini cheesecakes loaded with pineapple on a pecan crust and topped with sweetened coconut flakes. So good, so easy, and perfect for a crowd!

Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites

How decadent do these look? Piled high with flaky coconut and drizzled with rich chocolate sauce and caramel, I’ve been day dreaming about these Hawaiian cheesecake bites ever since I first made them. I recently discovered adding tinned pineapple to my cheesecakes and it really adds so much dimension to what would be a basic cake.

I like to make this recipe when having guests over or going to a potluck as it’s small size is perfect for sharing with a group, and you can be sure you’ve made the perfect amount for everyone!

Ingredients You Need To Make These Cheesecake Bites

Crust

• Nuts – I used raw, unsalted pecans as my base but almond or walnuts would also work as well. If using almonds, add 2 tbsp of ice water to the crust.
• Flour – I used all purpose for this dessert.
• Sugar – Granulated is the sugar base needed for this crust.
• Butter – Unsalted is what I used to control the amount of salt in this recipe.

Cheesecake

• Cream cheese – I used 2 packages of whole fat Philadelphia cream cheese. Reduced fat can also be used to cut calories.
• Sugar – Again granulated sugar is best for this cheesecake recipe.
• Milk – Milk is added to smooth the batter, any fat content works but avoid buttermilk as the cream cheese adds enough tang.
• Eggs – Our key binding agent for this cake, eggs will allow it to bake properly.
• Pineapple – Such a great tart, sweet addition to this cake. It’ll add moisture and chew to the cake. I used crushed and drained pineapple from the can.
• Vanilla extract – Without this your dessert may taste a little flat.
• Coconut – Flaked and sweetened.
• Chocolate and caramel sauce – Totally optional but highly recommended.

How To Make Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Prepare your oven: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
• Form the crust: Add pecans, flour, sugar, and melted butter to a food processor. Pulse a few times until fine crumbs begin to form. Take this mixture and press into an ungreased mini cheesecake pan in each cup. Bake for 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cook slightly.
• Prepare the cheesecake: Mix the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and milk. Fold in the vanilla and pineapple. Add 2 tbsp of this mixture into each pecan crust cup, still in the pan, and sprinkle each cake with coconut flakes before placing in the oven.
• Finish cheesecake bites: Bake for 15 – 20 minutes and allow them to cool before serving. Drizzle chocolate and caramel sauce over top and serve it up!

Tips For Making Cheesecake Bites

• If you don’t have a mini cheesecake pan, muffin or cupcake pans can be used instead. Just be mindful that the crust and cheesecake may need longer to cook. A 9 x 13 inch baking pan also works if you prefer to make a whole cake rather than bites, however, it will take longer to bake about 45 minutes.
• Gluten free flour can be used in the crust to make this dessert gluten free.
• Always use ingredients that are at room temperature. Especially when it comes to the cream cheese. If your cream cheese is at room temperature, it’s a lot easier to mix and won’t leave lumps.

What’s The Best Cream Cheese To Use For Cheesecake

I prefer using Philadelphia cream cheese because it always makes a super silky cheesecake. However, if you can’t find the Philadelphia brand, use a cream cheese that is full fat for best results.

Storing Cheesecake

This recipe made enough crust and cheesecake mixture for 6 additional mini cheesecakes. As I didn’t have another mini cake pan on hand I just popped each mixture separately into the fridge till I was ready to make more.

Cooked cheesecake also freezes really well, just place the cakes fully cooled and uncovered on a pan in the freezer and allow to freeze entirely. Remove them and wrap fully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil till ready to eat. This method should ensure the cheesecake lasts 3 months.

Love These Mini Morsels And Want More? Try These:

• Mini Salted Caramel Cheesecakes
• Mini Tiramisu Cheesecakes
• Matcha Mini Cheesecakes with White Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Chocolate Cheesecake Santa Hats
• Mini Blueberry Galettes
• Peanut Butter Mini Tarts With Rolos
• Mini Gluten Free Cherry Pies
• Easy Chocolate Fudge

Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites

Hawaiian Cheesecake Bites - decadent mini cheesecakes loaded with pineapple on a pecan crust and topped with sweetened coconut flakes. So good, so easy, and perfect for a crowd!

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake, hawaiian food, individual desserts

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 18

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

For Crust

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar granulated
• 1/2 cup butter unsalted and melted

For Cheesecake

• 16 oz cream cheese 2 pkg
• 4 tbsp sugar granulated
• 4 tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 16 oz pineapple crushed, drained
• 1 cup flaked coconut sweetened
• chocolate sauce optional

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
• In a food processor, add the pecans, flour, sugar and melted butter. Pulse a few times until fine crumbs form. Pat mixture into ungreased mini cheesecake pan in each individual cup. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Mix together cream cheese, sugar, milk and eggs. Fold in vanilla, and drained pineapple. 
• Add about 2 tbsp of the cream cheese mixture to each cup. The mini cheesecake pan has 12 cups. There will be crust and cheesecake left over for another 6 cups, so if you only have one pan, refrigerate crust and cheesecake mixture until pan is free.
• Sprinkle each cheesecake with flaked coconut. Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool.

Notes

Cooked cheesecake freezes really well, just place the cakes fully cooled and uncovered on a pan in the freezer and allow to freeze entirely. Remove them and wrap fully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil till ready to eat. This method should ensure the cheesecake lasts 3 months.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cheesecake bite | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 6.9% | Vitamin C: 14.7% | Calcium: 5.3% | Iron: 4.1%

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