Mini Savory Cheesecakes are bite size appetizers topped with green or red pepper jelly. And I promise they're every bit as easy as they are impressive. You only need about 10 minutes of prep before they go in the oven. The built-in shortcut is using spreadable herb and garlic cheese spread so you get big, savory flavor with one ingredient.
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This cream cheese & Pepper Jelly Appetizer is a little savory cheesecake made in a mini muffin pan, with a buttery cracker crust, a creamy Boursin cheese filling, with a spoonful of melted pepper jelly on top.
They're not a sweet dessert cheesecake! Think of them more like a dressed-up, reconstructed version of a block of cream cheese and pepper jelly on crackers. I love that they travel well, hold their shape, and don't require a single toothpick to serve.
Pepper jelly has always had a place at my table, but I really fell for it years ago when I started making my own with peppers straight from my garden. I plant a whole little patch of jalapeños every summer and I'm always looking for new ways to use up the pepper jelly I've put up. I often use my own Freezer Jalapeño Pepper Jelly for the classic red and green combination here, but honestly, any melted pepper jelly works beautifully on top of these make ahead appetizers.
My Cranberry Pepper Jelly, Easy Peach Pepper Jelly, and Freezer Blackberry Pepper Jelly would all be delicious swapped in if you wanted to make one of those instead of buying pepper jelly at the store. Cranberry pepper jelly would be great for the holidays, but these savory mini cheesecakes are great at any occasion like baby showers, weddings, or game day.
If you're building out a whole appetizer spread, these little cheesecakes go well with other recipes like my Cheese Wafers with Pecans or my Christmas Tree Deviled Eggs for a holiday party!
Shortcuts
- Melted pepper jelly instead of a homemade glaze. There's no simmering or reducing here, just warm your favorite jarred or homemade pepper jelly in the microwave for a few seconds until it's spreadable.
- Boursin cheese spread does the flavor work for you. Instead of measuring out garlic, herbs, and seasonings separately, herb and garlic Boursin blends right into the cream cheese filling and delivers big flavor in one step.
- Mini paper liners mean no greasing the pans. Line your mini muffin tin with paper liners and skip the greasing and scrubbing altogether. They lift right out when it's time to serve.
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Buttery round crackers - I use Ritz crackers crushed into fine crumbs for the crust. You'll need about ½ cup of crumbs, which is roughly 13 whole crackers.
- Butter - Just 2 tablespoons, melted, to bind the cracker crumbs together into a press-in crust.
- Cream cheese - One 8-ounce package, softened, forms the base of the savory cheesecake filling. Make sure it's fully softened so it blends smoothly.
- Boursin spreadable cheese - Half of a 5.3-ounce package of Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin adds tangy, herby flavor without any extra chopping or measuring.
- Egg - One large egg helps set the filling as it bakes, just like a traditional cheesecake.
- Milk - Just 2 tablespoons of any dairy milk to loosen the batter slightly for the perfect consistency.
- Pepper jelly - You'll need ¼ cup each of green pepper jelly and red jalapeño pepper jelly for that classic two-tone topping. Braswell's green pepper jelly is made with bell peppers, so it has very little heat, if any, while the red jalapeño jelly brings a little kick.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add fresh herbs. Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, like chives or parsley, into the cheesecake filling for even more fresh flavor.
- Swap the herbed cheese. Trade out 2 ounces of the cream cheese for 2 additional ounces of Boursin or Alouette garlic and herb cheese if that's what you have on hand instead.
- Use breadcrumbs for the crust. Fine dry breadcrumbs can stand in for the buttery cracker crumbs. That's a shortcut, too, if you don't have crackers handy.
- Make them a sweet treat. Leave the herbed cheese out of the filling (no need to add more cream cheese) and swap the pepper jelly for orange marmalade, apricot preserves, or apple jelly to turn these into bite-size dessert cheesecakes instead.
- Change up the colors for the occasion. Red and green pepper jelly makes these perfect for Christmas, but for Valentine's Day, top them all with red jelly, and for St. Patrick's Day, use all green pepper jelly or even green mint jelly.
How to Make Savory Cheesecakes with Pepper Jelly
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line mini muffin pans with 24 miniature paper liners.
- Crush the crackers in a zip-top bag or pulse them in a food processor. Combine the cracker crumbs with the melted butter, then firmly press a rounded teaspoonful into the bottom of each liner.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the Boursin and milk, beating just until incorporated. Add the egg and beat until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Spoon the filling evenly over the crusts — a small trigger-release cookie scoop makes this quick and mess-free. Bake for 10 minutes, or just until the centers are set.
- Let the cheesecakes cool completely in the pans, then cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
- Place each pepper jelly in a separate microwave-safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 20 to 25 seconds, just until melted enough to spread easily but not piping hot.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the melted jelly over each cheesecake — green over half, red over the other half. Loosely cover with tented foil and chill until ready to serve.
- Use a table knife to help lift the paper liners out of the muffin tins.
- Serve them in the paper liners or you can remove them.
Pro Tips
- Leave the cheesecakes in the muffin pans while they cool and chill. This little trick saves you from transferring delicate cheesecakes to a platter too soon, keeps them nicely separated while you're topping them with jelly, and makes for easy, no-fuss storage until party time.
- Don't overheat the pepper jelly. You just want it melted enough to spread easily with a spoon, not piping hot, or it will run right off the top of the cheesecakes instead of settling in place.
- Use a trigger-release cookie scoop for the filling. It portions the batter evenly into each liner and keeps things tidy, especially if you're making a big batch for a party.
- Make ahead! These are a true make-ahead appetizer. You can bake and chill these up to 24 hours before your event, then just add the melted jelly right before you're ready to serve.
What to Serve with these Appetizers with Pepper Jelly
These little pepper jelly cheesecakes are perfect for a holiday party, a game day spread, or any gathering where you want something that looks fancy but comes together fast.
I love setting them out on a platter alongside my Bacon Wrapped Meatballs and a bowl of Baked Pimento Cheese Dip with Bacon for the perfect appetizer table, and a platter of fresh veggies or crackers rounds things out nicely!
Storage
- To Store: Keep finished (jelly-topped) cheesecakes covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Tip: The pepper jelly may need to be topped off if storing them 3 days.
- Make ahead: Bake and chill the plain cheesecakes (before adding jelly) up to 2 days in advance, then top with warmed jelly right before serving.
- Freeze: Freeze the baked cheesecakes (without the jelly topping) in an airtight container up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then top with melted jelly before serving.
FAQ's
You don't have to! Pepper jelly is traditionally spooned over cream cheese cold, straight from the jar. Warming it slightly (like in this recipe) just makes it easier to spread and gives it a glossier look, but it's purely optional for a classic cream cheese and cracker appetizer.
Any garlic and herb spreadable cheese, like Alouette, will work as a substitute in the filling. Walmart sells them in the specialty cheese case. You can also stir in ½ teaspoon minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon dried Italian herbs to the cream cheese.
Not at all. Feel free to use just one color or flavor of pepper jelly for the whole batch, especially if you're matching a specific holiday or occasion.
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Mini Pepper Jelly Cheesecake Appetizers
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Ingredients
Crust:
- 13 buttery round crackers ½ cup crushed crackers (I used Ritz)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Filling:
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
- ½ (5.3 ounce) package Boursin spreadable cheese Garlic & Fine Herbs flavor
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk any dairy milk will work
- 3 tablespoons green pepper jelly
- 3 tablespoons red jalapeno pepper jelly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F°. Line mini muffin pans with 24 miniature paper liners.
- Crush the crackers in a zip top plastic bag or pulse in a food processor. Combine the cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Firmly press a rounded teaspoonful of the mixture in the bottom of each paper liner. I like to use a pastry tamper (see equipment above) but the end of a large wooden spoon or your fingertips will work.
- Beat cream cheese at medium speed of a hand or stand mixer until smooth. Add the herbed cheese spread and milk, beating just until incorporated. Add the egg, beating until blended, scraping down sides.
- Spoon mixture evenly on top of the crust. I like to use a small trigger release cookie scoop. Bake for 10 minutes or just until the centers are set. Let cool completely in the pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place in the fridge to chill at least 1 hour up to 24 hours.
- Place each of the pepper jellies in separate small, microwave-safe bowls. Microwave on HIGH for 25 to 35 seconds or until melted just enough to spread easily, but not piping hot.
- You can also heat it in a very small saucepan on the stovetop.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the melted jelly over each of the cheesecakes. Loosely cover with tented aluminum foil (plastic wrap may stick to the jelly) and chill until ready.
- Yield: 24 appetizers
Notes
- Boursin substitute: No Boursin on hand? Any garlic and herb spreadable cheese, like Alouette, works just as well in the filling. You can also stir in ½ teaspoon minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning.
- Pepper jelly: Use store-bought or your own homemade pepper jelly here. Any color or flavor works, so pick what matches your occasion.
- Don't overheat the jelly: You just want it melted enough to spread with a spoon, not piping hot, or it will run right off the cheesecakes.
- Make-ahead friendly: Bake and chill the plain cheesecakes up to 24 hours ahead, then top with warmed jelly right before your guests arrive.
- Leaving the baked cheesecakes in the mini muffin pans while they cool and chill saves you a step. No transferring to a platter early, and they stay put while you spoon on the jelly.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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