Air Fryer Cheesecake Recipe

Have you ever wanted to make cheesecake, but didn't want to put in the effort? Well, now you can! With an air fryer. This amazing dessert is easy to make and perfect for a party or when friends come over! Our Air Fryer Cheesecake Recipe is simple, only takes minutes to make, and is positively delicious.

We have fallen in love with air fryer recipes recently. We use our air fryer to make everything from air fryer pork belly to crispy fried paneer. With an air fryer you can cook shrimp from frozen in minutes.

Now you've got one more reason to get an air fryer! They're perfect for making cheesecakes, too. This easy fried cheesecake recipe will win you over as soon as you try it.

Ingredients

Canned Crescent Rolls - this is really the easiest crust for air fryer cheesecake that can be found.

Cream Cheese - I use regular full-fat cream cheese in all of my cheesecake recipes. Take it out of the refrigerator about an hour before starting so it comes up to room temperature.

Egg - you only need a small amount of egg for the filling to set.

Vanilla Extract - vanilla really enhances the flavor of the cheesecake.

Butter - I use salted butter all the time but unsalted butter would be fine for this as well.

Sugar - white cane sugar is what we used but I'm sure a sugar-free sweetener or other granular sugar such as maple sugar or coconut sugar could be used.

Cinnamon - I love cinnamon on my cheesecakes but you can omit this or sub in another baking spice such as pumpkin spice or apple pie spice if you prefer.

How to Make this Air Fryer Cheesecake Recipe

Cheesecake does not have a lot of ingredients so it can be easy to make at home instead of going out or buying it from the store. Nothing beats a crispy crust with a warm cream cheese filling. This was seriously one of the best desserts we've ever eaten.

Step One: Open the can of crescent rolls and form the dough into 4 rectangles as shown. Thoroughly press the seams together. I did not pinch them enough and the popped open a bit.

Step Two: Mix together the cream cheese filling ingredients. It helps to use an electric mixer, food processor, or stand mixer and cream cheese that has been softened.

Expert Tip: I soften my cream cheese in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. If it is not softened enough you can microwave again at medium power for another 30 seconds.

Step Three: Divide the filling between the rectangles of dough.

Step Four: Close the dough over the filling and pinch the edges. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Brush the cheesecakes with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Step Five: Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray. Air fry the cheesecakes two at a time for 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown and crisp.

Step Six: Let each mini cheesecake rest for 10 minutes before eating. This may be the hardest part!

Variations & Toppings

The holidays are just around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about all of the delicious desserts that will be making an appearance at your next holiday party. One of my favorite things is cheesecake, and I always look forward to trying out different recipes for this classic dessert. If you're looking for some inspiration when it comes to flavors and toppings for your cheesecake, here are a few suggestions!

Lemon - Swap out the vanilla extract for a little lemon extract or lemon zest. Lemon juice is not recommended since it isn't concentrated enough.

Brown Sugar - Brown sugar can be used to replace some or all of the white sugar giving the cheesecake a completely different flavor.

Strawberries - Finely chop a strawberry or two and fold it into the cheesecake batter before adding it.

Chocolate - Add some chocolate chips into the filling before using it or drizzle melted chocolate on top after cooking to make an air fryer chocolate cheesecake. If you love chocolate chip cookies this variation is a must try!

Bananas - Top with some sliced smoked bananas and caramel sauce for an out-of-the-world combo.

Graham Cracker Crumbs - If you are really missing that classic graham cracker crust from a traditional New York Cheesecake fold some crushed graham crackers into the filling.

Whipped Cream - Whip up some heavy cream and serve with the air fryer cheesecakes. Fresh berries are a great garnish as well.

Peaches - Swap out the filling for fresh peaches (like in our air fryer peaches recipe) or add some into the filling.

Cherries - Cherry pie filling is a classic cheesecake topping. Go ahead and add some in a layer on top of the filling.

Sour Cream - If you like adding sour cream to cheese cake you can mix some into this filling too.

Common Questions

What is an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that can be used to cook various foods. It uses circulating hot air and little oil as opposed to an oven which cooks food with direct heat from all sides. The air fryer is now being used for desserts, such as cheesecake!

Which air fryer should I buy?

We have an 8-qt Instant Pot with an air fryer lid and it is amazing. I love that it has replaced a slow cooker, air fryer, and pressure cooker. Multi-tasking kitchen gadgets make me happy. If you are looking for a small air fryer I have heard good things about the Chefman Turbofry.

Can I freeze air fryer cheesecake?

Most cheesecakes do freeze well. We haven't tested freezing this airfryer cheesecake recipe yet but I think it would be fine frozen. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and bake or air fry again until it is warm.

Why do you use canned crescent rolls?

We wanted to avoid the mess of a springform pan and graham cracker crumbs while still having a crisp flavorful crust and we found it. These are basically air fryer cheesecake chimichangas.

Can I make this keto?

Yup! If you want a low carb keto option simply sub in fathead dough and sugar-free sweetener. It is really easy to convert this to a keto air fryer cheesecake. That is on my to-do list.

Love this recipe? Try our Biscoff Truffles and Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies next!

Want a savory version? How about this Air Fryer Hot Pocket recipe?

 

Originally Published November 15, 2021. Revised and Republished October 18, 2023.