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've recently fallen in love with air fryer recipes. We use our air fryer to make everything from Air Fryer Brisket to crispy Air Fryer Paneer and Air Fryer Polenta. With an air fryer, you can even make Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp in minutes.

Now you've got one more reason to get an air fryer! They're perfect for making cheesecakes as well. This easy fried cheesecake recipe will win you over as soon as you try it. It takes less time than a traditional cheesecake but is just as delicious for your creamy dessert cravings.

Nothing beats a crispy crust with a warm cream cheese filling. This was seriously one of the best desserts we've ever eaten.

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 for extra rich flavor. 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, granular honey, or coconut sugar, could be used.
• Cinnamon - I love cinnamon on my cheesecakes, but you can omit this if you prefer.

How to Make Air Fryer Cheesecake

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: Stir together the cream cheese filling ingredients in a medium bowl. It helps to use an electric hand mixer, food processor, or stand mixer, and cream cheese that has been softened. Mix on medium speed until smooth with no lumps.

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 it again at medium power for another 30 seconds.

Step Three: Divide the cheesecake batter between the rectangles of dough.

Step Four: Close the dough over the filling and pinch the edges. Mix the cinnamon and sugar with a spoon 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. You can air fry them on parchment paper or foil liners if you prefer.

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

Variations & Toppings

• 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.
• Berries - Finely chop a strawberry or two and fold the strawberries into the cream cheese batter before adding them. Blueberries can be halved if they are big and added in the same way. Other fresh fruit can be chopped.
• 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!
• 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. Or crush up some Oreos!
• 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 cheesecake you can mix some into this filling too.
• Leftover Cheesecake - If you have actual slices of leftover cheesecake, cut them so they fit inside the crescent rolls and go ahead and air fry!

Make sure to try these Air Fryer Peaches next!

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.

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

 

Recipe

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Originally Published November 15, 2021. Revised and Republished December 18, 2025.