Deep Fried Cheesecake Bites

These deep fried cheesecake bites have a creamy graham cracker cheesecake filling coated in a light, crispy batter and fried until golden brown. They come together in under 45 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, and they're the kind of dessert that disappears the moment you put them on the table.

Why You'll Love These Fried Cheesecake Bites

These deep fried cheesecake bites are exactly what they sound like. Creamy cheesecake filling with graham cracker crumbs, coated in a light, crispy batter and fried until golden. They're one of those desserts that sounds indulgent before you even take a bite, and then completely delivers once you do.

I started making these after Sonic discontinued their cheesecake bites, because I genuinely loved them and didn't want to wait around hoping they'd bring them back. After a few rounds of testing, I landed on this version, and honestly I think it's better. The filling is creamier, the batter gets crispier, and you can top them with whatever you want. Strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries is my go-to, but powdered sugar, caramel, or chocolate sauce all work beautifully too.

If you love deep fried desserts like myfried ice cream, fried dough, or fried Oreos , these cheesecake bites are going to be your new favorite.

Ingredients

The deep fried cheesecake ingredients are actually really simple. In fact, you probably have everything you need in your fridge and pantry already!  

Check out what you need for cheesecake filling:

• 8oz. cream cheese
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs

And here's what you need for the batter:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup milk

If you have all of these ingredients, then you have almost everything you need to make this Philadelphia no bake cheesecake next!

Ingredient Substitutions and Suggestions

This recipe is great as written, but there are a few easy ways to customize it depending on what you have on hand or how you want to serve them.

Topping ideas. Strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries is my go-to, but these bites work with just about anything. Roll them in cinnamon sugar right out of the fryer, drizzle with chocolate sauce or caramel, or keep it simple with a dusting of powdered sugar. Every topping gives them a slightly different feel, almost like a different cheesecake flavor in every batch.

Batter shortcut. No time to make the batter from scratch? Pancake mix works as a solid substitute. The just-add-water kind makes it even easier, and the finished texture is still crispy and delicious.

Filling shortcut. If you want to skip the homemade filling entirely, grab a pre-made frozen cheesecake from the store, scoop it into balls, and go straight to the batter and fry steps. It's a great option when you're short on time and still want the full experience.

How to Make Fried Cheesecake Bites

Step 1: Make The Cheesecake Filling

First, beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl until it's fluffy. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat until the mixture is smooth. After that, fold in the graham cracker crumbs until they're mixed with the cheesecake batter. 

Step 2: Freeze The Cheesecake

Put the bowl with the cheesecake mixture into the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the cheesecake mixture from the freezer. Scoop out one tablespoon sized balls of the cheesecake mixture, shape it into a ball, and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. And then repeat with the remaining cream cheese. Once all the cheesecake balls are shaped, freeze the cheesecake balls for another 15 minutes.

Step 3: Make The Batter

Whisk flour, baking powder, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk more until you have a smooth batter that resembles the consistency of pancake batter.

Step 4: Deep Fry The Cheesecake

Heat 3-4 cups of vegetable oil or canola oil in a deep pan or saucepot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, coat the frozen cheesecake balls with the batter and use a slotted spoon to let the excess batter drip. Drop 2-3 batter-coated balls into the hot oil and fry the cheesecake balls for about 3-4 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until golden brown.

Once fried, use another slotted spoon to remove the fried cheesecake bites from the saucepot. Let the oil reheat before you add the next batch to the pot, and repeat the frying process until you fry all the cheesecake balls. Then drain the cheesecake balls on paper towel-lined plates. 

Serve the cheesecake balls with fresh strawberries and strawberry syrup or your desired toppings. Enjoy!

How to Store and Reheat Fried Cheesecake Balls

These are best eaten fresh and warm right out of the fryer, but leftovers keep well. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat, pop them in the air fryer at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes until hot and crispy again. The microwave will leave them soft, so the air fryer is the move here.

Deep Fried Cheesecake Bites FAQs

Deep fried cheesecake bites are one of those desserts that sounds like a lot of work and turns out to be surprisingly simple. Creamy cheesecake filling, a light crispy batter, and about 40 minutes is all it takes. Make a batch, pick your toppings, and let me know how they turn out in the comments below.

More Dessert Recipes to Try

• Elephant ears
• Funnel cake
• Funnel cake fries
• Caramel rolls
• Oreo balls
• Philadelphia cheesecake
• No bake cheesecake bites