Deep-fried cheesecake bites add a fun twist to a classic dessert! To make these warm cream puffs, all you need is 4 ingredients, and watch them fry to golden brown perfection. While the outside is crispy, the cream cheese inside is totally silky smooth.
While it’s hard to beat a good no bake cheesecake, this decadent dessert tastes totally different and reminds you of classic fair foods like deep fried ice cream and homemade funnel cakes. Most of the time, deep frying is not my method of choice for cooking, but I knew I had to try these. Well, I guess there was that time back in the summer I made cherry cheesecake tacos topped with whipped cream!
If you have a hard time resisting a thick piece of cheesecake, be sure to try my brownie bottom cheesecake it’s rich and chocolatey. There’s also the luscious banana cream cheesecake that we can’t get enough of. If there’s a celebration going down, go with the birthday cake cheesecake bars. Want to experiment more with deep-fried desserts? We recommend starting with deep fried Oreos and fried cheesecake.
What do I Need for this Recipe?
🍜 Ingredients:
- cheesecake – We are using a 1-pound frozen cheesecake. This way you don’t have to spend all the time making a regular cheesecake beforehand.
- Bisquick pancake mix
- Milk and 1 egg – we are using whole milk.
- powdered sugar – this is for dusting just before serving.
- Oil – You want to use a type that has a high smoke point such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Others with a lower smoke point may burn causing the cheesecake balls to taste funny.
Optional Garnish:
Caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, or chocolate sauce/ganache.
Equipment Needed:
Large skillet, deep fryer, or Dutch oven – we will be using several inches of hot oil, so just be sure the vessel you are using can safely hold that amount.
Slotted spoon – this is the perfect tool so the excess oil can drip through before transferring the deep-fried cheesecake bites to paper towels or a serving tray.
Thermometer – we want the oil to stay between 350 and 375 degrees, so it’s best to monitor with a thermometer, or else the cheesecake bites may end up oily.
Variations and Substitutions:
- Different flavors – We went with the traditional cheesecake flavor, but feel free to switch them up with your favorites like Oreo, turtle, or raspberry.
- Leftover cheesecake – If you have leftovers from a cheesecake recipe and it has been frozen, you can use that instead of a store-bought.
- Pancake mix – We chose to use Bisquick, however, any pancake mix will work. Just follow the instruction on the box. Use it for the cheesecake batter and if it is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of milk at a time. To thicken, add more pancake mix just until it’s thick enough to stick to the outside.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Remove the cheesecake from the packaging. If the graham cracker crumbs are falling off, trim them away. Keep the cheesecake pieces in the freezer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper while making the rest of the recipe.
Step 1: Slice the cheesecake into pieces.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pancake mix, milk, and egg.
Step 3: Fill the pot or Dutch oven with several inches of oil. Heat over medium heat until the temperature reaches 375 degrees. Maintain the temperature of 350-375 while frying.
Step 3: Dip one piece of cheesecake in the batter at a time. Toss so the cheesecake filling is fully coated with the batter. Allow the excess to drip off and transfer to the hot oil.
Step 4: Flip the cheesecake while frying so it cooks evenly. Once it’s golden brown, blot the excess oil using several paper towels. Repeat until all of the cake is fried.
Pro Tip: Some prefer to use toothpicks when coating the cheesecake versus forks.
Step 6: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Step 7: Drizzle with sauce and serve!
- Pancake batter whips up pretty easily, so there’s no need for a stand mixer or electric mixer.
- The pieces of your cheesecake may vary in size, but I like to cut them so they are thicker. The cooking time will not change.
- If the pie crust is more crumbly, it’s okay to trim it offer. The cheesecake is the star of the show anyway, not the graham crackers.
- Having trouble with the batter? Use a second fork to sweep the cake into the oil.
- Do not overcrowd the pot. There needs to be enough room to flip and remove them easily when they have finished cooking.
This dessert is really the best when eaten fresh. We don’t recommend keeping leftovers because the filling tends to soak into the fried outer layer, making it soggy.
Sure. However, it needs to have time to be completely frozen before frying.
More Decadent Cheesecake Recipes
Fried Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 frozen cheesecake approx. 1 lb.
- 1 cup Bisquick pancake mix
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Caramel sauce and/or strawberry sauce for serving
Instructions
- Remove frozen cheesecake from packaging and cut into pieces. The pieces should be approximate squares. If the crust is crumbling away from the cheesecake, it may be best to trim the crust off the pieces as well. (see note) Keep cheesecake pieces frozen while preparing the rest of the recipe.
- Fill a deep skillet or Dutch oven with several inches of cooking oil, such as vegetable oil or canola oil. Keep a candy thermometer in the oil to monitor the temperature. Heat the oil until it reaches 375°F; maintain the oil temperature between 350°F and 375°F throughout cooking.
- While the oil is heating, prepare the batter by whisking together the pancake mix, milk, and one egg until well combined. The batter should be thick enough to coat the cheesecake pieces while still allowing you to drip off the excess and work quickly.
- Dip one piece of cheesecake at a time into the batter. Use a fork to toss the cheesecake in the batter and then lift the piece out and allow excess batter to drip off. Immediately transfer the battered cheesecake into the hot oil.
- Flip the cheesecake occasionally while frying to ensure even cooking. Remove the cheesecake from the oil when it is golden brown all over – about 1-2 minutes.
- Blot excess oil from the fried cheesecake by placing on several layers of paper towels.
- Continue battering and frying all of the cheesecake pieces. Dust cheesecake pieces with powdered sugar.
- Drizzle sauces over the cheesecake bites or serve alongside as dipping sauces.
Notes
- Depending on the cheesecake your purchase, the size may vary. The thickness may vary as well. I like to cut the pieces into squares so if your cheesecake is thicker, your overall square pieces will be larger than a shorter cheesecake. The process and time for cooking the fried cheesecake pieces, and the recipe for the batter, should not vary regardless of the size of your pieces.
- Some cheesecakes are made with a more crumbly crust. When you batter this crust, it tends to crumble into the pancake batter and gets messy. For these types of cheesecakes, most people will just cut the crust off also and simply batter and fry the cheesecake portion. I’ve also worked with cheesecakes where the crust stays intact and there is no crumbling issue. Personally, I think the star of the show is the cheesecake itself when deep fried, so with or without crust isn’t particularly relevant.
- If you’re having trouble transferring the battered cheesecake from the batter to the oil, lift with one fork (drain excess batter) and then use a second fork to swipe the battered bite from the fork to the oil.
- You can fry several pieces of cheesecake at a time; don’t overcrowd. You need the cheesecake pieces to have enough room so that you can turn them to cook evenly and remove them when done.
- You can use any pancake mix to make the batter. Mix batter up according to the instructions on the box and then use it to batter your cheesecake. If you find that your batter is too thick, add a teaspoon or so of milk at a time to thin. If you need to thicken up the batter, just add a bit more pancake mix until it’s thick enough to coat and stick to the cheesecake.
Nutrition
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