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These no-bake boondi cheesecake shots have a buttery biscuit base, layers of sweet and tangy, mousse-like cheesecake filling, and sweet boondi. They look super adorable and are so easy to make!

Three boondi cheesecake shots served on a round metal tray

Fusion desserts have gained a lot of popularity in recent years in India. You will come across many wonderful fusion dessert creations from the kitchens of exquisite hotels to home chefs.

Sweet boondi by itself is a scrumptious treat, however, I wanted to put it to use in some fusion desserts. Hence, this no-bake boondi cheesecake served in shot glasses was a no-brainer.

I am sure you are going to love this combination of soft and juicy sweet boondi with the creamy, velvety, sweet, and subtle tangy flavor of the cheesecake. It is seriously so delicious!

This fusion dessert is perfectly balanced and not overly sweet to give you a sugar rush. Since most Indian desserts are really sweet, pairing it with a tangy component offsets the sweetness.

Serving this dessert in shot glasses makes for the ideal serving size. It is just enough to satiate those sweet cravings post lavish festive lunch or dinner parties.

Shot glass desserts leave very little room for overindulgence, unless, of course, you decide otherwise 😀

Table of Contents

Why should you try this recipe?

These boondi cheesecake shots;

☑ Make for an irresistible festive fusion treat

☑ Look impressive, and beautiful

☑ Are eggless and need no baking

☑ Really easy to put together

☑ Can be made ahead

☑ Are perfect to serve a large gathering, simply assemble them in small disposable cups

☑ Are very adaptable

Ingredients needed

To make this delicious no-bake boondi cheesecake shots, you will need;

Sweet boondi: I’ve used homemade boondi, but you could source it from the mithai stores too.

Biscuits: For the crust, I’ve used digestive biscuits. Feel free to use your preferred biscuits.

Butter: You need some melted and cooled butter for the crust.

Cream cheese: Try and use full-fat cream cheese for the best results. I’ve used the Indian brand, D’lecta cream cheese to make these cheesecake shots.

Heavy cream: Since we don’t really get heavy cream in India, I’ve used non-dairy cream. This is usually sweetened so, I’ve cut back on the sugar. You will need to use more sugar if using regular heavy cream.

Sugar: Use only castor or powdered/confectioner’s sugar so that it dissolves easily into the cream cheese.

Salt: Just a pinch to bring out all the delicious flavors!

Lemon juice: Adds a tiny hint of tang which we love in our cheesecake. This is optional, feel free to skip it if you wish to.

Rabdi essence: To enhance the ‘mithai’ flavors in this cheesecake!

Garnishes: I’ve just used some slivered pistachios and dried rose petals to make it look festive. You can also use edible silver and silver or gold flakes.

Ingredients needed to make boondi cheesecake shots

How to make no-bake boondi cheesecake shots – Step-by-step process

Step 1: Cheesecake crust

Transfer the biscuit crumbs to a medium-sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix well. (Photos 1 and 2)

Next, add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until it resembles wet sand. (Photos 3 and 4)

Add about 2 teaspoons of the crumbs to each serving glass or jar, and press it down to pack it firmly. (Photos 5 and 6)

Refrigerate while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Step 2: Cheesecake filling

Add 1 cup (225 grams) of softened cream cheese to a big mixing bowl. Also, add 1/4 cup of castor sugar or powdered sugar along with a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) of salt. (Photos 7 to 9)

Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed initially to combine everything well. (Photo 10)

Then increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until the cream cheese mixture is smooth, light, and fluffy.

Use a silicon or rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice in between. (Photo 11)

Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (optional) and 1/4 teaspoon of rabdi essence. (Photos 12 and 13)

Beat until well combined. (Photos 14 and 15)

Preparation of cream cheese mixture for the cheesecake filling

In another medium-sized mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup of heavy cream. (Photo 16)

Beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. (Photos 17)

Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two batches, just until well combined. You should get around 2 and 3/4 cups of cheesecake filling. (Photos 18 and 19)

The mixture should be light and fluffy! You can cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate at this point until you are ready to assemble or you may simply assemble the cheesecake shots right away!

Cream whipped to stiff peaks and folded gently into the cream cheese mixture

Step 3: Assemble

Remove the serving glasses from the fridge.

Pipe the cheesecake layer over the crust. (Photo 20)

Add 2 teaspoons of sweet boondi, followed by another layer of cheesecake filling and 2 more teaspoons of sweet boondi. (Photos 21 and 22)

You may just add one layer each of the cheesecake filling and sweet boondi instead of 2 layers. If using taller serving glasses, feel free to make more layers!

Repeat with the remaining shot glasses. Cover loosely and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Just before serving, you may decorate with some whipped cream and garnish with slivered pistachios or nuts of choice and/or dried rose petals. (Photos 23)

Alternate layers of cheesecake filling and boondi layered over crust, garnished with whipped cream, slivered pistachios, and dried rose petals

Storage instructions

It’s best to assemble these shots and refrigerate them for about 2-3 hours before serving.

Store leftover cheesecake shots covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

I do not suggest storing it for longer than that, as the sugar coating on the boondi melts and will form a layer of liquid over the cheesecake layer.

Close-up shot of boondi cheesecake parfait

Recipe Variations

The sky is the limit when it comes to making Indian fusion desserts! You can mix and match and create your own unique combination. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Mithai layer: For this fusion dessert, you can swap the sweet boondi with crushed ladoos, like motichoor ladoo, crumbled rajbhog, coconut ladoo, crushed peda, mawa burfi, kaju katli, gajar halwa, or crumbled or angoori gulab jamun. Try and pick a colorful mithai so it creates a nice contrast against the white creamy layer.

Creamy layer: You can swap the cheesecake layer with shrikhand, rabri, kheer, seviyan kheer, custard, or sweetened whipped cream flavored with little saffron.

Biscuit base: You can skip this altogether or make a biscuit plus nut base, or date and nut base. Feel free to add a pinch of spices like cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc to flavor the crust. For that extra Indian touch, you can also swap the butter with melted ghee.

Garnishes: Go big on the garnishes by adding caramel shards, chocolate decorations, or cashew praline (find the recipe in my butterscotch cake post) for a gourmet touch.

A glass of boondi cheesecake shots in focus against more cheesecake shots in the background

You may also enjoy these quick Indian desserts

Motichoor ladoo parfait

No-cook rabri

Fruit cream

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