By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on December 29, 2021
If you are looking for the easiest recipe for fried cheesecake bites Sonic-style, then you have found it! We even made their strawberry sauce!
These fried cheesecake bites are incredibly rich and creamy with a crispy Graham cracker crumb coating. And, to finish it all off, we have made a fresh strawberry dipping sauce that pairs well with the tartness of the cheesecake. This recipe, despite sounding like a lot of work, is astonishingly easy to make and most of the time spent is waiting for the bites to freeze.
What Are Sonic’s Cheesecake Bites?
Sonic’s cheesecake bites is a famous dessert that the fast-food franchise brings out every now and again for a very brief period of time. This incredibly delicious dessert has the best f both worlds; a creamy soft and melty cheesecake center with a crunchy deep-fried crust.
These fried cheesecake bites consist of balls of traditional cheesecake that have been rolled in a thick layer of crushed graham crackers. And, they are always served along with a sweet and tart strawberry sauce that finished it off nicely.
These balls make a perfect light dessert at family dinners, the ultimate sweet and tasty movie-night snacks, or a simple sweet treat for dinner dates with a loved one.
And, if you have any leftover cheesecake batter, you can definitely make some of these bites instead of throwing it out! To save yourself even more time, you can also use a boxed cheesecake mix that you can find in any grocery store.
For today’s fried cheesecake bites recipe, we will be using already-baked cheesecake. Now, you can make a cheesecake from scratch, buy already baked cheesecake from a bakery or your local grocery store, or even use frozen cheesecake. The quality and flavor of the cheesecake don’t have to be anything exceptional as it changes quite a bit when crumbed and deep-fried.
Fried Cheesecake Bites Sonic – What You Will Need
Ingredients for the Cheesecake Bites
- 34 ounces baked cheesecake (fresh or frozen)
- 1 box Graham crackers, finely crushed
- 1/2 cup fine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups milk or cream
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Ingredients for the Fresh Strawberry Sauce
- 1 pound strawberries, cleaned and quartered
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Equipment
- Plate with a paper towel
- 2 small bowls
- Baking pan
- Non-stick baking paper or saran wrap
- Medium saucepan
- Blender or sieve
- Large pot or deep fryer
- Thermometer (if you are using a pot)
- Spider or slotted spoon
Step by step To Make These Fried Cheesecake Bites
Step 1: Prepare the cheesecake bites
Regardless of what type of cheesecake you use, you will need to start with it being frozen. Once the cheesecake is fully frozen, cut it into 1 1/2-inch piece. Once portioned, place them back into the freezer so that they can stay hard for as long as possible.
You can also line a baking tray with saran or plastic wrap or non-stick baking paper.
Step 2: Prepare the crumb and coat the cheesecake bites
To make the crumb, simply combine the finely crushed Graham crackers with some sugar and salt. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. You can also use a food processor to do this step, or crush the ingredients together in a zip-lock bag.
Add the milk or cream to a bowl, and place the cracker coating into another bowl. Start by dipping each piece of cheesecake into the milk followed by the Graham cracker crumb. Place the coated piece of cheesecake on the lined baking tray.
Repeat the process until all the cheesecake bites have been coated. Place the tray inside the freezer and allow them to re-freeze for about 2 hours.
Step 3: Make the strawberry sauce
While the cheesecake bites are freezing, you can make the strawberry sauce. Simply combine all of the ingredients for the strawberry sauce inside a saucepan or pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Mix until the sugar has been completely dissolved and the strawberries are soft.
Then, blend the strawberries using a food processor or pass them through a fine-meshed sieve. Set the sauce aside to cool.
Step 4: Fry the cheesecake bites and serve
Preheat the vegetable oil in a large pot or a deep fryer. You should add enough oil so that the bites don’t touch the bottom of the pot when they are being fried. Heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Line a plate with some paper towels and keep some extra on standby.
Once the oil is heated, gently drop the frozen cheesecake piece into the oil, preferably using your slotted spoon. Allow the pieces to fry for about 2-3 minutes or until the crumb is beautifully golden brown.
Remove the pieces from the oil and drain them on the kitchen towel. Repeat this process, working in small batches, until you have deep-fried all of the cheesecake bites.
Serve immediately with your delicious homemade strawberry sauce.
Tips And Tricks For This Fried Cheesecake Bites Recipe
- As we have mentioned before, you can make cheesecake from scratch, use frozen cheesecake, or buy already baked cheesecake. Before starting the recipe, make sure the cheesecake is completely frozen, no matter which type you are using.
- For this strawberry sauce, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries. Fresh strawberries have a better flavor, but they aren’t always in season. Using frozen strawberries (especially if they were flash-frozen) won’t change anything in the recipe, but you may need to cook them for slightly longer.
- You can also easily adjust the consistency of the strawberry sauce. If you want a chunkier sauce, instead of blending it or passing it through a sieve, rather mash the strawberries with a fork.
- For a healthier version of these fried bites, you can fry them using an air fryer (if you have one of course). Air fryers don’t use any oil when frying food. It will make the bites equally crispy and delicious.
Servings And Preparation Time
| Preparation Time | Frying Time | Servings |
| 2.5 hours | 15 minutes | 20-25 bites |
Fried Cheesecake Bites Sonic Drive-thru – The Easiest Recipe
Let us know what you think about these delicious cheesecake bites from Sonic! And, feel free to suggest which other fast-food sweets and treats you would like for us to cover!
Fried Cheesecake Bites Sonic
Equipment
- Plate with a paper towel
- 2 small bowls
- Baking pan
- Non-stick baking paper or saran wrap
- Medium saucepan
- Blender or sieve
- Large pot or deep fryer
- Thermometer (if you are using a pot)
- Spider or slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 34 ounces baked cheesecake fresh or frozen
- 1 box Graham crackers finely crushed
- 1/2 cup fine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups milk or cream
- Vegetable oil for frying
Ingredients for the Fresh Strawberry Sauce
- 1 pound strawberries cleaned and quartered
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Regardless of what type of cheesecake you use, you will need to start with it being frozen. Once the cheesecake is fully frozen, cut it into 1 1/2-inch piece. Once portioned, place them back into the freezer so that they can stay hard for as long as possible.
- You can also line a baking tray with saran or plastic wrap or non-stick baking paper.
- To make the crumb, simply combine the finely crushed Graham crackers with some sugar and salt. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. You can also use a food processor to do this step, or crush the ingredients together in a zip-lock bag.
- Add the milk or cream to a bowl, and place the cracker coating into another bowl. Start by dipping each piece of cheesecake into the milk followed by the Graham cracker crumb. Place the coated piece of cheesecake on the lined baking tray.
- Repeat the process until all the cheesecake bites have been coated. Place the tray inside the freezer and allow them to re-freeze for about 2 hours.
- While the cheesecake bites are freezing, you can make the strawberry sauce. Simply combine all of the ingredients for the strawberry sauce inside a saucepan or pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Mix until the sugar has been completely dissolved and the strawberries are soft.
- Then, blend the strawberries using a food processor or pass them through a fine-meshed sieve. Set the sauce aside to cool.
- Preheat the vegetable oil in a large pot or a deep fryer. You should add enough oil so that the bites don't touch the bottom of the pot when they are being fried. Heat the oil to 375°F (190°C). Line a plate with some paper towels and keep some extra on standby.
- Once the oil is heated, gently drop the frozen cheesecake piece into the oil, preferably using your slotted spoon. Allow the pieces to fry for about 2-3 minutes or until the crumb is beautifully golden brown.
- Remove the pieces from the oil and drain them on the kitchen towel. Repeat this process, working in small batches, until you have deep-fried all of the cheesecake bites.
- Serve immediately with your delicious homemade strawberry sauce.
Notes
Tips And Tricks For This Fried Cheesecake Bites Recipe
As we have mentioned before, you can make cheesecake from scratch, use frozen cheesecake, or buy already baked cheesecake. Before starting the recipe, make sure the cheesecake is completely frozen, no matter which type you are using.For this strawberry sauce, you can use fresh or frozen strawberries. Fresh strawberries have a better flavor, but they aren't always in season. Using frozen strawberries (especially if they were flash-frozen) won't change anything in the recipe, but you may need to cook them for slightly longer.
Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.