These savory mini cheesecakes are filled with lemon and dill, baked inside phyllo shells and topped with a bit of lox (cured salmon). They’re perfect for parties, entertaining or as game day snacks. They also make a great late-night snacks when you’re hanging on the couch.
Do you ever wake up one morning and realize that time is just flying by? It’s already the middle of January, and yet I feel as though we were just celebrating the New Year. I suppose it’s like anything else: We get caught up in life and work and what we’re doing, and suddenly we miss things that are going on around us, like the passage of days.
Last night we had some of our friends over, and every time we do, I’m reminded of (1) how truly incredible our friends are and (2) how much we enjoy hosting and entertaining. Whenever we do it, we vow to invite people over more often.
With the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, The Golden Globes and the Oscars on the horizon, there are plenty of reasons to invite someone over for a meal or appetizers and finger food. Tiny savory cheese cups that are easy to make ahead of time are perfect for making the day of go more smoothly and free up oven space. Plus, they’re tasty little bites, reminiscent of our favorite breakfast bagel topped with salmon and lemon dill cream cheese.
It starts with cream cheese. It’s best if it’s softened to room temperature to avoid lumps when you mix in the other ingredients.
In addition to the cream cheese, we’re going to need an egg, lemon zest and juice, fresh dill, cornstarch, milk and salt. Cream together.
These tiny phyllo cups make the perfect spot to rest savory and sweet eats and turn them into finger food.
Fill the phyllo cups about 3/4 of the way. These are forgiving, though, because they’re so small, and if you overfill one a bit, it’ll be okay. Toss them in the oven to bake for a bit.
When the cheesecakes are cooling or just before serving, slice your lox into thin strips. This can be laid out across the bites or arranged in tiny little flowers.
Tiny rosettes of cured salmon and savory cheesecakes for your next party with friends. Plus, there are sweet versions of these with raspberry cheesecake filling topped off with a fresh raspberry for dessert. Now, who is coming over for dinner?
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces lox
Preheat oven to 325° F and lay out phyllo shells on a baking sheet. Cream together cream cheese, egg, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, milk, cornstarch and salt. Scoop into mini phyllo shells about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 325° F for 15-20 minutes until set. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature. Store in fridge to cool.
Just before serving, slice thin pieces of lox to top the savory cheese bites. Garnish with extra dill, if desired.
Makes 30-40 appetizers.
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These sound delicious and look darling! Salmon rosettes…who knew?!?
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I am impressed. These ARE quick and fairly easy and I am sure SHOW STOPPERS! Great recipe… great job!!
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These are a perfect appetizer for any gathering…but especially for fancy ones!
set a place at the table for me please – using phyllo here rather than regular pastry dough is brilliant! completely agree that time appears to be speeding by . . . does this mean i’m old? wait . . . don’t answer that . . . Enjoy your weekend!
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I can’t wait to try this! And beautiful photos. I bet that cream cheese is delicious.
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These are beautiful!!
I rarely have company over, but when I do I’m always so glad I did, regardless of how much time I spent preparing!!
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What time shall we arrive? super yummy my friend
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What a darling and I’m sure delicious appetizer to serve. Great for company or a family brunch!!
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I love cute food and those bites are definitely cute. I’m sure they are delicious, too!
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These savory little cheesecakes look wonderful Shaina. Perfect for guests or just having around the house for little snacks. xo
Perfect party appetizer! I am ready to party with you anytime:)
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS phyllo cups. And the filling and the way you garnished is so lovely. I love doing that kind of thing and really appreciate getting ideas like this and seeing someone else with the same interest able to produce such wonderful creations. This is bookmarked. I will come back to it. How did you get your phyllo cups so perfect.
Vaelrie
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Love the sweet/savory thing you have going on here!
What an creative way to serve this classic combination. Beautiful as always!
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Wow, these sound delicious! A “savory” cheesecake is something I’ve been meaning to experiment with for a while now. We even have Lox in our freezer… I’ll have to try this!
Your photos are AWESOME, by the way! So beautiful!! 
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I love the little salmon rosettes! What a great way to serve lox!
Gorgeous photos!! I can’t wait to try these with some of our friends soon. They’ll be perfect for an Oscar party
Those little ditties just make me giddy! So darling & delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
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Beautiful! Perfect party food, John would eat them two-by-two. Such pretty pics, Shaina!
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I love using those little phyllo cups. And what a wonderful filling – you can never go wrong with smoked salmon! Your pictures are really lovely, Shaina.
What a delicious idea – I never thought of a savory cheesecake.
We vow the same thing every time we entertain!
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I’ve never had lox on anything but bagels. This sounds so springy…and we all could use some spring! I grow several types of dill and cannot wait to be digging in the dirt. Fresh dill…oh yeah!
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[...] Mini Cheesecake Bites: Phyllo shells make the baking time short. Do savory or try these raspberry cheesecake bites for a sweet treat. [...]
[...] does. Perfectly ripe fresh strawberries and cream? Sure, I’ll have a slice. and more… Mini Lemon Dill Cheesecake Bites with Lox: The perfect finger food to get your guests mingling. Melon Salad: This melon salad is bright and [...]
[...] come Sunday. Brie en Croûte with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Thyme: Easy to throw together and elegant Mini Lemon Dill Cheesecake Bites: These take no time to mix together and bake, but they look like you spent forever on [...]
I love using those little phyllo shells and am always trying to dream up new ways to stuff them. This is a fantastic idea! I would love to see this recipe entered into the Get Grillin’ event I’m hosting with Marla right now (it’s appetizer week). Your homemade potato chips, would be great, too (you can enter up to 3 per week).
[...] Note: I used phyllo dough sheets for this, but using the pre-made phyllo cups (as pictured in the lemon-dill cheesecake bites with lox) would make this appetizer even easier to [...]