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These fuss-free gluten-free mini cheesecakes are perfect for parties or potlucks and couldn’t be any easier to make!
I really love cheesecake. Like really love it. But you won’t find a single recipe for a full-sized cheesecake on my blog because I rarely find myself with a reason to make 16 servings of cheesecake.
If I made a cheesecake without a real purpose or some place to send it, I’d eat a copious amount, get sad and then make something else to help me get over my grief. It’s a vicious cycle. With these gluten-free mini cheesecakes, you get everything you could want from a cheesecake but with built-in portion control! Eat one or two and freeze the rest.
The other reason I don’t make full cheesecakes is that it’s just so much more fussy than making mini cheesecakes! You don’t need to worry about water baths, cracks in the filling or refrigerating the cheesecake overnight. I don’t know about you, but when I make dessert, I want it now and not to wait for what feels like an eternity. In the directions, I say to chill the cheesecakes for 2 hours before serving, but if you’re in a hurry (or just really want your cheesecake!) you can pop them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
I’ve had some less than stellar gluten-free crusts in the past but this one is perfect! Pre-baking the crusts and letting them cool slightly prevents the crust, which is almond flour based, from getting soggy. If you don’t have almond flour, you could use another type of nut flour or meal. I’m thinking hazelnut meal would be tasty!
I added a bit of lemon zest to the crust to liven it up and don’t recommend skipping this step because the crust would taste pretty neutral otherwise. Alternatively, you could add lime or orange zest or even a little extract to the crust if you want it a little more zippy. And the filling? So rich, creamy and smooth! I used just a little less sugar than often called for but none of my taste testers missed it or even noticed.
You can decorate the mini cheesecakes simply with blueberries and raspberries like I did or use a dessert sauce, like my honey sweetened strawberry sauce. And if it’s already too hot to bake and you need some cheesecake now, try Jamie’s no-bake lemon Oreo cheesecakes (but make sure to use gluten-free ingredients, if necessary!)
Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
For the filling:
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
For decoration:
- berries and powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.
- Prepare the crust. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients, then stir in the butter and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the mixture between the liners (18 grams or 3 1/2 teaspoons of mixture per liner) and lightly press down with the bottom of a shot glass.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes while preparing the filling.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stan dmixer fitted with the beater attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until light and creamy. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs on low, one at a time, and just until well incorporated. Do not over mix!
- Fill each liner about 2/3 full with the batter and bake for 10 minutes or until the centers of the cheesecakes don't jiggle when the pan is tapped. Open the oven door (at least 1 foot wide) and let the cheesecakes cool to room temperature - about 1 1/2 hours. For easiest removal, remove the paper liners now. They can also be removed after chilling, though a little more cheesecake may stick to the liners then.
- Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Decorate with berries and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
- If you need these to be gluten-free, make sure all your products are certified gluten-free.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use tapioca flour instead of almond flour?
Hi, Britt! I honestly don’t know about substituting tapioca flour for almond flour. Maybe coconut flour would be a better choice? Let me know if I can help further!
I’m excited to make these. If I were to use standard large cupcake size would doubling the recipe and cook time work?
Hi, Jeanine! This recipe makes enough cheesecakes to go in a standard 12 muffin pan. Do you want to make bigger cheesecakes or more? I would suggest leaving them the standard size and using two pans to make 24. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi!
Can I use stevia instead?
Hi there! I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it’d do here. Sorry about that! If you generally have luck subbing it for granulated sugar, I would think it’d be okay here. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
I read that using regular flour does not work in this gluten free cheesecake recipe. But is there another gluten free flour that is nut free that will work?
Unfortunately not! I’m sorry. Nut flours are only interchangeable with other nut flours. I’ve heard that sunflower seed flour can be subbed for almond flour but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not sure it’d actually work here. I’d recommend finding a recipe for mini cheesecakes that calls for all-purpose flour and then just use a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour. :)
I have made theae moee times than I’d like to admit and the recipe turns out perfect everytime. I add a little cinnamon to my almond crust though, just like a little extra flavor. Today I made them using half sugar and half stevia hopefully there won’t be much of a taste or texture difference. I’m just trying to lower the calories a little. These are fantastic, perfect for my Mom and I who are both celiac and they freeze well. I wrap each on in plastic then put in a large freezer bag, bring out what I need and thaw then in the fridge. In a hurry I’ve defrosted them in the microwave, still perfect.
I hope your half stevia version came out well! Everything I’ve tried with it has an unpleasant aftertaste but I’ve never tried combining it with another sweetener. I’ll have to try that! I’m so happy that you and your mother have been enjoying the cheesecakes. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I hope your half stevia version came out well! Everything I’ve tried with it has an unpleasant aftertaste but I’ve never tried combining it with another sweetener. I’ll have to try that! I’m so happy that you and your mother have been enjoying the cheesecakes. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
Has anyone calculated calories/carbs of this treat? It’s not likely this info would dissuade me from enjoying them again but I am curious about it nevertheless.
Hi, Darla! I haven’t calculated the nutrition information for this. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!
Thanks for the recipe. I used homemade cream cheese, which is a bit creamier than commercial, and lemon extract as I had no lemons to zest. So my cheesecakes needed to bake an extra 5 minutes. I had filled the cups almost to the top and I’m glad I did because they sank a little in the middle as they cooled. I tasted one and it’s yummy! Also, in answer to someone’s question, I just put my leftover filling into a small well greased ramekin, no crust, and baked it alongside the cheesecakes. Because of its size, it need another couple of minutes. After cooling, I ran a thin knife around the edge and inverted it onto a plate. It looked fine and for dessert tonight I’m going to put fresh strawberry sauce on top!
I bet these must be even more delicious with homemade cream cheese! I’m happy that you enjoyed them and that you found a solution for leftover filling (I guess muffin pans aren’t all that standard because I never have any leftover!). Thanks so much for your comment and tips. :)
Alright, recipe success for teen birthday get-together! I had two nut-allergic guests and one celiac so tricky to find a dessert that would work. Swapped out the nut base for gluten free graham crackers/butter/bit of brown sugar and they were great. Topped some with cherry pie filling, some with fresh berries, and the rest w/ caramel and skor bits. All were delicious and there was something for everyone. Super simple recipe, will definitely make again. I had time left to whip up some energy cookies for the kid’s lunches.
I’m so happy to hear that! And that’s great that you found a solution to the nut-free and gluten-free issue. I know it’s not always easy. ;) I love the idea of making these with cherry pie filling. It sounds delicious! Thanks a ton for your feedback.
Love your recipes! I consider myself a very experienced baker and your site has become my go-to favourite for recipes of all types. Made your caramel corn at Christmas after testing out a few other recipes. As soon as I tried yours, I tossed the other batches/recipes. Made terrific gifts for music and sports teachers. Trying the mini cheesecakes for my son’s birthday party, but will swap out the crust for a gf gingersnap or vanilla wafer crust to accommodate nut allergies too. Everything I’ve made from your site has been the best version of that dessert that I’ve had, so I feel pretty confident making this recipe too.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Kari! You made my day!
My daughter and I made these yesterday for a family get-together (SiL and nephew both gluten intolerant, so we’re always on the lookout for good GF recipes). These tasted great. We topped them with raspberries and dark chocolate drizzle. Needless to say – incredibly popular and they all got snapped up quickly!
A couple notes – the muffin trays I have are for larger muffins so we made these instead in a standard-size 12-cup cupcake tray – ie shallower cups, with sides that slope more than a mostly straight-up muffin tin. I think this is the type of tray many people have. Anyway, in retrospect, we should have filled these shallower cups to the top, instead of just two-thirds, as we ended up with a bit of extra batter, and when cooled, the cheesecakes were a bit shorter than the ones in your pictures. But as I said – they were a huge hit – easy & delicious & GF – a real hat trick! Thanks for the great recipe, Erin.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Erin. And thank you for the tips!