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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.
Couldthese be made ahead and frozen?
Hello! I haven’t attempted freezing this recipe, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Made this recipe as is today for my celiac husband. Delicious. Going to freeze a couple to see how they fare.
Made these today with wonderful results for my 15yo daughter. She was so pleased with them. We bought GF graham-style-crackers and smashed them up instead of the almond flour– it worked great and held together nicely. I can see these becoming a regular recipe in our house! Certainly a nice treat to bring to a party when you can’t have the cake. People eating the grocery-store cake would be jealous of the adorable little cheesecake! Thanks and we look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Melanie-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the cheesecakes! Thanks so much for stopping by to leave your feedback.
-Jamie
I made these for a housewarming – YUM!!!! I did in mini muffin tins. Used 1 tsp of crust mixture in bottom and baked for 6 min. The filling I did the same as in recipe for bigger muffin tins. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Gem!
Hi
Is there a sub for the almond flour? Oats or maybe rice flour? I need to make a gluten and nut free dessert. Thanks in advance
Hi there! Unforuntately there’s not (just other nut flours / meals). Sorry about that! I’d recommend finding a recipe that uses a 1-to-1 GF flour mix for the crust.
Hi
I am going to make this as a big cake (2x loaf tins to make a number 1 for my daughters birthday cake (for the adults!! Lol))
What would the cooking time change too?
And how many batches would you make for adults loaf tin 18cm(w)x24cm(l)x5cm (h)
Thanks
Hello! I really have no idea as I’ve never converted a muffin pan recipe to a loaf pan. I *think* you use about 1/4 of filling per muffin mold, which is 3 cups of filling. I found this conversion chart, but I don’t think it’s relevant as the cheesecake isn’t going to come out as tall as cake or bread. Because I have no idea how thick the batter will be in the pans, I also have no idea of how long you’ll need to bake it. So just bake until the centers of the cheesecakes don’t jiggle when the pan is tapped. My guess is to double the recipe and just use your best judgement. If there’s leftover batter, you can bake it in ramekins. I hope your daughter will have a nice birthday. :)
Hi Erin,
Would it be alright to substitute the sugar with honey?
Hi Alycia! I think that’d make the crust too wet. You could use coconut sugar or another granulated sweetener, though!
These were amazing! I was running low on almond flour so ground up some of my Glutino pretzels and mixed with some coconut sugar and butter to make the crust – worked out well and tasted just like a graham crust. I then added the lemon zest to the cheesecake itself. Sooooo yummy.
I’m happy your subs came out well! That sounds so tasty. :) Thanks for your comment!
I’m definitely going to try these for a birthday dinner party this weekend. I’ve made cheesecakes before and baked them in a water bath. Would you recommend that or is it not necessary?
I really don’t think it’s necessary with this recipe. I’ve never had an issue with them cracking. I hope everyone will enjoy them! :)
Hi Erin,
I just made these. They look great. I did the recipe according to your directions. Baked them for 10-15 minutes. Then opened the oven door slightly and turned of the temperatures. I hope that was right. I´m always concerned that they are not baked well.
Hi! You did it correctly. :) Hope you’ll enjoy them!