Mini Gluten-free Cheesecakes (super creamy, fantastic crust!)
These mini gluten-free cheesecakes are perfect for when you don’t need a full cheesecake! They’re so much easier, and they freeze great. They’re also grain-free. Perfect for Mother’s Day, the 4th of July and parties.
As much as I love cheesecake, I rarely make it. At least not the full-sized ones.
If I made a cheesecake just for the heck of it, I’d eat it all. I used to make them for parties and get-togethers, but when you don’t have a car, those things get heavy after about 10 minutes of walking.
Not only that, but full-sized cheesecakes are so fussy. I almost always mess them up.
But mini cheesecakes? They’re pretty difficult to ruin as long as you don’t forget to line the muffin pan with muffin liners, which I may or may not have done the first time.
Also, these mini cheesecakes freeze wonderfully well! They taste just as good post-freezing, so you could even make them ahead of time if you’ve got room in your freezer.
Looking for another mini grain-free recipe? Try these Mini Pavlova Nests!
As far as grain-free crusts go, I think this one is pretty awesome. Pre-baking them prevents a soggy crust, which seems all too common in grain-free and gluten-free almond flour-based crusts.
After baking the cheesecakes, the crust isn’t exactly crisp, but it’s far from soggy! For another great crust, try this cannoli cheesecake that uses gluten-free graham crackers.
If you prefer not to use almond flour, you can substitute any nut flour or nut meal of your choice. I’ve tried hazelnut meal, and that was delicious.
Then I tried making a chocolate hazelnut version by adding some cocoa powder to the cheesecake filling. That sounded like such a simple change, but it came out horribly. Definitely don’t do that.
For another alternative – I haven’t tried them, but I think these Mango Cheesecake Bites look fantastic!
Almond flour, sugar, and butter on their own don’t taste all that exciting, so I added some lemon zest to liven up the crust. If you don’t want to use lemon zest, add some lime zest, almond extract, or something. These mini cheesecakes just aren’t the same without it!
If you’re not trying to impress anyone with your dainty cheesecakes, I suggest drowning these mini cheesecakes in this honey sweetened strawberry sauce. It’s delicious, just not so pretty. Though I suppose you could smash / puree the strawberries a bit first to make it look nicer.
This rhubarb compote would also be a wonderful choice for spring. As would this strawberry compote!
If you live outside of North America, you might have wondered why cream cheese-based recipes often don’t come out correctly. That’s because the cream cheese sold elsewhere (at least in Europe), has extra whey in it so it’s softer and can be spread on bread.
So if you don’t have American style brick cream cheese (that comes wrapped in a foil package in a little box), then get 600 grams of cream cheese, place it in the center of a cheesecloth or tea towel, and wring out the liquid until you have 450 grams of cream cheese left.
The big packages sold at Aldi, Lidl, etc. are 300 grams, so it’s perfect! Get 2 packages for this recipe.
Prefer a no-bake version? These Mini Gluten-Free No-Bake Cheesecakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Crust look pretty awesome! And so very easy. And for something keto, try these keto cheesecake bites. This keto blueberry cheesecake also looks great.
Photos updated 3/2020. Here’s an old one:
Mini Gluten-free Cheesecakes (super creamy, fantastic crust!)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) finely ground blanched almond flour see notes
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar or raw sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
For the filling:
- 1 pound (450 grams) cream cheese see notes
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar or raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 2 large eggs 50 grams each out of shell, room temperature
For decoration:
- berries and powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). 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.1 1/4 cups (125 grams) finely ground blanched almond flour, 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, pinch salt, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
- 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 stand mixer 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.1 pound (450 grams) cream cheese, 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch salt
- Beat in the eggs on low, one at a time, and just until well incorporated. Do not over mix!2 large eggs
- 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 don’t want to use an almond flour-based crust, you can use:
-
- 1 cup (113 grams) GF graham cracker crumbs (or digestives)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (49 grams) butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- Preheat oven to 325 °F (163 °C). Line a standard-size muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the crumbs, sugar and salt.
- Stir in the butter until combined.
- Divide the crust mixture between the 12 liners and firmly press it down.
- Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Go to Step 5 above.
-
- If you live outside of North America and don’t have American style brick cream cheese (that comes wrapped in a foil package in a little box), then get 600 grams of cream cheese, place it in the center of a cheesecloth or tea towel, and wring out the liquid until you have 450 grams of cream cheese left.
- For a vegan version, use vegan butter in the crust. For the filling, use:
-
- 12 ounces (338 grams) Tofutti vegan cream cheese, room temp
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) full-fat coconut cream
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Make the crust as instructed. Let cool. In a large mixing bowl, beat together all the cheesecake ingredients until well combined. Divide between the 12 crusts and chill for 4+ hours or freeze for 2 or until firm.
-
- Source: My post on My Baking Addiction – Gluten-free mini cheesecakes.
- The nutrition information does not include any of the optional toppings.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
Can this recipe be made in a 9×13 pan instead of a muffin tin??
I think an 8″x8″ would be closer to what you’d need. But I haven’t tried it so I’m not positive. Sorry about that!
My daughter has Crohn’s disease and cannot have sugar. Is it possible to replace the sugar with honey? I am wondering if the honey will change the consistency too much.
Using honey in the crust wouldn’t work. You’d probably want to find a different crust recipe. If you want to use honey in the filling, 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup of sugar would probably work but since I haven’t tried it, I’m not sure what effect it’d have on the texture. It’d also have some honey taste to it.
I used swerve before and it worked great. Today I’m using monk fruit. I used regular for the crust and I did make it into powdered sugar for the base. We will see what happens. :)
That’s good to know! How did monk fruit work? Sorry for my slow reply (I was on vacation)! Thanks for the tip. :)
I replaced the sugar with pyure which is stevia and eyrithritol (probably not spelled right) and cut the amount in half and they were amazing sugar free and low carb yummy guilt free amazingness
Thanks so much for the tip! I’m happy that they came out well. :)
Do you have the calories per mini cheesecake for this recipe?
I don’t but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info. :)
Can sugar be replaced for splenda? And what would the measurements be?
Thanks in advance.
I’ve never actually used Splenda so I have no idea. Does it say on the bag how to use it? Like 1 to 1 with sugar? Sorry I’m not more of a help!
I replaced it with truvia And it was amazing just cut amounts in,half
Hi. I made this last night not realizing I didn’t have pain vanilla extract, or enough sugar! I used a tiny amount of brown sugar to make up the lack of white, and vanilla butter flavor extract in the crust. Turned out amazingly good. I also used like 2 drops of lemon juice(didn’t have real lemon to zest) not bad for a MacGyver!
Haha. Your subs sound great! I’m happy that the cheesecakes came out well. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Hi can i freeze these minis please?
You can! :)
Have you ever tried adding cinnamon to the crust?
I haven’t but I think 1/2 teaspoon would work! You can always add more to taste.
My husband has a nut allergy. Would these still come out with gluten-free 1 to 1 flour? Thanks so much in advance!
I’m afraid not. The GF 1 to 1 flours are interchangeable with wheat flour and not nut flours and other grain-free flours. Sorry about that!
Hi Hanna, have you tried these in a mini muffin pan, to make them bite size? I hope to make these weekend,
Check out the comment from Mama Schick on the first page of comments. :) She used one!
Hey! I made these months ago and they were AMAZING! I wanted to try to make a pumpkin variety for fall, do you have any suggestions when it comes to measurements? I’ll probably just wing it, but I just thought you might have some ideas :)
Hi there! So happy you liked them. And oh man… if only it were so easy to add a bunch of pumpkin to the mix. ;) Luckily, I’ve already worked out a pumpkin version! Here it is – mini pumpkin cheesecakes. Hope you’ll enjoy them! I’d love to hear how they come out. :)
I am keen to make the mini cheese cakes, is it possible to replace the almond flour with coconut flour? Just wondering!!
Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that
My gluten free dreams have come true! These little cheesecakes are AMAZING! They are delicious and don’t have that “gluten free” twang that keep me from serving them to others. My family devoured them ❤️
I subbed lime zest for the lemon (what I had on hand) and added a little bit of citrus extract to the crust (maybe a tsp) for a little more citrus kick. Loved it!
I also purchased a mini cheesecake pan from Amazon and tried a few in there. They were adorably poppable! The baking time had to be slightly adjusted for the smaller pan – and I ended up baking my muffin sized pan for 6-8 minutes longer before they stopped being “jiggly”. I did use my convection setting on my oven, so that may have been the difference.
Thank you for clear, easy to follow instructions and a fantastic recipe. This will become one of my go to desserts for sure!
I’m back for a second comment :) I needed a full 9″ cheesecake, and per your comments, decided NOT to use this recipe – HOWEVER, I used this crust and it was SO good!
The cheesecake recipe I used came from “Recreating Happiness”
http://recreatinghappiness.com/dessert-recipes/the-best-sour-cream-cheesecake/
The two made a delectable combination :)
Thanks again! The gluten free ladies in my church group will LOVE this treat for Mother’s Day <3
Woohoo! So happy that the crust worked out well! Do you just pat the crust over the bottom or also up the sides? I’m sure the filling for this recipe works for a full-sized cheesecake but it’d probably have to be doubled and I have no idea what the baking time would be. But you’ve inspired me to try it! I’ll post the results once I try it out. :) I hope the church ladies will enjoy it! Thanks again for your feedback. :)
I can’t wait to find out! I made a single batch of crust and pressed it into the bottom only. I used a 9″ spring form pan.
Good to know! Thanks for your reply. :)
Aww, yay! So happy that they were accepted by your family. :) I actually bought a mini cheesecake pan with me from the US during a visit there in 2013 and have been too afraid to use it. Do the cheesecakes come easily out of the molds? Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!
I used a light spritzing of spray coconut oil and they easily released from the sides and bottom. They were the cutest little things!
Hi I’m throwing a party and have a lot to do- could i make these ahead of time and freeze them? if so how far in advance do you think?
Hi! I think 2 months would be fine. Just make sure to really package them up well!
Hi I tried this recipe today and while the cheesecake part turned out awesome, the crust came out hard as I rock. It wouldn’t even come out of the liner. Any suggestions.
Hi! I’m happy the cheesecake part came out well but it sounds like something definitely went wrong with the crust. Did you make any subs or any kind of changes at all to the recipe? The crust is quite soft – not even as firm as a graham cracker crust.
I made no changes but after rereading the instructions, the only thing I can think that happened was maybe I compacted the crust to much. You said gently press down and I basically squished it flat.
Aaah! That definitely could have been it. I made these cheesecakes yesterday and wish the crusts were actually harder, so I’ll give a try compacting them a bit more.
Hello! This looks so great, I am making it this afternoon! I have gluten green graham crackers: how much should I use?! Thank you!
Hey there! Sorry I just now saw this. I was already in bed when your comment came in (I live in Germany). If you want to use graham crackers, you’d need to find a graham cracker crust recipe as there’s no way to convert my recipe to use graham crackers. Hope you’ll enjoy the cheesecakes! :)
I live in Germany too! Where did you find the blanched almond flour (and is it called Mandelmehl or something else)? I find it hard to find a lot of the baking ingredient selection from back home in Canada :)
The best place to get it is Lidl! It’s the cheapest and somewhat finely ground compared to some other brands. :) It’s often found in an unusual place so just ask someone where it is. It’s called gemahlene blanchierte Mandeln.
Could I use Honey instead of the sugar or would that not work since the sugar helps stabilise it?
I believe 6-7 tbsp of honey should work for the filling but it won’t work in the crust. And the texture will probably be a little different. The cheesecakes will definitely have some honey taste to them then. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it out!
Just made this recipe – it is delicious! I’m wondering if you have any tricks for getting the crust a bit crispy :)
I’m happy you enjoyed it! :) Unfortunately, crispy almond flour crust isn’t really a thing. At least, I’ve never come across a crispy almond flour crust recipe. ;) Sorry about that and thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the incredible crust idea! It is easily the best gluten-free crust I’ve had. I substituted brown sugar instead of granulated sugar for a deeper flavor and was pleased with the results. You mentioned adding almond extract in place of the zest; how much extract would you recommend using?
I am so sorry for just now seeing your comment! I don’t know how I missed it. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the crust! I haven’t tried it but I think I’d try 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Taste it once it’s all mixed together and then add more, if you want. Thanks a bunch for your comment! Sorry again for my slowness.
Just wondering if they need to be refrigerated before serving and if so how long? Thanks!! They look delicious! Can’t wait to try them out:)
Sorry for my slow reply! I hope you happened to have found the answer in the recipe. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. :) Hope you’ll enjoy them!
Can I substitute the almond flour for coconut flour? If so how much would I need of the coconut flour?
Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. You could try hazelnut or cashew meal, though. :)