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.
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- 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.
My family loves these! I actually make several batches and freeze. Perfect for pot lucks or large family gatherings
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Several batches?! Yay! Love it. Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m really happy that your family loves them.
If I may ask, how do you freeze your mini cakes? Do you wrap them? Do u leave the liners on? Thanks for any information!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! Go check out the most recent comment here. In my reply, I say how to freeze them. :)
My husband’s favorite dessert is cheesecake. That being said I have been to scared to try making it. This recipe was very easy. I do have a couple of questions. When mixing filling is the batter still lumpy? #2 mine came out sticky, could it be because I used the Greek cream cheese? It’s not as fatty. I am anxious to try the Irish fill next time. They taste good just not very pretty. ????
The batter shouldn’t be lumpy. I haven’t tried Greek cream cheese but maybe that was indeed the issue? I just updated the photos yesterday (or maybe the day before) and think these cheesecakes are pretty so I’m curious what went wrong! Perhaps you could try normal cream cheese next time? That could have an effect on the texture, which might have resulted in cracks.
I made these using cup for cup gluten free flour, however my crust didn’t seem to bind when mixed with the butter. Can u add a little more butter, I am assuming the crust should come together not still look like flour when mixed, correct? I would have loved to have seen a picture of the crust mix. I don’t make a whole lot of homemade crusts. The filling is delicious though!!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! (my son and I have been sick for weeks). So you used a gluten-free flour blend in place of almond flour? The two aren’t at all interchangeable so that’s why that didn’t work. :( You can only sub other nut flours / meals for almond flour. The crust shouldn’t look like flour once mixed up. More like a graham cracker crust, if you’ve made that before. I’m happy you liked the filling!
The cheesecakes were moist and delicious. I loved them and so did my family. We had such a fun time baking them. We had to put the crust in for another five minutes but other wise they were magnificent. We put berries on top and refrigerated them for a couple days and they turned out fantastically well. I give this five stars.
I am so terribly sorry for just now seeing your nice comment! It landed in spam and since things have been chaotic since Christmas, I hadn’t checked it in months. :( Sorry about that. I’m really glad that you and your family enjoyed the cheesecakes! Thanks a ton for your feedback and sorry again.
So I’ve got little kids running around the house which makes it hard to leave a hot oven open like that. Is there another alternative to cooling? Would it mess up if I took it out and put it on the counter?
Thanks!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! I haven’t tried just putting them out on the counter but they absolutely wouldn’t taste any different. They might just crack a little. I can’t say for sure without trying it. Sorry again for my slow reply!
These look amazing! Do you shave down the sides of the cheesecake to take away the “cupcake” shape? Also, could I use gluten free graham crackers for the crust?
Thanks! No, I just leave them as is. :) You could look for a graham cracker crust recipe and use that with your GF graham crackers. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
I love these mini cheesecakes! I’ve made them for my boyfriend for the last 4 years on Valentine’s Day!
Oh, wow! I’m happy that they’re now a Valentine’s Day tradition for you. :) Thanks for your feedback and my apologies for the very slow reply!
Thanks for sharing! Do they freeze ok?
Sorry for just now seeing your question! Yes, they do. :)
This looks so good! I love to make mini ones when I don’t have a group to share a big one with!
Same here! I do NOT need a whole cheesecake for myself. ;)
Can I used regular almond flour or does it need to be blanched?
You can use regular almond flour. :)
Hi there! I would like to make these for a dinner that I am hosting as we will have a friend that sticks to a gluten free diet.
I want to confirm that you use a regular size muffin pan and not the mini pan. Is that correct?
Also, if I freeze them, should I thaw in the fridge the night before? What would you suggest. I’m worried about the crust getting soggy.
Thanks!
Hi! I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. A regular-sized muffin pan is correct. You can thaw them overnight but they really don’t need very long to thaw. I don’t think they’ll be soggy but I can’t be 100% sure (it really depends on your almond flour and how you freeze them).
These grain-free, gluten-free mini cheesecakes were delicious! The lemon zest in the crust definitely made the difference, creating a very light and elegant dessert. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you liked them. :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for my slow reply!
I love this recipe! I’ve been making full-sized cheesecake for years and appreciate how fast and easy these are to make. The almond flour crust is perfect. This is our new favorite family dessert for special occasions :)
Hi there! What size pan do you use and for how long do you bake it? And the crust recipe is enough as written? I’d also like to try! So happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipe. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi, I love this recipe, my mom is on a gluten free diet for having hashimoto’s, I did not use this crust but I did use the filling, I made it in an 8 inch pie and baked for about 20-25 minutes. Made it for moms birthday. It came out perfect, thank you so much for your recipe!
You’re welcome! I hope that your mom also liked it and that she had a great birthday. :) Good to know that it works well in an 8″ pie pan! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
These were FANTASTIC!!!!!
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment. :)
These were incredible! I added raspberries on top. Super delicious.
Only thing is that they took about 10-20 minutes longer to cook each way. I didn’t pack in the sugar and it made it less sweet, and surprisingly much lighter!
Very good. Thank you!
So happy you liked them! Mine would have been way overdone with cooking them 10-20 minutes longer. What do you mean each way? You mean the crust and then the filling? Could it be that your oven is running on the low side? I’d definitely check that out. Thanks for your comment!
These were really easy to make and so delicious! Fantastic recipe. Thank you for sharing it. I added a little ground ginger to the base which went nicely with the lemon zest. Will definitely make these again!
I’m so happy you’ll be making them again! Ginger sounds like a great addition. Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
You saved me! I am on a gluten free diet for the next to weeks, which is not so bad but gluten free desserts are hard to come by at the store. I didn’t think I was going to make it especially since its graduation party season, but these will cure all of my sweet tooths. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you liked them. :) Good luck with the GF diet! I started posting GF dessert recipes years before I had to go GF myself and I promise you… they can be just as delicious as wheat recipes (as long as you have the right recipe!). Thanks for your comment. :)
Mines failed. They were nice at first and then sunk way down after a while with the door open. They look like little cups.
I’ve gotten a lot of reviews on this recipe and you’re the first to mention them sinking. Did you make any subs or changes to the recipe? Did you maybe overbeat the cheesecake batter? And are you sure your oven isn’t running too high or low?
My second attempt was a success. It could be the oven temperature being too hot. Thanks. They were a hit!
I’m happy to hear that they came out well the next time. :)
Hi, just wondering what is the difference between muffin liners and cupcake liners? Thanks
Hi! There’s no difference. :)