Feeding Friends: Gluten-Free Cheesecake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is gluten-free cheesecake made of? ›

This easy classic gluten free cheesecake is made simply with cream cheese, sugar, and eggs. With or without a graham cracker crust (I vote ✋ in favor of the crust!).

Your average cheesecake has a graham cracker crust, and those crackers contain wheat. This means a typical store bought cheesecake is not gluten-free. Do not lose hope though! It's very easy to make your own cheesecake at home either with gluten-free graham crackers or finely ground nuts as the crust instead.

Ingredients: ORIGINAL CHEESECAKE: Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Cheese Culture, Salt, Carob Bean Gum), Sugar, Heavy Cream, Eggs (Eggs, Citric Acid), Cheese (Pasteurized Cultured Skim Milk, Milk Protein, Microbial Rennet), Cornstarch, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Water, Vanilla Bean Extractives.

Flour might seem like an unusual addition—not all cheesecake recipes incorporate it—but it's the secret to success. A little starch helps prevent the cake from cracking and also makes the filling lighter and fluffier.

If that is what you like then I would definitely recommend cornstarch over flour. If you want it thicker but want to keep it more creamy then I would suggest using less eggs.

Cheese Products

Some may contain starch or cellulose to prevent the shreds from sticking together. However the starches/cellulose used in shredded cheese typically don't contain gluten. Often potato starch is used, which is gluten-free. If a cellulose used is derived from wheat, this should be called out on the label.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese is considered gluten-free. If you are hyper-sensitive, check your ingredient list to make sure it wasn't made in a facility making other products containing gluten.

Most of today's graham crackers are made from refined wheat flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, this is a problem. However, gluten-free grahams are easy to make at home. And even if you aren't gluten-free, making homemade graham crackers is a fun—and tasty—way to experience classic graham crackers in a new way.

Ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheeses, and shredded cheeses are usually gluten-free, but some may have additives, always check the ingredient label. Always check the label on non-dairy cheese alternatives as they are processed products that contain many ingredients.

What makes New York cheesecake different than regular cheesecake? ›

Regular cheesecake relies on heavy cream and sour cream to thin the batter and create a silkier, creamier texture. New York cheesecake is heavy on the cream cheese which is why it's so dense and rich. Extra cream cheese isn't the only thing that makes New York cheesecake so special.

Generally, the "cheese" portion of the cheesecake consists of cream cheese, full eggs, and egg yolks. Different ingredients can be added to modify the taste, texture, and consistency of the cheesecake.

Cheesecake recipes that do not contain flour are luxuriously smooth and dense. Eggs are another factor in the texture of your cheesecake. Handled correctly, eggs give cheesecake its structure and silken texture. Their curled-up proteins unfurl and link together when gently heated, transforming from liquid to solid.

Cold ingredients are a big no-no when it comes to cheesecake. If your ingredients are cold you will have to mix them longer which will whip too much air into your batter. If the cake has too much air, it will rise too much in the oven and then the middle will sink when cooling. Nobody wants a sad, sunken cheesecake.

Eggs: Three whole eggs hold the cheesecake together. I also add an extra yolk, which enhances the cake's velvety texture. (Whites tend to lighten the cake, which is actually fine — if you don't feel like separating that fourth egg and don't mind some extra airiness in the texture, just add in the whole egg.)

For gluten-free baking, we like brown and white rice flours, which are versatile and mild-flavored. Brown rice has a heartier texture that works well in pancakes and muffins, while white rice is lighter and best for cakes. Millet flour has a warm, pleasant flavor, and oat flour is slightly sweet.

Although regular breads and cakes are not included in a gluten free diet, there are many creative ways in which people with coeliac disease can have their cake and eat it! Gluten gives bread, cakes and pastry the right texture. Without gluten, bread is less chewy and cakes and pastry can be drier and more crumbly.

No, Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake filling is not certified gluten-free. The label lists several ingredients that may contain gluten. Can people with Celiac's disease eat cheesecake? People with Celiac's disease can eat cheesecake that is made with a gluten-free graham cracker crust.

Most of today's graham crackers are made from refined wheat flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, this is a problem. However, gluten-free grahams are easy to make at home. And even if you aren't gluten-free, making homemade graham crackers is a fun—and tasty—way to experience classic graham crackers in a new way.