Mascarpone and cream cheese work in tandem to create a rich, whipped cheesecake-filling spread over a buttery cookie base. Share this gluten free No Bake Cheesecake recipe with family and friends to show just how simple and satisfying gluten free living can be!
⭐Recipe Highlights⭐
A few things to love about this recipe:
- Easy Recipe: Unlike traditional baked cheesecake recipes requiring hours of careful prep, this comes together quickly and easily in under 30 minutes. The most difficult part? Waiting for it to set in the fridge! It’s a great make-ahead dessert!
- Creamy Filling: Cream cheese and mascarpone cheese make for a a silky smooth cheesecake that’s thick, rich and not too heavy.
- Heat Free Recipe: There’s no bad time of year to make this, but it’s even more welcome in the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the oven.
The Crust
- GF Cookies/Biscuits: Graham crackers are the usual cheesecake crust go-to, but they’re not always easy to find in store. I used gluten free Oaties, but any basic store bought, gluten free cookie should be fine. Try hobnobs, digestives, gingersnaps or shortbread.
- Butter: moistens the cookies crumbs so they clump together in the pan.
- Sugar (optional): Totally optional and up to you.
Press into the pan:
- Use a loose-bottom or springform tin to easily remove the cake from the pan.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the pan. The firmer the better as the crust will be less likely to fall apart when slicing the cake.
The Filling
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat, plain cream cheese for the classic, tangy cheesecake flavor.
- Mascarpone Cheese: Adds richness, creaminess and helps stabilise the whipped cream.
- Sugar: Use white granulated sugar or caster sugar. I found the sweet spot (no pun intended) to be around 2/3 cup sugar, but you can go up to 1 cup or down to 1/2 cup.
- Vanilla: Vanilla bean paste will impart a more concentrated flavor, but vanilla extract works too!
- Cream: Use heavy cream if you’re in the US and whipping cream if you’re in the UK.
- Lemon Juice (optional): Mascarpone cheese naturally tones down the tangy cream cheese flavor. Add lemon juice to re-instate some of that brightness or leave it out for a stronger, vanilla flavor.
Why use both cream cheese & mascarpone cheese?
I don’t know about other countries, but block cream cream isn’t sold in the UK. Only the spreadable kind that comes in a tub is available. Ideal for bagels, not so much for baking due to the higher water content.
Mascarpone cheese (Italian cream cheese) on the other hand has a much higher fat content than cream cheese as standard. While it’s more expensive, you can usually find it in major grocery store chains. It’s been an absolute game-changer when it comes to making whipped frosting and cream cheese frosting!
While you can make cheesecake using only mascarpone, you’d be missing out on the classic, slightly tangy cream cheese flavor.
The solution? Use both!
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh Berries: Serve with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – whatever’s good and in season!
- Fruit Sauces and Fillings: Try it with my Cherry Pie Filling or Blueberry Pie Filling (pictured below).
- Lemon Curd: Make your own homemade lemon curd with just a handful of ingredients! Keep this recipe entirely egg free with this vegan lemon curd recipe.
- Caramel Sauce: Drizzle over the top for an extra decadent dessert.
More Gluten Free Cheesecake:
- Burnt Pumpkin Cheesecake – crust free
- Vegan Blackberry Cheesecake – paleo/vegan
- No Bake Snickers Cheesecake – paleo/vegan
- Vegan No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake – paleo/vegan
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this gluten free no bake cheesecake recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Yield: 9-inch or 10-inch cheesecake
Gluten Free No Bake Cheesecake
5.0 Stars (1 Review)
Prep Time
30 minutes
Additional Time
12 hours
Total Time
12 hours 30 minutes
Use both cream cheese and mascarpone cheese to create a super rich, velvety and easy to make no bake cheesecake!
Ingredients
Crust
- (200g) gluten free hobnobs, digestives, graham crackers, gingersnaps or shortbread
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar (30g) optional*
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted (113g)
Cheesecake
- 12 oz mascarpone cheese, chilled (340g)
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese, chilled (226g)
- 2/3 cup white sugar (130g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (15ml), optional*
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, chilled [whipping cream in the UK] (300ml)
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
Crust
- Add cookies and sugar (if using) to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a 9-inch (22cm) or 10-inch (25cm) loose bottom or spring form cake pan. Press tightly into the bottom of the pan to form a crust - the tighter the better.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap then place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- Add mascarpone, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer bowl with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer. Beat on a medium-high speed until thick and smooth with no remaining lumps. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on a low speed, slowly pour the heavy cream and lemon juice (if using) into the cream cheese mixture. Once added, increase to a high speed. Beat until thick, smooth and airy. Keep a close eye on the bowl to avoid over mixing.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and add the filling. Smooth evenly across the bottom and sides of the crust.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil then refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours. For best results, chill overnight in the fridge (about 12 hours).
- Before serving, run a knife along the outside of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the outer rim. Use a sharp, clean knife to cut the cheesecake into slices and wipe down in-between each slice.
- Serve with desired toppings and enjoy. Store leftover cheesecake up to 5 days in the fridge covered well or in an airtight container.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Make 1-2 days before serving and keep stored in the fridge. Wait to adding toppings until just before serving.
- Gluten Free Cookies: Use 200 grams gluten free Graham Crackers, Hobnobs, Oaties, Digestives, Gingersnaps or Shortbread.
- Lemon Juice: Mascarpone in cheesecake results in a richer, less tangy tasting cheesecake. To re-instate some of that brightness, add 1 tbsp lemon juice to the filling.
- Freeze for Later: Cover cheesecake (without anything toppings) still in the pan tightly with plastic wrap AND aluminum foil. Store in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight (or about 8 hours) then slice and serve.
- Optional Toppings: Fresh fruit, cherry sauce, lemon curd, caramel sauce, whipped cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 555Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 320mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 6g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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