This creamy and delicious Gluten Free Passover Cheesecake recipe is the highlight of any Passover dessert course. Also perfect for Mother's Day and Shavuot, this crustless cheesecake is an easy New York cheesecake recipe which means that it is rich and satisfying. It is also much easier to make than you would think. The solid texture and subtle lemon flavor makes this cheesecake go perfectly with mixed berries or a raspberry coulis.
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This Passover Cheesecake is gluten free
Passover means that there can be no chometz in any of our recipes. Just like gluten free Flourless Chocolate Cake, Gluten Free Passover Shortbread Cookies, and our Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, this Passover dessert does not sacrifice gluten for flavor. A traditional cheesecake is made with a graham cracker crust and those are definitely out for Passover. This means that we either need to get creative with our crust or just eliminate it all together. Instead of trying to work with gluten free graham cracker crumbs or almond flour to make a crust, we chose to go crustless. This also means that there is no melted butter needed. Honestly, you will never miss it!
Equipment
- Stand mixer to get the ingredients mixed properly. You can also use an electric mixer for this if you don't have a stand mixer. You need to make sure the batter is aerated in order to make it fluffy.
- Spring form pan is really the best way to make cheesecake. It holds the batter in during baking and is easy to take off when the cheesecake is done. If you made Passover Chocolate Mousse Cake then you are no stranger to using a spring form pan.
How to make Gluten Free Passover Cheesecake step by step
Step 1 - Beat the cream cheese
Using a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is...well...creamy. Some recipes add one cup sour cream a this point but we do not find that it adds anything to this recipe.
Add sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest to the cream cheese and mix again until fully blended.
Step 2 - Add the eggs
Add one egg and mix again until fully blended. Do the same for each egg as well as the egg yolks. Adding the eggs one at a time in this way insures that they are fully incorporated into the batter.
Mix in the cream.
Step 3 - Prepare the pan and pour the batter.
Cut the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the spring form pan. The best way to do this is to take the bottom of the pan and place it on top of a square of parchment paper. Then take a pen or pencil and trace around the edge of the pan bottom. Finally, cut out the traced circle, reassemble the pan, and place the circle inside of the pan.
Pour the Gluten Free Cheesecake batter into the spring form pan.
Step 4 - Bake and cool
Cover with foil and Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 200 and then finish baking for one hour. After the cook time has completed, turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. When the cheesecake is done make sure to let it cool for at least 6 hours but ideally overnight. This will allow the cheesecake to firm up and give it its signature texture. If you cut into it too soon it will be runny and disappointing.
Recipe FAQ
The main difference between New York style cheesecake and regular cheesecake is that the New York style is heavier and has a denser texture while the regular cheesecake has a lighter texture that has been thinned out by using extra cream and sour cream.
There are so many ways to answer this but let me offer some of our favorite suggestions for toppings:
-seasonal mixed berries
-chocolate or strawberry syrup
-bananas
-pecans
-walnuts
-shaved chocolate bars
-mix and match your favorites from this list
Yes. The gluten in most cheesecake recipes comes from the crust which is usually made from graham crackers or crushed up cookies. Cheesecake filling is naturally gluten free unless there are ingredients containing gluten added. You should always check the label or recipe if this is a concern.
More Passover recipes like this one
Recipe
Gluten Free Passover Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs cream cheese 5 eight ounce packages, room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg yolk room temperature
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line 10" springform pan with parchment paper and grease sides well.
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. About 30 seconds.
- Scrape down sides of bowl and gradually add sugar until well mixed in.
- Beat in vanilla and lemon, if using.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each egg.
- On low speed beat in the heavy cream. Scrape down the sides and pour batter into prepared pan.
- Loosely cover cake with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400ºF.
- Reduce temperature to 200ºF and bake for an hour.
- After and hour and fifteen minutes total cooking time turn off oven and slightly open oven door and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow cheesecake to cool completely before unmolding.
- Cover and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours but ideally 24 hours before serving.
Marilyn Estreicher
I love love love cheese cake!