Gluten-Free New York Cheesecake

By
Teri Gruss, MS
Teri Gruss, MS
Freelance writer and nutrition expert Teri Lee Gruss, M.S. has written hundreds of recipes focusing on healthy gluten-free cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 04/14/21
Gluten-free New York Cheesecake recipe

​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Chill Time: 5 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
595 Calories
40g Fat
53g Carbs
9g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 595
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 51%
Saturated Fat 22g 111%
Cholesterol 171mg 57%
Sodium 353mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 19%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 9g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 135mg 10%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 242mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This decadent version of New York cheesecake is made with two pounds of cream cheese and one whole pound of sour cream. It also happens to be made with a gluten-free graham cracker crust, which makes it perfect for those who can't partake in a typical cheesecake. Those cherries look impressive, but there's no cooking needed to achieve that thickened texture, as they're a canned pie filling but nonetheless delicious.

Cheesecakes are all about delayed gratification—all that time filling, cooking, and chilling—so you want to be sure the recipe is going to be worth the effort. This one is. And yes, like all cheesecakes, it requires multiple-step assembly, but none of them individually are hard to do. It just takes a little planning. However, when the cheesecake is finished, the rewards are so worth the efforts.

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Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

  • 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 4 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour, or cornstarch

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For the Sour Cream Topping:

  • 1 cup sour cream

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cherry Pie Filling:

Steps to Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this gluten-free cheesecake is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and baking.

Make the Crust

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat oven to 325 F/163 C. Set aside a 9-inch springform cake pan.

    Ingredients for gluten-free graham cracker crust
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

    

  2. Place gluten-free graham crackers in a plastic zip bag and finely crush with a rolling pin.

    Break up graham crackers with a rolling pin
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Pour crumbs into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and nutmeg and stir to thoroughly blend.

    New York Style Cheesecake

    The Spruce

  4. Add melted butter and stir to combine.

    Pour crumbs in bowl

    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  5. Press crumb mixture into bottom of springform pan. Don't press the crumbs on the sides of the pan. Refrigerate while preparing the cheesecake filling.

    Press crumb mixture to bottom of pan
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

Make the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for cheesecake filling
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  2. Place cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high until creamy.

    Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Add eggs, one at a time.

    Add eggs to cheesecake batter
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic 

  4. Add sweet rice flour, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat on high until smooth.

    Add sweet rice flour, sour cream, and vanilla
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  5. Remove crust from refrigerator. Pour cheesecake filling into springform pan and smooth top with a spatula.

    Remove crust from fridge and add filling
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  6. Bake for 45 minutes.

Make the Sour Cream Topping

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sour cream topping ingredients
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  2. While cheesecake is baking, place remaining sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk ​until smooth and blended.

    Sour cream, sugar, and vanilla whisked together in bowl
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Remove cheesecake from oven. With a light touch, use a spatula to spread sour cream topping over the baked cheesecake.

    Spread topping over cheesecake
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  4. Return cake to the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake there for 1 hour before removing.

  5. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Make the Cherry Pie Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for cherry topping
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  2. While cake is cooling, combine cherry pie filling with sugar and vanilla. Stir to blend.

    Cherry pie filling in a bowl with sugar and vanilla
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Spread cherries over chilled cheesecake just before serving.

    Add cherries to top of chilled cheesecake
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

  4. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

    Slice of gluten-free cheesecake with cherry topping along with the rest of the cheesecake
    ​​The Spruce / Zorica Lakonic

What Is the Difference Between New York Cheesecake and Regular Cheesecake?

New York cheesecake relies heavily on cream cheese to create its dense, rich texture and have that telltale sour cream layer. Many other cheesecake recipes use a combination of sour cream and heavy cream to thin out the batter, which makes the end result more silky and creamy. Other recipes use ricotta cheese, for a light and airy texture that almost melts on the fork.

Warning

Always make sure your work surfaces, utensils, pans, and tools are free of gluten. Always read product labels. Manufacturers can change product formulations without notice. When in doubt, do not buy or use a product before contacting the manufacturer for verification that the product is free of gluten.

Variation

Cherry is really delicious with cheesecake, but feel free to use different pie fillings instead, such as strawberry, lemon, or blueberry.

How to Store and Freeze Cheesecake

Cheesecake should be refrigerated after it's cooled, chilled, decorated, and served. It can keep in the fridge for 5 days at least.

Cheesecake is also an excellent candidate for the freezer; it's especially helpful to freeze individual slices rather than the whole cake. Wrap each slice in plastic and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. When you're ready to eat it, thaw in the refrigerator and dig in.