Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks.
This chocolate cheesecake is rich, decadent, and entirely gluten-free! With a crust made from gluten-free Oreos, a delicious chocolate cheesecake filling, and a velvety ganache, you’ll love this gluten-free cheesecake recipe!
This cake is perfect for parties and gatherings because it’s something everyone can enjoy whether or not there are guests with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. If you’re entertaining, I recommend serving it with other gluten-free sides such as a cream cheese fruit dip, or a charcuterie board with gluten-free crackers. If you’re a chocoholic, these gluten-free almond flour brownies are another must-try!
This gluten-free triple chocolate cheesecake is absolutely to die for, from the chocolate cookie crust to the chocolate cheesecake filling, to the silky chocolate ganache on top.
🥄 Why This Recipe Works
- Gluten-free Oreos are just as crunchy, if not more crunchy than regular Oreos, which gives them the perfect texture for a crust.
- This gluten-free cheesecake recipe is the perfect dessert that everyone can enjoy whether you have a gluten sensitivity or not.
- You’d never know this recipe is gluten-free based on the taste/texture.
🛒 What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake
📝 Recipe Modifications And Substitutions
- Semi-sweet chocolate: You can also use bittersweet chocolate. Whichever you choose, I recommend that you use a high-quality brand.
- Heavy whipping cream: Half & half or coconut cream will work as well.
- Fresh fruit: You might consider topping your cheesecake with fresh berries like blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. The natural acidity of the berries makes a beautiful contrast to the rich sweetness of this gluten-free chocolate cheesecake.
🥣 What Equipment Do I Need?
You will need either a stand mixer or a hand mixer to get the perfect smooth texture for your cheesecake. A springform pan is another essential for this gluten-free cheesecake recipe. I would recommend having a rubber spatula and a large mixing bowl at the ready as well. Here are some options I recommend:
🍫 How To Make This Recipe
Prepare The Crust
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then use unsalted butter to grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
Step 2: Using a food processor, finely crush the Oreos then add melted butter and blend until butter is evenly mixed throughout.
Pro tip: If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the Oreos in a Ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 3: Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Bake for 6 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Bake The Cheesecake Filling
Step 4: Melt semi-sweet chocolate and set aside to cool.
Step 5: Mix room-temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Next mix in cocoa powder, then add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed. Make sure not to overbeat! Add melted chocolate and mix on low until combined.
Step 6: Pour the cheesecake mix into the springform pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Step 7: Bake the cheesecake until set (this should take about 50-60 minutes). The edges will look puffy and the middle will be just a little bit jiggly. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then run a knife along the sides of the pan before refrigerating (uncovered) overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Pro tip: Every oven is different so times may vary. I’d rather add more time if needed than have an overbaked cake, so if your cake still isn’t set after 50 minutes you may need to bake it for an additional 10-20 minutes.
Make The Ganache
Step 8: Chop the semi-sweet chocolate on a cutting board and then add to a medium saucepan along with granulated sugar and heavy whipping cream. Whisk together on low heat until the chopped chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Pro tip: You want to cook the ganache on your stovetop’s lowest possible heat. If the heat is too high the ganache will separate.
Step 9: Cool the ganache for 5-10 minutes and then pour over the cheesecake, tilting the pan as necessary to cover the entire surface. Let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours or until set.
Step 10 (Optional): Top with fresh fruit and a raspberry compote before serving.
Pro tip: This cheesecake can be made 2-3 days in advance if left in the fridge. However, I would wait until an hour or less before serving if you choose to add the fresh fruit and compote.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Most cheesecakes have crusts made with graham crackers, Oreos, or ginger snaps, all of which contain wheat. For this reason, most cheesecakes are not gluten-free. However, the cheesecake mix itself usually is gluten-free, so by using gluten-free Oreos or cookies for the crust you can make pretty much any cheesecake recipe gluten-free.
Unlike most cakes, cheesecakes do not require flour, making most cheesecake filling completely gluten-free. Typically if cheesecakes contain gluten it’s because of the crust, but you can easily make a gluten-free cheesecake by using gluten-free Oreos or omitting the crust entirely.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- You can serve your cheesecake right after pouring the ganache if you prefer it warm and runny.
- Consider adding some pink Himilayan salt flakes to the top of your gluten-free chocolate cheesecake to contrast the sweetness.
- If you want to garnish your cake similarly to what I did, you can do so by using a combination of fresh berries, sage, mint, rosemary, and lavender.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook! Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 24 gluten-free double-stuffed Oreos
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 lbs cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Ganache
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
Topping (Optional)
- fresh berries
- raspberry compote
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, then use unsalted butter to grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
- Using a food processor, finely crush the Oreos then add melted butter and blend until butter is evenly mixed throughout.
- Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Bake for 6 minutes then remove from the oven and set on aside to cool.
Cheesecake Filling
- Melt semi-sweet chocolate and set aside to cool.
- Mix room-temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Next mix in cocoa powder, then add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed. Make sure not to overbeat! Add melted chocolate and mix on low until combined.
- Pour the cheesecake mix into the springform pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Bake the cheesecake until set, which should take around 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then run a knife along the sides of the pan before refrigerating (uncovered) overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Ganache
- Chop the semi-sweet chocolate on a cutting board and then add to a medium saucepan along with granulated sugar and heavy whipping cream. Whisk together on low heat until the chopped chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Cool the ganache for 5-10 minutes and then pour over the cheesecake, tilting the pan as necessary to cover the entire surface. Let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours or until set.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the Oreos in a Ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Every oven is different so times may vary. I’d rather add more time if needed than have an overbaked cake, so if your cake still isn’t set after 50 minutes you may need to bake it for an additional 10-20 minutes.
- You want to cook the ganache on your stovetop’s lowest possible heat. If the heat is too high the ganache will separate in the fridge.
- You can serve your cheesecake right after pouring the ganache if you prefer it warm and runny.
- This cheesecake can be made 2-3 days in advance if left in the fridge. However, I would wait until an hour or less before serving if you choose to add the fresh fruit and compote.
- If you want to garnish your cake similarly to what I did, you can do so by using a combination of fresh berries, sage, mint, rosemary, and lavender.
This sounds amazing!!! I will be making this soon!
Yay!! It was SO GOOD 😍
Yum! I can’t wait to try it!
Yay! You’ll love it! 🙂