How to Make a Gluten- and Dairy-Free Cheesecake

Dairy- and gluten-free cheesecake can be baked at home.

People with gluten and dairy intolerances or allergies are plagued with a world of foods they cannot eat. This includes everything from bread to cereal to pasta to desserts. Between 2007 and 2010, the number of available gluten- and dairy-free alternatives skyrocketed. As of December 2010, there are over four dozen different brands of products from which to choose. Although gluten- and dairy-free cheesecake has yet to reach the market, dairy-free alternatives for ingredients have. Create a gluten- and dairy-free version of cheesecake with a few alterations to the original recipe.

Things You'll Need

• 10-inch springform pan
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Food processor
• 8 oz. dairy- and gluten-free cookies
• 4 tbsp. dairy-free, vegetable-based butter
• 1 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp. sugar for the crust
• 5 bricks, 8-oz. soy-based cream cheese
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. organic cheesecake emulsion flavoring
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy-based sour cream
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Pour the cookies into a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it is fully processed to crumbs.

3. Pour the cookie crumbs into the medium mixing bowl. Add 4 tbsp. of melted butter and 2 tbsp. of sugar. Stir the mixture with a spatula until the crumbs are fully coated. Press the mixture to the bottom of a greased springform pan and place the pan into the freezer.

4. Beat the soy-based cream cheese, pure vanilla extract, organic cheesecake emulsion flavoring and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and beat for one minute. Fold in the cornstarch and sour cream.

5. Spoon the mixture into the cold crust, and smooth it completely. If the mixture does not settle, dip a spatula in hot water and use it to smooth out the surface of the cheesecake.

6. Insert the cheesecake onto the center of the middle rack in the oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

7. Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking the cheesecake for 45 minutes, or until the cheesecake is golden on the edges.

8. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside. Use a towel or pot holder to prop the oven door open approximately one inch. Leave the cheesecake to sit in the oven for three hours.

Tips & Warnings

• Once baked, the cheesecake can be frozen for up to six months.

• Use gluten- and dairy-free sugar cookies for the crust of a plain cheesecake. Consider gingersnaps for the crust of a pumpkin cheesecake, or chocolate cookies for the crust of a strawberry or raspberry cheesecake.

• Do not bake fresh fruit into this cheesecake. For added fruit flavor, use gourmet fruit-puree gels and fold them into the mixture after spooning it into the pan.

References

• Go Dairy Free: Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
• Gluten Solutions: Autism and Gluten and Dairy Free Diet