Gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe – totally no-bake and a massive crowd-pleaser that nobody would EVER know is gf. All you need is 8 simple ingredients!
Gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe, anyone? It’s super easy to make using just 8 simple ingredients and because it’s no-bake, there’s no need to even switch the oven on!
Since so many of you have loved my gluten-free white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake over the last two years, I absolutely had to make a new variation.
This time with beautiful British strawberries that I picked myself by my local ‘pick your own’. Fortunately, they had great social distancing measures in place – we just had to book a slot!
And I couldn’t imagine a better use for those strawberries than my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe.
But if you’re not convinced, here’s 5 reasons you need to give this one a go:
Why make my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe?
- Super easy to make and it’s no-bake – that means no gluten-free flour required and no need to turn the oven on.
- You only need 8 simple ingredients to make this – all of which are easy to find in the supermarket.
- No xanthan gum required.
- You’d NEVER know this was gluten-free… you’ll have to fight the muggles to keep them away from these!
- The flavour of white chocolate and strawberries with that creamy filling is out of this world.
So what does it taste like, I hear you ask?
It has a beautiful buttery biscuit base (or the classic quad ‘b’ as I like to call it ?) topped with super creamy white chocolate, mascarpone cheesecake filling, packed fresh strawberries.
Then, I absolutely had to throw some more sliced strawberries and white chocolate on top. Honestly, every bite is an absolute DREAM.
Best of all, nobody would ever know this is gluten-free in a million years, so feel free to share with all your muggle friends and family. This recipe is proof that gluten-free food can be for everyone – you don’t need to make your own separate dessert!
Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe, keep scrolling until you see the recipe card for the measurements and method ??
Gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe: Ingredients
For the base
- gluten free digestive biscuits
- hard margarine / butter
For the cheesecake
- mascarpone
- icing sugar
- white chocolate
- double cream
- vanilla extract
- fresh strawberries, chopped
For the topping
- extra chunks of white chocolate
- extra fresh strawberries
So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling!
But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time baking this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!
Gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products. Double check your sprinkles to make sure they’re gf too.
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe dairy free?
Most of my recipes are really easy to make dairy free with a few simple swaps, but unfortunately, it’s not so simple with cheesecakes.
The cheesecake filling is purely made up of dairy – double cream AND mascarpone cheese. And though dairy free versions are available, they just don’t set like whipped dairy does.
I am working on a few dairy free cheesecake alternatives in my kitchen at all the time, but I just want them to be perfect before I share them, so stay tuned!
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe vegan?
Though there’s no eggs in this recipe, read above for the same reasons why this can’t be made vegan.
Like I said, if I make a dairy free cheesecake in the near future, you can bet that it’ll be vegan too so keep an eye on my Instagram for when I finally post it.
Is your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe nut free?
Yep, this is a nut-free recipe as far as ingredients go, BUT make sure you check the ingredients label on ALL the products you use to bake this cake just to be safe.
Even if the products don’t contain nuts, they may have a ‘may contain nuts’ warning due to being produced in a factory that handles nuts.
You can never be too careful so always read the labels on everything first.
Is your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe low FODMAP?
Sadly, because of the high dairy content, this recipe isn’t suitable for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet.
However, if you’ve successfully reintroduced dairy during the reintroduction phase then this might still be a suitable option for you later in the diet.
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake in a food processor or standing mixer?
Of course you can! I actually use both in this recipe just to speed up things. I use my food processor to blitz the biscuit base (don’t over-do them, you want them to be nice and chunky!) and my standing mixer or an electric hand whisk to mix the cheesecake filling.
If you only have a food processor, you can happily use it to mix both separately (wash in between!). However, if you only have a standing mixer, you’ll have to bash the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin.
Just remember to keep scraping down the side of the mixing bowl when making the cheesecake filling – this applies to both a food processor AND standing mixer.
Oh and remember NOT to over mix the cheesecake filling, otherwise it can split!
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake without any kind of electric mixer/appliance at all?
You can, of course, bake this without any assistance from any appliance – just a good ol’ fashioned wooden spoon or spatula will do for mixing. Then bash the biscuits in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.
But you will need a lot of elbow grease to get the biscuits bashed and the filling mixed. Just make sure you give it a lot of welly, otherwise your mixture won’t be consistent!
So yeah, if you’re making my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake by hand, make sure you mix everything really, really well before adding the next ingredients to the bowl.
Remember, an under-mixed cheesecake filling won’t set! And you’re much more likely to under-mix than over-mix if you’re doing it by hand.
Do I need any special equipment to make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe?
You won’t need anything in particular apart from a deep, loose bottom tin – here’s the one I use. It’s important to use a deep one as this is a tall cheesecake!
It’s 20cm (8 inch) in diameter, so remember if your tin is wider than mine, your cheesecake will end up looking a lot flatter!
A springform tin is fine too – here’s the one I sometimes use. I don’t use it all the time because it’s next to impossible to get the entire cheesecake off the base at once.
And ideally, I don’t want to be serving the cheesecake and slicing it on my springform base because it’ll get all scratched. So I much prefer to use a loose bottom tin.
But definitely don’t make this in a normal cake tin without a loose bottom/springform mechanism. You won’t be able to get the cheesecake out or cut it!
Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?
There’s no xanthan gum in any of my cheesecake recipes, this one included.
You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten free baking – in cakes and biscuits, it helps to replace gluten by binding the texture together.
Otherwise you can end up with a very crumbly bake. Fortunately, that doesn’t apply here!
What cream cheese should I use for the filling?
I often use Philadelphia cream cheese for my cheesecakes, but for this one, I’ve chosen to use mascarpone cheese. You can easily find it in the cheese aisle of any supermarket.
Both are fine, but I tend to use mascarpone for cheesecakes if I can because it makes my cheesecakes set to be a little firmer than when using Philadelphia. Why is that a good thing?!
Mascarpone sets a little firmer than Philadelphia, which means it won’t begin to soften nearly as quickly as regular cream cheese would. That can be particularly helpful if you’re serving this up on a hot day.
You can happily try this with Philadelphia, but I know from experience that it will be a much softer cheesecake which won’t hold its shape out of the fridge for too long.
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake using light cream cheese or reduced fat mascarpone?
Definitely, no! Using light cream cheese or reduced fat mascarpone is a very quick way to ensure that your cheesecake is an instant disaster.
As the fat content is much lower, your cheesecake won’t ever have a hope of setting in the fridge. It’s full-fat or nothing, I’m afraid!
What gluten free biscuits should I use for the base?
I usually use these gluten-free Digestive biscuits from Morrisons. But any similar gf biscuit will do!
Loads of supermarkets like Asda, Sainsburys and Tesco do their own gf ginger biscuits too, so happily give them a go as well.
Do I need weighing scales to make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.
I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.
Can I make your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake without sugar?
I can understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this recipe is one where I wouldn’t recommend it!
The sugar in the cheesecake filling helps to balance out the rich cheese flavour from the mascarpone. That makes it taste more like a dessert than an actual cake made of cheese if you know what I mean ?
So yeah, remove the sugar at your own risk!
Can I use other sugar apart from icing sugar in this recipe?
I’ve chosen to use icing sugar in this recipe because it’s nice and light, powdery and almost vanishes into the cheesecake filling. Other sugars just wouldn’t work the same.
By using other granulated sugars (like caster sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar etc), you’ll end up with an almost gritty-like texture in your cheesecake filling which is far from good!
That’s because this is a no-bake recipe. That means there’s no heat to break the sugar down and dissolve it, so it’ll just be all grainy in the filling.
So yeah, icing sugar is the only way to go!
How long can I keep your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake for?
Obviously keep this in the fridge at all times (it’s cheese after all!) and it should last around 4-5 days – keep it in an airtight container, or covered with clingfilm.
Can I freeze my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake?
Yep! You can freeze it for up to 2-3 months without a problem – just make sure you put it in an airtight plastic container. It’s probably a good idea to slice it first so you can defrost a slice at a time.
If you want to defrost the entire cheesecake, leave it at room temperature to thaw for around 12 hours. A single slice will probably only take about 5 hours to thaw, so get it out ahead of time!
Can I bake my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake in the oven?
No, please don’t! This is a no-bake cheesecake, meaning that it’s made to be chilled in the fridge and that’s it.
I can guarantee that if you try and bake this in the oven, you’ll just end up with a big mess to clear up ?
A baked cheesecake will usually have eggs in the filling which will help it to set when heated – this isn’t one of those recipes!
Troubleshooting
My cheesecake filling mixture split – what happened?
That means you probably over-mixed it, which you must be careful not to do! This will definitely cause the entire mixture to split.
You can avoid this happening by not using the highest setting on your mixer whilst making this. Also, don’t leave the filling in the mixer for any more than it needs to!
Once it starts to look nicely combined with no lumpy bits or anything, it’s done!
My cheesecake filling became really thin. What happened?
That’s what happens when you over mix your cheesecake filling too. Try to avoid mixing once the cheesecake filling is thick and combined/consistent.
If it all goes wrong, still try giving it a chance to set in the fridge anyway – it might set, you never know! And if it doesn’t, just pop it in the freezer and serve it up slightly more frozen!
My cheesecake filling spilt out everywhere when I removed it from the tin. What did I do wrong?
That could be a case of not waiting long enough for your cheesecake to set.
A cheesecake really does need a good 12 hours to set – after all, we’re not baking anything in this recipe at all! So you’ve got to give it a lot of time to chill in the fridge and set. Patience is important.
If you did allow your cheesecake an adequate time to set and this happened, then it’ll be down to two other reasons. Firstly, you might have over-mixed your mixture and it either split, or became really thin.
Secondly, you could have under-mixed it. The cheesecake filling shouldn’t be of a ‘pourable’ consistency, it should whip up to a nice thickness that you can spoon into your loose-bottom tin. That’s how to tell when to stop mixing!
My cheesecake filling was a bit lumpy instead of being smooth. What happened?
Sounds like you didn’t mix your cheesecake filling well enough. Adding in the ingredients gradually (not all at once!) can help prevent this massively.
My cheesecake isn’t as tall as yours – how come?
That means you probably used a cake tin that’s bigger than mine (mine is 20cm/8 inches).
I mean, don’t go rushing out to buy a new one if you have one that’s 10 inches wide – but your cheesecake will be a lot flatter!
Can I print your gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe?
Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)
Gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe: Method
Oh and here’s a printable version of my gluten-free white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️
Gluten-free White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe (No-Bake)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the base
- 320 g gluten free digestive biscuits or any other biscuit/cookie you prefer
- 150 g butter or dairy free alternative
For the cheesecake
- 600 g mascarpone 500g-650g works fine (or any full fat cream cheese)
- 100 g icing sugar
- 225 g white chocolate
- 300 ml double cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g fresh strawberries chopped
For the topping
- extra chunks of white chocolate
- extra fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Crush your gluten free digestives. Either do this with a food processor or in a sandwich bag and hit them with a rolling pin. You can make them quite small or have some chunkier bits.
- Melt your butter - I do this in the microwave.
- Pour your melted butter into your crushed biscuits and mix together.
- Press your biscuit mixture into the tin you are going to be making your cheesecake in. Press it down nice and firmly.
- Place it in the fridge to chill whilst you make your cheesecake top. (I leave mine in the fridge for at least 30 minutes)
- Melt your white chocolate, either in the microwave or over a ban marie. Leave to cool.
- To make your cheesecake filling mix together your cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract. I use my KitchenAid to do this on a low/medium setting for only about 10-20 seconds. You could you an electric hand mixer too - I find this works really well.
- Add in the double cream and keep mixing until it firms up a little. (I had the KitchenAid on a medium setting for just under 2 minutes for this - try not to over mix though... don't let it split!)
- Pour in your melted white chocolate and mix in briefly to combine. Ensure the white chocolate is melted but also cool - you don't want hot melted chocolate!
- Fold through your chopped fresh strawberries.
- Spread your mixture on top of the biscuit base and place in the fridge to chill overnight.
- To decorate place some white chocolate chunks, strawberries and also grate some white chocolate on top.
- Keep refrigerated until serving and if you have leftovers. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!