Gluten-free Triple Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake Recipe – No-bake (dairy-free option)

Gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe – 100% no-bake and easy to make! This is yet another of my ULTIMATE gluten-free Christmas day desserts. Coeliac-friendly and wheat-free too, of course!

Gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe, anyone? Still not sorted a gluten-free dessert for Christmas? Well, here you go! Not only is it easy to make, but it’s impossible to tell that’s gluten-free. It’s just the base that normally contains gluten in a cheesecake… but not today!

Can’t decide between white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate during the festive season?

(I realise this isn’t much of a problem after all we’ve been through 2020, but let’s just pretend that this is something you genuinely struggle to decide between)

Well, that’s what my gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe is for! Best of all, you can decorate it with whatever festive Christmas chocolate you like.

Here’s a few reasons to make this if you still aren’t convinced!

Why make my gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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.
• The combination of chocolate flavours here is IMMENSE and a real crowd-pleaser.
• No xanthan gum required.
• You’d NEVER know this was gluten-free by tasting it, so there’s no need to make a separate dessert just for yourself. Share this with the muggles if you’re generous enough to let them have a slice!
• I used Aero Snowbubbles and KitKat festive friends to decorate this… and they’re both gluten-free!
• This recipe is actually super simple to make dairy-free or vegan – see the FAQ section below for advice on how to do this.

So what does a gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas no-bake cheesecake taste like?

First of all, that biscuit base isn’t just buttery, crunchy and thick, but it’s also super chocolatey thanks to the cocoa power. That’s the first of the chocolate trilogy, adding a lovely milk chocolate-like taste.

Then, the filling… oh wow, the filling! It’s incredibly creamy, fluffy yet indulgently thick and packed with the harmonious flavours of sweet white chocolate and either dark or milk chocolate, depending on what you fancy.

Then, simply top with a little grated white chocolate and whatever festive gluten-free chocolate treats you can get your hands on.

Here’s everything you’ll need for this recipe, keep scrolling until you see the recipe card for the measurements and method…

Gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe: Ingredients

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 making this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!

Gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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 sure 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 triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe dairy free?

For years I’ve always said no… but I’ve finally found a way to make tons of my cheesecakes dairy-free by using the following products as replacements for the dairy products.

So stick to these swaps and you’ll be enjoying a gluten-free AND dairy-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake in no time!

• Instead of using cream cheese/mascarpone, use: Violife Cream Cheese (easily found in your supermarket’s free from chiller section)
• Instead of using double cream, use: Elmlea Plant Double Cream (has a ‘may contain’ warning for milk and easily found in supermarkets) or if you have a milk allergy, Flora Plant Professional Double Cream (no may contain warning for milk, but can only be bought online).
• Instead of using butter, use: Stork hard margarine.
• Instead of using white, milk and dark chocolate use: dairy-free white, milk and dark chocolate
• Omit the the Aero Snowbubbles/KitKat Festive friends and replace with a mix of dairy-free giant chocolate buttons and dairy-free white chocolate buttons (or omit entirely).

Don’t forget to ensure that the biscuits and cocoa powder you use for the base are dairy-free too.

It’s important to use the dairy-free cream cheese/double cream alternatives I listed – they need to have a high enough fat content to work in the same way and these do. Oh and I also have a dairy-free vanilla cheesecake over here if you fancy too.

Can I make your gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe vegan?

Follow the steps above to make this dairy-free and you’ve only gone and made a gluten-free, dairy-free AND vegan triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake!

Is your gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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.

Which products did you use to decorate the cake? Are they all gluten-free?

Firstly, yes – all of these products are gluten-free and easily available in supermarkets! Here they are:

• For the outside perimeter of the top of the cheesecake I used Aero Snowbubble chocolate balls.
• For the centre-piece, I used a few of KitKat’s gluten-free festive friends.

You don’t NEED to use these – to be honest, I just had leftover Christmas chocolate from all my baking that I needed to use up!

But you can’t deny that it does all look good as a whole, right?

Can I make your gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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!

Does this recipe contain 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 triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake using light cream cheese or reduced fat mascarpone?

Definitely not! 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 biscuits too, so happily give them a go as well.

Do I need weighing scales to make your gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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 triple chocolate Christmas 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!

Gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe: Method

Oh and here’s a printable version of my gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas 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! ⭐️

Thanks for reading all about my gluten-free triple chocolate Christmas cheesecake recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turns out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!

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Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

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