Gluten-Free Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes

Here's a recipe for Gluten-Free Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes from my kitchen in the Florida Keys, where we know about all things key lime.

Gluten-free key lime cheesecake is a dessert that combines a creamy key lime filling with an almond flour buttery crust that is sandy just like a graham cracker crust. 

It's a perfect treat for those with gluten sensitivities or those simply looking for a refreshing and low-carb gluten-free dessert.

The little cheesecakes are ideal for any occasion or simply as a delightful treat for yourself. I've sweetened it with keto sweetener but it is totally okay to use sugar if that's what you prefer.

Jump to:

• What You Need
• How to Make Key Lime Juice
• Easily Make Mini Cheesecakes
• Top Tips:
• Storage
• "📖 Recipe"

What You Need

A traditional buttery graham cracker crust is the base of every key lime pie in Key West. 

For my gluten-free crust, I had to make some substitutions. Instead of trying to find gluten-free graham crackers which are not sold in The Keys, I made an almond flour crust.

The creamy cheesecake filling is made with an 8-ounce bar of Philadelphia cream cheese (not low-fat) and key lime juice from real key limes. The dessert can be sweetened with keto sweeteners such as xylitol, allulose, or Swerve. If you are using regular sugar, use an equal amount of white sugar in the crust and powdered sugar in the filling.

For the Crust:

• Almond Flour
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar or keto sweetener
• Cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

For the Filling:

• Cream cheese (at room temperature)
• Powdered sugar or powdered keto sweetener
• Egg
• Sour cream
• Freshly squeezed key lime juice, the juice of 10 key limes.
• Vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Key Lime Juice

Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes need key lime juice. The best key lime juice is freshly squeezed and you need the juice from 8 to 10 key limes for 3 tablespoons of juice.

If you do not have access to key lime juice, you can substitute Persian or regular lime juice.

Easily Make Mini Cheesecakes

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack set in the center of the oven. Line a standard 12-count muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour with melted butter, sweetener, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
• Spoon the almond flour mixture into the cupcake liners, as evenly as possible. 
• Press the crust mixture into the bottom of each mini cheesecake cup. I use a tiny measuring cup with a flat bottom to flatten them.
• Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment to beat the cream cheese until fluffy. 
• Add egg, vanilla, powdered sweetener, and continue mixing until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir in the key lime juice until incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. 
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the almond flour crusts in the cupcake pan.
• Bake for 17 to 20 minutes. When they're done, they will be slightly jiggly.
• Remove from the oven and place the cupcake pan on a cooling rack.
• Chill overnight for the best taste.
• Decorate with whipped cream, key lime slices, mint leaves, and raspberries.

For Garnish:

Top the mini-cheesecakes with whipped cream sprinkles and a slice of key lime.

Top Tips:

• Refrigerating the cheesecakes for several hours or overnight allows them to set and develop a better flavor.
• Customize the topping with additional key lime zest, whipped cream, or a drizzle of key lime syrup for extra zing.
• A pinch of salt in both the crust and the filling heightens the flavors.
• Use fresh key limes for the best flavor. You can also use Nellie and Joe's bottled key lime juice. Of course, you can sub in regular lime juice.
• My cheesecake is sweetened with xylitol for my low-carb diet. You can also use an equal amount of regular sugar or allulose, a keto sweetener.

This dessert is a perfect gluten-free dessert for any holiday. The cheesecakes are made with an almond flour crust.

For a different flavor, try Keto Pumpkin Muffins, which are also gluten-free and low-carb.

Storage

"📖 Recipe"