Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars are the perfect dessert during the busy holiday season. A luscious vanilla bean cheesecake swirled with a homemade cranberry orange sauce on a shortbread crust. This is a fabulous make-ahead dessert that also freezes very well.

Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars are a very budget-friendly dessert since this recipe is using a homemade shortbread crust instead of a traditional gluten-free graham cracker crust. Gluten Free graham crackers are not only pricy but sometimes also tricky to find.

If you love gluten free cheesecake bars, make sure to check out my Gluten Free Apple Cheesecake Bars or my Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredient Notes
• How to make homemade Cranberry Sauce
• How to make Gluten Free Cheesecake Crust
• How to make Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Filling
• How to bake Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
• How to slice cheesecake
• Variations of Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
• FAQ for Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
• Baking in grams
• Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
• Substitutions and Modifications
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: For the shortbread crust I use my own gluten free flour blend. This recipe works great Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 or Cup4Cup, or any gluten free flour blend you may have on hand. Shortbread is very forgiving.

Cream Cheese: In the cream cheese layer in this recipe for Cranberry cheesecake bars I use full fat cream cheese. I have not tested this recipe with reduced-fat cream cheese. My brand of choice if Philadelphia which is gluten free according to the Kraft-Heinz website. I always recommend checking the packaging or the manufacturer's website to ensure the products used are celiac safe.

Cranberry Sauce: The cranberry sauce can be made with fresh or frozen cranberries. I have not tested this recipe with canned cranberry sauce. If you would like to use a storebought cranberry sauce, I recommend using a product like Stonewall Holiday Spiced Cranberry Sauce.

Orange Zest: For the orange zest, I recommend using, if possible, an organic orange. Regardless of what orange you choose to use, please make sure to give it a good wash. If you don’t have an orange on hand, you could use the zest of a lemon, lime, or even grapefruit. I recommend a Microplane for this task. If you do not like oranges or citrus, feel free to leave out the orange zest.

Vanilla Bean Paste: I love using Vanilla Bean Paste in this cheesecake since those two flavors go together very well. Vanilla paste is a blend of concentrated vanilla extract and vanilla bean powder with the consistency of liquid glue. It is more intense than vanilla extract plus you will actually vanilla bean specs in your final product. Currently, I am using HEILALA - Vanilla Bean Paste and have been very happy with this product. Please be aware some brands like to add sugar or corn syrup to stretch out the vanilla paste (make it less flavorful and also cheaper) You can also use Vanilla Extract in this recipe.

How to make homemade Cranberry Sauce

Making your own cranberry sauce is pretty easy and it can be made in just 10 minutes. I highly recommend using your own for this recipe.

To make homemade cranberry sauce, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, orange zest, salt, and spices in a small pot. Over medium-low heat, simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all the cranberries have popped and released their juices. Make sure to give in an occasional stir to avoid it burning on the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and allow for it to cool completely. If you like, you can blend the cranberry sauce in your blender to make it smoother. If you choose to do this, please add 1 additional 1 tablespoon of water to the sauce when adding it to the blender (This will make it easier to blend) Make sure to taste your cranberry sauce and adjust seasoning if needed.

How to make Gluten Free Cheesecake Crust

This simple shortbread crust is made with gluten-free flour, brown sugar, butter, salt, and ground cinnamon. It is very sturdy which makes it perfect for cheesecakes.

• Preheat your oven to 350F and arrange your oven rack in the middle of your oven. This way your cheesecake will bake evenly.
• Line an 8×8 (or 9×9 pan) with parchment paper and set aside. Make sure to leave some overhang on the sides to remove the cheesecake easily from the pan.
• Whisk together the gluten free flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamonin a medium sized bowl. Cut your butter in small pieces and add to the flour mixture. You can use your clean hands or two forks to work the butter into the flour until it is crumbly.
• Press the mixture in an even layer into the prepared pan. I like to use an offset knife for this or the back of a spoon.
• Bake the crust at 350F for 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown.
• When your crust is done baking, do NOT turn off the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 300F

How to make Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Filling

Make sure to set out your cream cheese and eggs in advance so they have enough time to come to room temperature. Cold cream cheese will not whip up smoothly and leave you with a lumpy cheesecake batter.

Since it can take some time to get the cream cheese to room temperature, I recommend placing the unwrapped block of cream cheese on a microwave-safe plate and carefully nuke it at 50-70% of power for 10 seconds. Turn the block over and nuke for an additional 10 seconds. This should help speed up getting the cream cheese to room temperature.

The cheesecake filling for the cranberry cheesecake bars is very simple to make. In the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), mix together the room temperature cream cheese, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla paste (or vanilla extract) until light and fluffy. This should take around 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula. Beat in the eggs and the egg yolk one at a time, just until combined; do not overmix once you’ve added the eggs.

If you overmix your cheesecake batter, your cheesecake will most likely rise very high and then deflate (and may even develop a crack)

How to bake Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

To assemble the gluten free cranberry cheesecake bars for baking, place half of the vanilla bean cheesecake filling on top of the prebaked crust. Using a spoon, place dollops of the cranberry sauce all over the cheesecake batter, saving some for the top of the cheesecake. Pour the rest of the cheesecake filling on top and smooth out evenly.

Make sure to get the filling all the way to the corners. Gently tap the back of your spoon against the sides of the pan. This will help to release air bubbles (which can cause cracks).

Top the cheesecake with the reserved cranberry sauce. If you like, you can use a knife or a skewer and swirl the cranberry sauce into the vanilla cheesecake batter. Don't go overboard when it comes to the swirling though or you will end up with a pink cheesecake.

Once you have your Cheesecake bars fully assembled, it is time to bake them. Bake them at 300F in the middle of your oven for 40-45 minutes. No peaking! This is why (most) ovens have windows.

Your cheesecake is done when it is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the middle. You can test for this around 40 minutes into the baking time. If the sides of your cheesecake start to puff up, your cheesecake is definitely done bake (and on its way to being overbaked)

If you feel like your cheesecake is done, turn off the oven but leave your cheesecake in the oven to cool for at least 60 minutes. Allowing the cheesecake to cool in the oven allows for it to finish baking but since there is no sudden change of temperature there is less of a chance for it to crack.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool it completely before placing it in the fridge for at least 3 hours (Overnight works the best!) before cutting.

You can make this cheesecake up to 3 days ahead of time and can even freeze it if needed (major bonus for the holidays)

How to slice cheesecake

A cold, very well-set cheesecake is easier to cut than a warm one. Always use a long, very sharp, knife, preferably thin. I also like to use a pitcher with hot water instead of running hot water constantly while cutting. This cranberry cheesecake will not cut as smooth as my pumpkin cheesecake bars because of the pieces of cranberries in the cranberry sauce.

What you will need to slice picture-perfect cheesecake

• cold, well set pumpkin cheesecake
• a pitcher with HOT water
• clean, dry towel
• sharp Chef’s Knife

Dip your Chef’s Knife in the hot water and dry very well with the towel. The hot water will warm up the blade and will slide through the cheesecake a lot easier.

Clean your knife in between cuts in the hot water, wipe clean, and continue cutting. The cleaning is the very important part here. If you skip this step your gonna smudge all the leftovers from your previous cut onto the next cut.

Variations of Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

I understand not everyone loves cranberries or has cranberries available. This gluten free vanilla bean cheesecake is a fabulous base recipe. Here are a few ideas on how to jazz things up a bit.

• Blueberry Cheesecake Bars: Use 125 grams of blueberry jam instead of the cranberry sauce
• Raspberry Cheesecake Bars: Replace the cranberry sauce with the raspberry topping found in my recipe for White Chocolate Raspberry Bars.
• Whiskey Caramel Cheesecake Bars: Bake the cheesecake plain and serve with homemade whiskey caramel sauce and Candied Coffee Walnuts.
• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars: fold 85 grams of Mini Chocolate Chips into the batter before baking. Mini Chocolate Chips work better here than regular-sized chocolate chips.

FAQ for Gluten Free Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Do cranberry cheesecake bars need to be refrigerated?
Yes, cheesecake bars need to be refrigerated after baking so they can be set up fully. If you plan on serving them at a “buffet style” gathering, I only recommend having them at room temperature for up to 2hrs.

How far in advance can I make cranberry cheesecake bars?
These gluten free cranberry cheesecake bars should be chilled in the fridge overnight, so I recommend making them at least the night before you plan on serving them. They can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.

Can you freeze cranberry cheesecake bars?
Yes, cheesecake bars can be frozen. Just like freezing cookie dough, I recommend freezing the slices individually on a sheet tray (uncovered) first before transferring them to an airtight container. You may also freeze the entire uncut cheesecake. To freeze the entire cheesecake I recommend placing it on a sheet tray and place in the freezer until fully frozen. Once frozen wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil (or if you have a big enough ziplock bag). Freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to eat allow for it to thaw in the refrigerator.

I don’t have celiac. Can I make this recipe?
Yes. Please use 135g of regular flour for the shortbread crust.