About These Flourless Gluten Free Cheesecake Brownies
These flourless gluten free cheesecake brownies are dense and fudgy, with lots of chocolate flavor cut with a creamy, tangy cream cheese swirl!
The cream cheese cuts through the brownie’s richness and adds a necessary tangy flavor. When baked, the cream cheese takes on a cheesecake-like flavor and texture. This cheesecake texture pairs perfectly with the brownie’s fudgy and ganache-like mouthfeel.
Unlike other gluten free baking recipes, you don’t need any specialty gluten free flours to make these brownies. The brownies are made with a common pantry ingredient, cornstarch, and are 100% gluten free.
For more gluten free, flourless recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my site’s Recipe Collection! Popular recipes include this Gluten Free Pandan Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake
and these Small Batch Baked Ube Mochi Donuts.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve hopefully convinced you to make these flourless gluten free cheesecake brownies, let’s talk about some key ingredients in the recipe:
- Cream Cheese. I recommend using full fat cream cheese for the best brownies. Low and nonfat cream cheese will lead to less flavorful brownies!
- Dark Chocolate. Because this recipe uses a lot of chocolate, it’s worth investing in good quality chocolate. Don’t use chocolate chips! Use a baking bar or your favorite high quality chocolate bar, chopped up. See more of my chocolate recommendations in The Best Chocolate For Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Brown Sugar. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. But you can use either in this recipe without affecting its flavor too much!
- Cornstarch. When developing this recipe, I found that you can replace the cornstarch in this recipe with similar thickening agents like potato starch and tapioca starch.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Cocoa powder, when used in baking recipes, often comes in two varieties: natural unsweetened, and Dutch-processed. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is natural unsweetened cocoa powder that’s been treated with alkaline to neutralize its acidity, giving it a darker color and milder flavor. It is the cocoa powder that is used for making midnight-black baked goods like Oreos.
Because this brownie recipe does not contain any leaveners, you can use whichever cocoa powder you prefer without any changes in texture. Just note that using Dutch-processed cocoa powder will result in darker colored brownies. - Kosher Salt. In my cookbook, I argue that kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes. But you can replace the kosher salt in the recipe with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe when you do!
Best Recipe Tips
Ingredient Tips
- For this recipe, it’s especially important to bring the cream cheese and eggs to room temperature. Cream cheese is especially hard to work with when it’s still cold—it doesn’t incorporate well when cold, and will turn batters and fillings lumpy. Don’t be afraid to blitz cream cheese in the microwave to bring it to room temperature quickly! Simply cut the cream cheese into 1- to 2-inch pieces, and microwave in 15- to 20- second intervals until warmed. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, fill a small bowl with warm water (the water shouldn’t be too hot—you don’t want to accidentally cook the eggs!). Place the eggs in the bowl and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- While it’s important to use a room temperature egg for the cheesecake swirl, you can use the cold eggs straight from the fridge for the brownie batter. Because you’ll be adding the eggs to a warm chocolate mixture, cold eggs will actually help prevent them from accidentally scrambling or cooking.
Technique Tips
- To make the brownies, you’ll need to divide the brownie batter in half. You then pour half the brownie batter into the pan, then pour the cheesecake batter over this layer, and finish by pouring the remaining brownie batter over the two previous layers. Doing so ensures cheesecake flavor with every bite of brownie.
Because I’m a big perfectionist, I used a digital scale to weigh the brownie batter. If you wish to do the same, I include exact measurements and instructions for how to do so in the recipe below. But don’t worry! If you don’t have a scale (or think that this sounds like too much trouble), you can just eyeball half the batter. The brownies will look and taste great no matter what. - It’s better to pull the brownies out of the oven early than leave them in too long—if you over bake the brownies, they’ll be tough. They might appear underbaked, but I promise that when they’ve cooled, they will be perfect.
Serving Tip
- Because these brownies are so fudgy, it can be difficult to slice them cleanly. The best way to do so is to use a hot serrated knife. Fill a tall, heatproof glass with VERY hot water (sometimes I even boil the water beforehand). Place a serrated knife, blade down, in the water for about 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Slice the brownies, dipping the knife in the hot water and drying it as necessary to prevent the brownies from sticking to the blade.
Video Tutorial
Use the video player below to watch my Instagram Story tutorial on how to make this flourless gluten free cheesecake brownie recipe! The arrows to the left and right of the frame allow you to skip through the different recipe steps. You can also hit the “pause” or “enlarge” buttons on the upper right hand side of the frame to pause or enlarge the frames accordingly.
Alternatively, head to my Instagram profile to watch these Stories on mobile! The circles underneath my bio indicate saved Instagram Story highlights depicting various recipes. Clicking on one of the circles will play the videos you see above. You may need to scroll right to find this flourless gluten free cheesecake brownie recipe.
Get the Recipe: Flourless Gluten Free Cheesecake Brownie Recipe
These flourless cheesecake brownies are gluten free and use ingredients that are already in your pantry! The cheesecake swirl complements the fudge brownies' rich, ganache-like texture.
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Swirl
- 1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (1.75 ounces or 50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
For the Flourless Brownies
- 9 ounces (or 255 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves/baking discs, or a bar chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, chopped into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) dark OR light brown sugar
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) cornstarch, sifted if necessary
- ¼ cup (.75 ounces or 21 grams) Dutch-processed OR natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if necessary
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the Flourless Gluten Free Cheesecake Brownies
- Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the pan's two opposite sides of the pan. Spray the parchment, too.
- Make the cheesecake filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric mixer), combine the cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Beat on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Make the brownie batter. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Cook over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the chocolate and butter have melted and combined, about 10 minutes. Set the double boiler or bowl on a wire rack and let the chocolate mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Once the mixture cools slightly, whisk in the sugars, eggs, and vanilla one at a time, only adding the next ingredient when the previous is fully incorporated.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Sprinkle over the wet ingredients and use the rubber spatula to mix until just combined about 1 minute.
- Pour half the brownie batter into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. If using a digital scale to divide the batter, note that this recipe makes around 25.70 ounces or 729 grams of batter; pour 12.85 ounces or 364 grams of batter into the smaller bowl/liquid measuring cup.
- Pour the remaining half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan and and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the pan. Spoon the cheesecake filling over the batter, then use the offset spatula to spread the cheesecake across the pan. Don't worry about getting it even—you'll end up swirling this layer! Finally, dollop the remaining brownie batter over the cheesecake filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the layers together.
- Bake the brownies. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
- Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan and use the overhanging parchment as handles to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Use a hot knife to slice into 2-inch squares and serve. The brownies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Can you freeze flourless brownies?
Yes! In fact, these flourless brownies freeze wonderfully. Tightly wrap the brownies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The foil will help prevent the brownies from absorbing any odors or other flavors in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can enjoy the brownies straight from the freezer (they taste like fudgsicles!), or thaw overnight in the refrigerator to soften. From the fridge, you can leave them out on the counter for 1 to 2 hours to bring them to room temperature. Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
SO delicious and rich! Highly recommend these brownies and literally every recipe on this site. Everything is amazing!!!
Rich, chocolaty, and satisfying! So thankfully these ingredients are easy to find and nearly everything was in our pantry/fridge already.
They’re easy to make and very decadent! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Everyone loved these brownies!
These are delicious! My cheesecake swirl batter turned out really runny so I was worried they wouldn’t turn out. I may have nuked the cream cheese a tad too long but, they brownies did still bake up nicely!
I made these as “payment” for a friend doing me a huge favor at the last minute. I had everything except for the dark chocolate already at my disposal and they were so easy to make! I am always trying to find tasty GF recipes and this one is added to my list of favorites. It’s been a hit with everyone who has tried them so far! (Which may just be me and my fiancé but you know what? That’s all that matters)
I haven’t baked anything for about 15 years but made these for my girlfriend and they were super tasty! Easy to follow the instructions and I am the most amateur of baker. I couldn’t tell when they were supposed to be ready to take out of the oven, though. How firm should they be on top?
Hi!
With brownies, it can be really hard to tell for doneness with firmness. It’s easy to overbake or underbake them that way since the top has a different texture from the middle. The best way is to use a skewer: a skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few crumbs attached. It shouldn’t come out sludgy (that means it needs more time) or bone dry (that means the brownies are overbaked).
This is a great recipe. Easy, and very very decadent!! I chopped up chunks of chocolate and folded it through swell, really didn’t need it. I cut into slices, sprinkled with rock salt and added some gold fleck it give it that wow factor. Looked as good as it tasted.
Thank you and look forward to trying some of your other recipes ☺️
Dear Michelle,
I followed your recipe in all the gram quantities. I used a simmer mat to melt the butter and chocolate melts with success. I whisked the 1 egg and transferred this to a bowl. Then whisked the other 3 eggs and transferred this to a separate bowl. When the butter chocolate had melted. I put the pot in a pan with water to reduce the time to cool before adding the whisked eggs.
I made the cheesecake swirl part while the above was melting on low heat. I did the layer of 1/2 the brownie mixture and then the layer of the cheesecake and there was too much brownie mixture left to dollop it on top. I made very little impression on bringing any of the cheesecake mixture to get the swirled effect, in your photo. My daughter follows a non-G-F recipe for this and it says to dollop the cheesecake on top of the brownie mixture and swirl and hers turns out like yours. Also, I checked with a skewer and left the brownies in the tin, but removed it from the oven. It sunk in the middle. Should I have left it in the oven with the door opened before taking it out? Would adding 1/2 cup G-F flour SR have helped? Everyone said yummy, and asked for the recipe.
It might be the chocolate candy melts that are causing the issue! Chocolate melts don’t have the same ingredients as chopped chocolate or even chocolate chips—they have a lot of additives that help them melt faster and stay shiny as they cool. I would try the recipe again as is with real chocolate.
Everyone loved these brownies! In fact one friend giggled because they were so good. I have been told to keep these in rotation which I will. While I didn’t get a chance to taste them myself, I did enjoy the batter. 🙂
These are delicious!! Instead of cornstarch I use the that measurement of collagen powder, they turned out amazing the first time and I’m making them again right now! Thank you so much for this recipe 🩷🙏