This gluten-free Lemon Cheesecake Mousse is perfect if you’re craving cheesecake but want something quick and single serve.
Served in a glass on top of a biscuit base, it gives a delicious cheesecake vibe in a fraction of the time. No baking required, just chill in the fridge (or eat straight away if you can’t wait).
The recipe actually makes two serves, but you can easily halve the recipe if you’re making it for one. The mousse is lighter than a standard cheesecake, but still tastes indulgent.
Ingredients for Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
Cream cheese: I use Philadelphia Light Block Cream Cheese (with 25% less fat) to bring the energy load down a bit. You can use full fat cream cheese if you prefer. I’ve made the mousse with both and honestly can’t tell the difference.
Lemon juice and zest: Lemon juice gives the mousse its delicious lemon flavour. Then you use the zest of your lemon to sprinkle over the top for an extra lemony kick.
Icing sugar: Also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar, is used to sweeten the mousse. It’s clearly not a health food, but you only need a small amount as the lemon juice adds a surprising amount of sweetness. You can use powdered sugar substitute if you prefer (just keep in mind that stevia-based sugar substitutes sometimes add a slightly bitter aftertaste).
Whipping cream: We fold some whipped cream through the lemony cream cheese mixture to get a light, yet creamy texture. Whipping cream usually has 30-35% milk fat, which is needed for it to thicken and hold its shape when whipped. Reduced fat cream won’t work for whipping as it doesn’t have enough fat to allow the cream to aerate and stabilise.
Vanilla extract: Blends nicely with the lemon in the mousse. You can leave it out if you don’t have any.
Rolled oats: Oats are blended with almonds to make the biscuit base. Old fashioned rolled oats are my preference, but plain quick oats should also work.
Almonds: Raw, unsalted almonds work best for the base. You can also use cashew nuts. Other nuts like walnuts are a bit too strong in flavour against the delicate lemon mousse.
Rice malt syrup: This is used to sweeten the biscuit base. You can use maple syrup or honey if you prefer.
Serves
2
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
30 mins chilling
Ingredients
For the biscuit base
- 1/2 cup (45g) rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (34g) almonds
- 3 teaspoons (21g) rice malt syrup
- 2 teaspoons (10g) water
For the cheesecake mousse
- 100g cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 teaspoons (20ml/20g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 6 teaspoons (20g) icing sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (80ml/81g) whipping cream
- Lemon zest, to serve
Method
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1To make the biscuit base, blend the almonds and rolled oats in a small food processor or blender until you get fine crumbs. Tip into a bowl and add the rice malt syrup and water. Stir until the mixture comes together like a dough. Divide the mixture between two serving glasses and press down lightly to even it out.
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2To make the cheesecake mousse topping, place the room temperature cream cheese in a bowl with the lemon juice, icing sugar and vanilla. Whip until completely smooth.
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3In a separate bowl, whip the cream until you get soft peaks. Add a heaped spoon of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and whip together well to loosen the mixture. Then add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold everything together until smooth.
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4Spoon the mixture into the glasses and chill in the fridge, ideally for at least 30 mins. To serve, top with freshly-grated lemon zest.
Notes
The cream cheese must be at room temperature to get a smooth mousse. If it’s cold from the fridge, it’s very hard to remove the little lumps that form when you try to whip it.
The whipping cream will whip best when it’s cold, straight from the fridge.
One lemon gave me enough juice and zest for this recipe. Since the juiciness of lemons can vary, it’s handy to have an extra lemon on standby just in case.
Oats naturally don’t contain gluten, but as they are often processed on the same equipment as wheat, they can have traces of gluten. If you’re strictly gluten free, you can buy gluten free oats.
Nutrition
Serving size: 1 glass (made with Philadelphia Light Block Cream Cheese)
Energy: 2106kJ (503Cal)
Protein: 11g
Total Fat: 35.9g
Saturated Fat: 17.3g
Total Carbohydrate: 38.9g
Sugars: 18.6g
Dietary Fibre: 3.8g
Sodium: 65mg
Potassium: 120mg
Nutrition information is an estimate only. It may vary depending on the brand of ingredients used.
Sorry but oats are not gluten free. Otherwise, recipe looks good!
Thanks! Oats are naturally gluten-free, however since they are often processed on the same equipment as wheat they can contain small traces of gluten. For people who have a gluten allergy, you can buy certified gluten-free oats that have been processed in an uncontaminated facility.