Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) springform pan with butter. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Start by making the crust. Place the gluten-free graham crackers in a large zipper top bag.
Use a rolling pin to roll and crush the crackers into fine crumbs with some larger chunks. You can use a food processor if you would rather, but we like the crumbs to be less uniform in size to add more texture to the crust.
Add the crushed graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar to a mixing bowl. Use your hands to work the butter and sugar into the graham crumbs until well combined.
Dump the crumb mixture into the prepared springform pan.
Use your hands to spread and press the crumbs into and even layer over the bottom and slightly up the sides of the tin. Place the tin in the fridge.
Next, make the filling. Add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to a mixing bowl.
Use a handheld or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese mixture until smooth and creamy. If there are lumps in your cheesecake filling, your cream cheese may be too cool. You can place the mixing bowl in the microwave (as long as it isn’t metal) and heat the mixture in ten second bursts.
Continue to beat the cream cheese in between heating until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
Remove the crust from the fridge and pour the filling in on top of it. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a soup spoon to smooth the mixture evenly inside the tin.
Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for at least six hours before slicing, though overnight is best.