This really is the best low carb and keto cheesecake. Even my non-keto family proclaimed “This is the best cheesecake I have ever had!”
There really isn’t much difference between a “normal” cheesecake and this Keto cheesecake. The only thing we need to replace is the sweetener to make it sugar free, and the crust to make it gluten free. Mission accomplished!
I really wanted to make a keto cheesecake that was super thick and creamy, but didn’t have to use a water bath or any weird ingredients.
In my opinion, cheesecake should be pure and decadent with only the essential ingredients…cream cheese, sweetener, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
There is no topping, no additional lemon juice…non of that!
KETO CHEESECAKE CRUST
The crust is delicious, but not the most important thing. You could even make this sugar free cheesecake without the crust! The most important thing when making a crustless cheesecake is to grease the pan thoroughly, and/or line the bottom with parchment paper. The bake time will be the same as if using a crust.
The crust I used is a mixture of almond flour, cinnamon, sweetener, and butter. I pressed it in with a measuring cup.
You could pre-bake your crust if you want, but I find it un-neccesary. Refrigerating it for 20 minutes will suffice.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST LOW CARB CHEESECAKE
The most important thing you should know when it comes to making cheesecake is that all of your ingredients should be at room temperature. Anything that is refrigerated should be left out for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. That means eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese.
Submerging your eggs in warm water will help speed up the process, as will unwrapping and chopping your cream cheese into smaller pieces.
Some other tips for the best keto cheesecake:
- Use a powdered sweetener for a smooth batter
- Beat the cream cheese at a low to medium speed and add in the sweetener a little at a time
- After the sweetener is incorporated, incorporate the eggs one at a time
- Save the sour cream and vanilla for last and beat them in until they are just incorporated
BAKING THE CHEESECAKE
Now we have made it to the fun part…the baking. This is fun but also tricky because you don’t want to overcook your keto cheesecake.
A crack in a cheesecake means it has overcooked.
I cook my cheesecake in the center of the oven at 325F. I check it after 50 minutes. You want the center of the cheesecake to still be jiggly.
Here is a great video showing how to know if your cheesecake is cooked:
After it is ready, I turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave it to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove it from the oven, run a sharp paring knife around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan sides. Let sit on the counter for 1 hour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
MY LOW CARB CHEESECAKE HAS A CRACK NOW WHAT?
Now you are free to decorate the top! The cheesecake will still be just as good. I used fresh sliced strawberries and I sprinkled them with granulated sweetener.
HOW TO FREEZE SUGAR FREE CHEESECAKE
This is a large keto cheesecake but good news, it freezes very well! You can freeze individual slices or the whole cake…or half of the cake!
This is a good reference for freezing a whole cheesecake
To freeze individual slices, simply slice the pieces of cheesecake and place them on individual pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap them tight, place in a freezer bag or bowl, and store them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Any longer than 2 weeks and they will lose quality.
CAN I MAKE THE GLUTEN FREE CRUST NUT FREE?
If you are intolerant to nuts, you can simply make this a crustless cheesecake (instruction in the recipe card) or you can use sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour. They are a 1 for 1 swap for each other so it will work perfectly.
Into keto treats? Check these out:
No Bake Keto Cheesecake Fluff – All of the flavor of this decadent cheesecake, without all of the trouble!
Keto Pralines – These are buttery little treats filled with pecans. Sprinkle a little salt on top and you are in salty sweet heaven!
Keto Chocolate Mousse – 10 minutes is all you need for this decadent treat…also only 4 ingredients!
Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies – Over 80 5 star reviews can’t be wrong…these really are the best and they only need one bowl!
Keto Chocolate Cake – another easy dessert…this chocolate cake is good for snacking or turning it into a layer cake for a birthday!
Keto Brownies – another one bowl treat…can you tell I love chocolate?
Did you make this Low Carb and Keto Cheesecake Recipe? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
The Best Keto Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
For the crust
- 1 1/2 Cups almond flour (click here to see my favorite on Amazon)
- 1/4 Cup Powdered Sweetener (Clicke here to see my favorite on Amazon)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons Butter, melted
For the filling
- 6 Packages 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 Cups Powdered Sweetener (Clicke here to see my favorite on Amazon)
- 5 Large Eggs room temperature
- 8 Ounces Sour Cream room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat oven to 325F. Adjust the rack to the middle of the oven. Combine the crust dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix in the butter. Pour the crust mixture into a 10 inch x 4 inch springform pan and press halfway up the sides using your fingers. Use a flat bottomed cup to press the mixture into the bottom. Refrigerate the crust for 20 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. If you use a stand mixer use the paddle attachment.
- Add in the sweetener a little at a time (about 1/3) and beat with the hand mixer.
- Add in the room temperature eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.
- Finally, add in the vanilla and room temperature sour cream and beat until just incorporated.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and even out the top. Bake in the pre-heated oven. Check after 50 minutes. The top should no longer be glossy and the center should still be jiggly.
- Turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven run a sharp paring knife between the cheesecake and the pan (this is to ensure the cake doesn't stick. Do not remove the springform). Let sit on the counter for 1 hour.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Remove the springform pan sides, decorate the top, and serve. Makes 12 slices.
JENNIFER'S TIPS
- NUT FREE VERSION: If you are intolerant to almonds, you can do a 1 for 1 swap with sunflower seed flour!
- PAN SIZE: This keto cheesecake recipe requires a large springform pan. I have linked to one in the recipe carb above. If you use one that is too small, you will have leftover filling.
- CRUSTLESS LOW CARB CHEESECAKE: To make this without a crust, line the inside of the springform pan with parchment paper. You can also butter the sides and bottom really well. Then continue with the cheesecake as normal.
- KETO PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE: Simply replace the sour cream with pumpkin puree and add in 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- VERY IMPORTANT: The most important thing you should know when it comes to making cheesecake is that all of your ingredients should be at room temperature. Anything that is refrigerated should be left out for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. That means eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese. Submerging your eggs in warm water will help speed up the process of bringing the ingredients to room temperature, as will unwrapping and chopping your cream cheese into smaller pieces.
- FREEZING: This is a large keto cheesecake but good news, it freezes very well! You can freeze individual slices or the whole cake...or half of the cake!
- This is a good reference for freezing a whole cheesecake
- To freeze individual slices, simply slice the pieces of cheesecake and place them on individual pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap them tight, place in a freezer bag or bowl, and store them in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Any longer than 2 weeks and they will lose quality.
Kelly says
This is my go to recipe for cheesecake! My family loves it! And I’m the only one doing keto. I can’t make enough!!
Joanne says
This took much longer to bake for some reason but the end result was the same. It’s really, really, delicious. Expensive to make but good for sharing with friends.
Samantha says
Excellent! I loved it. Thank you!
RD Ogletree says
This is the first time I’ve ever baked anything but I’ve always wanted to try because my grandmother baked for a living. This cheesecake is unbelievably good, I’m looking forward to doing more baking in the near future. Thank you very much for this recipe.
Dorothy Addington says
I’m hoping that I can reduce the receipt to 6 servings and bake in a 7 inch springform pan. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you so much for the receipt! I am missing my occasional sweet.
Pam Williams says
Made it this past weekend, been on low carb for a few weeks, and I make desserts for work every week. So for my usual baking I made cookies for work, then made this cheesecake. And IT IS AAAAAAMAZINGLY good, fairly simple to make, I used all the same products as the recipe since I had already purchased them. It is so stinkin good, try it!
Hayley says
Hi Ben,
It’s 6x8oz so 48oz of cream cheese in total. If you’re in Australia and have access to Philadelphia style cream cheese I highly recommend using that.
Ben Bernhardt says
Hi there. In the recipe, for the filling, is says 6 packages 8 ounces of cream cheese.
Now is that 6x8oz packages, or 8oz in total?
Am looking forward to making it here in South Australia.
Ben
Anna Alvarez says
Does it have to be a spring form pan
jenniferbanz says
It doesn’t but you may have trouble getting it out of a non springform pan
alex says
very delicious recipe. love it
MISTY says
OMG!!! It is the best cheesecake ever!!! I wanted to make something sweet for my family plus be able to eat it myself. I’ve been working real hard on eating healthier and exercising. I did tell the family that it didn’t have sugar but did have monk fruit. They were very surprised at how good that it tasted with the after taste of a sweetener. I had also taken it to work and shared it with co-workers and they were just as surprised. This is a KEEPER for sure. It does take a little more time that what I had initially thought but well worth it 🙂 Thank you, Jennifer
Sholmquist says
Turned out great. Everyone loved it. Any chance I could substitute the monkfruit powdered sweetener with regular monkfruit sweetener? Sometimes I have regular sweetener and not the powdered and just seeing if skipping a shopping trip could be possible. Thanks!
Claudia says
Sholmquist, just put the regular sweetener in a blender and you will have powdered sweetener👍🏻
❤️
Jenny B says
I love this recipe. In my opinion the texture won’t be the same if you use a granulated sweetener—it tends not to melt into the ingredients like regular sugar does. So baked goods tend to have a unusual crunchy texture. Go for the powdered sweetener when baking… in my opinion.
Caitlin says
I made it with granulated by mistake and it was still delicious! Occasionally you could get a bite where it was noticeable, but it didn’t bother us.
celia d Spiropoulos says
I made this for Easter, everybody like it. It was creamy and I topped it with strawberry sugar free jello. I made a small package of the jello and only used half the water, it set the strawberries on the top so they didn’t move around.
Ana says
Brilliant! I will have to try that (with the sugar free jello)
Ana McCandless says
Unreal. My kids/family are pretty burnt out on all my go-to Keto cookies and sweets that I have made over the years. Followed your recipe to the letter. It’s time consuming with many little steps to consider but nonetheless, incredibly worth it. This recipe blows most desserts out of the water, Keto or NOT! Stumbled upon your page on some late night frantic search, full of anxiety, looking for my Easter recipes. I feel like I have struck gold. This will go into our coveted Family recipes notebook (with proper credit of course). Thank you endlessly for sharing.
Eva says
Thank you so much! My non keto family loved this cheesecake
Trish M says
I absolutely love this cheesecake. Following your directions exactly produced a perfect and delicious product. I’m planning on experimenting to try and make it a chocolate cheesecake! This is my new favorite dessert!
Mary V says
I make this recipe for every holiday and it’s always a hit! No one will ever know it’s keto. I make exactly as directed and it comes out perfect every time.
Patti says
This is one of the most amazing desserts ever. I made the pumpkin version and used powdered Monkfruit sweetener. Only 1 1/3 cups in the main batter.
Costco sells a 48 oz cream cheese package which makes it easier and more affordable.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! Absolutely delicious. And comes out looking professional.
Gail Marciante says
This is truly the best cheesecake EVER!! My family loved it!
Pat says
I have a question, this is by far the best keto cheesecake recipe, I absolutely love it but the first 4 times I made it it turned out perfect!!! the last couple of times I made it, it didn’t get completely cooked, and so I tried leaving it in a few minutes longer and it rose above the pan it was beautiful. Then when it cooled, it sunk in the middle. It tastes delicious but what am I doing wrong to make it sink in the middle? Help!!
Eric says
Really liked this cheese cake! I add sliced up almonds to the crust and baked the crust for 10 minutes. Really liked the added texture and a bit of crunch it gave. Looking forward to next cheesecake bake.
Stacie P says
I made this for my diabetic Boyfriend and his family. I doubled the crust as I think that is one of my favorite parts. Everyone loved it, including the kids. No one knew it was keto. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Kristina says
I tried this and I’m not sure how you do the crust without baking it first like most recipes call for. Mine crust was a soggy mess and a would up scraping off as much as I could from the sides.
Lace Levin says
I think maybe you added too much butter or too little almond flour (I don’t see how you could do the latter though bc I could barely get it to cover the bottom and bottom sides of pan so had to double crust). It is a pretty dry consistency that you have to manually spread to cover the pan and pat flat, not at all soggy or runny.
Joi says
What is the purpose of the plastic wrap on the cheesecake while it is in the fridge? Is it to maintain moisture? If so, could a clean tea towel work? I’m working on being as “plastic-free” as possible for the environment and prefer to avoid purchasing or using it whenever possible.
Thank you for your response. I can’t wait to try the receipe.
jenniferbanz says
Yes, just to keep it covered
Elena says
Ok I see. Nevermind! Can’t wait to make this!!
Elena says
How many slices I’m one cheesecake?
Kevin says
Made this in cupcake format, about 1.5 carb for each serving. Tastes great. Will definitely keep this around for when I need a sweet tooth fix.
Amy says
Kevin, how long did you cook them in the muffin tin?
Walli Feiler says
How did the cupcake format turn out. Couldn’t find my springform so put it in 9×13. 😎 bf now
Steve says
This recipe has made me a hero on the block. Everyone loves it. Wondering if you have any advice about transforming the recipe into bars rather than the full on cheesecake? Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Cindy Noll says
Nutritional Value gives the nutrition per one slice serving. That’s great! However, how many slices should there be in one cheesecake? Love the recipe ………..
jenniferbanz says
The recipe makes 12 servings
Janet says
I made this cheesecake for New Years. Too much to eat at one sitting so I froze half of it and it still was great 1 week later. The only complaint was there wasn’t enough crust.
This time I am going to double the crust recipe and make sure it goes up the sides of the pan.
I was wondering if I can substitute fresh lemon juice for the vanilla or do I need to use both? Will the extra liquid change the texture.
Deena says
I made this cheesecake for Valentine’s Day and my Valentine loved it! I added lemon rind and some lemon juice for a light citrus flavor and served with blueberries. It was so good! Today I’m making the pumpkin version for my son and I made the crust out of pecans, butter, monk fruit sweetener and pumpkin pie spices to imitate a ginger snap crust. YUM!
Lacey says
I made this cheesecake yesterday and we ate it today and it was AMAZING!! It was my first time ever trying to make a cheesecake and it came out perfectly! I have been doing keto for about a month and I was craving some kind of dessert. Thanks for a great recipe. I will be making this again in the future!
Aracely says
I want to try this recipe. What kind of cinnamon did you use? Powder?
jenniferbanz says
yes
Rebeca Reyes says
Has anyone tried adding dark chocolate chips? I just wonder if I would have to change anything if I added these?
Julie says
This cheesecake was absolutely tasty! My husband said it’s as good as non keto cheesecake. I highly recommend.
Nickie says
Everyone in my family loved this recipe! This was my first attempt ever at making cheesecake because I’ve always been afraid to try it with the water bath and all the things that can go awry with so many ingredients. I even made a sf blueberry and a sf strawberry compote for the top. I wish I could post a pic of how beautiful it turned out for this cheesecake newbie. Thank you!
melissa says
I really want to make this. I want a crust but my son is allergic to tree nuts. Can I use a regular graham cracker crust even though that’s not keto?
jenniferbanz says
yep!
meegan kessock says
i bought a graham cracker crust. Do the amount of ingredients stay the same for the filling? 6 nlovks of crea mcheese sounds a lot…im just curious! because i will be buying the ingredients right after work
Renee says
My husband loved it! Used the convection oven for an even cook and it worked out great!
Kim says
Great recipe! I made this for the super bowl and everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing.
Terri VanGelder says
Simply said…AMAZING!
Linda L. says
I didn’t have a 10″ in springform pan but I halved the recipe so I could use my 7″ in springform pan. Taking the advice from comments, I baked the crust right away for 15 minutes at 325F instead of placing it in the fridge. For the filling, I used the Swerve band as my powdered sweetener, 3 8oz of cream cheese, 2 eggs, and opted for plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I didn’t use all the filling batter as I didn’t want to overflow my springform.
When it was in the oven, I checked at 35 minutes and then added 5-7 more minutes. It was my first time making any cheesecake so I was unsure when it was done even though I read the middle should have a slight jiggle and no cracks. It was good, but I think I would like to make a topping to go with it, like strawberries compote as I felt that there was a very slight unusual aftertaste which I know is the powdered sweetener as I am used to sugary desserts. I wanted to try this dessert so I could make it for my diabetic father and I think I will! Thanks, Jennifer!!
Darlene Blotzer says
Honestly, I just use plain granulated Splenda. Everyone I’ve fed it to loves it, and no one has ever said it was gritty or anything like that. In fact, my daughter was shocked since she said she has never had a good time baking with Splenda. I do it all the time though!
Tina says
How much granulated Splenda do you use for 1 cheesecake?
Jacqueline says
This was an excellent guilt-free cheesecake! I tried it for the first time and it was delicious!
Katie says
I am going to try this but I hardly call 600 calories a slice guilt free lol
Luke says
An absolute crowd favorite.
Jason says
We tried this recipe back in November and it turned out really good. I was surprised. We are new to low carb diets and didn’t know what to expect. It was so good that I’m getting ready to make it again today. Thank you!
Jane Russell says
Excellent – Delicious – Easy, wouldn’t change a thing!!! Family said “the best cheesecake they’ve ever had”!! (I’ve been making cheesecake for 50 years). I was a little hurt but when I tasted it I agreed!! – I won’t make another!! Thank you for sharing this!!
Jen says
This cheesecake was amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sheila says
This Cheesecake was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing it. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Sheila
Tasha says
If I do not have a 10 inch springform pan, can I cut the recipe in half and use my 8in pan?
Can’t wait!
jenniferbanz says
Yep! The cook time might need to be reduced
Donna Alexanderdga4411@yahoo.com says
Best keto recipe I have tried. My family loved it.
Alexa says
Loved the recipe! Made it yesterday and was super easy to make + delish. I think I’m going to try using 1/3 less fat cream cheese next time to make it a bit healthier, rather than that, great recipe!
Cat says
The recipe looks fab! I’m in the UK, are you able to supply the quantities in metric please?
Nancey Chambers says
I made this yesterday. It was pretty good. I think just a little on the tart side and not enough sweet. I didn’t like the crust at all, though. Tasted doughy.
Heather says
This cheesecake was great! I used half the amount of sweetener in mine and served with cream and chopped peanuts.
Will make this again!
Cheryl Canter says
The first time I made this, I used almond meal in the crust. The second time, I used blanched almond flour and it was perfect! This recipe doesn’t even hint at being sugar free. It truly is the BEST CHEECAKE I’ve ever tasted!!
Kathy Terry says
We made this for Thanksgiving. Now making it for Christmas. Everyone loved it at Thanksgiving! Thank you for sharing!
Jenny says
Hello do I use salted or non salted butter?
jenniferbanz says
I always use salted but it is a personal preference
Joe says
I made this over the weekend, my first ever cheesecake attempt. It turned out AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Betzy says
Hi I made this for the Super Bowl and it was fantastic. I made a raspberry sauce to put on top too. If low carb tastes this good, you have made this journey alot tastier for all us! Btw, Wondering if the calorie count is incorrect as in carb manager it states 312 calories and not 600. Thank you.