The Best Keto Cheesecake Recipe - No Water Bath!

The buttery crust is delicious, but not the most important thing.  You could even make this low carb cheesecake without the crust!  For best results when making a crustless cheesecake is to grease the pan thoroughly, and/or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  The bake time will be the same as if using a crust.

1 ½ cups almond flour or almond meal (168g) - instead of graham cracker crumbs, we need almond flour for our cheesecake crust to make it keto.  You could also use sunflower seed flour if you need a nut free version.

¼ cup powdered sweetener (48g) - I use the Lakanto powdered sweetener for the crust recipe.  It is an Erythritol and monk fruit sweetener blend. You could also use any version of your favorite keto sweetener that is a 1 for 1 swap for sugar.

1 teaspoon cinnamon - This gives our crust that graham cracker flavor.

6 tablespoons butter, melted (84g) - Butter helps bind everything together.  I use salted so I don't have to add any additional salt to the crust. You could also use coconut oil.

Keto cheesecake filling ingredients

48 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature (1361g) - Yes, that would be 6 blocks of cream cheese that are 8 ounces each. Having room temperature ingredients for any cheesecake is really important so your keto cheesecake isn't lumpy. I know this seems like a lot of cream cheese, but this is for a show stopping keto cheesecake and remember, I give instructions for ½ the size down below.

2 cups powdered sweetener (384g) - we're using powdered so our cheesecake isn't gritty.

5 large eggs, room temperature - yes, even the eggs need to be room temperature.

8 ounces full fat sour cream, room temperature (227g)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

The most important thing you should know when it comes to making a creamy cheesecake is that all of your ingredients should be at room temperature.  I cannot stress this enough.  Anything that is refrigerated should be left out for at least 4 hours.  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.

💡 Tip: This makes a thick keto cheesecake so make sure your spring form pan is 10 inches (24cm) by 3 inches (8cm).

Step 1 - Pre-heat the oven to 325F (162C) and make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.  Combine all of the dry crust ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Now mix in the butter and stir until everything is combined.  Pour the crust ingredients into the springform pan and press halfway up the sides using your fingers.  I like to use a flat bottomed cup to get the crust completely even.  Now we need to bake the keto cheesecake crust for 5-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Note: baking the crust is a change from my original recipe.

Step 2 (Make the filling) - We need a large bowl and were going to beat all of the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer (paddle attachment) until it is light and fluffy.  We're going to add in the sweetener ⅓ at a time and mix until the sweetener is fully incorporated.  Now we add in each egg one at a time until they are incorporated.  Finally, add in the vanilla and sour cream and stir for just a few seconds more.  Don't over mix as this will incorporate too much air and your cheesecake could crack. The keto cheesecake batter is done!

Step 3 - Pour the low carb cheesecake batter into the crust and even out the top.  Now we need to bake it in the oven for 50 minutes.  The top should no longer be glossy and the center will still be jiggly when it is ready.  Turn off the oven and crack the oven door.  Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a sharp knife between the cheesecake and the sides of the pan (do not remove the springform).   Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for 1 hour.

Making sure you do not over-bake your cheesecake:

Everyone has ovens that perform differently.  Your cheesecake is finished baking when the edges are set and the center is still jiggly.

Here is a less than 1 minute video showing how to know if your cheesecake is cooked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hadmpW_hASs