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It’s already October, and there have been no new low carb pumpkin recipes to be seen. What?! Time to change that – with the most decadent low carb keto pumpkin cheesecake recipe ever.
Seriously, you won’t even be able to tell that this is a low carb pumpkin cheesecake. It tastes like the real thing.
After you’ve tried low carb pumpkin bread and (recently improved!) keto pumpkin muffins and healthy pumpkin bars this fall, I’m here to add one more to your list. 😉
My Other Low Carb Recipes:
My Other Low Carb Recipes:
So, out of all the pumpkin ideas I have right now, why keto pumpkin cheesecake? Well, because you asked for it!
You might know that the most popular keto dessert recipes here at Wholesome Yum are low carb blueberry muffins and the original low carb cheesecake. And with the cheesecake, I’ve had requests for other versions… chocolate, pumpkin, berry, you name it.
The chocolate version is coming in a couple of months (yay!), but October is the perfect time for an easy low carb pumpkin cheesecake. So, here it is!
The Best Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust – With Collagen!
The crust in this keto pumpkin cheesecake is made with almond flour and is based on the original low carb cheesecake recipe. However, this time I replaced some of the almond flour with Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides.
Why? Because protein powder – including collagen – acts as a binder in baking, similar to the gluten (also a protein) found in wheat flour. It makes for a more sturdy crust.
Whey Protein Powder vs. Collagen Peptides
In case you don’t have or don’t want to use collagen, I also tested this easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe with Vital Proteins Whey Protein Powder, which turned out great. Highly recommend either one!
I do slightly prefer using collagen, because you can get the benefits of collagen while you enjoy your delicious low carb pumpkin cheesecake!
Here is what the crust looks like before baking:
And after it’s done:
Other Crust Options or No Crust
You can also make the gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake crust using a different type of nut flour or coconut flour. You can even omit the crust altogether and go for a crustless pumpkin cheesecake!
And what about the butter? Is that required? Nope, you can use coconut oil or ghee instead.
You can read more about these options in the original keto cheesecake recipe here.
What Is Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling?
Low carb pumpkin cheesecake filling is a little more creamy and less firm than a regular cheesecake. And, just as delicious in its own way.
This easy pumpkin cheesecake filling is essentially the same as a regular cheesecake filling, but it has pumpkin puree and spices added to it. However, adding pumpkin puree means that the amounts of some other ingredients need to be changed.
I used pre-made pumpkin pie spice for convenience, but feel free to make your own if you’d like.
I took some photos of the gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake filling to give you an idea of how it should look. Here it is fully mixed:
And in the pan before baking:
Sweeteners in Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake From Scratch
My original cheesecake recipe prompted a lot of questions about which sweeteners to use. The same recommendations for that one apply here.
Just like a regular cheesecake, low carb pumpkin cheesecake needs to be smooth and creamy. So when you make the filling, a powdered sweetener is best to avoid a grainy result (as with granulated sweeteners) or a runny one (as with liquid sweeteners). I recommend either powdered erythritol or powdered monk fruit.
The crust needs just a little sweetener, and granulated is best. Feel free to use granulated erythritol, xylitol, or an erythritol blend – either monk fruit/erythritol or stevia/erythritol. If you will not be using pure erythritol, check my conversion chart for amounts to use.
How Many Carbs in Pumpkin Cheesecake?
Regular pumpkin cheesecake has tons of sugar and carbs. But not this one! 🙂
The full nutrition info for this keto pumpkin cheesecake recipe is below, on the recipe card.
Specifically, you’ll be happy (and maybe a little shocked) to know that each decadent slice has only:
- 280 calories
- 6 grams total carbs
- 5 grams net carbs
- 2 grams sugar
But, just like with my plain cheesecake, there is bound to be some confusion about the nutrition info. This is because many online calculators struggle with recipes containing erythritol and cream cheese.
Many calculators (and nutrition labels!) have issues with rounding errors as well as not excluding erythritol from net carb counts. My nutrition info for each ingredient comes from the USDA Food Database, and you can see each ingredient’s more precise carb breakdown in the low carb & keto food list.
If you’re finding discrepancies with the nutrition info, you can read more details about the rounding and erythritol issues with calculators in the original keto cheesecake recipe here.
Avoid Cracks in Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
Even though this keto pumpkin cheesecake recipe is pretty straightforward, some people are concerned about cracks. This can happen with sudden temperature changes. Here are some tips to prevent it:
Use room temperature eggs and softened cream cheese.
Not only does this make it easier to mix everything together, it also reduces the sudden change in temperature when the cheesecake goes into the oven.
Cool the cheesecake on the counter before chilling.
If you chill it right away, it will contract too rapidly and crack. Besides, you never want to put something hot into the fridge, which can lower the temperature in your fridge temporarily.
Don’t overbake the pumpkin cheesecake.
The cheesecake is more likely to crack if you bake it too long, plus the texture will be ruined.
Remember that it should be jiggly – not fully set! – when you take it out. It will set while chilling in the fridge.
Use a water bath if you want to be extra careful.
I never do this, but it’s an option. A water bath makes the cheesecake temperature rise more gradually in the oven, reducing the chance of cracking.
If you want to use a water bath, line the outside of the springform pan with foil, fill a bigger pan with water halfway, and place the foil lined pan into it. Bake as usual.
Can You Make Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Ahead?
Yes, you can – and you should! Low carb pumpkin cheesecake is best if you let it chill in the fridge overnight. If you’re pinched for time, 4 hours of chilling is the minimum.
If you’d like to make the cheesecake a couple of days ahead and store it in the fridge, that should work fine, too. For best results, wait to add any whipped cream topping until right before serving.
Can Pumpkin Cheesecake Be Frozen?
You can definitely freeze keto pumpkin cheesecake. After it sets in the fridge, wrap it tightly in plastic, and foil over that. Thaw in the fridge overnight, the night before serving.
RECIPE CARD
Low Carb Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
An unbelievably smooth, decant keto pumpkin cheesecake! This easy low carb pumpkin cheesecake recipe just might become your favorite low carb pumpkin dessert ever.
PrintIngredients
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Almond Flour Cheesecake Crust
- 1 1/2 cup Blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (or whey protein powder)
- 3 tbsp Erythritol
- 1/3 cup Butter (melted)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz Plain cream cheese (softened)
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree
- 1 1/4 cup Powdered erythritol
- 3 large Eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
More TIPS about this recipe in the post above!
VIDEO + NUTRITION INFO + RECIPE NOTES below!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 9 in (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper. (You can also try greasing well.)
To make the almond flour cheesecake crust, stir the almond flour, collagen or protein powder, and erythritol together.
Whisk together the melted butter and vanilla, then stir into the dry ingredients, pressing with the spoon or spatula, until well combined. The dough will be slightly crumbly.
Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Prick gently with a fork all over. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until barely golden. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and powdered sweetener together at low to medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. (Keep the mixer at low to medium the whole time; too high speed will introduce too many air bubbles, which we don't want.)
Pour the filling into the pan over the crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. (Use a pastry spatula for a smoother top if you have one that fits into the pan.)
Bake for about 40-50 minutes, until the center is almost set, but still jiggly.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven. If the edges are stuck to the pan, run a knife around the edge. (But, do not remove the springform edge just yet.) Cool the cheesecake in the pan on the counter to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), until completely set. (Do not try to remove the cake from the pan before chilling.)
Serve with whipped cream and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
SIMILAR KETO LOW CARB RECIPES
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice (1/16 of recipe)
Video Showing How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake:
Click or tap on the image below to play the video. It's the easiest way to learn how to make Pumpkin Cheesecake!
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
More Low Carb & Keto Support!
If you want to know more about how to start a low carb diet, want to substitute sweeteners, need a food list, or need support, check these guides:
Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan
Starter Guide 
Sweetener Conversion Calculator 
Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator 
Low Carb Keto Food List
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. We'd LOVE for you to share a link to this recipe, but please DO NOT COPY/PASTE the recipe instructions to social media or websites. You may share a photo with a link back instead.
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48 Comments
NJangel
This pumpkin cheesecake recipe pleased everyone, regardless of eating style/food plans. From crust to filling, it’s a winner. Easy to prepare.
Liz
Came here to say that I made this for Thanksgiving – the cheesecake filling was amazing. Rave reviews. Will definitely be keeping this and making it again. That said, the crust was not tasty – flavorless and hard. People tried to be polite and eat it for a few bites, but then everyone scraped it off and loved the taste without that crust. I would avoid it, or look up a different recipe for the crust if you want to have one.
Angelique
I’ve actually modified this crust recipe into cookies. Really the only things you need to do to make the crust yummy are add some of the pumpkin pie spice to it, and up the erythritol to about 1/3 c (I use Sukrin gold, since it gives it a nice brown sugar flavor). I don’t know if that will make it too sweet as a crust, but it make the cookies AMAZING!
Angel
I want to use a full can of pumpkin, how do I adjust the amount cream cheese?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Angel, I haven’t tried that, so can’t say if it would work or how to change the other ingredients. I suspect an entire can would make it difficult for the cheesecake to set. Let me know if you find something that works.
Pam Scotton
I made this pie for a dinner I went to. The crust was too thick, and the pie was really dry. I followed the directions completely. Not sure what I did wrong. The party people ate just the pie and left the crust. Maybe next time I will attempt it without the crust.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Pam, Thank you for the feedback. Most likely your pan was too small – this would make the crust too thick. If the pie was dry, it means it was baked too long – cheesecake should be jiggly in the center when removing from the oven. Hope this helps!
Melody Bastin
This was so delicious. Creamy, cheesy, sweet and wonderful. It’s the first time I’ve made a pumpkin cheesecake of any kind and it was loved by all.
Elizabeth
I want to make without crust. Will a pyrex pie dish work?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Elizabeth, Yes, that should work! You might need to adjust the baking time.
Khristina Haan
I made this last week as a “trial run” for Thanksgiving next week! Took it to our neighbors and they could not believe it was Keto. It was easy and delicious! I am making it for sure for the whole family!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I am so happy to hear that, Khristina! Thank you for stopping by!
Julia
Do you know if these would still be just as delicious is made in muffin tins as mini cheesecakes? I’m sure baking time would vary just not sure by how much
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Julia, Yes, you can make it in muffin tins instead. The baking time would be a lot less, but I haven’t tried it to say how long.
Denise
Will this keep 4 or 5 days?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Denise, Yes, it will!
Brenda
What are the macros for crustless version?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Brenda, Sorry, I don’t have those macros separately. You can enter the ingredients you used into an online calculator if you’d like. Keep in mind many don’t exclude sugar alcohols even though these shouldn’t be included in net carb counts.
Georgette
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m excited to try it and have two questions.
1. Can I use a different collagen?
2. Can I use Swerve confectioners sugar?
Thanks again!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Georgette, Yes, you can use Swerve. I haven’t tried a different brand of collagen to say if that would work.
Lis
Can I use Vegan or dairy-free cream cheese for this and what are the portions (if you know/can you help)?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lis, Sorry, I haven’t tried it with vegan/dairy-free cream cheese. If it does work, the amount would be the same as regular. Please let me know how it goes if you try it!
Trixie
Can’t figure it out!!! Your conversion chart is fine if you compare to SUGAR but you use erythritol and I want to use a stevia erythritol blend. How do I convert that?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Trixie, We have a conversion calculator so it does it all for you. Just enter the sweetener you’re trying to convert from and the one you have, and it will tell you how much to use. Here is the low carb sweetener calculator.
Cleny
What did you use for the whipped cream?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Cleny, I just whip heavy cream plain, as I like it unsweetened in contrast to the sweet pie. But you can also whip it with a powdered sugar-free sweetener if you want it sweet.
LuAnne
Thank you so much for the recipe…can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if vital wheat gluten could be substituted for the collagen.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi LuAnne, I haven’t tried that. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Lynnette A Higgins
Is the protein powder a must? I am getting too much protein in my diet and would like to skip it if it doesn’t harm the recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lynnette, It creates a better texture and holds together better, but you can also try the crust from my other cheesecake recipe instead.
Shelley
Can I use a grass fed gelatin powder in place of the collagen? I made the plain cheesecake with the butter/almone flour crust. Cheesecake was delicious but would like to try a different crust.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Shelley, No, sorry, they’re different and the gelatin will “gel”. If you wanted to use gelatin, you could do that but you’d only need to add maybe a tablespoon to the other cheesecake crust recipe (not this one).
Jen
I have vanilla flavored whey protein powder. Can I use that in the crust and omit it the vanilla extract? Or should I pick up some
Unflavored whey protein?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jen, Yes, that should work! Just make sure it’s a sugar-free protein powder if you want to keep it low carb / keto. Also, if your protein powder is sweetened, you might need to reduce the sweetener in the crust.
Nathalie
OMG this pumpkin cheesecake is AWESOME! (I left the protein powder out because I didn’t have any) We started keto a couple of weeks ago and when I found your website I said to my man “trust me life is gone be good you wont feel like your on a diet” He LOVED the cheesecake too and he wasnt planning on eating it when he seen I put his much hated pumpkin in but he loves it and is giving pieces away to everyone to taste how great keto is lol I make your white bread a couple times a week and I’ve made your wraps, tacos, pizzas I love it thanks so much for making the change easy on us 🙂 and still lots of recipes to try, can’t wait
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you so much, Nathalie! I love that you both enjoyed this and the other recipes, too!
Shereen Hayat
I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving Dinner! Sounds delish. I will leave out the collagen in the crust and make the base like the regular cheesecake recipe. Hope it all works out!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you, Shereen! Hope you like it!
Karen
Do not have springform pan…can I just use a metal pie plate?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Karen, You can try that, but it might be difficult to remove.
Darien
Hello! Very tempted to try! But is the protein powder actually needed? Can I just substitute it out?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Darien, You can use the crust from my other cheesecake recipe if you want to. Check the post above for crust options. I hope you’ll get the chance to try the protein powder version sometime, too.
Crystal
This powder is incredibly expensive. Any other options or ideas for the crust?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Crystal, It lasts a very long time, but completely understand. You can make the crust like my other keto cheesecake recipe if you’d like.
Kristen
Could you please give us the carb count of the cheesecake WITHOUT the crust?? Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Kristen, I don’t have a breakdown if altering the recipe but you can enter the ingredients into an online calculator. Just watch for rounding errors for the cream cheese and erythritol – explained in the post above.
Debra
I really want to make this recipe, however, xylitol and other alcohol sugars really upset my digestion, how could I substitute stevia?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Debra, There is no xylitol in this recipe. It does have erythritol, but just making sure – have you tried it? Erythritol is completely different from other sugar alcohols because the molecules are so small that they permeate the small intestine (instead of reaching the large intestine where other sugar alcohols cause stomach upset). You can read more about he difference in my sweetener guide. You could try stevia, but it will likely have a different texture because the powdered erythritol has much more volume. Let me know if it works for you.