Low Carb Cheesecake Recipe – Sugar-Free Keto Cheesecake

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Making this keto low carb cheesecake recipe brought back powerful memories. That’s because these pina colada cheesecake cupcakes were the first easy cheesecake recipe I ever posted on the blog, and that post changed everything.

It was only ten months ago, but feels like years…

That first low carb cheesecake recipe, and the post that accompanied it, was a turning point for Wholesome Yum. Not only did it coincide with a new redesign of both the site and its photography, but it was when I defined the blog’s theme of low carb recipes with 10 ingredients or less.

I went from aimlessly choosing recipes and taking terrible pictures, to focusing on my readers and making you guys my top priority. It just goes to show that creating a vision for a project can make all the difference.

Since I know you are all about quick and simple low carb recipes, that’s what I love making, too. It makes me that much happier to know that I’m not alone in this.

I even created a guide on how to start a keto diet or low carb diet, and a full low carb keto food list – in case you’re just getting started or simply need some resources. I’m just so thankful you are here!

And what better way to thank you than with a gluten-free, sugar-free cheesecake recipe?

How To Make Sugar-Free Cheesecake That Tastes Like the Real Thing

With that in mind, I’m excited to share my keto low carb cheesecake recipe. It’s a little inspired by those pina colada cheesecake cupcakes, but transformed into a classic, New York style, gluten-free cheesecake.

For the most part, the method is very similar to a regular cheesecake, so the result tastes authentic. If we want to make our keto cheesecake taste like the real thing, we’re going to make it using the same method as the real thing! The sweetener and crust are the key differences.

The almond flour cheesecake crust is perfectly buttery and crumbly, while the filling is smooth, creamy, and dense all at once. And, it stays true to what’s important here at Wholesome Yum. It’s easy, fast, low carb, gluten-free, and has only eight ingredients.

At the same time, I implore you to try serving it to some friends that don’t care about any of those things. I’ll bet they won’t be able to tell the difference!

Yes, this low carb cheesecake is just as rich as its sugar- and gluten-filled counterparts.

Gluten-free Cheesecake Ingredients

You only need eight ingredients for this low carb cheesecake recipe. And, they are all pretty simple.

For the gluten-free cheesecake crust:

• Almond flour
• Butter
• Erythritol
• Vanilla extract

And for the sugar-free cheesecake filling:

• Cream cheese
• Powdered erythritol
• Eggs
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla extract

These are the basic keto cheesecake ingredients that everyone has been raving about. There are some options for variations, which I’ll tell you about below.

Nutrition & Carbs in Cheesecake

How many carbs in cheesecake? I’ve had a lot of questions about the nutrition information in this recipe. Regular cheesecake is pretty high in carbs due to all the sugar, but this low carb cheesecake has much less per slice:

• 325 calories
• 6 grams total carbs
• 5 grams net carbs
• 2 grams sugar

That’s much better than regular cheesecake nutrition facts.

Be aware that many online calculators get the nutrition information wrong for this keto cheesecake. There are 2 reasons for this:

1. Most online calculators do not recognize that erythritol can be excluded from carb count. This is because it s poorly metabolized. This really adds up! A select few people do still count erythritol in total carb count, but it’s always excluded from net carbs. You can read more about this in my sweetener guide here.
2. Rounding errors are common for cream cheese. Most nutrition labels, including products at the store, round up or down to the nearest whole amount of carbs, but the serving is only an ounce. Since this sugar-free cheesecake recipe calls for 32 ounces of cream cheese, rounding up adds up to a big difference! The nutrition information on the recipe card uses the exact carb count directly from the USDA National Nutrient Database, which is most accurate. If you want to see those values for all low carb foods, and see the values used to calculate my nutrition labels, you can find the full low carb & keto food list here.

So, if you are using a tracking calculator for your macros, I recommend entering this sugar-free cheesecake as a custom item and you can use the values on the recipe card.

Troubleshooting Low Carb Cheesecake

We have hundreds of reviews and I haven’t heard too many reports of issues with this low carb cheesecake. Still, I want to make to address any possible concerns.

One issue people sometimes have is the sugar-free cheesecake cracking. Most often, this is caused by sudden temperature changes. Make sure the cheesecake cools on the counter before refrigerating.

Mine doesn’t usually crack, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can bake the cheesecake in a water bath.

Line the outside of the pan with foil to keep moisture out, pour a little water into a bigger pan, and place the foil lined cheesecake pan inside. Then bake. I usually skip this step for convenience, but you can try it if you have problems with cracking.

Worst case, if you do have cracks, add some berry or caramel topping to hide them.

The other thing that may cause cracks is overcooking the cheesecake. Don’t do that, because aside from cracks, the texture will be crumbly and not so great.

How to tell if cheesecake is done can be a source of confusion. Remember that keto cheesecake is a custard and will not fully set when baking.

Cheesecake is done when the center is almost set, but still jiggly. It will set more as it cools on the counter and then in the fridge overnight.

Variations for Keto Cheesecake

There are a few options for variations in this gluten-free cheesecake, if you need to swap ingredients.

I have not yet tried making different flavors of sugar-free cheesecake, but let me know if you have any requests! Otherwise, below are some options I did test already.

Keto Cheesecake without Artificial Sweeteners

Let’s start with sweeteners. This is probably the number one question I get. Can I make it with stevia? Granulated erythritol? Monk fruit? Sucralose? Something else?

There are two parts to the sweeteners in sugar-free cheesecake – the crust and the filling. Due to consistency considerations, they are different. I use only natural sweeteners for both.

The almond flour cheesecake crust recipe is pretty simple and can use almost any granulated sweetener. You can use granulated erythritol, granulated xylitol, or an erythritol blend – either monk fruit/erythritol or stevia/erythritol. Check my conversion chart for amounts to use if you choose something other than pure erythritol.

Powdered sweetener is also fine for the crust, but usually more expensive, so there’s no reason to use it int he crust unless it’s all you have. I do not recommend liquid sweeteners, or super concentrated ones like pure stevia or pure monk fruit, because this will alter the wet/dry ratio of the crust.

For the filling, you need powdered sweetener. Not granulated, not liquid, not super concentrated. Powdered! The sweetener provides some bulk in the sugar-free cheesecake, and the powdered consistency is required so that the end result is not grainy. I recommend either powdered erythritol or powdered monk fruit.

Options for the Low Carb Cheesecake Crust

The basic low carb cheesecake crust requires just four ingredients – almond flour, erythritol, butter, and vanilla extract.

You have a few options if you want to change the crust:

1. Keto cheesecake crust with almond flour or other nut flour – The recipe as written uses blanched almond flour, which is my #1 choice. Almond meal can work ok, but the texture won’t be as nice. Otherwise, you can mix it up by using other nuts – macadamia nut flour or ground pecans would also be delicious!
2. Coconut flour cheesecake crust – You can use coconut flour instead of almond flour, but it’s not a 1:1 replacement. If you want to use coconut flour, make the crust in the same ratios as the recipe for cheesecake cupcakes, and then just press it into the springform pan instead of cupcakes. Otherwise you can follow the recipe below as usual.
3. Low carb crustless cheesecake – Feel free to skip the crust altogether! Just pour the filling directly into the pan and bake as usual. Make sure to line the pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
4. Sugar-free cheesecake crust without butter – I prefer the flavor and consistency of keto cheesecake crust with butter, but it’s not a must. Coconut oil or ghee would also work fine instead.

Finally, feel free to make this as sugar-free cheesecake into cupcakes, if you’d like. You can either follow my cheesecake cupcakes recipe, or follow this one but make it in a muffin tin (make sure to line it).

The cook time will be significantly reduced if making cupcakes; it should take approximately 20 minutes.

Easy Keto Cheesecake with 10-Minute Prep

By the way, the prep time for this keto cheesecake is literally only ten minutes! It’s about five minutes for the crust and five more minutes for the filling.

The rest is just hands-off baking time, and chilling in the fridge. How great is that?

Just like (almost) any other easy cheesecake recipe, you can even make this one ahead and freeze it. (Just make sure it fully cools after you bake it, before freezing.)

I love doing that. With this gluten-free cheesecake, I can have a decadent treat on hand anytime.

Now, only one important question remains. What are you going to top your low carb cheesecake with?

My favorite topping is a simple homemade raspberry sauce. I know chocolate and sugar-free caramel sauce are common favorites, too.

What about you – do you like to eat it plain, or add something to it?

• Springform Pan – A springform pan is a must have tool to make this delicious keto cheesecake.
• Pastry Spatula – This set of pastry spatulas is perfect for smoothing the top of the cheesecake.
• Stand Mixer – I prefer to use a stand mixer and this one is perfect for this recipe.

Low Carb Keto Cheesecake:
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Low Carb Cheesecake Recipe - Sugar-Free Keto Cheesecake

A gluten-free, low carb cheesecake recipe that's EASY to make with only 8 ingredients and 10 minutes prep time. This sugar-free keto cheesecake tastes just like the real thing - delicious!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, gluten-free, keto, low carb, sugar-free, vegetarian

Calories 325 kcal

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Author Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings 16 slices

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Recipe Video

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Ingredients

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Almond Flour Cheesecake Crust

• 2 cups Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/3 cup Butter (measured solid, then melted)
• 3 tbsp Besti Erythritol (granular or powdered works fine)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Keto Cheesecake Filling

• 32 oz Cream cheese (softened)
• 1 1/4 cup Besti Powdered Erythritol (erythritol must be powdered; can also use powdered monk fruit sweetener)
• 3 large Egg
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

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Instructions

Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a 9 in (23 cm) springform pan (or you can line the bottom with parchment paper).

2. To make the almond flour cheesecake crust, stir the almond flour, melted butter, erythritol, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl, until well combined. The dough will be slightly crumbly. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until barely golden. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and powdered sweetener together at low to medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Finally, beat in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. (Keep the mixer at low to medium the whole time; too high speed will introduce too many air bubbles, which we don't want.)

4. 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).

5. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the center is almost set, but still jiggly.

6. Remove the cheesecake from the oven. If the edges are stuck to the pan, run a knife around the edge (don't remove the springform edge yet). Cool 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.)
7. Serve with fresh raspberry sauce if desired.*

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Recipe Notes

• To make optional raspberry sauce, simmer 1 cup fresh raspberries with 2 tablespoons water and sweetener to taste, for 5-10 minutes, breaking the berries with a spatula. Add additional water to thin out to your liking.
• There has been some confusion about carb counts. Two things to watch for:
  • Erythritol is not included in carb count because it does not get metabolized. Most calculators like MFP do not know to exclude it.
  • The official USDA database lists cream cheese as 1.56g of carbs per ounce. Some product labels may round this up or down, but it's actually the same for any full-fat cream cheese regardless of brand. Some calculators round this up to 2g per ounce, which can account for a big difference when extrapolating to the 32 oz needed for this low carb cheesecake recipe.

Serving size: 1 slice (1/16 of recipe)

Video Showing How To Make Low Carb Cheesecake:

Scroll up a bit to see the video for this recipe -- it's located directly above the ingredients list. It's the easiest way to learn how to make Low Carb Cheesecake!

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 325

Fat 31g

Protein 7g

Total Carbs 6g

Net Carbs 5g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

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