Keto Brownie Cheesecake is the best of all possible worlds, combining fudgy low carb brownies and sugar-free vanilla cheesecake. It’s my most iconic keto dessert recipe, with good reason!
My famous Keto Brownie Cheesecake gets an update! It’s now easier to make and even lower in carbs. So you can feel free to dig in without concern.
And dig in you should! This recipe has been on my blog since 2013 and it’s adored by readers far and wide. Even folks who don’t follow a keto diet rave about it. I get asked to bring it to all sorts of parties and get togethers. And I’m always happy to oblige!
You really can’t go wrong when you combine fudgy brownies with creamy keto cheesecake. It’s an absolutely mouthwatering combination.
Why you need this recipe
This recipe really is a must make for any keto dessert lover. It starts with a base of my fudgy keto brownies, which is a bit of a departure from the original recipe. But it makes it extra easy and lowers the carb count per serving.
Then it’s topped off with a layer of vanilla cheesecake, and baked to creamy perfection. And the layers look absolutely stunning when you cut it into slices.
While making any cheesecake is a little time consuming, this recipe is quite straightforward and easy. If you’re new to keto baking, brownie cheesecake is a great place to start.
It freezes well, too, so you can practice portion control. And it has only 3.3g net carbs per serving. Yay!!!
Reader Testimonials
The keto brownie cheesecake is the absolute bomb!!!! Love the fudgy brownie base with the cheesecake top….. I think this is my favorite Keto dessert of all time! — Joanne
This was the first keto bakery by recipe I ever made, and it was instrumental in making me realize I really could do the keto lifestyle. Have made it many times since then with no disappointments along the way. My non-keto friends have been served this wonderful brownie cheesecake and loved it. Absolutely the best recipe Carolyn has created… in my humble opinion. Oh, yeah, it freezes well, too. — Marcia
NO DESSERT COULD TOP THIS. By far the BEST cheesecake I have ever had. Its mind-blowingly good. Nothing pairs better than a classic brownie cake with a rich cheesecake. OMG. I want moreeee. What would I do without you Carolyn? Your recipes are always a SUCCESS. Love you and your work. — Mandy
Ingredients you need
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- Butter: Use unsalted butter for best results.
- Almond flour: Make sure you are using finely ground almond flour for a fudgy brownie consistency. To make this nut-free, you can swap out with sunflower seed flour in the same quantity.
- Cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch process cocoa powder as it has a deeper, richer chocolate flavor. I try to use really quality brands like Rodelle or Ghirardelli because it bakes better. I don’t recommend raw cacao powder, as it doesn’t dissolve well into the wet ingredients.
- Eggs: Large eggs are the standard for baking.
- Swerve Sweetener: I recommend Swerve or another erythritol-based sweetener for this recipe. Using another sweetener will change the texture and consistency. Learn more about keto sweeteners here.
- Chopped nuts: This is optional, but I like to add some chopped walnuts or pecans into the brownie layer.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat cream cheese as low-fat contains fillers that high in carbohydrates.
- Heavy cream: A little heavy cream helps thin out the cheesecake layer and make it even creamier. You can also use sour cream.
- Pantry staples: Salt and vanilla extract
Step-by-step directions
1. Make the brownie base: In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well combined. Thin the batter with a little water, if necessary.
2. Bake the brownies: Spread in a greased 9-inch springform pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are set but the center is still a little wet and soft. Let cool.
3. Prepare the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for two minutes, until very smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined. Then add the eggs, cream, and vanilla and beat until just combined.
4. Bake the cheesecake: Pour the filling over crust and spread evenly. Bake until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Let cool completely: Let the cheesecake come to room temperature, then run a knife around edges to loosen and remove the sides of pan.
6. Refrigerate: Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely set, at least 3 hours.
Expert tips and FAQs
Don’t over cook the brownie base: You don’t want the brownie base to be too firm after the first time it is baked, because it will dry out more. It should be semi-cooked, since you will be baking it a second time with the cheesecake filling.
A little jiggle is a good thing. You know your cheesecake is done when it’s mostly set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
Don’t rush the chill time: Properly chilled cheesecake is worth the wait! It will have much better taste and texture if you allow it to chill the full 3 hours.
Nut-Free Option: Replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour and skip the chopped nuts.
This keto brownie cheesecake recipe has 5.2g of carbs and 1.9g of fiber. Thus it has a net carb count of 3.3g
Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap or place it in a resealable container. It can last in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze the entire cake or individual slices. As always, wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn. It will be good for at least 2 months.
Coconut flour behaves very differently from almond flour, and several other adjustments must be made to accommodate this. However, you can try using my Coconut Flour Brownies recipe for the base.
Serving suggestions
Keto Brownie Cheesecake tastes delicious as is, but you can also add some tasty toppings. Here are a few fun ideas:
- Keto Chocolate Sauce: You can make my homemade version, or try the new Keto Fudge Sauce from ChocZero. (Use FOODDREAMER for 10% off all ChocZero products).
- Make it a caramel brownie cheesecake by drizzling on some of my delectable Keto Caramel Sauce.
- Top with fresh berries or swirl in some sugar-free raspberry sauce.
- Add some keto-friendly chocolate sprinkles.
Keto Brownie Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (136.5 g) Swerve Granular
- 2 large (2) eggs
- 1/2 tsp (1/4 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (56 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 to 2 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup (29.25 g) walnuts or pecans, chopped
Cheesecake Filling:
- 12 ounces (453.59 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 2 large (2) eggs
- 1/4 cup (59.5 g) heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the brownie base:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and butter a 9-inch springform pan. If your springform pan is prone to leaking, place it on a cookie sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well combined.
- Stir in a little water at a time to thin the batter to a thick but pourable consistency. Stir in the chopped nuts, if using.
- Spread evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until set around edges but still soft in the center. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes.
For the filling:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for two minutes, until very smooth. Beat in the sweetener until well combined. Then add the eggs, cream, and vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Pour the filling over crust and spread evenly. Bake until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly when shaken, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Run a knife around edges to loosen and then remove the sides of pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I use toasted hazelnuts in the brownie crust (quite a lot) and it’s so good it’s coming with us to our family Christmas get-together.
Thank you!
Made this for a dessert contest at work and it got 2nd place in the pie category! (i just don’t consider cheesecake to be cake). It would have gotten 1st place, if not for the gorgeous apple pie that looked like it should have been sitting on the window sill of a cottage in a Disney movie. Not only did I win a $10 gift fard, but my diabetic and celiac coworkers got to have dessert! Thank you so much for this recipe. I love it and I love that it is healthy but tastes so unhealthy!
Sweet! Now I can call it “Prize Winning Brownie Cheesecake”!
This is so unbelievably good. My only gripe is that my son ate the last piece, even after he promised to leave it for me. So, this is a no holds barred dessert, and I am going to have to get crafty if I want that last piece.
In terms of making it, I found out that you have to let the cookie crust cool a bit before pouring the cheesecake batter in, or else the crust gets pushed out to the sides. And it is even better with a dollop of sugar-free whipped cream. I would think that even a peanut butter cheese cake would taste good with this crust. Or at least a pb swirl. mmmm
Thanx first of all for all the inspiration and great recipes! I wanted to ask permission to link this page to my instagram acount (thetasteofyellow) as I succesfully made this deliciousness!
Thanx!
Sure! Thanks for asking.
Hi
my cheesecake is now in the oven but,
when I poured the cheesecake batter over the brownie layer,they mixed together and now the top of my cheesecake is brown &white …I’d like to know what is my mistake?
Sounds like your brownie layer was a little too undercooked. But even so, if you pour carefully enough, it shouldn’t have been a problem.
I just made this tonight and it’s really wonderful. A great combination of tastes and textures and a lovely treat. Thank you for posting it. 😀
Sugar alcohols give me headaches. Can Stevia be used? If so, what’s the conversion?
Thanks!
I don’t know if the consistency of the brownie base will be right with just stevia. However, the Swerve measures cup for cup like sugar so use stevia in the equivalent of sugar.
Can I sub coconut flour for the almond flour and leave out the nuts? We have severe nut allergy here but this looks so fantastic!
No, in this case I wouldn’t suggest coconut flour in place of the almond flour (you can absolutely leave out the rest of the nuts). However, I have a good completely flourless (i.e no almond or coconut flour) brownie recipe and that might make a decent sub. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/06/chocolate-brownie-donuts-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html You can also see them as the base of this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/08/peanut-butter-fudge-brownies-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
What about monkfruit can that be a substitute I also have granulated stevia and liquid stevia … what is xanthan gum for?Sorry I’m new to this and I don’t know what is what so many different brands and names it’s hard to keep up please help
What monk fruit do you have? Are you talking about Lakanto? If so, that is mostly erythritol and can be substituted. Xathan gum helps thicken and gives structure to some keto baked goods.
This recipe looks awesome!!! Is it alright if I use ground almonds in place of almond flour, and leave the walnuts/pecans out entirely?
The results may change if you use almonds you grind yourself, but it’s worth a try.
I just stumbled across your site while searching for low carb pancakes… I’m making the coconut flour ones tomorrow morning, then I started browsing and found this. Thank you, I am really fighting hard to lose weight and stick to a low carb low sugar diet and I can’t deny my sweet tooth. Not to mention cheesecake is my favorite and when you put it on top of a brownie! * Mouth watering * I am making this recipe tonight, your site was an answered prayer!
Hi Krys…I too have a big sweet tooth and making sugar and gluten-free sweets is how I stay on track and keep my blood sugars in check. So that’s why I do what I do!
This turned out beautifully! Thank you so much.
I hate the taste of Stevia and I don’t have erythritol. Do you think I could use xylitol exclusively, and if so, do you think I could sub it 1-1? Thanks!!!
I think you’d probably need a bit more xylitol to get the right sweetness. Maybe another 1/4 cup or so for the filling?
If I didn’t want to make this low carb or gluten free, would I substitute the same amount of sugar for the sugar substitute and the same amount of all purpose flour for the almond flour? Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
No, you can’t just replace almond flour with regular flour. I’d suggest finding a conventional brownie cheesecake recipe. I know Roxana’s Home Baking has a good one.
Looking forward to trying this!
Was I supposed to cool the brownie layer before pouring the cheesecake layer? I don’t have a cheesecake pan so was/am trying to make it in a regular pan…..
No need to cool the brownie layer. I am not sure if you will be able to get these out of the pan that easily though, without removable sides.
I made these in a regular cake/pie pan. I just put non stick foil on the bottom and you can gently lift the cake out when it’s done.
I really loved this dessert. Almost too much. I had a hard time getting my binge tendancies under control. I baked the brownie part and let it cool a few minutes and when I poured the cheesecake mixture on top I realized that the brownie part was not solid and the 2 mixtures got just a bit mixed together. I also needed to bake the brownie / cheesecake about 10 minutes longer and could have even baked it a bit longer. Terrific flavors. I put this in my recipe folder with 5 stars. I ordered Swerve online to make this recipe.
I made this a few weeks ago and froze most in small portions for that “fix” we all get on occasion. Its wonderful!!!! Thank you so much! any clue as to the calorie count? I will make it again soon and do the math but was hoping to share it tonight for others doing more of a calorie counting diet. So ready to try your other creations….keep up the great work!
Sorry, I am not at home and can’t calculate the other nutritional factors. I will be back next week.
Do you think I could sub the almond flour and nuts for coconut flour? I’d love to make this but have a niece who is allergic to nuts, it seems a bit cruel to make something she can’t eat! thanks.
Hi Olivia…no, in this recipe, coconut flour won’t really work. But see my recipe for Brownie Donuts…take that brownies recipe for the base and you’ll be golden!
All of your recepies look great this was the first I tried and I don’t know what I did wrong my brownie base did not cook after the 15 min and I went to layer the cheese on it and it sank! I’m in tears now… I ruined it
I am sure you didn’t ruin it, it will taste fantastic. Did you use anything different for the ingredients? Or perhaps your oven temperature is off…
Well I had almond meal instead of almond flour but that was the only difference also my springform is about 10.5″… All of your recipes are gorgeous and so inspiring! The brownie part of mine didnt cook solid and when I added the cheese mix it just sank down. I follow the directions to the t so I guess I’ll try again 🙂 next maybe the lemon mini bundts! I did make the taco endive boats what a hit! That’s a new favorite for our family! Thanks for your reply too! I can’t wait to explore more of your delectable treats!!
It’s the almond meal! I know it doesn’t seem like a big difference, but it is. Check out this post I wrote about baking with almond flour. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/02/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour.html That’s definitely your culprit, and I am sorry about that. Almond meal is just bigger particles so it isn’t as cohesive and doesn’t hold together nearly as well.
You are a true genius!! Anyhow even despite the fail on my part it still tasted great! Thank you so much for your advice and your blog it’s a life saver ( low carb heaven!)
And we made the pancakes this morning- superb! It was the first “real” breakfast we’ve had since going low carb 2 months ago!
Hello Carolyn,
I have question about replacing the sweeteners in this recipe. I would like to replace the Swerve and erythritol. I use raw local honey as a sweetener and has always been my favorite sweetener. I have never used stevia and would be willing to try it in this recipe. I enjoy coconut products too and would be willing to use coconut/palm sugar too. Would I be able to use any these alternative sweeteners (use one or combine them) in this recipe? I don’t want to destroy this delicious recipe, but just curious to alternative sweeteners not mentioned. I thought about just using the liquid stevia, if at all possible.
I apologize. I know you have receive many questions about the sweetener used in the recipe. I look forward to making this dessert either way! Thank you!
Just stevia won’t work, several people tried and found it not sweet enough. But I think you can replace the erythritol with honey and make up the rest with stevia. It’s very moist anyway, so the liquidity of the honey shouldn’t make much difference. Maybe add another two or three tbsp of almond flour to the base to make up for the liquid.
I will try doing that! Thank you so much!