Let’s face it, adulting is hard. And sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Like choosing between keto cheesecake or keto chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Really, it’s quite heart-wrenching stuff!
Thank goodness there are delicious mashup desserts like these Keto Cheesecake Bars. This way, you can enjoy all the creamy deliciousness of cheesecake with the buttery sweet flavor of your favorite cookies. This is one of my most popular keto desserts, with good reason!
I got it into my head that I needed to make them again for a party, and while I was at it, I took some new photos. To be honest, I had forgotten just how much I liked them. And they got rave reviews from everyone.
If you like to maximize your sweet treats, check out other mashup recipes like Keto Coffee Cake Cookies or my delectable Keto Brookies. So many wonderful ways to bring two recipes together!
Why we love this recipe
- Easy to make: Cheesecake Bars like these are also wonderful because they’re easier than full scale cakes. And they don’t require a water bath!
- Great flavor: You really do get to get to enjoy two desserts in one!
- Great for parties: This recipe makes 16 delicious bars so you can share with family and friends.
- Freezable: Want to keep them all to yourself? Store them in a covered container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Macros: They look and taste like a high carb dessert but have only 6.1g total carbs per serving!
Reader’s Thoughts
“Hello and thank you from Australia! My husband became a type 1 diabetic in his late 20’s, and when he got the diagnosis it was such a struggle to try and find ways for him to still enjoy desserts safely. This recipe and all the other incredible recipes on your website have been an absolute godsend. Keep up the fantastic work!” — Gin
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: This keto shortbread crust is made with almond flour. You could use sunflower seed flour for a nut free option, but you will need to add a little lemon juice to offset the green reaction.
- Sweetener: You will want a brown sugar substitute in the cookie portion and a powdered sweetener in the cheesecake portion.
- Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is properly softened.
- Sour cream: This helps make the filling extra creamy. You could also use heavy cream.
- Sugar-free chocolate chips: I like to use Lily’s or ChocZero dark chocolate chips. If you can find them, mini keto chocolate chips are great too.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt. Add the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Bake the crust: Press about two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 325ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown, then remove from the oven and let cool (it will not be fully baked at this point).
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the powdered sweetener, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Finally beat in the egg until just combined.
- Assemble the bars: Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Take the remaining cookie crust mixture and crumble over the top of the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Bake, then chill: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top crust is golden and the filling is just a little jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate for 1 hour until set.
Tips for Success
I cannot stress how important it is to have your cream cheese properly softened before beating. In cooler climes, this means warming it up a tiny bit. I always zap mine in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
Bake the bottom crust until it’s just golden brown. You don’t want it fully baked but you want it to bake enough to be firm under the cheesecake filling.
Sweetener Options: I recommend using an erythritol-based brown sugar sweetener for the crust. Allulose will cause it to brown too much and it will also be overly soft, so the bars won’t have enough structure.
You do want a powdered sweetener for the cheesecake filling but it can be whatever kind you like best. I used a combination of erythritol and allulose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good news! Cheesecake is a wonderful dessert that is easy to make without sugar or flour. You can enjoy many wonderful flavors and styles of keto friendly cheesecake! I advise making your own rather than trying to purchase it, so you know exactly what it contains and how many carbs it has.
Keto dessert bars like this refrigerate and freeze really well. Make sure to let them cool properly before wrapping them up tightly to store. You can freeze them in the pan, if you like, but I recommend pressing plastic wrap to the surface of the cooled bars, to avoid freezer burn. Then wrap the whole pan tightly in foil or additional plastic. You could also cut them into individual servings and store in a covered container between sheets of waxed paper, so that you can enjoy them anytime the craving strikes.
This keto chocolate chip cheesecake bar recipe has 6.1g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.9g net carbs per bar.
More Delicious Keto Cheesecake Bars
Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Cookies Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (60 g) sugar-free chocolate chips
Cheesecake Filling:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) powdered sweetener
- 2 tbsp sour cream, or heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and grease a 9-inch square pan well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract and beat until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press about two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown, then remove from the oven and let cool (it will not be fully baked at this point).
Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, about 1 minutes. Add the powdered sweetener, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Finally beat in the egg until just combined.
- Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Take the remaining cookie crust mixture and crumble over the top of the filling, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the top crust is golden and the filling is just a little jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate for 1 hour until set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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LOVE all your low carb treats. This one is a new favorite! Chocolate chip and cheesecake. YUM!
Oh my! These are the best!! just what I needed for this weekend
This is a great combination of flavors! We really liked it and I will be making it again. It is better on the second day. It would be a great dessert to serve to guests.
I made these a few days ago for Sunday lunch with my daughter and son-in-law—my fellow keto eaters. Of course the hubby and I had to sample them before we’d serve them to guests—even close family. (That’s our excuse for digging in early, and we’re sticking to it!)
The bars exceeded my expectations in flavor, texture, ease of execution, and presentation. In short, They. Are. Phenomenal. I will certainly be making these regularly to appease my sweet tooth.
As much as I would have liked to post a photo, there wasn’t a crumb left by the time I wrote this. That tells me it’s time to make a new batch!
To eat it with a fork? You’re too funny… 🙂
Looks good in photos! 😉
I’m giving this 5 stars and I haven’t even tried them yet. It’s in the oven as I type. I haven’t tried one of your recipes yet that wasn’t amazing! One of my fav Keto cooks for sure!!! So glad I found your sire!
This is my second time making this cake in 2 weeks! I initially thought it was too sweet but after my first slice (I made it in a 9 inch pan) I went back for another slice and was like “This is amazing!” Letting it set one day makes all the difference. This cake is so good! And although I could eat a huge slice, just a small one really satiates you.
Thanks for sharing!!
Any substitute for the egg?
Not in this recipe.
I ???????? these! They were so easy to make and my family loved them!
Why not use a Keto brown sugar like Lakanto monkfruit instead of coconut sugar?
Because WAY back when i wrote this recipe, such sweeteners didn’t really exist or weren’t readily available. Now I would use Brown Swerve.
Oh! I was thinking I would use the Golden Lakanto that I have on hand (I also have Swerve of course). I absolutely can’t wait to try this recipe. Looks delicious, Carolyn!
Thank you for sharing this today I’ve been trying to decide from your dessert cookbook which I should make for Superbowl and now I’ve found it.
Enjoy!
Even if I wasn’t watching my carbs, this would be my new favorite dessert! Amazing!!!! So delicious. One tiny piece hits the spot. I added more coconut to the top and baked until it was brown. Soooooo good! Thank you! It’s hard to find truly good low carb desserts.
So glad you liked it!
Unfortunately, no, probably only coconut flour. Thank you for such a quick response!
I made these earlier this summer, and they were absolutely amazing! I think this is my favorite dessert of yours! I am hoping to make these to take on a vacation soon, but recently found out i have SIBO and a histamine issue. Almonds are out for sure. Do you have a suggestion for another cookie recipe that uses only almond flour that would work for the crust? I saw earlier that you don’t recommend it in this recipe. Thank you for any help you can provide!
Can you do sunflower seeds? I have a fantastic sunflower seed cookie recipe…
These look so amazing! What an easy dessert bar!
Sign me up! These bars look incredible. Saving to try.
Holy heavenly goodness! This looks amazing!! I might eat the whole pan so I better find someone to bring them to!
What dreamy bars! Perfect way to enjoy a sweet without worrying about my blood sugar. Thanks!
HI Carolyn,
I love all your recipes. They are a life saver for my sweet tooth.
If I do not like shredded coconut, what could I replace it with? Chopped nuts? Or just leave the shredded coconut out and not replace it with anything?
Try using the same amount of almond flour.
Thanks for such an amazing recipe, I have, made it 4x and we all love it, the only thing thing that i don’t understand is the filling in mine never set, so it’s kind a like very soft cream, no matter I had bake them a little bit longer, and freeze them too, but after they are at room temperature they are the same.
I followed the instructions and use same ingredients, Any thoughts?
Hmmm, not sure. I wonder if it’s the brand of cream cheese? Maybe use less additional cream in the filling next time.