Keto Chocolate Cheesecake is the ultimate dessert for chocolate lovers. This mouthwatering baked cheesecake has triple the chocolate for triple the fun.
There’s a reason I call this recipe “Death by Chocolate Cheesecake”. Because really, if it’s your time, is there any better way to go than enjoying bite after bite of a luscious, rich dessert?
I always feel so sad for people who say they don’t like cheesecake. As far as I am concerned, they are missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. Creamy and dense, keto cheesecake is just this side of heaven.
And when you combine it with chocolate, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. No wonder this low carb dessert recipe is one of my most popular! Along with my classic Keto Chocolate Mousse, it’s one of my favorite desserts too.
Why this is recipe is so awesome
This really is the ultimate keto chocolate cheesecake experience. And I tweaked it recently to make it lighter and lower in carbs, without sacrificing that rich, triple chocolate flavor.
This cake features an easy chocolate crust made with nut flour. It resembles the Oreo crust of conventional cheesecakes, but with a fraction of the carbs. Then comes a creamy filling made with both melted chocolate and cocoa powder, so it’s dense and rich. Then you top the whole cake off with a sugar-free chocolate ganache glaze.
Can you say “heaven on a fork”??? I made it for a recent get together with friends, and everyone kept taking extra little slices here and there. It was more than half gone before I knew it. I did manage to rescue a slice to keep for myself!
Baked cheesecakes like this do take some time and effort. But it’s a worthwhile endeavour for chocolate lovers, I promise. And I walk you through the process step by step, and give you added tips to make it come out perfectly.
Reader reviews
“I’ve made this several times and there’s another in the oven now. This is my favorite cheesecake recipe!” — Cathy J.
“Wow. This cheesecake is amazing so creamy and full of chocolate flavor. The crust was superb. Will be making Again. Thank you.” — Linda
“This is da BOMB when it comes to luscious chocolate yumminess! Easy to make — easier to eat! Thank you, Carolyn, for creating such wonderful recipes and sharing them with anyone. You are a one in a million gem.” — Jeanne B.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: You can really use any nut or seed meal for this crust. This time around, I used some pecan flour I had on hand. You can also make your own sunflower seed flour for a nut-free version.
- Sweetener: You will need several different kinds of sweeteners for this recipe. Please see the Sweetener Options section for a detailed discussion of what to use.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa imparts a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
- Unsweetened chocolate: Do note that this is completely unsweetened chocolate, meaning it doesn’t contain any sweeteners at all. I recommend getting a good brand like Guittard or Ghirardelli, as they are less likely to seize.
- Cream cheese: You really can’t make a cheesecake without it!
- Heavy whipping cream: A little heavy cream smooths out the filling and makes the cheesecake even creamier. You also need it to make the ganache.
- Pantry staples: Butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the crust: Whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325ºF for 10 to 12 minutes, and then remove and reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.
2. Melt the chocolate: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate. Stir frequently until smooth, then set aside to let cool.
3. Beat the cream cheese: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, until super creamy. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract, then beat in the melted chocolate. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl to make sure no clumps of cream cheese remain.
4. Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time until just barely incorporated. Then beat in the cocoa powder and heavy whipping cream until the mixture becomes smooth. Do not overbeat.
5. Bake the cheesecake: Pour the filling into the pan and gently shake from side to side to even it out. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set but still jiggles just a little in the center. Remove and let cool to room temperature, then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the sides. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
6. Make the ganache: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt, then add the sweetener and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake, allowing some to drip down the sides.
Expert tips
Baked cheesecake is a labor of love and the process can be utterly enjoyable. The most important thing is to take your time. Don’t rush any of the steps and read my tips for achieving the creamiest keto chocolate cheesecake!
Use room temperature ingredients. That includes the cream cheese, eggs, and heavy cream. You want them to incorporate easily and if they’re cold, you could end up with lumpy cheesecake batter.
Take the time to beat the cream cheese thoroughly before adding any other ingredients. It should be very creamy after beating it for at least a minute, if not more. This really makes a difference to the cheesecake texture.
Unsweetened chocolate can be finicky and prone to seizing so always melt it over low heat. A little butter or coconut oil also helps thin it out so that it combines better with the cheesecake filling. Make sure you let it cool properly before beating it into the filling.
Don’t over-beat the eggs. You want to beat each one in until just barely incorporated. Overbeating cheesecake filling makes it rise and fall during baking, and then crack as it cools.
Don’t overcook it! Cheesecake should always be taken out before it’s cooked through. It will continue to cook once it’s out of the oven so make sure the center still has a little jiggle to it. Check on it frequently in the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
Sweetener Options
What sweeteners you use also makes a difference to this Keto Chocolate Cheesecake. If you want the crust to have some crispness to it, you need an erythritol based sweetener with no allulose in it. You can use the new Swerve Monk Fruit blend, which is just erythritol and monk fruit. Or you can use Lakanto or So Nourished.
The filling is a little more forgiving when it comes to sweeteners. You can use erythritol, allulose, BochaSweet, or a combination. I like the combination of Swerve Granular and Swerve allulose, to help inhibit any recrystallization.
I find that a little allulose actually helps the chocolate ganache stay shiny and soft. So I use mostly Swerve Confectioners with tablespoon of Swerve allulose.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you use the right ingredients and the right sweeteners, you can enjoy chocolate cheesecake on a low carb or keto diet. This Death by Chocolate Cheesecake uses nut flour and low carb sweeteners for a delicious keto dessert.
This keto chocolate cheesecake recipe has 7.8g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.6g net carbs per slice.
Store the cheesecake in the fridge, tightly wrapped, for up to a week. You can also freeze it for several months. If you plan on making it ahead for a party, I recommend leaving the ganache off until a few hours before you serve it, so it stays glossy.
More amazing cheesecake recipes
Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup (110 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Granular
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Filling:
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup Swerve Granular, See blog post for more sweetener options
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
Topping:
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) whipping cream
- 3 tbsp Swerve Confectioners
- 1 tbsp allulose, **See recipe notes
- 2 oz (56.7 g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, and then remove and reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF.
Filling
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate with the butter. Stir frequently until smooth, then set aside to let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, until super creamy. Beat in the sweetener and vanilla extract, then beat in the melted chocolate. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl to make sure no clumps of cream cheese remain.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until just barely incorporated. Then beat in the cocoa powder and heavy whipping cream until the mixture becomes smooth. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the filling into the pan and gently shake from side to side to even it out. Tap lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake in the center of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set but still jiggles just a little in the center.
- Remove and let cool to room temperature, then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the sides. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Topping
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt, then add the sweetener and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake, allowing some to drip down the sides. You can also use an offset spatula to cover the sides with some of the ganache.
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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Any chance you could tell me how to make this in the instant pot?
This was the most decadent cheesecake I have ever eaten. It was fabulous!!! Thank you again for all the hard work you put into making the most wonderful desserts! Could you freeze this?
Now I’m really afraid. I’m a very experienced cheesecake maker for the past 40 yrs. I made this, and the batter was SO THICK, that I also could not pour it. I was worried at the time, as I’ve never had this in all the years I’ve made cheesecake. Now I’m reading all these comments. I could only find one bar of 85% Lindt chocolate in my pantry, so I used the other half of the chocolate as bakers chocolate. If I wasted all these ingredients, I will be furious……………….. at myself, BTW.
Did the baker’s chocolate seize, I wonder?
Ugh my SO requested this. I have stevia that seems powdery, but no actual confections or powdered type.
I also dont have the correct pan….any way around that or should I wait till I can get these two items.
This really will only turn out well in the correct pan. And please don’t use Stevia here…stevia and chocolate together are very bitter!
I have made Chocolate Cheesecake for decades with sugar. But I have been LC for 7 years now. I have tweaked my original recipe to make it LC but was never quite satisfied. Since I am now making cheesecake in my instant pot I tried your recipe. I used Hershy’s SF chocolate chips b/c I had some. I skipped the crust, although there is a bit of leakage from bottom but I wrap in foil and clean it off after it cools. I also skipped the chocolate whipped cream topping and it was still absolutely delicious, yummy, as good as my original recipe. Thank you!
I can’t believe people don’t like cheesecake either! Are they crazy?! This cheesecake looks creamy, dreamy and divine and I wouldn’t say no to a piece (OK, maybe 2) of this deliciously awesome dessert. How can you go wrong with all that chocolate and, bonus, not consuming tons of sugar along with it. I am definitely trying this one, cause what chocolate loving cheesecake lover wouldn’t want to?!
I would happily let this delicious cheesecake kill me anytime 😉 Such a great one and totally hits the spot when those cravings kick in!!
I just put this cheesecake in the oven but wondering why it’s SO thick. It definitely didn’t “pour into the crust” nor was it a consistency that could be jiggled. I followed the recipe exactly as written. Have made dozens of other cheesecakes and test done ness by ability to jiggle in the center or not; any suggestions for how to tell if this is done and is the thickness normal?
Well something went wrong because it should not be so thick that you couldn’t pour it…as you can see form the video. So I am at a loss of what to tell you. What brand of chocolate did you use? Sounds like it may have seized.
Mine came out super thick too – I thought maybe the cream cheese here in NZ is different? The filling was a much larger proportion to the one in the picture so it was very tall. Still delicious though.
If it came out so tall…. either you are using the wrong size pan or you used far too much cream cheese. Not really sure without being in your kitchen!
Hi there! I made this cheesecake for my birthday celebration, and it was truly amazing! Even a few of my sugar-loving family members liked it! Since I made it on short notice, I couldn’t find sugar-free dark chocolate at my local store. It was higher in carbs than this version, but still low-carb. Next time I’ll plan in advance and order some Lily’s Stevia sweetened dark chocolate instead.
I do have one question though… How do you slice your cheesecakes so neatly?! Lol! The middle of every slice always sticks to my knife. It is incredible in any shape, but I would love to hear any tips you might have!
Thank you for this delightful dessert!! You have the most amazing recipes!
Hot hot knife! I hold mine over the flame of my gas stove but you can also put it in hot water.
Gotcha! Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that next time 😉
I would love to make this but there is only me to eat it, is it possible to half the recipe and make in a smaller springpan form ? How would that effect the cooking time? Even half would allow me to freeze pieces for a treat. Thank you
It changes a lot when you downsize. I have a couple of small batch cheesecakes that serve 2, and I have a no bake version of this coming that is small. But I haven’t had time to type it up yet so it will be a few weeks. Try searching my “for two” recipes for a small cheesecake or dessert in the meantime.
I’ve made this recipe 8 times…I love it!My husband said “I didn’t know you were trying to commit suicide”. He saw the headline,Death by Chocolate…….It’s so creamy and yummy! I freeze it all and vacuum pack 4 pieces in each pack so I can take it out a bit at a time! Thank you????
The Filling was super thick by the time we poured it into the pan. Is that ok??? My young daughter was working the mixer – I hope it wasn’t overmixed. This is my first cheesecake and it’s for Easter dinner tomorrow. In the oven now – eeek!
It shouldn’t be too thick, but I hope it turns out okay. Really not sure.
When I’m beating the cream cheese and ingredients in,I rest the bowl in another bowl of hot tap water,it keeps the ingredients from getting so thick
Hi! Can I use all Swerve granulated in the cheesecake? The confectioner’s is not readily available here and I really want to try this cheesecake. Thanks very much!
The topping will be very gritty.
Hi, thanks for this wonderful cheesecake recipe. I just made it for tomorrow (my husbands birthday) and the directions are easy. My one issue is that when i took it out from the oven to see if the center jiggles, the cheesecake cracked down the center. It was perfectly set yet i have a Y shaped crack now. What did i do wrong? Hope you can help.
Hmmmm, some of that can happen if you take off the sides too quickly or if the temperature changes to quickly.
Hey Carolyn thanks for your reply. The cracks happen within 2 or 3 mins after I removed it from the oven. It was still cooling and still in the springform pan. I wonder if cooking in a water bath next time may eliminate the cracks. I will try to cover up the cracks when I add the chocolate topping and strawberries.
This cake is fantastic. I’ve made it several times now, even high carb people LOVE it, especially with strawberries. Even making it with regular 70% regular chocolate (sorry…20%carbs) it causes no appreciable spike in blood sugar for my diabetic II friend, who has one of those new blood sugar meters implanted. I use mascarpone because it tastes creamier and less sour and salty than the cream cheese you can buy here in the Netherlands. I don’t add salt because the cacao powder is already a bit salty I think. I also add some more cream to make it a little smoother because I use mascarpone.
I have to say though, I do not add cacao powder to the bottom anymore because it gets too bitter and dry and my granulated ery-stevia doesn’t dissolve. But it complements the filling fantastically. Sometimes I sprinkle roasted hazelnuts on top, it tastes like Nutella :O ^^
I use granulated erythritol for the whole recipe and it works like a charm. No need to grind.
I got the same comment from everyone in my family. The cheesecake was awesome and very rich but the crust was very bitter. Everyone ate around the crust so I was thinking either adding cinnamon and more sugar to the mix or if not omit the cocoa powder period….
I think it may be your cocoa powder. This is my standard chocolate crust and most people love it.
I made this fabulous cheesecake last weekend and just finished off the last sliver today for lunch. It is is wonderfully dense and chocolate-y! Thanks again for another home-run dessert.