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 almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup Swerve Granular
- ¼ cup butter melted
Filling:
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup Swerve Granular See blog post for more sweetener options
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
Topping:
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Confectioners
- 1 tablespoon allulose **See recipe notes
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon 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.
Jill Franks says
I have both organic cocoa powder, and organic cacao powder. Does it matter which one I use?
Dennis says
Made this for my wife and I 20th anniversary. Absolutely loved it. trying to be good on 16 servings. How long will this store in fridge, covered, of coarse?
Carolyn says
As long as your ingredients were fresh, it should be good for up to a week. Happy anniversary!
Steff says
This is my GoTo Birthday cake. I’ve made it a few times now and it is truly amazing. I tweak things here and there to my taste, so a couple options for folks if they want. Crust: I take 1 cup of roasted mixed nuts from Costco and put them in the food processor instead of almond flour. Topping: I use 1/3 cup cream and 1 salted Carmel Lily’s chocolate bar. It’s the only way I’ll do it going forward as the other way tasted too chemically for me.
Ashley says
I would love to make this cheesecake but I have a tree nut allergy. Do you have any other crust recipes with sunflower seed flour or coconut flour maybe that would work with this cheesecake? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Just replace the almond flour with sunflower seed flour.
donna says
Can this be frozen?
Carolyn says
Yes.
Malinois Mom says
This was FANTASTIC!!! I was looking for a recipe that had a crust and filling that was baked like the cheesecakes I was familiar with baking before being on a keto diet. We LOVED this and no one knows it’s keto. We love it with our homemade yogurt. Thanks for sharing this!!!
Courtney says
So I just pulled mine out of the oven and of course I had to taste the filling batter before cleaning everything up. I noticed it seemed rather bitter to me. Is that normal? I followed the directions but this is my first time using a sugar substitute so I want to make sure it’s totally normal.
Carolyn says
What sugar sub did you use? And… did you accidentally use UNSWEETENED chocolate in the glaze, rather than sugar-free chocolate?
Sabrina sabrina castermans says
In the recipe it says to use unsweetened chocolate for the Topping. I am confused now. Which one is it?
Carolyn says
Updated recipe, old comment. 🙂 Follow the new updated recipe as is, please!
Melvin says
The recipe still says “unsweetened” and is linked to 100% Ghiradelli. The cheesecake is not sweet enough. Did you intend to change/update it?
Carolyn says
No… it doesn’t “still say”. That is correct, I changed it from sugar free chocolate. This recipe has a lot of sweetener so I suspect you mismeasured or you used a different sweetener than specified.
Cynthia Gialluca says
Out of curiosity, BochaSweet now makes a powdered sugar. Can it be used instead of the Swerve? I am allergic to many sweeteners and the Swerve is one that I am sensitive to (I can have it in very small doses, but if I get too much I have some serious gastric distress). BochaSweet thus far has been the only sweetener that does not cause reactions of any kind.
Carolyn says
It should work in this. The trouble with it is that it clumps very badly and you need to put it into a food processor to break it up.
Dale says
I’ve made this cheesecake afew times now and if possible, I love it more each time. I’ve made it in muffin tins also and in ramekins and it’s delicious every time. I’ve also topped it with rubarb/strawberry compote and raspberry/ strawberry compote. My next one will be with blueberry/cherry. It adds a few more carbs. but totally worth it
Rebekah says
I made this and nobody knew it was Keto! So amazing, textures and taste.
Whittney Cuzzort says
I am wanting to make this for my upcoming birthday in June, can you give me a conversion for gentle sweet in the recipe? Thanks so much, excited to make it!!
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I don’t use Gentle Sweet. But it should have a conversion on the bag. Swerve measures like sugar so do it in relation to sugar.
Jeanne Bunker says
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.
Carolyn says
It’s honestly my pleasure!
Cathy J says
I’ve made this several times and there’s another in the oven now. This is my favorite cheesecake recipe!
Sheri Gartman says
I just want to say that I find swerve sweetener has an aftertaste. Plus it bothers my stomach…..is there another sweetener I can use?
Jenn says
I’d like to know that too. Allulose maybe?
Carolyn says
Allulose can work but it will take a very long time to set properly. BochaSweet might be a better option.
Julie Boissonneault Davitt says
oh darn… I just took mine out of the oven and I used allulose… I shall find out right on Thanksgiving…. I’ll keep it home so no one witnesses the mess!
Lisa says
If I were to half this recipe, what size of a spring form pan should I use?
Carolyn says
You need to find the area of a 9 inch circle, and figure it out from there. There are some nifty online calculators for that.
Sam Kay says
This came out delicious! I would only suggest avoiding chocolate chips or other ingredients with stevia. As much as I like stevia in theory, it still has an unpleasant aftertaste. I wish I had stuck to erythritol-sweetened chocolate. Still, I brought this cheesecake to friendsgiving with non-keto friends and fed it to my housemates, who are also non-keto, and everyone liked it!
Regina Warila says
Would I be able to make this in an 8″ springform pan?
Carolyn says
It’s going to be far too deep and take a long time to cook through. You’re better off reducing the whole recipe by 25%.
Maggie Watte says
What a phenomenal rich dessert. I added on top your raspberry filling for your thumbprint cookies, then placed fresh raspberries on top of that on concentric circles. It looked like it came from a fancy patisserie. Thank you so much for all your great recipes.
Carolyn says
Stunning!
Rebecca Charles says
Could I use Choc zero dark Chocolate chips for
The Cheesecake? Instead of Lily’s?
Thank you for all the great recipes!
Carolyn says
Yes, ChocZero chips are great for this too!
Linda Doucet says
Wow. This cheesecake is amazing so creamy and full of chocolate flavor. The crust was superb. Will be making Again. Thank you.