What’s better than a delicious keto chocolate muffin? One with a cream cheese center, of course! Add a few melty chocolate chips on top and you’re in low carb breakfast heaven.
Surely you know by now how much I rely on keto muffins to stick with my health goals. I always have some in the fridge or freezer for easy breakfasts or snacks. I have often credited them with keeping me on track because they’re easy, delicious, and store so well. And the flavor variations are endless!
Sometimes it’s fun to jazz them up a little and take them over the top. These Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins have been one of my favorites for quite some time. How can you go wrong with a rich chocolate base and a creamy cheesecake filling?
While they make an excellent breakfast treat, they are also special enough for dessert.
Reader’s Thoughts
“By far my boyfriends favorite keto dessert I make! It’s gone into regular rotation. Currently making a batch and going to try freezing half of them. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!!” — Jess
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bakery-style: These muffins are worthy of any occasion. They look and taste like they came from your favorite bakery!
- Nut-free option: You can swap out the almond flour for sunflower seed flour, for a nut-free keto treat.
- Make-ahead recipe: Make a big batch and store in the freezer for whenever you need a treat.
- Creamy cheesecake: The cheesecake center is ultra-creamy and decadent.
- Low-carb: This recipe is perfect for low carb, keto, and gluten-free diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese: You can’t have a cheesecake center without cream cheese!
- Heavy cream: This helps make the filling extra creamy.
- Almond flour: I typically use almond flour, but sunflower seed flour makes a wonderful nut-free version.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch cocoa powder gives these muffins a rich, deep chocolate flavor.
- Protein powder: This gives the muffins better lift and structure.
- Sweetener: I recommend an erythritol based sweetener for the muffin batter. You can use your preferred sweetener in the filling.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is used to thin out the cream cheese filling.
- Liquid: I like to use leftover coffee but water works as well.
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use your favorite brand of keto chocolate chips.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
How to Make This Recipe
- Prepare the filling: Beat the cream cheese with the sweetener until combined. Mix in the cream and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the almond flour with the sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, melted butter, coffee, and vanilla extract.
- Assemble the muffins: Divide the batter evenly into muffin cups. With the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of each muffin. Divide the cream cheese filling among the wells and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
- Bake the muffins. Bake until the edges are set and the centers are puffed up. Remove and let cool in the pan.
Tips for Success
I used chocolate protein powder for this recipe, but you can use plain or vanilla instead. If using vanilla, make sure to leave out the added vanilla extract.
A little coffee enhances chocolate flavors, without making them taste like coffee, so I highly recommend. But plain water is a good option too!
Sweetener Options: I recommend erythritol sweeteners for the muffin batter, as allulose can make the muffins overly browned and taste a little burned. If you wish to cut back on the erythritol, you can try one quarter cup, and use some stevia or monk fruit extract for additional sweetness.
For the cheesecake filling, any kind of sweetener works, as long as it is powdered.
Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 ounces (170.1 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (47.5 g) powdered sweetener
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Muffins
- 1 3/4 cups (196 g) almond flour, (can use sunflower seed meal)
- 1/3 cup (63.33 g) sweetener, erythritol based recommended
- 1/4 cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (27 g) whey protein powder, or egg white protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) coffee or water, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (45.65 g) dark chocolate chips, sugar-free
Instructions
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sweetener until well combined. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Set aside.
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with 12 silicone or parchment muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the eggs, butter, coffee, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each no more than 2/3 full. With the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of each muffin.
- Divide the cream cheese filling among the wells, adding about 1 1/2 tbsp to each muffin. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with chocolate chips
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are puffed up. Remove and let cool in the pan (the centers will rise and sink, this is normal).
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
If you can find a good cream cheese alternative that you like, you certainly can. Replace the butter with avocado oil and the heavy cream with some coconut cream. Be sure to read the label on the dairy-free cream cheese, as many of them contain more carbs.
Because of the cream cheese filling, I recommend storing these muffins in a covered container in the fridge. Eat chilled or room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
This keto chocolate cream cheese muffins recipe has 7g of carbs and 3.3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.7g net carbs per muffin.
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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Thank you so much for making my muffins, yours look even better than mine! I have been giving serious thoughts to limiting my gluten intake, the more I think about it the more sense it makes, I may never be able to eliminate completely but it sure wouldn't hurt to cut it back as much as possible.
Thank you for so many delicious alternatives to gluten products!
These look seriously addictive – I can see why they were a big hit with your family!!!
These muffins look absolutely delicious, and they would have made a perfect snack for my Girl Scouts! I have to admit to being somewhat over the cookies after peddling them with my troop for 6 years, but an occasional Thin Mint really hits the spot!
Yumm!
These cupcakes look delicious. I have something similar in starbucks! I like the fact that you used yogurt in the recipe.
Yogurt? Are we looking at the same recipe?
Yeah, not sure what she’s talking about either although maybe she meant to comment on my Blueberry Yogurt Muffins?
Cream cheese and chocolate are so good together! Your muffins must look amazing! Yummm
These muffins are calling my name! Yum!
Yep, I think we've all been visited by Chef Dennis in those early days and it was so great to get a comment from a stranger!
I have been really craving cheesecakey things lately – love that this is a healthy version! Thanks for sharing!
You are right, it is interesting story ..Congrats on the article, it sound like an exciting news!
Those cupcakes look stunning…great job converting them to gluten free! You are our little gluten free genus!
oooo Carolyn! These look awesome! I remember being a Girl Scout and people getting SO excited whenever the cookie order form came around the neighborhood and then at my Dad's work. Your muffins look amazing and I wish I could snack on one right now!
Love Chef Dennis and your low carb rendition of his recipe. My brother is pre-diabetic now so I shared your site with him – thanks for all you do!
I kinda learned my lesson not to leave almost anything out. My 2 year climbs all over the place. Now she discovered she can open the fridge. .. sigh…
These muffins look amazing! My all time favorite is chocolate cheesecake and these are simply irresistible!
These look amazing, Carolyn! I love a cheesecake stuffed muffin and will always choose it over one that isn't…eating healthy or not. BTW, had the same issue with my pumpkin cheese muffins. Stuff with cheesecake = more muffins = not a problem at all 😉
wow heaps of ingredients I've never heard about before but these muffins look great and I agree with you completely about Chef Dennis!
I moved from the states to Australia and the Girl Guides here have one box of crappy cookies (called biscuits) here. They have no idea what they're missing!
Dennis is awesome and there is some serious yumminess happening here. I'll take 2 for breakfast tomorrow, please;)
UMMMMM….yes please! Love the cream cheese filling in the center, I bet each bite is a happy bite:-) Hugs, Terra