The creamiest, dreamiest coffee cheesecake with a chocolate crust and a rich chocolate glaze. Would you believe it’s low carb and keto-friendly? Oh, but it is!
I have been hard at work and I deserve a little treat. Actually, I deserve a big treat. And I deserve to take a moment for myself and enjoy not only the treat, but the process of making it.
Which is exactly what I did with this Keto Coffee Cheesecake, and I savored every moment. See, I’ve been super hard at work on the recipes and manuscript for an upcoming cookbook. And as always, I hit that point where I am ready to be done with it.
So I decided to take a break and make something I really want to make. I’ve had this idea for chocolate and espresso cheesecake for ever so long and it was time to execute.
It was just what my mental health, and my tastebuds, needed!
Why you will love this recipe
Cheesecake can come in so many delicious flavors and formats. And despite its reputation, it really isn’t that hard to make. It is a bit time consuming, but much of that time is inactive, while it’s baking or chilling.
Over the years, I have learned a few tricks for making super creamy keto cheesecake, so make sure you read all my tips and take the time to do it right. I’ve used these same tricks in recipes like Keto Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and Keto Chocolate Cheesecake and they work their magic every time.
And while this cake may look like a sugary, high carb confection, rest assured that it fits nicely into your keto diet. Each slice has only 3.6g net carbs per serving. How dreamy is that?
Ingredients you need
- Pecan flour: You can really use any nut or seed meal for this crust. You can also make your own sunflower seed flour for a nut-free version.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa imparts a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.
- Sweetener: The crust really requires an erythritol based sweetener, but the filling and topping can be made with your favorites. Check out the Tips for Success section for more information.
- Heavy whipping cream: A little heavy cream smooths out the filling and makes the cheesecake even creamier. You also need it to make the chocolate glaze.
- Espresso powder: I really like the espresso powder from King Arthur Baking. You can also use Starbucks Via Packs, and the decaf packets works well if you don’t want the added caffeine.
- Full fat cream cheese: Good organic cream cheese such as Organic Valley has only 1g carbs per serving (1 oz), and the USDA listing for cream cheese indicates that it has 1.2g carbs per ounce.
- Eggs: Make sure they are room temperature to keep the cream cheese mixture from clumping up.
- Sugar free chocolate: You can also use Lily’s or ChocZero chocolate chips.
- Pantry staples: Butter, vanilla extract, and salt
Step by step directions
1. Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined. Press the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan that has been lined with parchment.
2. Bake the crust: Bake at 325ºF for 10 minutes, and then remove and reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF. Once cool wrap the bottom of the pan in tin foil so that the foil reaches about halfway up the sides of the pan.
3. Prepare the coffee: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and espresso powder until well combined.
4. 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 until well combined. Add the cream and espresso mixture and beat in until combined. Taste the mixture and adjust sweetener and coffee flavor as desired.
5. Add the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time until just barely incorporated, scraping the beaters, and the bottom and sides of the bowl in between. 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.
6. Bake the cheesecake: Place the whole pan inside a large roasting pan and fill with hot water to reach partway up the sides of the pan (do not allow it to go over the foil). Bake 70 to 90 minutes, until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles slightly in the center when shaken. Remove and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to set. Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen and remove the sides.
7. Prepare the glaze: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk the cream and allulose together and bring to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt, then whisk until smooth.
8. Glaze the cake: Let sit a few minutes to thicken, then pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake, spreading to the edges and allowing some to drip down the sides. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to help set the glaze.
Tips for Success
I have several tips for you to make your cheesecake super smooth and creamy. The first, and perhaps the most important, is to have all of your ingredients at room temperature. It does no good to get the cream cheese all smooth and then add cold eggs and see it clump up again.
My second tip is to beat the cream cheese on its own for 1 to 2 minutes first, until it’s super creamy and smooth. Don’t add anything else until this is done.
My final tip is to add the eggs at the very end, one at a time. Beat each one until just combined. Before you add them, you can taste and adjust the filling for sweetness and flavor.
Sweetener options
I highly recommend an erythritol sweetener for the base, so that it firms up properly. But for the filling, you can use allulose, erythritol, stevia, or a combination. I don’t recommend stevia on its own, as it can be quite bitter. I used half a cup of allulose and ¼ cup of erythritol. Then I added a touch of extra sweetness with some stevia extract.
The topping takes sugar-free chocolate such as Lily’s or ChocZero. But to keep the glaze nice and shiny, I added 1 tablespoon of allulose to the cream before simmering.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s easy to make a rich, sugar-free chocolate ganache. You simply simmer some cream and add chopped sugar-free chocolate. However, the glaze can go a little dull in the refrigerator, especially if the chocolate is made with erythritol. I like to use a little allulose to offset this and keep the glaze glossy.
This keto coffee cheesecake recipe has 5.6g of carbs and 2.0g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.6g 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.
Keto Coffee Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¼ cups pecan flour or another nut or seed meal
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Filling
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping room temperature
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 24 ounces cream cheese well softened
- ½ cup allulose
- ¼ cup erythritol sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Chocolate Glaze
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tablespoon allulose
Instructions
Crust
- Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a 9 inch circle of parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes, and then remove and reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF.
- Once cool wrap the bottom of the pan in tin foil so that the foil reaches about halfway up the sides of the pan.
Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream and espresso powder until well combined.
- 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 until well combined.
- Add the cream and espresso mixture and beat in until combined. Taste the mixture and adjust sweetener and coffee flavor as desired.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until just barely incorporated, scraping the beaters, and the bottom and sides of the bowl in between.
- 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. Place the whole pan inside a large roasting pan and fill with hot water to reach partway up the sides of the pan (do not allow it to go over the foil).
- Bake 70 to 90 minutes, until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles slightly in the center when shaken. Remove and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to set.
- Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen and remove the sides.
Chocolate Glaze
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk the cream and allulose together and bring to just a simmer. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt, then whisk until smooth.
- Let sit a few minutes to thicken, then pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake, spreading to the edges and allowing some to drip down the sides.
- Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to help set the glaze.
Judy says
What can you do for the chocolate glaze if you only have unsweetened chocolate baking bars?
Carolyn says
Search my website for chocolate glaze, you are certain to find a number of recipes.
Lisa C. says
I made this as a birthday treat for myself, and I was not prepared for how amazingly decadent it was! Literally the richest, best-tasting cheesecake I have had in a very long time. Also, it gives tiramisu vibes without all that effort (not to mention carbs). This is an absolutely incredible recipe, and I can promise I won’t be waiting another year to make it again.
Mara Whited says
Can I substitute monkfruit sweetner for the sweetner in this recipe? Also, does it matter if it is powdered or granulated?
Carolyn says
I am guessing you mean a monk fruit/erythritol blend. In which case, you can use it. I recommend using granular where I use granular and powdered where I use powdered.
Lisa C. says
I used a granulated monkfruit/erithrytol blend sweetener in mine and it worked beautifully.
Jennifer L says
I just made this. Fantastic!
Best dessert ever!
I put the ganache on while it was still in the pan, let it completely set up, then took off the ring. It made a beautiful presentaion.
Thank you!
Judy says
How can you convert this into muffins instead?
Brenda Taylor says
This sounds more than dreamy and, being a coffee crazy old lady, I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
Shirley Hanes says
When I reduce the servings from 16 to 8, the springform pan size doesn’t change. Would a 6 inch work?
Carolyn says
The system is not designed to calculate the pan size for you. You will need to do that yourself by figuring out the area of a 9 inch circle vs a 6 inch circle.
Kimby says
Hi Carolyn. I love your recipes! Have you ever made this coffee cheesecake crustless? I don’t care for most nut crusts. Thank you!
Carolyn says
I have not.