These Keto Cheesecake Brownies are the perfect marriage of delicious flavors. Fudgy chocolate, creamy vanilla cheesecake, and tangy sweet raspberries come together in one delicious sugar-free dessert!
One of the things I love most about keto brownies is that they are infinitely variable. You can just do the basic bar, or add some chocolate chips or nuts. You can add chocolate glaze or some delicious keto peanut butter fudge.
And to really take it to the next level, why not swirl in some keto cheesecake? And maybe some delicious raspberry puree while you’re at it. Now you have some seriously gorgeous Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies.
Trust me, they taste as good as they look!
Why you will love these brownies
I first created this recipe in 2013 and they were delicious. And with the plethora of homegrown raspberries I had this year, I wanted to make them again. But much has changed in the intervening 10 years so I made them a little differently.
My keto brownies make the perfect base for recipes like this. They’re rich and chocolatey, and pair well with other flavors. And the batter is quick to make, so it’s ready whenever you are.
The swirls of creamy vanilla cheesecake and bright red berry puree are eye-catching. And the three components play off each other perfectly, with a little bit of tartness from the berries to offset the chocolate and the cheesecake.
Best of all, these sweet bars have less than 5 grams of carbs per serving, so you can indulge healthfully.
Ingredients you need
- Keto brownie batter: I use my classic fudgy keto brownies for this recipe but you can really use any you like best. You can also make it from a boxed mix like Good Dee’s or Swerve if you prefer. Just know that the carb count will change depending on what you use.
- Raspberries: You can use fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen, let them thaw completely.
- Sweetener: Using a powdered sweetener in the raspberry and cheesecake mixtures helps reduce any grittiness. I like to use Swerve Confectioners, although other sweeteners may work as well. See the Expert Tips section for more suggestions.
- Glucomannan: A little glucomannan or xanthan gum helps make the raspberry puree thicker so that the brownies aren’t soggy.
- Cream cheese: Make sure the cream cheese is properly softened before making the cheesecake mixture.
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Step by step directions
1. Puree the berries: Place the berries in a blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons of the powdered sweetener and the glucomannan. Process until smooth.
2. Prepare the cheesecake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, then beat in the remaining sweetener and the vanilla extract until well combined. Beat in the egg until just combined.
3. Prepare the brownie batter: Prepare the brownie batter as directed in the recipe, omitting the additional water and the chocolate chips. Reserve a few tablespoons of the batter, then spread the remaining batter in a 9×9 square baking pan lined with parchment paper.
4. Arrange the layers: Drizzle the cheesecake mixture overtop the brownie mixture, getting some all the way to the edges. Then dollop small spoonfuls of raspberry mixture overtop the cheesecake. Finally drizzle the last few tablespoons of brownie batter over everything.
5. Swirl together: Take a sharp knife and run it up and down the top of the batter to swirl the cheesecake, raspberries, and brownie drizzle together. Try not to disturb the very bottom of the brownie batter. To get nice lines, run the knife up in one direction and back down in another at regular intervals.
6. Bake: Bake the brownies for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Expert Tips
Make sure you line the pan with parchment paper, as the brownies can be very soft. This will help you remove them from the pan more easily.
When you swirl, try not to go all the way to the bottom of the batter. You don’t want the raspberry puree to go all the way to the bottom as it can make the brownies too soft to pick up. Trust me, I had a few that were falling apart on me because of this! Still delicious, just messy.
As always with cheesecake goodies, you want the center to still be a bit jiggly when you take it out of the oven. It will firm up as it chills.
Sweetener Options
You can really sweeten these brownies with whatever sweetener you like best. I do recommend a powdered sweetener for the cheesecake and raspberry puree, to avoid any grittiness.
Do keep in mind that allulose may make the brownies brown faster in the oven so keep your eye on them.
Storage Instructions
The raspberries and the cheesecake swirl add significant moisture to these brownies so they should be kept chilled. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
Keto Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup Swerve Confectioners divided
- ½ teaspoon glucomannan
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 recipe keto brownies (omit the additional water and the chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the berries in a blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons of the powdered sweetener and the glucomannan. Process until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, then beat in the remaining sweetener and the vanilla extract until well combined. Beat in the egg until just combined.
- Prepare the brownie batter as directed in the recipe, omitting the additional water and the chocolate chips. Reserve a few tablespoons of the batter, then spread in the prepared baking pan.
- Drizzle the cheesecake mixture overtop the brownie mixture, getting some all the way to the edges. Then dollop small spoonfuls of raspberry mixture overtop the cheesecake. Finally drizzle the last few tablespoons of brownie batter over everything.
- Take a sharp knife and run it up and down the top of the batter to swirl the cheesecake, raspberries, and brownie drizzle together. Try not to disturb the very bottom of the brownie batter. To get nice lines, run the knife up in one direction and back down in another at regular intervals.
- Bake the brownies for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Adrian Pearson says
just double checking that is 12 tablespoons of butter?!
Carolyn says
Yes, although I do intend to update this recipe soon.
Laird Bevitz says
My wife made this recipe for me, and it was fabulous.
Sonya says
How would I adjust the recipe using fresh raspberries? I have a bunch to use up. Already made your raspberry cream cheese coffee cake and my husband asked if it was really keto which is high praise.
Carolyn says
No adjustments needed, just go ahead and puree.
Laura L Miller says
This is so wonderful. I made one change, I replaced three of the eggs in the brownie part with a block of cream cheese to make them both cheesecake. I also took additional raspberry syrup and sugar free chocolate and made a glaze/ganach for on top. It was so wonderful to be able to make a classy desert like this and be able to eat it too.
Sarah says
I love this recipe and have now made it twice. They taste really good but both times the tops have cracked; not a lot and definitely not enough to spoil them but do you know what I’m doing wrong?
Carolyn says
Your oven may be a bit dry. Try putting a pan of water into the oven along with the brownies to produce some steam. Not positive that will help but it might!
Sarah says
Thank you. I will try this next time I make them – and there will be a next time.
Sarah says
I’ve just tried to make these again with the suggested pan of water in the oven. It worked! But I noticed that it took longer for them to cook about 28 to 30 minutes. Thank you for your help and your wonderful website.
Stephanie Deal says
Made these tonight and oh my word — they are so smooth, creamy and delicious! My SIL, my husband and I all really liked them! I added a tad more Swerve to the cheesecake layer as I like my desserts really sweet — and after reading the comments, I really swirled the two layers together and they turned out perfectly. Thanks for another great recipe!!!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Elsa says
Totally awesome! My husband is in heave! Thank you for the fab recipe!!
Carolyn says
You’re welcome!
Dominic says
Oh my gosh, chocolate and raspberry together are my favorite! Can’t wait to try these out.
Dominic
Megan says
Just made these last night, yum! I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate squares, so I subbed unsweetened cocoa in their place. I didn’t have frozen raspberries, but had frozen berry mix. I couldn’t quite get the brownie batter to be smooth (maybe I should have increased the butter with all that cocoa powder?), but these still turned out wonderfully. The lumps in the brownie batter gave the texture of actual brownie bites or chocolate chips in the batter. This is one of the few recipes I’ve enjoyed erythritol in, thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, with all that dry cocoa powder, you’d need a bit more oil or butter. But glad you liked them anyway!
Gretchen RS says
I made these last night, for my grandson and I to share. Okay, he didn’t think he would like the raspberries and I only had 1/2 cup of raspberries anyway, so I divided the cheesecake filling in half, and added vanilla — made one side plain vanilla cheesecake and the other side raspberry. I used 6 Stevia packets for the cheesecake filling. Also I ran out of Swerve, so used some Splenda in the brownie portion (1/4 cup Swerve and 1/2 cup Splenda — I am the process of changing over from Splenda to Swerve and Stevia), and it was not sweet enough, next time I will make 1 cup equiv. of sweetness.
I didn’t want a gooey brownie so I added 3 Tbsp of almond flour, 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the brownie batter after the eggs were completely whisked in and the batter was smooth and glossy.
I baked it for 25 minutes, the brownie part was well set, the cheesecake still a bit runny in the middle. The plain side set in 30 minutes in the fridge so that I could go ahead and let my grandson have some. He liked it but thought it should be sweeter. It rose beautifully and did not collapse as I have seen in some of the posts on here.
The raspberry part took at least an hour in the refrigerator to set. I would infer that adding the raspberries with liquid thins out the cheesecake taking longer to set.
I am LOVING these brownies, and with the addition of the almond flour and baking powder this turned out to be just the kind of brownies I loved from my flour cooking days! Dense and moist, but somewhat cake-like. Also the proportion of cheesecake to brownie was just right. (Not too much cheesecake.) I am used to eating dark chocolate so it not being sweet enough is not really an issue for me, but I will use more sweetener next time. All in all this is a great recipe and one I am sure I will make again and again. And beautiful to look at too!
Tammy says
Hi Carolyn. These look incredible! I am planning on taking these to a Christmas party. How long would you say they are safe to sit out unrefrigerated?
Carolyn says
Long enough for a party, they should be fine. Keep them refrigerated as long as possible before then…
Tammy says
OK thanks Carolyn.
Elaine says
Made these for a group meeting tonight & big hit. My husband Is type 2 and loves cheesecake. He was pleased as were our guests who did not expect such richness. Thanks!
Catherine H. says
I made these a couple days ago because I am a brownie monster, and my husband has taught me to appreciate the combination of chocolate and raspberry. I love them. They have the texture of a flourless cake rather than a brownie, but that’s totally fine. I also added an 1/8 tsp. of Nunaturals’ powdered stevia to both the cheesecake and the brownie, and that brought it up to the perfect level of sweetness for me. Even my husband said, “You’ve had a string of low-carb hits recently.” High praise, indeed.
Erin says
Would granulated swerve work in the cheesecake portion of this recipe? I don’t have any powered swerve & want to make these for dessert for mother’s day.
Catherine H. says
With granulated you may sense a little crystallizing or crunching, especially at the edges–but it may totally blend in and you won’t notice a thing. I’ve definitely made cheesecakes with granulated erythritol before and never had a problem. BTW, to powder any sugar alcohol, you can stick it your coffee grinder/magic bullet/food processor etc. for about thirty seconds and grind your own.
Laurie says
Hello Carolyn,
I have to tell you I am hooked on your blog. I started eating low carb over a year ago when I discovered Maria Emmerich’s blog and then found your blog from there. I have made so many of your recipes and they have all been fantastic. I made these brownies last night and just had my first one this afternoon, DELICIOUS! You are so talented and thank you for sharing. It sure makes eating this way so much easier when you are not feeling deprived of yummy sweets.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Laurie. So good of you to let me know, it’s comments like this that keep me going.
Susan says
Thanks for this – my absolutely favorite flavor combination! One quick question about making the raspberry liquor – during the resting period, should I seal/close the jar or leave it so air can get in/out? I’m thinking of gas from fermentation potentially building up with nowhere to escape. Or does the vodka eliminate the risk of this? Thanks!
Carolyn says
No gas really builds up. It’s not fermenting so much as just aging so the flavour really comes through.
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
This look delicious and so pretty! I can’t wait to try them.
Arlene says
These are divine! Baked them for a work gathering and I know they’ll be a hit. Couldn’t wait two hours of cooling before trying one, oh my god!! Thank you Caroline, you’ve got a winner here!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Beautiful low carb brownies, Carolyn! Yes, I had pinned the recipe and image you speak of to our shared board with Kate of Diethood at Pinterest last Sunday evening, the 14th. First saw it at TasteSpotting. But, it happens all the time. Bakers think so alike! Don’t fret over it. Today, Averie, of Averie Cooks, posted a “chow mix” and I immediately scrolled down to see if her recipe was like mine. Thing is, all bakers love to concoct (it’s in our DNA as you are fully aware!) and our brains are always conceiving of new ideas for twists on old favorites. Love the Neapolitan swirly look of your brownies! xo
Terri says
Made them yesterday…and yes, they are as good as they look.
Carolyn says
Thanks Terri!