This coconut cheesecake has a macadamia nut crust and is unbelievably creamy and rich. It’s a low carb dessert that’s as tasty as it is beautiful, and is sure to impress your friends! Keto and sugar-free, this is the best coconut cheesecake you will ever eat.
I first created this gorgeous coconut cheesecake back in 2014 and it stands the test of time. One of the most loved keto cheesecake recipes here on All Day I Dream About Food. If you love coconut desserts, this will be a dream come true. Also try my coconut milk pudding or my coconut cream poke cake.
I am a grown woman with an excellent education and I can be extremely well spoken when need be. Put me in a formal setting or stand me up in front of an audience and I will mind my P’s and Q’s and speak like the intelligent being that I am. Make me angry and I will get very formal and very haughty and wither you with proper sentence construction and large, intimidating words.
But the truth is that I really prefer to sprinkle my speech with colloquialisms and slang. Here I am, 41 years of age, and I throw around the term “Dude!” like it’s going out of style. Seriously, dude, I use it all the time. It peppers my informal speech constantly, as do other 80’s slang terms like “totally” and “psyched”.
And I certainly don’t limit myself to any particular decade of slang. I pick up slang and colloquialisms from any generation and use them happily if they suit my purpose. I am a very expressive person and I feel like these words help me emphasize my point sometimes. Besides, they are just fun to say. I suspect I will be 80 and still saying “Dude!” when it feels like the right thing to say.
Keto Cheesecake for National Cheesecake Day
So when I saw that my friend Roxana was organizing bloggers for National Cheesecake Day, I believe my first words were “Hellz Yeah!”. And you know it’s true: hellz yeah is the only appropriate response to an invitation to take part in a celebration for cheesecake, whether it’s low carb cheesecake or not.
Normally I pay little mind to these made up food holidays, but low carb cheesecake recipes are a very important part of my life, so I must honour the holiday appropriately. Not only must I honour it, but I must bow before it as the ultimate keto dessert.
I mean, it’s cake, but it’s made with cheese and eggs and cream. As long as you can alter the crust and replace the sweetener, it’s an easy recipe makeover. Done right, it looks, tastes and feels just like the real thing. It IS the real thing, because let’s face it, using other sweeteners and making a nut crust is not making a fake cheesecake. It’s making a real and yet a healthier low carb cheesecake recipe. Rock on, dude!
Celebrate with Coconut Cheesecake
So for a moment, let’s discuss this particular cheesecake here, this Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust.
This one, my friends, is a thing of beauty, both inside and out. It’s the ambrosia of the gods. It is heaven on earth. It is, to get all colloquial on you, “Da Bomb”.
I mean, almost all cheesecake is good, but coconut cheesecake is exceptional. The texture was spot on, the filling seemed light and somewhat airy and yet was rich and creamy. The macadamia crust had a delicious crunch that offset the creamy filling. And the topping was whipped cream and toasted coconut. What’s not to love about that?
What you need to make Coconut Cheesecake
- Springform pan – these are essential for a good cheesecake, so do yourself a favor and get one!
- Cream cheese – and plenty of it!
- Coconut milk – the thick full fat coconut milk from a can
- Macadamia nuts – you want the raw ones so they don’t get overcooked when you bake the cake
- Coconut extract – to amp up that coconut flavor
- Shredded coconut – for the crust
- Flaked coconut – for the topping
- Heavy whipping cream – for the topping
Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1 cup finely shredded coconut unsweetened
- 3 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon oil or melted butter I used macadamia nut oil
Filling:
- 1 & ½ lbs cream cheese 3 8-ounce packages, softened
- ¾ to 1 cup Swerve Sweetener depending on how sweet you like it
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ⅔ cup full fat coconut milk canned, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
Topping:
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
- ½ cup large flaked coconut lightly toasted
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325F and wrap the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan in foil.
- In a food processor, process macadamia nuts on high until coarsely chopped.
- Add coconut, sweetener and salt and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (it may begin to clump together because of the high oil content of the macadamias).
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan and add oil or melted butter. Stir to combine well. Press mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove and let cool.
Filling:
- Reduce oven temperature to 300F.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese on medium until smooth. Beat in sweetener until well combined.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl and beaters as needed. Then beat in coconut milk, vanilla extract and coconut extract until smooth.
- Brush the sides of the springform pan with a little oil or melted butter and then pour the filling over the cooled crust.
- Place springform pan on a cookie sheet and place on the center rack on the oven. On the rack below, place a large baking dish filled with water.
- Bake 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until edges are set and center just barely jiggles when shaken. Remove and let cool completely.
- Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan and remove sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 or 4 hours.
Topping:
- In a large bowl, beat whipping cream, sweetener and extract until stiff peaks form. Spread over chilled cheesecake.
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut (I simply toasted mine in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking until coconut was lightly browned).
Ana says
Can you substitute with Splenda or stevia?
Carolyn says
Probably, but I haven’t tried those myself so I can’t guarantee the results.
Janet Bain says
I can answer that question as I used Splenda in all my cheesecakes on this site. Works great…except when doing a chocolate crust with cocoa powder it is a bit bitter….but we like the contrast with the sweet filling.
Maggie says
If you’re just using regular sugar instead of sweetener is it the same amount??
Carolyn says
Yes, same amount.
charity says
Could I use part or all mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese?
Carolyn says
I really have no idea, I didn’t try. But mascarpone isn’t really the same and I’d be worried about the texture.
Thera says
Hi, could I use sugar instead of the sweetner? If so, how much would I use?
Carolyn says
You can sub it in cup for cup.
Stacy says
This will now be a new tradition for our family. My first cheesecake ever! I did substitute Coconut Palm Sugar for the Swerve, making it a tan color. Also, I doubled the whipped topping. My son & daughter in law are Gluten Free and they absolutely loved it. Thanks for sharing!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Erica says
This looks amazing and I plan on using it as a birthday cake while on vacation with her family who is not low-carb. However I am actually having the opposite problem of most people that when I put the info into my fitness pal I am getting a total carb count per 1/16th slice of 4. Now I’m not complaining at all as that is wonderful, but we do 20 g of total carbs or less per day and I’m wondering how you got eight? Don’t want to accidentally overshoot.
Carolyn says
I used MacGourmet and I am pretty confident of my numbers on this one. But maybe you should split the difference, just in case?
Suzanne Vadnais says
I could not find anyplace on your blog to print a recipe ??? . I really wanted to print the mac crusted
coconut cheesecake. Suzanne
Carolyn says
There is a print button right on the recipe itself, right at the top right corner.
Colin says
I love cheesecake. I have made this twice (eating some later today) and it was amazing. I do have a question about the nutritional content. Like many I use myfitnesspal to log what I eat. When I do a bulk import of the ingredients and specify 16 servings, then I enter 1 serving it has around 21 carbs but your description has 8.9 carbs per 1/16 slice. Do you think it’s in the way that the app calculates the ingredients? I’d rather input a serving as part of the recipe but the numbers seem way off from what you’ve listed. I’m still eating it either way LOL.
Carolyn says
Nope, it’s the erythritol (Swerve). It technically has carbs but they never enter the bloodstream and are excreted whole in the urine so they don’t “count” and I don’t add them. I’ve tested this on myself numerous times, as I am pre-diabetic and it never moves the needle on my blood sugar.
Steve says
Planning on making this for a dinner and can’t wait! Unfortunately we don’t have any macadamia nuts where I live, I was wondering if the crust could be made substituting the macadamia nuts with cashews or some other nut?
I appreciate the help and the recipe!
Carolyn says
You can use any nut but macadamias have more oil so you may need to add a little extra butter to the crust.
Jill K says
Delicious cheesecake! The crust was the absolutely divine! I’ll be using it for other recipes that call for crust. This cheesecake got even better days after I made it. Husband approved, even, and that’s a tall order in the low carb realm.
It could have been somewhat sweeter, but wasn’t sure if I could add more swerve or not. Any thoughts?
Thanks, Carolyn, for such a great recipe. It will be my go to dessert to bring to gatherings. A real quality dessert.
Blessings,
Jill
Carolyn says
Sure, if you like things sweeter, you could add more swerve or even a little stevia to ramp up the sweetness.
kathy says
Anyone make this with low fat cream cheese?
K
gina says
I did. I just took it out of the oven after 2 hours because the top was burning, but the cheesecake wouldn’t stop jiggling. I hope it sets up when it cools completely.
Carolyn says
The cheesecake is not supposed to stop jiggling. Two hours is much too long. The center should still jiggle slightly.
Carolyn says
Oh, I see…low fat cream cheese. Yep, that would be the problem.
Elizabeth Lykins says
I have to say that this crust is the best crust I have ever tasted! I used coconut oil instead of macadamia oil. The cheesecake and topping were also excellent. Well done! No need for boring food in the low carb lifestyle. I am sharing this on my website.
Ed says
Carolyn
Thank you so much for posting all these great recipes, this cheesecake is indeed delish! I have one question regarding using granular erythritol isntead of swerve for the filling. I noticed that cooling effect after taste once the cake gets refrigerated, read several posts of people having same issue where granular erythritol gets re-crystallized after baking causing this noticeable taste. Is this the same whether we use swerve or any other brand of granular erythritol? Some recommend powdering it to prevent it from re-crystallizing, hence avoiding that problem. Your thoughts and other readers are greatly appreciated!
Carolyn says
I stopped using straight erythritol because of that cooling effect. For me, Swerve has none of it and is less likely to recrystallize as well. Some people still experience the cooling with it, but I don’t at all and most people also don’t. I hope that helps!
Suzanne Wedeking says
Any suggestions to replace the swerve sweetener? Would Agave or some other sweetener work? Thanks! Looks amazing– hoping to make for Easter dinner!
Carolyn says
You can use any sweetener although liquid sweeteners like agave will introduce more moisture.
Rhonda says
Can regular sugar or honey be used in place of the Swerve Sweetener? What would the measurements be for those?
Carolyn says
I don’t use sugar, so I can’t be sure but you should be able to sub it in in equal amounts. Honey would add too much liquid content.
Rhonda says
Thanks for the quick response. Not being familiar with Swerve I wasn’t sure if it was similar to Stevia, etc, where the amounts used are much smaller than sugar.
Carolyn says
Swerve is designed to measure cup for cup like sugar. So that should help!
Rhonda says
Thanks so much Carolyn, we are off to Maui in a few weeks and I am going to make this while there! It looks amazing!
Robyn says
What can you substitute for Swerve, I don’t have any and haven’t made the investment to buy online yet.. but I would love to try this recipe!
Carolyn says
What do you have?
Robyn says
Currently, I have liquid Stevia, Splenda & Xylitol – that is pretty much all I can find locally.
Carrie says
Thanks for the great recipe. I made this and the cheesecake was amazing but I thought the crust of macadamia nuts was a little over powering. Next time I make this I will use pecans for the crust.
Shannon says
This is one of the very best recipes I’ve ever made… LC or not! I made it for our New Year’s Eve get together with non-LCer’s, including four teen-ish boys. Everyone went back for more. Just sad that I had none leftover. 🙂 Thanks for this recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Martha says
Original question was how far in advance can this recipe be prepared and anyone have any experience with freezing this recipe? Thanks! Looks fabulous!
Carolyn says
I think it would probably freeze just fine.
Martha says
Hello moderator. Posted a question but mistyped my email address and didn’t realize until after I hit “send”. Mea culpa and please send notifications of comments to the correct email. Sorry and thank you.