These no bake keto cheesecake bars taste just like the orange creamsicles you loved as a kid! They’re easy to make and are totally sugar free and grain free. Whip some up today!
love no bake keto desserts like these easy creamsicle bars. And I love when the weather begins to warm up and I look forward to making and enjoying tasty sugar free treats like this one.
I’m going to be straight up honest and tell you that creamsicles were never my favorite flavor as a kid. Given the choice, I’d go with something chocolatey, like Fudgsicles. And of course I have a recipe for Keto Fudgsicles, which we make all summer long. If I had to pick something fruity, I’d go with cherry or lime.
Orange was pretty low on my list of flavors, even if it did have a creamy vanilla center.
But I have to admit that these keto creamsicle bars have made me change my tune. Orange, vanilla, and cream are simply gorgeous together, especially over a shortbread crust.
If I could have a do-over, I am pretty sure I would have eaten more creamsicles in my childhood. Lesson learned!
Updated Keto Creamsicle Bars Recipe
This recipe isn’t brand new, as it happens. I created it back in 2017, and I used stevia as the sweetener in both the crust and the filling.
And I got a number of comments from readers indicating that they found the bars to be quite bitter. Stevia is tricky that way and while mine turned out well, this was not the case for all readers. It seemed that some brands of stevia interacted with the orange extract to create a bitter flavor.
I do not like to have recipes on All Day I Dream About Food that aren’t over-the-top spectacular. That’s a tall order at times, because all of us experience these sweeteners a little differently.
But as stevia is quite overpowering to many people, I decided to update this recipe and make it more palatable to more people.
And boy, is it palatable. I discovered a whole new appreciation for creamsicles with this new version!
How to make keto creamsicle bars
This is an easy no bake cheesecake bar recipe. It only takes about 25 minutes to make, and the hardest part is waiting for them to firm up. Ready to get started?
The crust
The crust is simply a no-bake shortbread, consisting of 4 ingredients:
- almond flour
- powdered sweetener
- salt
- melted butter
If you can’t use almond flour, try another seed or nut flour in its place. Coconut flour does not make a good crust like this, it will be too crumbly and dry.
For the sweetener, as long as it is powdered, it should work well. A granular sweetener will be too gritty for this no bake recipe.
Creamsicle filling
As with many no bake cheesecakes, this one requires gelatin to help it set properly. It is not optional and I cannot recommend any good substitutes. I recommend good grassfed gelatin, rather than the commercial Knox gelatin found at most grocery stores.
- Dissolve the gelatin with the orange juice first. Yes, this recipe uses orange juice. No, it’s not enough to raise the carb count appreciably. Yes, it’s still keto. No, I am not going to offer you any substitutes.
- Beat the cream cheese with more powdered sweetener. Again, as long as the sweetener is the powdered kind, you can use whatever you like. Do be forewarned that sweeteners that include allulose may take longer to set. And some are more concentrated so be sure to read the package and see how sweet it is in compared to sugar.
- Use both vanilla and orange extract. Creamsicles are made with a vanilla ice cream center and this helps mimic that same flavor.
- Slowly drizzle in the gelatin mixture as you beat the cream cheese mixture, until well combined and smooth.
- To achieve a pretty orange color, use just a little a natural food coloring. There are a number of options but I like the powders from Color Kitchen.
- Spread the filling over the crust and refrigerate. This is where some patience is required, because it needs to set for 3 to 4 hours, at least.
- Garnish with some whipped cream and small slices of orange or some fresh orange zest. I like to cut long strips of orange zest with a cocktail peeler.
Storage information for keto creamsicle cheesecake bars
As with most cheesecake recipes, these bars need to be refrigerated at all times. They can be made ahead by a day or two, and cut into squares when you plan to serve.
More delicious no bake keto recipes
- Keto Snickers Cheesecakes
- Easy Keto Brownie Parfaits
- 5 Minute Keto Peanut Butter Mousse
- Dairy Free Keto Peppermint Patties
- French Style Keto Chocolate Mousse
- Keto Peanut Butter Fudge
Keto Creamsicle Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Filling
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon grassfed gelatin
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- zest of one medium orange
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Natural orange food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Crust
- Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture begins to clump together.
- Turn out into the prepared baking pan and press firmly and evenly into the bottom. Use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to even it out as much as possible. Freeze while making the filling.
Creamsicle Filling
- Pour the juice into a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Heat on high for about 20 to 30 seconds, and stir to dissolve the gelatin. Let cool to lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the sweetener, orange zest, vanilla extract and orange extract.
- Slowly drizzle in the orange juice/gelatin mixture with the beaters running. Beat in just enough natural food coloring to achieve a light orange color.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Chill until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
Anna Wisch says
Is there any other flour that could be used for the crust? I have tree nut allergies, can’t use any tree nut flours?.
Carolyn says
Have you ever tried sunflower seed flour?
Dawn says
Could I possibly use coconut flour instead of almond? Only because I have that!
Carolyn says
Coconut flour does not make a good crust like this.
Sonja says
I made this substituting lemon juice (didn’t use any extract) and used Serve. It is SOOOOO good.
Sonja says
“Swerve”
Betsy Stokes says
Hi! These also came our bitter to me. I think it was the extract, because I used Sweeve and not Stevia. Next time I will leave out the extract. Thanks, though. Other than the extract flavor, these were yummy! (I used Watkins Pure Orange Extract.)
Carolyn says
Ah, I used Frontier orange extract so that might be part of the difference!
Betsy says
Thanks for the tip. Is this what you use? It seems to be called “flavor” rather than extract here, so I might have the wrong product. Thanks for all you do!
https://www.iherb.com/pr/Frontier-Natural-Products-Orange-Flavor-Alcohol-Free-2-fl-oz-59-ml/35811?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkN3KBRCuARIsADT_flr2noG-ReEsmcGqlt5JRI5IlRwibk6fpb_K8AislcJIOqHcheUuWY8aAjXpEALw_wcB
Betsy says
I wonder if the problem is that if you use extract (which has alcohol in it), then the alcohol doesn’t get cooked off with these bars, and the whole thing ends up tasting like alcohol. If you use flavoring, there’s no alcohol in it, so you get just the flavor. I wonder if the bitterness that some think is the Stevia might be the alcohol in the extract? I could also be off-base. I’m a “faker,” not a “baker” (nod to Food Network), but it’s a thought. 🙂
Carolyn says
Possibly you’re on to something. That is the extract/flavour I used.
Katie | Good Life Eats says
These sound so perfect for summer!
Alyssa | EverydayMaven says
My kids are obsessed with creamsicle smoothies right now – they would love these bars!!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
Sooooo dreamy!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I LOVE Wholesome! And creamsicles! These bars have my name all over them!
Linda says
I assume I could do this with lemon?
Carolyn says
Absolutely!
Matt says
That flavor always takes me back and I can’t wait to make these for my boys!
Amy Locurto says
Wow! These look amazing!
Susan says
You know I eagerly await your creative recipe genius, right?! Made these the day the recipe was posted (even sent hubs to store for Valencia oranges)! Had to throw the entire pan down the disposer. So, so bitter. Ya’ll’s Stevia taste buds are definitely a different breed than ours. Will try again soon with Surkin confectioners…love the ease of your recipes as always!
Up next, those cheesy garlic bread muffins…..
Carolyn says
Sorry you found it so bitter. 🙁
Nancy says
The ingredients list on the Wholesome Organic Stevia begins with Blue Agave Inulin, followed by stevia, so it is not a straight stevia product, but a sweetener blend.
That inulin is a sweet tasting fiber, so it tempers the bitterness of the stevia… so sorry you used straight stevia and it was so bitter…
Lily’s Chocolate promotes itself as sweetened with stevia, but the first ingredient is erythritol…
It seems silly to me that companies that make low carb sweeteners and treats just cannot come right out and say they are making a blended sweetener product! We all do it in our own kitchens and appreciate it when a ready made product makes less work for us!!!
Best of luck the 2nd time!
Jen Beck says
Could this be made into 16 cupcakes instead? I’ve made the Kentucky Butter Cake and the Trimtastic cake (from the THM cookbook) into cupcakes with great success. I have parchment liners to line the muffin pans.
Carolyn says
Probably!
Jen Beck says
Thanks for your reply! Another question, I use Pyure, do I measure the same as Stevia?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think it’s as concentrated. The amount of Wholesome stevia I used for these comes to about 1/4 cup sugar equivalent in the crust and 1/2 cup sugar equivalent in the filling. Pyure is about 2x as sweet as sugar so you’d need 2 tbsp in the crust and 1/4 cup in the filling.
Edward says
If making these for a sugar-friendly crowd, any suggestions on how best to sub out the stevia?
Carolyn says
Sure. About 1/4 cup powdered sugar in the crust and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in the filling.
Sheryl says
Can I use Swerve instead of Stevia? If so, how much?
Carolyn says
About 1/4 cup in the crust and 1/2 cup in the filling, both using the confectioner’s
Deb says
Oh this sounds so delicious! Unfortunately, stevia is incredibly bitter tasting to me and I have tried all brands and types. Is there any way to substitute my Swerves for this recipe? Thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, absolutely. I rather expected to be asked that! The crust will take 1/4 cup powdered Swerve and the filling will take about 1/2 cup to maybe 3/4 cup powdered swerve. Adjust the sweetness of the filling to your liking.
Janet says
I’ve had the same experience with Stevia. I’ve not tried the brand she used because I’ve never seen it in the stores, but sweetleaf brand stevia is really good! I can get the packets in the store, I order the bottles online, and can get organic as well.
Dana Knowles says
I think it would be nice if you actually defined a serving size because you can’t really tell what the carbohydrate number is unless you prepare the dish cut the pieces and then do the math so it all seems a little bit loose eGo-C. The recipe however really looks delicious and I agree with all your techniques, like the lady above I would probably want to experiment with orange oil or extract and then see how it worked with orange juice. It can’t hurt to try it twice!
Carolyn says
Sorry, yes. It serves 16 and it’s supposed to say that at the top, I must have missed putting it in. But a square pan like that typically makes 12 to 16 and I always cut mine into 16. I am off to fix that now!
Veronica says
I am still confused….so one serving is how many carbs? Thank you….
Carolyn says
4.07g per bar. It makes 16 bars.
Lisa says
The nutrition facts are per serving but I don’t see how many servings are expected. You could divide a 9×9 pan into 16ths or 9ths or …?
Carolyn says
Sorry, that got missed. 16 servings and I’ve added that in now.
Melanie Mattox says
How do you store leftovers in the fridge? Do you cover it – does condensation occur if you do? Been a long time since I’ve done cheesecake and I want this one to be SPECIAL ! Thanks !
Carolyn says
I kept them in the fridge but actually they were uncovered, just in the pan. They did fine for 3 days.
Alys says
These look amazing. I love all of your desserts. I wonder why orange juice? I don’t really keep it in the house because of the carbs. Could I use orange extract instead do you think? Would I need to add 1/4 cup of a liquid like cream to account for it? If orange juice is necessary no biggie. I can pick some up. But I adopt your recipes for regular rotation in my house so I know I won’t always have oj in the fridge. 🙂
Carolyn says
Don’t buy a carton of OJ, just buy a single orange. That way, you can use both the zest and the juice from it with no leftovers. While I like orange extract and there is some in here, real orange zest and juice gives it the best flavour.