These creamy keto cheesecake bars feature the decadent combination of salted caramel sauce and toasted pecans. So heavenly, you’d never know it’s healthy and sugar free!
If you love my keto caramel sauce, you are going to love love love this recipe. You know how I know? Because I love love love this recipe!
It takes keto cheesecake bars to new heights. They are so creamy, with a rich salted caramel flavor and a crisp pecan crust. The textures and flavors complement each other perfectly.
I found them so delightful, it was hard to share. I gave a few to a friend and regretted it almost immediately. And I may have called my husband a few choice names when I found out he ate the last one! He knows better for next time.
If you love caramel and pecans, check out Keto Turtles and my gooey Keto Pecan Pie too.
Updated keto cheesecake bars
These salted caramel cheesecake bars have been on my site since 2015 and I’ve been planning to update them for a while now. But I put it off several times and now I think that was serendipity.
Because the folks at Swerve have just come out with a new allulose sweetener blend! I gave it a test drive in my caramel sauce and in these cheesecake bars and it works perfectly. The caramel is rich and smooth, the bars are sweet and creamy, and I am in keto dessert heaven.
I also updated the crust and made it with pecan flour, just like my Keto Blueberry Jamboree. I figured pecans and and salted caramel always go well together. And I made the filling a little thicker.
Do I need to say anything more? I think I’ve made my case!
Reader Reviews
“I made these for my husband for Father’s day. What a treat! These make staying Keto on a holiday a complete breeze! Thank you and I can’t wait to try more recipes!” — Kris
“Third time making these ???? They are one of my favourites???????? Thank you for your wonderful recipes.” — Janet
“Made the salted caramel sauce yesterday (pretasting was very promising), made the bars this morning. Just had my first piece of it. I AM IN HEAVEN!!!!!!!!” — Wendy
Ingredients you need
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- Keto Caramel Sauce: Plan ahead and make my keto caramel sauce in advance. You need to let it cool to room temp. If you already have some in your fridge, gently re-warm it to make it pourable again.
- Pecan flour: I switched things up a bit and used pecan flour in the crust. I used this one from Fisher Nuts and it baked up nicely. You can use almond flour in the exact same amount.
- Sweetener: For the crust, use an erythritol sweetener like Swerve so that it firms up and crisps up properly. For a super smooth filling, I recommend Swerve Confectioners.
- Cream cheese: Full fat cream cheese gives you the creamiest filling. I never recommend using reduced fat for a cheesecake recipe.
- Heavy cream: A little heavy cream helps thin out the cheesecake layer and make it even creamier.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, salt, vanilla extract
Step-by-step instructions
1. Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture starts to clump together.
2. Bake the crust: Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of ta 9×9 inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes at 325ºF and then remove and let cool while preparing the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 275ºF.
3. Beat the cream cheese: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for two minutes on medium until very smooth. Beat in caramel sauce and sweetener until well combined.
4. Add the eggs: Beat in the sweetener, extract, heavy cream, and salt until smooth. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Pour over the cooled crust and spread to the edges.
5. Bake: Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until cheesecake is set but still jiggles slightly in the center. Remove and let cool completely, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
6. Garnish: Cut into bars and drizzle each with more caramel sauce. You may need to rewarm the sauce to make it pourable again. Sprinkle the tops with chopped pecans and sea salt if desired.
Expert tips
I recently learned that beating the cream cheese for a while before adding any other ingredients really helps the texture. I do this for all of my keto cheesecake now! Make sure the cream cheese is quite well softened before you start.
Remember, a little jiggle is a good thing. You know the cheesecake is done when it’s mostly set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
Don’t rush the chill time: A properly chilled cheesecake is worth the wait! These bars will be much easier to cut and have a better texture if you let them chill for the full 2 hours.
Nut-free Option: Make the crust with sunflower seed flour and skip the pecans on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main ingredients in Keto Caramel Sauce are butter, Swerve Brown, allulose, and heavy cream. It is delicious over ice cream, cheesecake, or straight up with a spoon!
Keto salted caramel bars have 3.3g of carbs and 1.4g of fiber per serving. Thus they have 1.9g net carbs per bar.
Cover the cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap or waxed paper. It will last in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze the cheesecake bars but I recommend leaving off the caramel topping until you are ready to serve. They will be good in the freezer for at least 2 months.
Keto Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups pecan flour or almond flour
- ¼ cup Swerve Sweetener Granular or powdered both work
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese well softened
- ½ cup Keto Caramel Sauce room temperature
- ½ cup Swerve Confectioners or Swerve allulose
- ½ teaspoon vanilla or caramel extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Topping
- ¼ cup Keto Caramel Sauce
- ⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans optional
- Sea salt for sprinkling if desired
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and lightly grease a 9×9 inch metal baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pecan flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture starts to clump together.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes and then remove and let cool while preparing the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 275ºF.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese for two minutes on medium until very smooth. Beat in caramel sauce and sweetener until well combined.
- Beat in the sweetener, extract, heavy cream, and salt until smooth. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Pour over the cooled crust and spread to the edges.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until cheesecake is set but just jiggles slightly in the center. Remove and let cool completely, then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Topping
- Cut into bars and drizzle each with more caramel sauce. You may need to rewarm the sauce to make it pourable again. Sprinkle the tops with chopped pecans and sea salt if desired.
Erika says
I plan to make these this week so I can enjoy a dessert on Thanksgiving when everyone else is eating pie. Does the carb count include the carbs from the caramel sauce on top too? Just trying to make sure I’m counting correctly! Also if I make it on Tuesday will it keep until Thursday in the fridge?
Carolyn says
Yup, it includes the carbs from the caramel sauce.
Gayle Hart says
Can you use erythritol in place of Swerve?
Carolyn says
Yes, but just be forewarned that your caramel sauce may recrystallize more.
Nickie A Bray says
Hi, Carolyn. Thank you for this recipe – I have a couple of cakes that did not go as well as I’d hoped. I think I am going to crumble them to make a crust for the cheesecake. Well, actually the chocolate pound cake came out great, but I made 3 and it’s just too much. The raspberry cake, well, I need more practice.
For those who do wonder, Carolyn always recommends Swerve. But I am ever the doubter. I did try yesterday making 2 cakes – one with Swerve and one with Splenda. Definitely not the same. Swerve wins hands down in texture, and it rose better than the Splenda.
Ever the rebel, I will probably keep pushing the rules, but Carolyn is the “low carb test kitchen” and she does know best!
Robyn says
What is swerve sweetener please?
Carolyn says
Click the link, it will take you to the product. 🙂
Karen says
Carolyn,
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Can I freeze the bars with the carmel sauce on them? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I wouldn’t…it will recrystallize too much.
AnnMarie says
Can you use xylitol in place of the Swerve?
Carolyn says
No, xylitol does not caramelize very well.
Aimee says
This looks amazing!! But I can’t handle swerve. Can I use splenda?
Carolyn says
I am sorry, but Splenda does not caramelize so it is not a good option here.
Judy H says
I had not tried the caramel sauce until this recipe. Next day made BOTH! Cheesecake being my absolute favorite in any size, shape or form, this is in my “Make it Often” file. YUMMY!
Vivian says
Made these yesterday and they look divine! (Having them after dinner tonight). My husband had one and said it was a, “tasty little morsel”! I can tell they will be wonderful from licking the bowls while making them. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
jeanine says
I wonder if there is way to make these have an apple component so they are caramel apple? what a great fall treat!! thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
You could try adding about 1 cup of finely chopped apple and some apple extract.
Wendy says
Made the salted caramel sauce yesterday (pretasting was very promising), made the bars this morning. Just had my first piece of it.
I AM IN HEAVEN!!!!!!!!
Wendy (the Netherlands)
Carolyn says
Thanks, Wendy!
Kim says
Just wanted to thank you for another wonderful recipe. These are delicious!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Jkim says
Hi Carolyn,
I worry about losing photo files, too. I don’t quite trust the cloud or Dropbox. I know I should get an external hard drive, but I have a Mac and it seems to still be a PC world. what drive do you use? I think maybe you’re also a Mac person.
Thanks!
And thanks for PB and chocolate, part 2. I’ll never outgrow my love for peanut butter–or chocolate. That you can make them so deliciously low carb is wonderful.
Sherri says
Hi Carolyn, first time to comment…..long time follower! I too want to thank you for your FABULOUS blog, website, RECIPES, and beautiful food photos!!
‘alldayidreamaboutfood.com’ is my first site I visit whenever I want to see what’s out there in the LC world. I have made many of your recipes and have tagged many more to try. Keep on keeping on.
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Sherri!
Alyssa (EverydayMaven) says
I know what you mean about the family photos vs. food photos and totally agree! I need to start storing in the cloud as well as my backup. What service do you use (and are you happy with it)?
Carolyn says
I use dropbox but it was part of the problem once. Not really sure what happened but I moved a bunch of photos one time while I was on a plane and then I couldn’t find them later. It could be that something went wrong with the sync later, but it also could be that I saved them to a shared file with my sister and she accidentally cleaned them out. Not sure.
Donna Hup says
Just looking at these has me drooling! I can’t wait to try these!
Kate says
Carolyn, your recipes have been my favorites for a long time, and I’ve never voiced this here. I just wanted you to know that this old Low Carb gal really appreciates your efforts, and this recipe really put me over the top. I love salted caramel but can’t eat it, so this entry really is amazing. As always with your recipes, I already have everything I need.
Thank you for your hard work, outstanding images, and the many hours you put into perfecting the best recipes online for those of us who prefer or medically need to eat Low Carb.
Carolyn says
Thanks for your kind words, Kate!
Kristin says
Here here! I totally agree! Thanks, Carolyn!
Gabriel @ The Dinner Special podcast says
Totally feel your photography and computer pains!! But if each time these tasty treats are there waiting for me, I’d be okay with that. These look amazing!
Michele says
I think I just fell in love a little bit. Maybe a lot. I MUST make these! I’ll review once I do. 😉
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Ugh anytime my computer fails it’s definitely the pictures I worry most about and agreed, for the pictures of place and people not the food so much. This is why I am scared of cloud storage and still use my physical back up external drive, but even that can fail one day. Back in the days of film I always kept all my negatives and even got double prints so I have extras hidden away in boxes if needed. I used to tell myself I would still print out all my digital photos but I tend to only print a very select few of them to be put into frames. Anywho, that being said, if you need some photos destroyed of food so that you have to make them again, I’ll help you out 😉
Karen says
One Word: OMG !!!