This is the best keto cheesecake recipe! So rich and creamy, it will make you swoon at the first bite. With only 3g of carbs per slice, you can dig in with gusto!
Let’s just get this straight right now. Keto cheesecake is possibly as close to heaven as you will get on this earth. Or at least as close to heaven as you will get on a ketogenic diet.
I really do have a passion for making cheesecake and I am grateful that it’s so easy to make without sugar. When I first embarked on a low carb diet, cheesecake was among the first keto dessert recipes I made. And it was so good, I kept dreaming up all sorts of different flavors. Now I’ve got everything from Keto Strawberry Cheesecake to Mini “Snickers” Cheesecakes.
So you might say that it’s one of the things that keeps me happily sticking to my healthy diet. As long as I know that there is keto cheesecake in the world, I can handle anything.
Why you must try this recipe
This keto cheesecake recipe is made in the New York style. You may well be wondering how that differs from classic cheesecake, and I’ve got one word for you: texture.
New York cheesecake is more dense and creamy than the regular kind. It’s so smooth and rich, it’s like velvet on your tongue. And it has a very simple flavor profile, without too many additions. Most people top it with a simple berry sauce.
It often includes sour cream or heavy cream, and sometimes even a little butter to give it a unique velvety texture.
The end result is so rich and delicious, it doesn’t even need a crust! That keeps it simple and even lower in carbs. So you can eat more of it!
Reader Testimonials
“I’ve been making this cheesecake for over a year now and it comes out great every time. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe. It’s so nice to have a treat and not feel guilty about it.” — Annette
“This is absolutely THE BEST cheesecake I have ever made or tasted. Nothing else nowadays comes close to these macros while being *more* delicious than the sugar-laden cheesecakes out there. My non keto inlaws loved it and didn’t know it was sugar free.” — Angela
Ingredients you need
- Full fat cream cheese: Read the labels and avoid brands with lots of fillers, which can raise the carb count. 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.
- Butter: This recipe uses unsalted butter.
- Powdered sweetener: I highly recommend using Swerve Confectioners for this cheesecake. I made this for a friend recently using an allulose based sweetener, and it took almost 24 hours to set properly in the fridge. So be mindful that any changes to the original recipe may affect the outcome.
- Sour cream: The addition of sour cream gives the filling a rich, velvety texture.
- Lemon zest: The lemon zest adds flavor but it’s not required for texture. Feel free to leave it out, or add lime zest or orange zest instead.
- Vanilla extract: Feel free to play with the flavors and use other extracts, such as almond.
- Eggs: Always use large eggs, and make sure they are room temperature.
Step-by-step directions
1. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment to fit the bottom the pan and grease the paper. Wrap 2 pieces of aluminum foil around the outside of the pan to cover the bottom and most of the way up the sides.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. Then beat in the powdered sweetener until well combined.
3. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until the batter is smooth. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just barely combined. Pour the batter in the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan gently on the counter a few times to help release any air bubbles.
4. Set the pan inside a roasting pan large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
5. Bake 70 to 90 minutes, until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles just a little in the center when shaken. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, then carefully remove the springform pan from the water bath. Let cool to room temperature.
6. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake to loosen, the release the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Expert tips
Bain marie: Using a water bath, or a bain marie, creates a gentle heat the cooks the cheesecake slowly. This is a vital part of creating a rich, creamy texture. Make sure you wrap the pan tightly in foil so that water doesn’t leak in during cooking.
Room temperature ingredients are a must! If you add cold liquids or eggs to the cream cheese, it will clump badly. And once it becomes lumpy, it’s hard to rescue and smooth it out again.
Add the eggs last: This is one of the best pieces of advice I can give for making ANY cheesecake, keto or not. It helps you avoid over-beating the cheesecake mixture, which can cause cracking.
Don’t over-beat: Overly vigorous mixing whips air into cheesecake batter, causing it to rise and puff up, and then fall and crack as it cools. Beat each egg in until just combined and stop right there.
Jiggle it, just a little bit. You know your cheesecake is done when it’s mostly set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan.
Want to add a crust? If you really want a crust for your keto cheesecake, you can use the shortbread crust from Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars. Press it into the pan, and pre-bake as directed in that recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most cheesecake recipes have a high sugar content and shouldn’t be consumed on a keto diet. However, with a few minor changes, you can make cheesecake that is very low in carbs. And as it has a high fat content, it’s an ideal keto dessert.
This keto cheesecake recipe has only 2.9g total carbs per serving. This does not include the easy berry sauce or any other toppings or additions.
Absolutely! This cake freezes like a dream. You can freeze the entire cake or cut it into individual slices and freeze those. As always, wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn. It will be good for at least 2 months.
There are a number of possibilities. It could be that you over-beat the mixture, so be careful there. It may also be that you didn’t cool it properly before chilling. Once it cools to room temperature, run a sharp knife just around the inside of the pan to loosen it before you release the pan sides. Otherwise the sides will pull the cheesecake apart and cause cracks.
Serving Suggestions
This wonderful keto cheesecake is a blank slate. You can eat it simply as it is or you can add some delicious toppings. I’ve included a simple sugar-free berry sauce in the recipe notes. But you might also like these other delicious ideas:
Keto Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 5 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F and generously grease a 9-inch springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment to fit the bottom the pan and grease the paper. Wrap 2 pieces of aluminum foil around the outside of the pan to cover the bottom and most of the way up the sides.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter for 1 to 2 minutes, until completely smooth. Then beat in the sweetener until well combined.
- Add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Scrape down the beaters and the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs, once at a time, beating each until just barely combined. Pour into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top.
- Set the pan inside a roasting pan large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake 70 to 90 minutes, until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles just a little in the center when shaken. Remove the roasting pan from the one, then carefully remove the springform pan from the water bath. Let cool to room temperature.
- Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake to loosen, the release the sides of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Mary says
Would substituting lime zest and adding a little lime juice work also ?
Carolyn says
Sure!
Fonda Carver says
My cheesecake turned out really good. I’m really proud of my first try. I won’t be intimidated by cheesecake anymore, lol. Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
Yay, I am so glad you got outside your comfort zone and tried it out!
Fonda Carver says
This is the first time I have made this cheesecake. After I cool to room temperature do I flip upside down onto a serving plate and remove the ring and bottom of pan before chilling for 4 hours, or do I leave it on the bottom pan and serve. I hope I am making sense, lol.
Carolyn says
Hi Fonda! Definitely don’t flip it out – you want the top to stay as the top. Once it cools, refrigerate it still on the bottom part of the pan. You can loosen the sides after running a sharp knife around them, but you can tighten them back up to protect it if you want. Or you can remove them and chill it just on the bottom. Once it’s fully chilled, it will be firmer. Then, as long as you lined the bottom with parchment, you can slide a big spatula or two underneath the parchment and gently move it to a platter. Or you can just serve right from the bottom of your pan!
Fonda Carver says
Carolyn, thank you for responding back so quickly. I’m just about to put it into the fridge. I decided to cool in the pan in the fridge. I just hope it turns out good. This is my first time make a cheesecake from scratch. Keep your fingers crossed, lol!
Carolyn says
As long as you already ran the sharp knife around it, you should be good to go!
Samantha Burns says
Wanting to try this but wondering if lemon juice can be substituted for the peel/rind? We aren’t usually a fan of rind but didn’t know if the juice would cause issues or how much. Has anyone tried?
Carolyn says
Just add a tablespoon or so, it should be fine.
Angie says
It was amazing, I loved it! Thank you for this and all you do,
Carolyn says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Kristen waltz says
Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker?
Carolyn says
I am sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe in a slow cooker so I can’t advise.