Sweet, creamy, and low in carbs, this New York-style Keto Cheesecake will delight your senses. It has all the rich flavor of the classic, without the sugar. And only 3g carbs per serving!
Keto New York Cheesecake is possibly as close to heaven as you will get on this earth. Bold statement, I know, but it’s how I feel every time I take a bite of this luscious dessert.
When I embarked on a low carb diet, it was among the first dessert recipes I attempted to make over. And it was so good, I kept experimenting with all sorts of different flavors. Now I’ve got everything from rich keto chocolate cheesecake to individual keto cinnamon roll cheesecakes. But this simple New York style recipe remains among my favorites.
You may well be wondering how New York cheesecake that differs from other recipes, and I’ve got one word for you: texture. It is more dense and creamy than the regular kind. So smooth and rich, it’s like velvet on your tongue. And it has a very simple, clean flavor profile, without too many additions. Many people top it with a simple berry sauce.
★★★★★
Elizabeth says: “Carolyn thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It has become my husband’s absolute favorite dessert. He requests is every holiday! I’ve made it so many times I have it memorized now. Even the non-low-carb eaters in our family love it!“
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese: I recommend full-fat cream cheese for the best consistency.
- Powdered sweetener: You can use any sweetener you like best for this recipe, with some caveats. For more information, please read the Sweetener Options section.
- Sour cream: The addition of sour cream gives the cheesecake an ultra-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.
How to Make New York Keto Cheesecake
- Prepare the pan: Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment 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.
- Beat the cream cheese: Beat the cream cheese on its own for 1 to 2 minutes until super smooth, then beat in the sweetener. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Be sure to scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs: Add each egg separately and beat in until just barely combined.
- Transfer to the pan: Pour the batter into the pan and set the whole pan inside a large roasting pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan
- Bake: Bake the cheesecake for 70 to 90 minutes, until mostly set but still jiggles just a little in the center when shaken.
- Chill: Loosen the pan sides and let cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Carolyn’s Tips for Success
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.
Add the eggs last! This goes for ANY cheesecake, keto or not. It helps you avoid over-beating the cheesecake mixture, which can cause cracking. Over-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.
You know your cheesecake is done when it’s mostly set but the center still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan. Shake gently so that you don’t get any water into 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.
Sweetener Options
As previously noted, you can use your favorite sweetener in this recipe. However, I want you to be aware that it may affect the outcome to some degree. I have made this recipe with erythritol, with allulose, and with a mix of the two.
Allulose tends to make the cheesecake very soft, even after chilling. And the more allulose you use, the softer it is. It takes at least 24 hours to firm up properly and if it sits out too long, it can soften up again. As long as you are aware of these issues, feel free to use what you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 New York Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (142.5 g) powdered sweetener
- 3/4 cup (172.5 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tsp (1.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF 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 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Carolyn – I have never failed on any of your recipies. I have your books, and tried A LOT of them. Thank you. This cheesecake is in the oven now. It looks beautiful. Batter tasted great. Thank you for all you do.
Hi Carolyn,
I sent you an email about this fabulous cheesecake but thought I should comment here too. It’my first keto cheesecake recipe and it will be my only one..it turned out perfect in every way. The last time I baked a cheesecake was about 25 years ago. I am so happy to be baking again because keto meals and desserts keep me very slim..I dont have to worry ahout weight gain which is the best way to feel about food. No guilt trips,
And the Shrimp Bacon Chowder soup with Pull Apart Bread was so easy to make and tastes wonderful. Evrything I have made from your recipes have all turned out for me…so I am so happy to be baking and cooking keto style which is my lifestyle now.
Thanks so much
Is this freezable?!
Sure, just wrap it up tightly!
Carolyn, I made this cheesecake yesterday; I followed all instructions. After I chilled it for 4 hours, I went to slice it up into serving sizes. What a mess!!! The cheesecake stuck to the knife. It was just so soft and gooey. The cake is very delicious except for it being extremely soft and gooey. What did I do wrong.
Sounds like it wasn’t fully baked through. Your oven may run cool.
I have made this cheesecake a few times now……and I love it each & every time! I definitely prefer the updated version of the base too. Thanks for this awesome recipe.
So glad to hear that!
Hi! Can I use allulose instead of Swerve? Thanks!!
All I can say to this is “I think so”. That concentration of allulose upsets my stomach very badly so I can’t test it and I can’t say what the consistency of the cheesecake will be.
Can this be made with a crust? Will it cook the same?
I found a cheese cake recipe that has a pecan crust but I love your cake recipe.
Plus can it be made in an 8” pan?
I’m new to Keto and I’m not use to using these ingredients so I don’t know how sensitive they are to change.
Sure! You need to bake the crust for 10 minutes alone first, and let it cool a bit. This gives it better consistency.
Love This! Cant even tell it’s Keto. I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times already and anyone who has tried it – LOVED IT! Thanks.
One question: I did not have 9-inch springform and thus used a 7-inch pan and 2 4-inch pan and the height of the cheese cake looks right — and I love this cheesecake. If I were to make this in a 10-in springform, how much more batter do I need? Or maybe the height of the cake is possibly ok with 10-in pan?
Finally got the time to make this and it’s absolutely gorgeous!! My 10 year old said it was the best she had tasted. I am trying to cut out sugar in the kids diets and your recipes are always winners. Thankyou.
Glad to hear it!
I need to make this cheese cake this week and I am out of powder Swerve, however i still have powder BochaSweet, can I use powder BochaSweet? will the texture come out the same or will it be too soft if I use BochaSweet powder?
I am honestly not entirely sure since I have never made a cheesecake only with BochaSweet. I think since it’s a baked recipe, it should be fine.
Why do you use confectioners sugar in this one and half confectioners and half granular in the chocolate one? I’m asking because I came up with a recipe for a chocolate cheesecake before I found yours and I used confectioners and it isn’t even close to sweet enough.
It’s actually more for whipping the proper air into the batter. It’s not really a huge difference, though. Sounds like you need t add more sweetener to yours.
This cake is perfect. I made it last week to take with us to a vacation home we were sharing with two other couples. I made a blueberry sauce with local Michigan blueberries and a little Swerve and orange zest. It added some carbs but it was SO good.
The texture of the cake was absolutely perfect, and no cracks. I based mine for exactly 80 minutes; the center still jiggled a little and the top was beginning to color…perfect. One person in our party said, “I don’t really care for cheesecake but this is delicious,” and then he had another piece for breakfast the next day.
As always, your dessert recipes never disappoint. Thanks for all your hard work keeping us well fed and happy!
Hi can I use granulated sugar instead of powdered?
Granulated sweetener? It may end up re-crystallizing a bit but if it’s all you have, you can try it.
SO DELICIOUS. I love this recipe! It’s my third time making them and I swear they get better each time!
I made this recipe as a surprise birthday dessert for my husband who is on keto. I also have a 14 year old and 11 year old. I served it and my husband knew it was keto but my kids did not. It was a HUGE hit all the way around. The kids each has two pieces. My husband made me show him the recipe because he didn’t believe it was keto friendly. Thanks for this great recipe!!! I will be making this again soon. ????