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.
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Love all your recipes!! Tyvm
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.
When I was a kid, my mom made a cheesecake with strawberry jello on top, and I always considered that to be the one that “set the bar”. Well, you’ve matched it in taste but surpassed it by making it keto. It’s my hubby’s fave dessert, my daughter & son-in-law rave about it, and my BFF called it “the perfect cheesecake”. I couldn’t agree more. Thank you so so much for bringing back fond memories and providing new ones for me and my family!
Do you prefer erythritol or allulose?
Did you read the FAQ section where I talk about using allulose and the cheesecake took over 24 hours to set? I think Swerve is the best for this recipe.
Can you cut the cream cheese down? To say like 16 oz?
Are you trying to make a smaller cheesecake? If you only cut back on the cream cheese, you’re going to have a mess on your hands. All ingredients need to be scaled accordingly.
So, finally made this yesterday, and let it in the fridge until today to try it. It has THEE PERFECT cheesecake consistency density. I am thrilled that I made this. Next time I will leave out the zest, as I prefer a more vanilla flavor than a lemon one, but that is just a personal preference thing.
Thanks for this recipe, Carolyn. It’s a keeper for sure!!
How did it come out without the lemon zest???
I have been known amongst my family for my traditional NY style cheesecakes for decades. I just made this recipe of yours for the first time, and it’s in the oven as I type this. I must say that the batter tastes almost exactly the same as the traditional cheesecake I always make for my family.
I am in LOVE with the shortbread crust in your recipe for lemon cheesecake bars, so I made that crust for the bottom of this cheesecake. I can’t wait to eat this tomorrow. Like always, cheesecake requires overnight chilling in the fridge in order for the flavors to bloom. I’m really looking forward to this.
Enjoy, hope it tastes as good as you hope it does! 🙂
I’m so excited to try this! Would it be possible to make the topping with frozen fruit?
Absolutely!
Gonna try this tonight, but think I’ll add that perfect shortbread crust recipe of yours (from the lemon cheesecake bars) as the crust. I have made traditional cheesecake for decades, and am missing it.
So delicious! Thank you much for sharing!
I made this cheesecake yesterday for my daughter’s birthday celebration. She requested it instead of our usual birthday cake because she is trying to eat less sugar. I must say that it came out perfect and delicious! I used a 9” springform pan and baked it 80 minutes. I topped it with fresh blackberry sauce and fresh whole blackberries. It was rich and creamy and everyone loved it!
Donna
Happy Birthday to your daughter!
An absolutely delicious New York style cheesecake with some of the best “making” directions I have ever encountered. I had to bake both of the ones I made for the 90 minutes and they both came out picture perfect looking when sliced and plated. I served them with a choice of Maine blueberries and Keto brownies, so most people had to have 2 pieces!!!
So good to hear!
Hi can you freeze the cheese cake in individual pieces.
I can’t see why not!
Even with swerve at zero carbs, the carb count seems off a bit. 24 oz of cream cheese is 45 net carbs. Total recipe seems a little over 50 so at 12 servings, that’s just over 4 net carbs. It’s still keto friendly but I can’t find the difference ad I am wondering if I am missing something. I am a cheesecake addicts I will still try it, but I might cut smaller slices.
Sounds to me like you are purchasing cream cheese that has too many fillers. 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.
Carolyn, I’m ready to make this cheesecake for the first time and I’m enthusiastically encouraged by the fact that I can change the number of servings when in the recipe. I’ve noticed that several people are unsure about measurements if they scale down the recipe and I just thought I’d share a few thoughts about changing measurements of ingredients. First, if you are scaling down to 6 servings from 12 (as the recipe is written), just about everything works easily with the exception of the sour cream which comes in at .38 cups. If you think about your old math measurements, 1/3 cup is equivalent to .33 cups so .38 cups of sour cream is just a lightly rounded 1/3 cup of sour cream! Sometimes we make things much harder for ourselves just because we’re out of our element. Also, for those who are looking to reduce the cost of Swerve sweetener: Swerve is just erythritol and can be purchased as that MUCH cheaper than Swerve. If you look at the ingredients listed for Swerve, erythritol is the only ingredient. Just search Amazon for erythritol to check for a wide range of prices. Hope this helps others!
Thanks, Cheryl..glad to know erythritol is the same as Swerve, these things can be so confusing!
Ive made this many times and love it so much i think it competes with traditionally made cheesecake ! I do have a question do i cut it to make 12 slices for the 3g carb count ?
How are you cutting it right now? I typically eyeball it but if I have to portion it out equally, I get a really big sharp knife, heat it up a bit, and cut once straight through the middle. Then imagine it as a clock and cut right between where 1 and 2 o’clock would be, across to where right between 7 and 8 o’clock would be. Then once right between where 4 and 5 would be to where 10 and 11 would be. That will cut it into 6ths, and then you simply cut each of those wedges in half.
Baking in the oven right now for a Christmas Day treat. I added a crust made from my keto granola. Will probably drizzle some cranberry sauce on my piece tomorrow. Thanks for all the great recipes and Merry Christmas.