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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Here’s my sad story with a sorta happy ending with this cheesecake, After softening the cream cheese and butter for at least 5 hours on the counter, along with the eggs, when I attempted Step 2 in my Kitchen Aid, the ingredients immediately formed a small bosu ball shape. After 2 attempts at cleaning the mixer blade (and wiping the powdered Swerve mist off the counter) and continuing “mixing,”, I wound up blending by hand (I don’t have a bowl that accommodates my hand mixer, and anyway there you have 2 blades instead of 1 to clean, yuck). By the time I added the eggs, there were still lumps in the mixture, but by then I was over it and decided the heck with it, it’s gonna get baked as is. So it came out tasting pretty good, if you don’t mind the occasional lump of butter/cheese/whatever. This is so incredibly rich that it would take the 2 of us 6 months to finish it, so I’m gonna freeze the leftovers. Bottom line: jury is still out on whether I would make this again. The thought of having to leave the ingredients out overnight to soften even more than I already did is kinda daunting.
Sounds like they weren’t properly softened (not necessarily your fault, but if your house is chilly, they stay too firm!). OR… you use a cream cheese that had a lot of added fillers and didn’t work well. Did you use the sour cream? That should thin things out considerably.
You don’t have to let things stay out overnight to soften properly. A quick 15 second zap in the microwave helps soften them enough to beat properly.
Yes , I used the sour cream. Thanks for the microwave tip, tho ❤️
Something went awry and I can’t figure out quite what but yes… your butter and cream cheese should have been super smooth before moving forward. I am guessing that temperature was part of it and that they just weren’t as softened as you need them to be.
This cheesecake was amazing, so creamy and full of flavor!! It was the perfect dessert for our weekend!
Glad to hear it!
Cheesecake is one of the best keto treats. So creamy and delicious!
I just died and went to heaven. I made this tonight with the crust recommended from your lemon cheesecake bars and also made your caramel sauce to top it. SO SO SO good! Probably the best cheesecake I have ever made! Thank you for everything you do Carolyn. I have yet to find a recipe of yours that I don’t absolutely love.
Oh my… scrumptious!!! I was going to do one that asked for 6 box of cream cheese and I just thought that was too much, I searched and found your recipe I am so happy I did it’s perfect and it taste just like the real thing or better. Thank you!
what can i replace with sour cream? I know some will recommend yogurt but is it fine to replace it with cream instead?
New York cheesecake (and this recipe) require the sour cream for proper texture. More cream cheese won’t really do it although you can try greek yogurt.
OMG! this is my favorite Keto Cheesecake recipe! Hubby loves it, I love it. Easy to make. I can’t praise it enough. Thank you for this recipe!
We will never go back . . . this is amazing.
Can I make this dairy free I can not eat dairy
No, this is a dairy cheesecake.
There are vegan cheesecakes that use raw cashews. I’ve never made one but they look great. You should be about to find a recipe on Pinterest. That’s where I saw it.
Sadly, cashews aren’t low carb so not for me! 🙂
I do not own a springform pan but really want to make this! Is there anything else I can use?
Not really sure what to say. Since it’s crustless, it won’t come out of any other pan very nicely.
This is a fantastic and guilt-free recipe! My family can’t get enough of this cheesecake, I may have to do it again this week!
Cheesecake is my favorite – Thanks for a great Keto Recipe!
My daughter and I just love cheesecake, so excited to make this recipe! This looks amazing and absolutely delicious. Definitely going to be a huge hit here!
Best cheesecake there is and I’ve tried them all I make one week
Amazing! I add a little keto coffee creamer to the mix, and voila, it’s coffee flavored. The best cheesecake recipe, period.
this cheesecake recipe is THE BEST!
I wanted a smaller version, so I cut the list of ingredients in half and used a 6 inch pan. Turned out awesome!
My question: could this be made in the Instant Pot, going for maybe 25 min or so? I have made similar cheesecakes using that method and had good success. Just wanted your opinion.
Thanks!
Use my search box for instant pot cheesecake, you will see I’ve done several and that will give you the right amount of ingredients.
Chris, could you please tell me how long did you bake it using a 6″ round pan? Thank you.
I used all measurements for this cheese cake and am using the lemon bar crust recipe in an 8 inch pan. How long do I cook that for? For the remaining ingredients left in the bowl, I will be trying the crustless in a different pan. Since its less filling, how long do I cook that for?
Cook the crust the same way as you would for the bars. As for the other pans, I have no idea since you’ve given me no information to go on – I don’t know how much leftover batter you will have, or the size of the different pan. You will simply have to experiment and keep an eye on them.