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 (680.39 g) cream cheese, softened
- 5 tbsp (71 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (182 g) powdered Swerve 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 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.
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.