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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Sorry if I am posting this twice but I can only find Stevia, no Swerve and since you used this and it came out great I am asking how much granulated Stevia equals 1 cup powdered Swerve?
What brand of stevia? They should tell you how sweet they are in relation to sugar and since Swerve measures like sugar, you can base it on that.
I made this recipe and it turned out so well! It even looked pretty! Haha This was my first cheesecake I have ever made and wow! I will be making it again. Thank you so much for the recipes, you are helping me stay on track with my keto diet and still enjoy a New York Style Cheesecake! Yum! I topped mine with the Simple Berry Sauce you mentioned in the recipe. I wish I could post the photos! 🙂
So glad you liked it. And honoured that it was your first cheesecake ever. 🙂
Hi Vickie
It was my first keto cheesecake too and mine turned out perfect…and really pretty with the berry sauce ot top. I also wish I could post a photo. I am so amazed amd impressed. Isn’t it great to have something turn out so well on the first attempt.
This cheesecake is awesome!! Thank you once again for another great recipe!
Made this tonight. Had granulated stevia only and worked great. No springform pan either. Used a 9 inch cake pan with a fair olive oil greasing and the cheesecake slid right out. Had to cook it for almost 100 minutes for it to set, but with the pan difference, it was expected. I still used water in a baking pan around the cheesecake and I think it was the saving grace. Only advice, really cream all ingredients longer than you think to put lots of air in the mixture, and possible reduce the lemon zest/substitute for lemon extract. All in all, a great start for a keto cheesecake. Thank you for the recepie.
Thanks so much, glad it worked out!
Whipping a lot of air into the batter will make the cheesecake a little lighter and fluffier. Traditionally, these are not characteristics of New York cheesecake, which is dense and firm. Fluffier cheesecake = beat the batter more. New York cheesecake = beat the batter as little as possible.
How much granulated stevia did you use? I can’t find swerve at the stores near me.
I was wondering the same thing.
How much granulated stevia did you use?
Made this for company—very nice texture and flavor. We didn’t miss the crust one bit!
Wowza!! So I made this recipe (well I cut everything in half except for the cream cheese. I used 16oz instead of 12) and I feel like I’m cheating when I eat it!!! So flipping delicious and creamy!!! This helped me to not fall off the wagon! Thank you!!
Hi there! I have this baking in the oven as I type! But I’m confused on the carb count! As swerve has 3g per 1 tsp and i used 1 cup which would be 144 carbs. To get 2.9 carbs like this recipe calls for you would need to cut the cheesecake into 48 pieces. Am I missing something?? ????
You are missing something. While swerve has “carbs” they never enter the blood stream and are excreted directly in the urine so your body never recognizes them as carbs at all. Zero carb impact.
Thank you for asking this question and your response. Why does Swerve not a factor in blood glucose and carb counting?
Because it is excreted from the body without ever entering the bloodstream. Therefore it doesn’t raise blood sugar.
I’m still new to keto baking. Would it be possible to cut this recipe in 1/3 and bake in two ramekins? A whole cheesecake is way too much for just me, but I would like to share in Christmas Eve and Christmas dessert!
Thank you!
What size are the ramekins? This is a big cake so you may need to cut it back even more. If you tell me how wide they are, I can help you figure out how much to do…
what did you use for your berry sauce? Hope to make this in the next day or so. Do you think it will freeze well?It looks amazing!!
It’s just 1 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup water boiled together until the berries are soft. Then you can stir in sweetener to taste.
And yes, the cake alone freezes just fine.
Made this last night, amazing!!!! So good. I think I’ll make it and take along to Christmas functions it’s that good ????
Wonderful!
Made this and it’s delicious! I put a cup of ground nuts (pecans and walnuts mixed with one pack of stevia), before baking and it is great!
I have my second cheesecake in the oven right now. I used to make a good cheesecake with Splenda but I got to where I just couldnt stand the splenda after taste. This recipe is my first experience with swerve and it’s great without any aftertaste. This is a perfect cheesecake and I plan on keeping one in the fridge at all times.
So glad you like it!
It was the first time I ever made a cheese cake and debuted it for Thanksgiving dessert. I was impressed. There was not a piece remaining except for the piece I hid to eat the next day. A couple of things though: I think some of the water sneaked in and a New York cheesecake is typically heavier and more dense. Any tips on getting it to be a little more dense. I’m making another one tonight. Many thanks!
You do need to wrap it tightly to avoid the water. More dense… hmmm. Maybe no sour cream!
Best cheesecake yet! Easy. Tasty. I have made 5 and each time i try a bit different. I added coco and pb powders in one amd a uber chocolate with melted chocolate topping amd the new york style with a choc whipped topping. Always turns out good. Thank you!
Haha nevermind, I found it! ????
How many servings do you cut this into for the carb and calorie count?