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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OMG
This recipe is amazing. The only change I made was that I used four 4″ springform pans (I don’t have a 9″), it filled them perfectly. With the smaller pans I used the 70 minute cooking time. There is a subtle aftertaste from the Swerve and the tops have a ‘skin’, but the texture is perfect. If you didn’t know this was “Keto” you would accept it as regular cheesecake (I am worried my kids will get into them). It doesn’t even need any topping,
Update… I have discovered that this makes a killer filling for low carb crepes (2 tbsp cream cheese, 2 eggs, tbsp coconut flour). Make the crepes and then fill with this cheesecake (it spreads like cream cheese). Top with strawberries for the best low carb breakfast or dessert ever!
I feel like I made a different recipe to everyone else. It basically turned into a greasy, thick, sweet omellete and was super gross. I did reduce the sweetener, because otherwise it would have been too sweet and I don’t really enjoy the taste of artificial sweetener. Maybe that was the problem. Anyway, I’ll stick with no-bake cheesecake for now!
Sorry to hear you didn’t like it. But what sweetener did you use because this isn’t made with any artificial sweeteners.
Could you use the granulated Swerve instead of powders form? It’s all I have!
Yes, it just may recrystallize a bit more as it sits.
Ok, no lie, I tried this and it’s amazing! I had a random off day off work during one of Atlanta’s “snow days@ recently. I went to my best friends’ house and made these with her and her mom. The aftertaste of the Stevia/Mungfruit *dp* was very noticeable at first, so we added more cream cheese to dilute it a little. The lemon zest helps a bunch too! And just to note, we added one egg at a time into our KitchenAid mixer. Great recipe!
hi, I only have liquid sweetner. Will this be ok?
Hi Ruth, it might be a little more dense (since bulk sweeteners help whip air bubbles into batters) but it will turn out pretty tasty.
Can you use xylitol if you don’t have swerve?
I don’t really use it but I think it should work.
I don’t understand what I did wrong. Cheesecake is creamy but tasteless. Used the 1 cup powdered swerve. Please help!
I honestly couldn’t say why it would be tasteless. Did you make some sauce to go with it?
Maybe you tasted it too soon after baking? We did that once. Not much flavor at that stage. Has to be chilled. Then it’s amazing!
Just in my 2nd week of Keto but wanted something sweet and found this recipe on the internet. I finally made it and I love it! The only things I did different was use a different sweetener( Whole Earth Stevia Leaf and Monk Fruit) because that’s what I had on hand and I made them in my cup cake pan.
Made the recipe in silicon muffin/bar pans (set on edged sheet trays with about an inch of water bath) knowing my husband and I wouldn’t (or shouldn’t?) eat an entire cheesecake. The recipe made 12 muffins and 8 bars. I reduced the cooking time to 45 minutes and flash froze them for about 30 minutes in the silicon pans on the sheet tray after pouring off the water bath to ease release. Kept some frozen for later and left the others in the fridge where they softened overnight to perfection. Weeks of cheesecake? Oh my!!
That’s fantastic! Great meal planning strategy.
What kind of voodoo is this?! This is the creamiest, most delicious cheesecake ever! My family didn’t even miss the crust which makes me the most grateful mama ever.
So happy to hear that!
Hi,
What cream cheese do you usually use?
Thank you!
I usually use the organic Whole Foods brand or Organic Valley.
I just made this wonderful, deliciousness of a cheesecake last night! So easy to make and it’s veey rich and creamy too.
Hands down, the best I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes.
Thank you!
Thanks, Michelle!
I am a sucker for a good New York Style Cheesecake! This looks absolutely wonderful!
This is an incredibly delicious recipe… better than Cheesecake Factory! First time using Swerve – it doesn’t leave any weird/cool aftertaste. Thank you!
What brand of cream cheese do you use? I’ve never done Keto before. I have a coworker who is doing keto and would like to make a cheesecake for her birthday but I’m not sure what kind of cream cheese to she can have.
Hi Angela… any full fat cream cheese (i.e. not the reduced kind or the Neufchatel kind) will do. It’s all pretty low carb. I prefer Organic Valley.
My coworkers absolutely love to this. Even those is us not doing keto. I have your books saved to my Amazon account payday I’m getting them
I will be the queen of deserts at work. ????
So glad to hear it, Angela!
What kind of cream cheese do you use?
Organic Valley most of the time.
Thank you. I can’t wait to make this for my co-workers birthday
Can you make this WITH a crust? If so, how would that affect baking time?
Sure, check any of my cheesecake recipes for crust ideas. With a crust, you want to pre-bake it for 15 minutes or so first. Then you add the cheesecake and bake for the instructed amount of time.
Thanks!