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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Well, I must say this Keto NY style cheesecake is the BOMB!! I made it last night, followed the instructions carefully, even added a vanilla bean to this baby because I had one left and I didn’t think carb wise it would hurt but only add more to the flavor and OMG! Carolyn, Sweetie, this is DEFINITELY a keeper. I also made a sugar free, very simple seedless Raspberry Sauce to go over it and I actually licked my little plate (I could have put it back in the cabinet; you wouldn’t have known there was a slice of cheesecake on it!????) My hubby & I are making a lifestyle of Keto and than transitioning to low carb eating down the line. Sweetie, thank you so much for sharing this gem with us!????
So glad you liked it!
Love this recipe. So much easier and better than the others I’ve tried. My only issue is I always forget it makes so much. Can the batter be frozen before its baked so I can just thaw it next time?
Because it has eggs, I wouldn’t freeze the batter. But you can slice it all up after baking and freeze then. Or, if you have a smaller pan, you could cut the recipe down. They do sell 6 inch and 7 inch springform pans.
I have made this cheesecake 3 times . The first time it was real creamy, the next two times not as creamy and the top browned. Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong?
That’s hard to say without more info. Did you switch sweeteners or brands of anything in the recipe?
This is my go to cheesecake, not surprisingly from my go-to low carb woman – your site is awesome and so helpful to a keto newcomer who loves sweets…
I made this for a friends 50th birthday…covered it in whipped cream, berries and shaved chocolate…i didnt even get to try that one as my non-keto friends devoured it. Amazing every time…
Tip – if water gets in the bottom from the water bath – open your spring form and take the outer piece off…put a big plate on top of your cake and flip it over…let it dry out for a few hours with the wet bottom up…should be good to go in not too long!
Thanks for the tip!
Please tell me that I can bake your wonderful sounding cheese cake in large muffin tins, six tins hold about a cup each I think. How long to bake is my question? Thank you, Tommie
I have no idea, sorry. I didn’t try it that way. You will need to experiment.
Hi, anyone tried to bake it in a crockpot?
I am currently making this cheesecake and have had it in the oven for 90 minutes…the entire thing is still jiggley and im hoping it firm sup when cooled looking forward to the end result but im a bit worried….any advice…i follewed the instructions exactly
Sounds like your oven runs on the cool side. You may want to get an oven thermometer to check on that.
This looks so amazing I am off to buy some cream cheese to make this tomorrow!
I’ve made this recipe several times now, my father in law LOVES it as does everyone else. My husband though is missing a crust. Do you have any suggestions for adding a crust of some sort to this recipe? I was just thinking of making a crust from another keto cheesecake recipe but don’t want to mess up this yummy one that everyone loves.
Hi Patty. I have tons of cheesecake recipes that have a crust. Search those and you can take your pick!
I made this last night for my birthday and served it at church to a lot of non-Keto people. I was embarrassed. It was pretty but did not serve easily because of the parchment paper. It became mushy. Possibly it did not cook long enough ( 70 min) or I didn’t beat long enough. It tastes ok but I was not impressed
Well you can see from the overwhelmingly good responses that something went wrong. It should not be mushy. A few possibilities and the main one is that your oven is not running hot enough. Also, if you used a different sweetener, then that may be an issue as well. I stand by this recipe firmly as one of the best keto cheesecakes out there.
My birthday was March 24th and I made this for my birthday cake , it was fun to have a cake that i could eat for my birthday
Happy birthday!
Carolyn, this looks amazing! Thank you, I will try this right away)
I am very excited to try this recipe. If I don’t care about the top cracking, do I need a water bath? If I don’t use a water bath, how long do I bake it for? Confession: it’s in the oven now and I just realized maybe the water bath is necessary for reasons beyond the cracking.
A water bath provides much more gentle heat for a big cheesecake. You could put a pan of water underneath too. Hope it works out!
If I dont have a 9 inch springfoam pan but I have an 8 or 10 inch , which should I use
Either would be fine but obviously you have to adjust the baking time.
Just what the Doctor ordered. Yum! Thank you
Carolyn, this cheesecake looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it!