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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This truly is the best cheesecake recipe! Thank you !
Hello Carolyn,
Thank you so much for this recipe! This is probably the best cheesecake I have ever made (counting the regular high-carb ones). The recipe is absolutely perfect. The lemon zest gives such a nice flavour. I had to replace the sweetener with 1 1/3 cup powdered erythritol (as this is what I have). A piece of advice for the readers – if you need to replace the sweetener like I had to, make sure to use a converter, as sweetness varies.
My oven is fan-forced, so cheesecakes are always difficult to bake right in it (some just wouldn’t set very well). I did bake for the full 90 minutes. It does have creamier parts inside but the pieces come out whole without breaking apart.
I have just started the Atkins diet, so this recipe is god sent. I didn’t have any suitable syrup available and I cannot have any fruit just yet, so I just used some red food colouring to make swirls on top before putting it in the oven.
Absolutely wonderful!
Glad to hear it!
Hi Carolyn,
We give this cheesecake a “10!” I made the full size cheesecake with a crust, and both toppings. I have make 1/3 of it without a crust awhile back, and enjoy it so much more with one of your crusts.
We have a Jewish holiday called Shavuot (Feast of Weekss). Some calendars call it Pentacost, because it’s the 50th day from the second day of Passover. There are always food for a Jewish holiday, and this is dairy foods. I was looking at your crepes so I can make blintz soufle, but this is faster.
It’s only the two of us, but we enjoyed it over the 2 days of holiday! And we will share with the person who buys our groceries.
Now a question about your Keto Baking Book:
I downloaded your kindle comments. You really nailed what it’s like to find that a baker can’t bake because of diabetes! I used to bake challah and other breads for a farmers maket. Suddenly, I can’t make people happy with my baked goods. It’s not the eating that interests me, it’s the baking.
I want to buy a hardback edition. The paperback probably won’t stay open. Amazon doesn’t carry a hardback. They only carry a spiral bound, which is so much more expensive than I can spend–about $40 with tax.
Does any place sell a hardback? Something around $40?
Thank you ever so much,
Judy Mayer
Simi Valley, CA
oops. A hardback for about $30. I am a senior, watching budget. This is more than I would spend, but I am sure it will be worth it.
Hi Judy… there is no hardback edition. But what a lot of people are doing is taking the paperback to Kinko’s and having them spiral bind it for about $8 to $10. Thanks so much for your kind words. <3
Dont be fooled by this recipe. It HAS CARBS. Swerve contains 5 CARBS (written on Swerve package) per tsp or 48 X 5 = 240 carbs. Divide it by 12 and you get 20 per serving PLUS the carbs from the other ingredients. Quick calc on my part and you get 21.8g of carbs per serving. If you assume that Swerve has essentially no carbs, then the number shown is close to what I calculated.
Please read the nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of every recipe. Also please do your research. Yes, Swerve and all erythritol based sweeteners have carbs. They have no impact on blood sugar.
Do you know how carbs are calculated in all foods? ALL other nutrients are subtracted and the end result is thought to be the carb count of a food. But erythritol does not behave like other carbs and shouldn’t be treated as such… they simply have no other category to put them in.
I made this yesterday for our Shavuot family meal (cheese foods eaten for this holiday). And it was SUPER yummy. I adore cheesecake and have missed eating cheesecake (3+ years of no sugar, fruits and grains).
Thank you so much for the easy recipe. Have never made a cheesecake before so I followed your instructions exactly. It’s just beautiful out of the oven. Can’t wait to taste it. Also made the berry sauce. I’m sure my family will love it!
So glad to hear it!
Hola, what is the perfect pan size to use on this recipe?
The pan size is in the first step of the instructions! 🙂
Made this the other day with a simple strawberry sauce and it was delicious. I had never baked a cheesecake before trying this and it turned out to be super easy. I like the fact that it has no crust so I am either to try cooking it soups vide in small mason jars. The idea of having cheesecake whenever I want is a definite keto win.
This is absolutely the best and most delicious recipe I have tried so far. It is creamy and so smooth. I will be making it regularly. It is also quick and easy to make. I would not hesitate to serve this to guests. It holds up perfectly without a crust.
Hi Carolyn, Thank you very much for a really creamy cheesecake recipe!
We are in self isolation, during COVID19. , We asked our friend to pick up 1 cream cheese for us when she got our groceries. The store had none, so she went to Costco. She brought back a package of EIGHT bars!!!
Passover is here, and this recipe is perfect for Passover. No grains! I had to use a special Passover sucrose sweetener, but it was still good, Made the berry sauce. Looking forward to our holiday where we eat dairy products next month. We feel this cheesecake will be much better with a keto crust and your recommended sweetener.
I did forget the vanilla extract, which would have helped the flavor. It was at the end of a very long day of cooking.
I tasted it when most of it was in the pan. Wish i had done that sooner!
I was very temped to add lemon extract and more lemon zest to make it lemon cheesecake. should I swap the 1 tsp vanilla for the lemon extract? Should i increase the lemon zest? By how much? 2Tsp was almost a full lemon.
So glad to hear it!
Correction: I am going to try to cook it sous vide – I tried doing it soup vide and it was a disaster:)
Carolyn- my cheesecake came out about 1″ thick. Would it rise a little if I beat the batter a little longer? Otherwise came out perfect, no cracking!
What size pan did you use?
I never review recipes, but this one was spot on. Best Keto dessert I’ve ever had—tasted just like the real thing! I made it in an almond flour-pecan crust and it was just perfect.
Thanks so much!
My new go to cheesecake recipe! It is amazing. It turned out perfect, no cracking either. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Hello! At how many degrees should I set the oven ? Thank you in advance! Can’t wait to cook it !
The temperature is specified in the first line of the instructions.
I love this recipe!!
My hubby loves it too!!
It was really delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe.