This keto cheesecake is also special to me because it marked the turning point when I defined my site as “10 ingredients or less” and really started focusing on my readers. I know you love quick and easy low carb recipes as much as I do, and I’m so grateful to share this journey with you. So, here’s a big thank you with my best gluten-free, low carb cheesecake recipe!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto cheesecake recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
For The Almond Flour Crust:
Almond Flour – I highly recommend using my Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour here (and in other keto baked goods), and not just because I made it. 😉 I developed this one after years of low carb baking because I was tired of the coarse, gritty texture in other brands. (Almond meal is even worse.) Mine has the finest consistency out there, which will give you that shortbread texture you want. Butter – Helps the crust stay together and imparts a buttery flavor. I recommend unsalted, though you can add a pinch of salt to the crust if you want to for balance. Granulated Sweetener – Probably the number one question I get is about sweeteners. “Can I make this keto cheesecake with stevia? Granulated erythritol? Monk fruit? Sucralose? Something else?” Here’s what you need to know: My top recommendation for the crust is Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend. It tastes just like sugar, with no aftertaste or cooling effect, and the crust doesn’t turn out as dry as with other sweeteners. Other sugar substitutes will work if that’s what you have. Unlike the filling (below), the almond flour cheesecake crust is not finicky and will also work using erythritol, xylitol, or an erythritol blend (most brands of monk fruit or stevia are actually blended with erythritol). Check my sweetener conversion chart for amounts to use if you choose something other than Besti. Powdered sweetener is also fine for the crust (if you just want to buy fewer products), but otherwise it has no advantage for the crust. Don’t use liquid or concentrated sweeteners (like pure stevia or pure monk fruit). Both will make the crust too runny.
Vanilla Extract – Not strictly required, but I highly recommend including it! I like this vanilla extract brand, which is great quality and has zero sugar.
For The Sugar-Free Cheesecake Filling:
Cream Cheese – The base of the filling! Use plain, full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor, texture, and keto macros. However, from a recipe standpoint, low-fat or neufchatel cream cheese would work fine. (You can read about other cream cheese substitutes on my cream cheese recipes page.) It’s also very important that you use softened cream cheese (at room temperature), otherwise your filling will have little chunks of cream cheese instead of a smooth batter. I also have a variation using Greek yogurt — see my healthy cheesecake recipe. Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – For the filling, powdered sweetener is a must; don’t use granulated, liquid, or super concentrated versions. The sweetener provides some bulk in the keto cheesecake, and the powdered consistency is required so that the end result is not grainy. Most brands of cup-for-cup-like-sugar powdered sweeteners work okay, but I highly recommend using Besti Powdered if you can, because it creates the creamiest texture. Others tend to be more dry and can crystallize. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in how smooth it is when using Besti, compared to the other brands I used to use for this recipe. Eggs – These help the filling set up and also give it a creamy texture. Sorry, there is no substitution for them. If you can’t have eggs, make my keto no bake cheesecake instead. Lemon Juice – Helps bring out the sweetness and flavor. It’s not enough to make the sugar-free cheesecake lemony, so don’t worry about that if you’re not a fan of lemon — you’ll still want to include the lemon juice in the filling. Vanilla Extract – Use the same one you used for the crust.
How To Make Keto Cheesecake
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below. Many people ask if they can make my low carb cheesecake with a different crust, or no crust at all. You can! Here’s how:
If you want a richer, creamier New York style low carb cheesecake, add 1/4 cup of sour cream right before you beat in the eggs.
If we want to make our keto cheesecake taste like the real thing, we’re going to have to make it using the same method as the real thing! 😉 For the most part, my method here is very similar to a regular one:
Make The Crust
Get everything ready. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Mix the dough. In a medium to large bowl, stir the almond flour, melted butter, Besti, and vanilla extract, until well combined. The dough will be slightly crumbly. Bake. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake your low carb cheesecake crust for about 10 minutes, until barely golden. Cool. Set the crust aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. Make the filling while you wait!
Make The Filling
Beat the cream cheese and Besti. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese and powdered Besti, until fluffy. This is where room-temperature cream cheese is crucial! Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon juice and vanilla. Beat them in at the end.
Assemble & Bake
Add the filling to the crust. Pour the filling mixture into the pan over the crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. (I use a pastry spatula like this for a smoother top.)
Bake. Place the keto cheesecake in the oven and bake until the center is almost set, but still jiggly. (If you are concerned about cracking, see my troubleshooting tips below!)
Cool. Remove the cake from the oven. If the edges are stuck to the pan, run a knife all the way around (but don’t remove the springform edge yet). Let it cool in the pan on the counter, until it reaches room temperature. Chill. Cover the sugar-free cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely set. (Do not try to remove the cake from the pan or slice before chilling.) Once set, I slice it with a sharp knife, and wipe with a damp paper towel between cuts.
Topping Ideas
This classic keto cheesecake is already so decadent plain, but I love it even more with one of these toppings: Too-high speed will introduce too many air bubbles, which we don’t want. This is not required, but if you want a denser result without air pockets, this can help release some bubbles. Remove it from the oven when it’s still jiggly. It will set more as it cools on the counter and then in the fridge overnight.
Raspberry Sauce – This is hands down my favorite topping, and yes, it’s the one you see in the pictures here! You can find my detailed recipe in my Easy Keto Cookbook, but all you really do is simmer raspberries with Powdered Besti, mashing them as they soften, until they turn into this gorgeous sauce. Melted Chocolate – You can use my sugar-free chocolate sauce, or just melt down some sugar-free chocolate chips (this brand is my favorite, we go through bags of them at my house!). Whipped Cream – Can’t go wrong with a dollop of my homemade sugar-free whipped cream for the perfect light, fluffy finish! Caramel Sauce – A drizzle of my sugar-free caramel sauce is my second-favorite after the raspberry sauce above. I also have a caramel-topped keto cheesecake recipe made into cupcakes in my second book, The Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook. Fresh Berries – All berries are keto, but you can check my keto fruit guide for more detailed carb counts.
Storage Instructions
Store: Yes, you can make this cake ahead! After the initial chilling time, keep it in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Moving it can be tricky, so I usually keep it on the bottom of the springform pan without the sides, and cover it in plastic to prevent drying out. Freeze: This sugar-free cheesecake freezes beautifully, as long as you let it set first. For best results, place it into the freezer uncovered (on a parchment lined baking sheet) for several hours first, until solid. (I prefer doing it this way so that I don’t crush it while wrapping.) Once solid, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, and then place back into the freezer. If you prefer, you can freeze individual slices instead, but just like a whole cake, they are still easier to wrap after freezing solid first. The texture is best within 1 month, but up to 3 months is okay. Thaw: You can thaw the cake in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for 2-4 hours. I remove the foil before thawing, but it’s fine to leave the plastic on.
More Keto Cheesecake Recipes
I use this keto cheesecake as a base for all my other sugar-free cheesecake recipes! After you’ve tried the classic version, try one of my variations:
Cracking Or Settling – Most often, this is caused by sudden temperature changes. Make sure the cake cools on the counter before refrigerating. Mine doesn’t usually crack, but if you want to be on the safe side, you can bake your low carb cheesecake in a water bath. Line the outside of the pan with foil to keep moisture out, pour a little water into a bigger pan, and place the foil lined pan inside. Then bake. I usually skip this step for convenience, but you can try it if you have problems with cracking. Worst case, if you do have cracks, add some berry or caramel topping to hide them — problem fixed! Gritty Filling – This can happen if you use the wrong sweetener. Use Besti Powdered for smooth results. Runny Filling – Underbaking can leave the filling runny, but more often than not, people reporting this have missed the step of cooling and refrigerating. This is required to fully set the filling. Dry or Crumbly Filling – This is a result of overcooking the cheesecake (and can also be another reason for cracks). Remember to remove it from the oven when it’s still jiggly, not fully set. When cooked properly, it should set only after cooling and chilling. Carb Count Differences – Many online calculators get the nutrition information wrong for my keto cheesecake. This is because most don’t recognize that Besti can be excluded from carb count (this really adds up!), and rounding errors are common for cream cheese. Most nutrition labels round up or down to the nearest whole amount of carbs, but the serving is only an ounce. Since my sugar-free cheesecake recipe calls for 32 ounces of cream cheese, rounding up makes a big difference! My recipe card below uses the exact carb count directly from the USDA National Nutrient Database, which is most accurate. My full keto food list has those values for all the major low carb foods, or you can find them in the Wholesome Yum App on iPhone or Android.
Tools I Use For This Recipe
Hand Mixer – Mine has variable speeds, which is particularly useful for cheesecakes where high speed introduces too many air bubbles. And the best part? I can store all its attachments right in the base, so no more hunting around in drawers! (But if you’re not up for holding a mixer for a while, go with a stand mixer instead.) Springform Pan – If you’re making any kind of low carb cheesecake, you’ve gotta have a springform pan like this one. Trying to get one out of a regular cake pan is just asking for trouble. Some readers have asked about using a pie pan — I haven’t tested this, but you’d probably need less filling. Pastry Spatula – This little tool is a lifesaver for getting the top of your cheesecake perfectly smooth. I also use it for frosting my other keto cakes!
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Tips & substitutions: See the details in the post above! I’ve got ways to make this keto cheesecake with different crusts (or crustless), the impact of different sweeteners, and tips to avoid cracking, a gritty texture, or a runny or crumbly filling. Carb count differences: Many online calculators get the nutrition info wrong for this recipe. See the details on why in the post above. Topping ideas: You can use raspberry sauce (from my Easy Keto Cookbook), one of my recipes for sugar-free chocolate syrup, sugar-free whipped cream, and/or sugar-free caramel sauce, or simply fresh berries. Store: 3-5 days in the fridge. Freeze: Up to 1 month for the best texture, but up to 3 months is okay. To get good results when freezing, see my instructions in the post above. Thaw: In the fridge overnight, or on the counter for 2-4 hours.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Cookbook here.
