Keto Cheesecake

This keto cheesecake recipe is smooth, rich, creamy, and made with just 6 ingredients! I love that this dessert takes less than an hour all up.

It may surprise you, but cheesecakes are one of the easiest desserts to “keto-fy”. A classic cheesecake uses many keto-friendly ingredients, like eggs, cream cheese, and/or heavy cream. With just a few minor tweaks, my keto cheesecake recipe looks and tastes like the real thing!

Why I love this recipe

• It needs just 6 ingredients total, and that is including the crust. 
• It’s made using simple and affordable ingredients. No hard-to-find flours, sweeteners, or additions are needed!
• The cheesecake is so smooth, rich, and creamy that even those who don’t follow a keto diet will be obsessed.
• It takes less than an hour to bake, which is nothing compared to other cheesecakes out there.

Crust

• Keto cookies– While for most keto pies and cheesecake recipes we use a keto graham cracker crust, we found this cheesecake worked better using crushed peanut butter cookies. If you have a peanut allergy, this works just as well with crushed almond butter cookies. 
• Butter- unsalted butter measured in its melted state. 

Filling

• Cream cheese- Softened and at room temperature. Also, try to use cream cheese that comes from a block instead of a tub. It contains very few additives (if any) and yields a much creamier dessert. 
• Sour cream- Like the cream cheese, your sour cream should be at room temperature. 
• Superfine sugar substitute- Also known as caster sugar. Superfine sugar has the consistency between standard sugar and powdered sugar, and you can easily make it yourself. Simply blend allulose until it has a finer texture. 
• Eggs- Room temperature. 
• Vanilla extract- A classic vanilla cheesecake should ALWAYS have a hint of vanilla.

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Make the crust. Add your cookies to a food processor and break them down until a fine consistency remains. Place the crushed cookies into a bowl and mix through the melted butter. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch spring-form cake pan and refrigerate it.

Step 2- Make the cheesecake filling. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar substitute into a high-speed blender and pulse until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, and blend once more until combined.

Step 3- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set in the middle. Let the cheesecake cool completely before refrigerating it for at least four hours to firm up beautifully. 

• Avoid overbaking the cheesecake, as it continues to cook as it cools. Once it is mostly set in the middle, you can be confident it will be fully cooked once it has cooled. 
• Cooling your cheesecake in the still-warm oven helps it firm up even better than when left at room temperature. Be sure to keep the oven door slightly ajar. Otherwise, you will be left with a dense dessert! 
• Do not refrigerate the cheesecake until it has cooled completely. This will avoid any potential cracks on the top. 

Storage instructions

To store: Low carb cheesecake should always be stored in the refrigerator, covered. It will keep well for at least one week.

To freeze: Place leftover slices of the cheesecake in a shallow container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Be sure to thaw it completely before enjoying it.

Can I eat Philadelphia cream cheese on keto?

Full-fat cream cheeses, including the Philadelphia brand, are all suitable for a low-carb diet. They are high in fat and protein, with very few carbs. Avoid using reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese, as the fat is replaced with extra carbs.

What can I substitute for sugar in cheesecake?

Monk fruit sweetener and allulose are fantastic keto sweeteners that can replace sugar in cheesecakes. If you are making a flavored cheesecake, using a brown sugar substitute intensifies the flavor.

How many carbs are in a low carb cheesecake?

Each slice of cheesecake in this recipe has just 3 grams of net carbs.

How many carbs are in a cheesecake without a crust?

If you make this cheesecake without the cookie crust, there are just 1.5 grams of net carbs per slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 192kcal Carbohydrates: 6g Protein: 5g Fat: 19g Sodium: 309mg Potassium: 154mg Fiber: 3g Vitamin A: 733IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 96mg Iron: 1mg NET CARBS: 3g