This Easy Sugar-Free Low Carb Keto Cheesecake recipe is a thick, creamy and satisfying, sugar free dessert for your low carb diet or keto diet! Just 3 total carbs for a keto friendly, grain free, gluten free, delicious traditional cheesecake!
Baked versus No Bake Cheesecake
Baking a really good cheesecake takes a bit of prep time, but the outcome is well worth it, especially if you are on a ketogenic diet and miss this classic dessert.
This is a great recipe for entertaining family and friends that might not be following a sugar free diet because this tastes like the real thing!
You really can't beat a thick, dense, creamy cheesecake and it is one of the easiest low-carb desserts around. The thicker the texture makes for the best cheesecake, in in my opinion.
I don't want a fluffy and light texture when it comes to a classic cheesecake. Cheesecake Mousse is another story but for regular cheesecake, it's got to be dense.
When you finish eating your slice you are s.a.t.i.s.f.i.e.d. in all the right ways, but the most important thing is, you won't spike your blood sugar so it won't cause you to crash hours later or lead to sugar cravings.
This keto cheesecake will not disappoint you. If in the past you've made other sugar free, low carb cheesecakes and felt they were just ok, you will never need another cheesecake recipe after trying this one. I promise you.
While I do have a ton of no bake keto cheesecake recipes like my No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, No Bake Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake and my No Bake Coffee Cheesecake, if you've not made a traditional sugar free cheesecake in the oven, I ask you to consider trying this amazing keto low carb cheesecake!
I've got a Peanut Butter Cheesecake and a Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse pie recipe and thought about making this one a different flavor, but decided the basic is by far the best.
You can totally change it up by adding sugar free chia jam or different extracts in the mixture.
In my process of testing this recipe using different amounts of ingredients to get the texture I was seeking, even the first attempts were devoured by my family. They weren't as good as this one, but they weren't complaining.
How to Make this Easy Keto Cheesecake Recipe
To view the exact measurements, print recipe and see nutrition information, please scroll to the bottom of this blog post to view the recipe card.
Ingredients
softened cream cheese
room temperature eggs
egg yolk
sour cream
lemon juice and lemon zest
Swerve confectioner's sweetener
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients into a stand mixer or large bowl and use an electric hand mixer until you have no clumps and a smooth texture.
Grease an 8 inch springform pan and pour the cheesecake filling into the pan. Even off the top then wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil.
Make a water bath by placing the springform pan into a larger pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water, until half way up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 45 minutes in the center of the oven. Turn off oven, do not open oven door. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 hour.
Top Tip: The key to not getting the cheesecake to crack is allowing it to sit in the oven in step number 5, don't be tempted to open the door, just be patient.
Remove cheesecake from the oven, remove aluminum foil and cover cheesecake with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to serve, use a sharp knife to loosen edges of the cake then release clasp of springform pan.
Optional Toppings
Top with sugar free whipped cream and/or sugar free maple syrup if desired!
Shown below is my homemade sugar-free caramel sauce.
Sugar-Free Cheesecake Crust Options
I decided to skip the crust, but you can certainly use this Easy Keto Pie Crust recipe if you prefer.
Update 4/2018: I made this recipe for company and by accident I added 1 cup of sour cream instead of using ½ cup as in my original recipe. It came out even better and thicker and creamier and I just had to adjust the recipe because of it.
It didn't change the carb count at all. It only changed the calories from 363 per serving to what you now see below. Also the slices are LARGE! You may not even be able to finish one piece.
The original recipe was for 8 servings, but it really is too much so I changed the amount to 12 servings. If you decide that is too small and want 8 servings your calories will be 380 and your carbs will be 4grams as opposed to what you see below.
Low carb Sugar Free Sweetener Options
You can certainly swap out the sweeteners I used with whatever sweetener you prefer. I combine Swerve and stevia in my recipes because they balance each other out well.
Swerve can tend to have a cooling effect so I just use a small amount and some people say stevia is bitter, but the vanilla stevia is really not bitter, it's the best choice here.
Feel free to use at least ½ cup of sweetener of choice if you like just a small amount of sweetness for your desserts.
Use up to a full cup if you want to have a sweeter cheesecake. Here is my Sweetener Guide & Conversion Chart to help you decide on how much to use of other sweeteners.
Finding a sugar replacement is really a personal preference and you may need to try a few different keto-friendly sweetener before deciding on the one you want to use most often in dessert recipes.
Storage
Place individual slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 1 month. You can also just cover the entire cheesecake with parchment paper or plastic wrap.
Best Keto Cheesecake Recipes
Sugar Free Low Carb Cheesecake Recipe
Low Carb Keto Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Swerve confectioner's sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Combine all ingredients into a stand mixer or use an electric hand mixer until you have no clumps and a smooth texture.
- Grease an 8 inch spring form pan and pour the batter into the pan. Even off the top then wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil.
- Place the spring form pan into a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water, until half way up the sides of the spring form pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven, do not open oven door. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven, remove aluminum foil and cover cheesecake with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Top with sugar free whipped cream and sugar free maple syrup if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
MERCEDE
I dont have a roasting pan. I do have a spring pan. Please help ASAP.
Brenda
You just need a large pan big enough to hold your cheesecake in to allow it to have water around it about half up the sides, this will help it cook evenly and reduce cracking.
Chris
Would I be able to swal one of the cream cheeses with a tub of mascarpone?
Brenda
Sure great idea!
Barbara
Just tried this recipe as a base, I was looking for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe, I could not find one I liked. So, I used this as a guide and exchanged the sour cream for a can of pumpkin and added pumpkin pie spice (home made) it filled 20 silicone cupcake cups. Baked in water bath for 26 min let cool in the oven as written for 45 min. The are wonderful and I plan to take them to work to celebrate National Dessert Day. The macros fit in my Keto lifestyle, 4g carbs 1g fiber 13g fat 4g protein, 142 net calories, 1 Glycemic Load
Diana Bradford
Is liquid stevia the same as extract?
Brenda
no the pure extract is powdered and much stronger, you won't use the same amount.
Rebecca Ruiz
You cover the bottom of the pan with foil or you put foil over the top when cooking? What does putting on the bottom do? Asking just cause i want to know if there’s a special reason for it ?
Brenda
I covered all around the outside bottom of the pan so water doesn't seep into the crust.
Nicki
Hi, i love this recipe! My boss wanted me to do the peanut butter cheesecake version but I thought it sounded more complicated. So Instead I used this recipe and added “TRU NUT” powdered peanut butter to the batter (to taste). Then added the sugar free peanut butter cup (crumble) to the top. Just thought I would share cause it was super easy and came out great!
Amanda
mine is in the oven now. When do I take it out of the soring form pan? After it comes out of fridge? We are supposed to be bringing
it to a friends house but I dont have time to refrigerate it. Thibk
I could put it on ice in a cooler while we travel?
Brenda
It definitely needs to be refrigerated so hopefully you put it on ice and I wouldn't remove from the spring form pan until it has been chilled for at least 3 hours.
Belenda
I've torn my pantry apart looking for my 8" spring for my pan, but the smallest one I have is 9". How should I adjust the recipe for a 9" pan? 25% more of everything? Baking time? Thanks
Brenda
Yes definitely up the amounts by 25%.
Belenda
I made it and increased by about 25% and it came out beautiful. The only issue I have is there is a “metal” taste. I’m wondering if that’s from my springform pan? Maybe next time I’ll line my pan with parchment. It’s got to be the metal of the springform pan leaching into the cheesecake. It was in the pan for 24 hrs. I’ll definitely make this again though! Great recipe!
Colleen Galletta
Where did the 2g of sugar come from?
Brenda
There are natural sugars in sour cream and cream cheese.
Kathryn Donaldson
I would like to make these into cupcakes and freeze them. How long would you suggest I cook them before turning off the oven and leaving them there for an hour?
Thank you in advance, I am excited to try this recipe!
Brenda
I haven't made them into cupcake form but I do think you'll need to reduce the cooking time by half, they won't need as long as a whole cake.
Amy
I cannot wait to try this!!! In step 5, after it bakes for 45 min, I am supposed to leave it in the oven for another full hour, correct?
Brenda
yes
Steph
Instead of sour cream, could you use lowfat plain greek yogurt? It has far more protein, and ultimately tastes the same.
SB113
Would this still work if I only used 2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese and 1 cup of sour cream? I want to make it now and don't feel like running to the store for 1 block of cream cheese. 🙂 Thanks!
Brenda
I think it would be fine or maybe just reduce sour cream by 1/2 cup, you won't get the height but the taste will still be good.
Kristy Reischman
Hello! My store only carries the granulated Swerve. Would this work? Or would it make it too grainy?
Brenda
I believe you could put the granulated Swerve into a food processor or blender perhaps and grind it to make it finer in texture.
Lavern
Hi, I’m Not able to find the swerve confectioners sugar here where I’m at. What would you suggest as a replacement. Thanks
Brenda
Any sweetener will work, what do you have available?
Ck
I used a granular sweetener but put it in my nutribullet to powder it.
A Stephens
What about using Truvia as the sweetener?
Brenda
You can choose to use any sweetener you prefer.
Erica
I don't have Vanilla Stevia - can this be left out?
Brenda
It can be but you'll need to replace with another sweetener at least 3/4 cup in sweetness.
Russ Craber
You'll cut the carbs WAY back by sticking with just erythritol, and ditching the Swerve, which is loaded with carbs due to the oligosaccharides. It won't matter if you're not diabetic, but since I am, I'd need a big dose of insulin to cover the sugars they add to Swerve. That'll also knock you out of your ketosis with that much oligosaccharides.
We're cooking it right now--I'm excited to try it!
Brenda
Swerve IS erythritol and many diabetics use it without issue. It does not and has not knocked me out of ketosis.
Bridget
U said bake for 45 minutes, then turn off , don’t open oven. Let cake stay in oven 1 hour. Is that 1 hr total so it is 15 minutes after u turn it off or sit in oven 1 hour after u turn it off?
Amie Counter
I am curious of this as well..... I think it’s supposed to bake for 45 minutes and then remain in oven for one hour with it off, and do not open the door, this prevents cracking..
Brenda
Bake for 45 minutes then shut the oven off and do not open the door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hr. So it's a total of 45 minutes baking time and 1 hour more in the oven with oven being turned off. Prevents cracking.
sara
????
Sabrina Paczkowski
Could I add the contents of 1 vanilla bean to this recipe? My husband’s favorite is Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (think Cheesecake Factory!) and I’d love to surprise him with a LC version. Thanks! Love your recipes....
Karen Andrews
Absolutely....no dessert suffers from vanilla bean! 😉
Susan
Can this cheesecake be cooked in an instant pot?
Kim
How long would this last in the fridge?
Brenda
At least a week.
Darlene
I made this yesterday and it is awesome. I froze half and am eating the other half all by myself!!! Thanks for a great recipe.
Terry
Would powder Stevie work in place of swerve
Terry
Stevia
Brenda
I'm sorry I don't use powdered stevia that measures cup for cup like sugar.
Joyce Felt
I ran the numbers on the nutrition facts and I got 68 calories per slice and 3.5 carbs. That was using Neufatchel cream cheese and Low fat sour cream. Would it turn out okay with the low-far alternatives?
Brenda
It would work fine to swap those but won't be as thick and creamy.
Garth
Watching Dr. Berg on YouTube, he suggests that low fat options of foods tend to have a greater insulin response than the regular fat version. It's worth giving a look!