New York-Style Keto Cheesecake
Tall, dense and creamy in true New York fashion, with a toasty buttered almond crust and a whisper of lemon. A gentle water bath helps keep the top smooth and crack-free.
Nutrition per serving
1 slice (1/12 of a 9-inch cake)- Net carbs
- 5.9g
- Calories
- 415kcal
- Protein
- 9.5g
- Fat
- 39g
- Total carbs
- 23 g
- Fiber
- 1.2 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Chocolate cheesecake: Melted unsweetened chocolate and cocoa make a dense, truffle-like chocolate cheesecake. The lemon is left out so the chocolate shines.
- Beat the cocoa and extra sweetener into the cream cheese along with the powdered erythritol, then beat in the lukewarm chocolate before the sour cream. Skip the lemon juice and zest.
- Bake 70–80 minutes; the center should still wobble slightly. Chocolate cheesecake firms up more as it chills, so do not overbake.
Pumpkin spice: A cup of pumpkin purée and warm spice turn it into a fall pumpkin cheesecake. It replaces the sour cream and lemon, so the slice stays close to the original carbs.
- Beat the pumpkin purée and spice into the sweetened cream cheese in place of the sour cream, lemon juice and zest, then add the eggs as usual.
- The pumpkin adds moisture, so bake 75–85 minutes, until only the center 3 inches wobble.
Crustless (nut-free): Skip the almond crust entirely for a nut-free cheesecake that is quicker to make and a little lighter per slice.
- Grease the springform well and line the base with a round of parchment. Skip the crust steps and heat the oven straight to 325°F (165°C).
- Pour the filling into the pan and bake in the water bath for 60–70 minutes, until the edges are set and the center wobbles. Cool and chill as usual; run a knife around the edge and slide the cheesecake off the parchment to serve.
- Crust
- Filling
- Crust
- Filling
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1 tbsp lemon juiceleave out -
1 tsp lemon zestleave out - Also add
- Crust
- Filling
-
½ cup full-fat sour creamleave out -
1 tbsp lemon juiceleave out -
1 tsp lemon zestleave out - Also add
- Crust
-
1¼ cups blanched almond flourleave out -
2 tbsp granulated erythritolleave out -
1 pinch saltleave out -
4 tbsp butterleave out - Filling
Estimated cost $19.62 for 12 servings ($1.64 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and put a kettle of water on to boil. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan in two layers of wide, heavy-duty foil so no water can seep in.
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Stir the almond flour, granulated erythritol, pinch of salt and melted butter together until it looks like damp sand. Press it firmly and evenly over the bottom of the pan with the base of a measuring cup.
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Bake the crust 10–12 minutes, until fragrant and just golden at the edges. Set it aside and lower the oven to 325°F (165°C).
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Beat the cream cheese on medium-low for about 2 minutes until completely smooth, scraping the bowl and beater twice. Beat in the powdered erythritol, then the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and salt.
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Add the eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing only until each one disappears. Over-beating whips in air, which makes the cheesecake puff, crack and sink.
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Pour the filling over the crust and smooth the top. Set the pan in a roasting tin, slide it into the oven and pour in boiling water to come about 1 inch up the sides of the springform.
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Bake 65–75 minutes, until the edges are set and slightly puffed but a 3-inch circle in the center still jiggles like set gelatin when you nudge the pan (about 150°F/66°C in the middle). It finishes setting as it cools.
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Turn off the oven, prop the door open a few inches and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour. Run a thin knife around the edge, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing.
Tips for success
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Cold cream cheese is the number one cause of lumpy filling. Leave the blocks, sour cream and eggs on the counter for 1–2 hours before you start. - Powdered erythritol melts into the dense filling; granulated can leave a faint crunch. Allulose works too and is softer-tasting, but it browns faster — tent the top loosely with foil if it starts to color.
- Slice with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. Serve plain, with strawberries & whipped cream, or with a spoonful of raspberry chia jam.
Nice to have, not needed
- A springform pan makes unmolding easy — a deep 9-inch cake pan works if you serve the slices straight from the pan.
- An instant-read thermometer (about 150°F/66°C in the center) takes the guesswork out — otherwise go by the 3-inch wobble.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 2 months
Reheat: Serve chilled; thaw frozen slices overnight in the fridge.
Prep tip: Freeze slices on a tray until firm, then wrap each one — you can thaw a single slice at a time.
Refrigerate, covered, up to 5 days, or freeze individually wrapped slices up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosChocolate cheesecake
FlavorMelted unsweetened chocolate and cocoa make a dense, truffle-like chocolate cheesecake. The lemon is left out so the chocolate shines.
- + 3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- + 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- + 3 tbsp powdered erythritol
- no lemon juice
- no lemon zest
7 g net · 464 kcal · 11 g protein · 43 g fat · ≈$1.92 per serving (+1.1 g net carbs vs the original)
Pumpkin spice
FlavorA cup of pumpkin purée and warm spice turn it into a fall pumpkin cheesecake. It replaces the sour cream and lemon, so the slice stays close to the original carbs.
- + 1 cup pumpkin purée
- + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- no full-fat sour cream
- no lemon juice
- no lemon zest
6.6 g net · 404 kcal · 9.5 g protein · 38 g fat · ≈$1.69 per serving (+0.7 g net carbs vs the original)
Crustless (nut-free)
DietSkip the almond crust entirely for a nut-free cheesecake that is quicker to make and a little lighter per slice.
- no blanched almond flour
- no granulated erythritol
- no salt
- no butter
4.9 g net · 313 kcal · 7 g protein · 30 g fat · ≈$1.32 per serving (−1 g net carbs vs the original)
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