A rich creamy ketogenic cheesecake with a luscious raspberry swirl. This sugar-free recipe results in the perfect cheesecake for low carb diets.
[This post is proudly partnered with Sukrin USA, my favorite shop for low-carb, zero calorie sweeteners, low-carb GF flours and bread mixes, and delicious low carb milk chocolates.]
Tis the season for outrageously delicious desserts!
For me, the Winter holidays are always a happy time; a festive season filled with music, good food, and gatherings. It’s also a time of temptation for dieters. It’s hard to pass up colorful trays layered with cookies, candies, and other treats commonly found in breakrooms and at parties.
What does an empowered dieter do? Make their own low carb desserts and treats, of course! I highly recommend sharing this raspberry swirl cheesecake with co-workers, friends and family. It’s a recipe everyone will enjoy!
Keto Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a favorite of those following a low carb or keto diet. Since the bodies of low carb and keto dieters run on fat instead of sugar, a modest slice of sugar-free cheesecake can actually help fuel bodies and contribute to weight loss. Yay! This is really great since sugar laden desserts raise blood sugar, wreaking havoc on carb sensitive individuals and diabetics alike.
Cheesecake is a popular dessert - especially for gatherings and holidays. They’re easy to make and always impressive. I love that the texture of cheesecake can range from light and airy, to super creamy, to dense, depending upon the recipe. They can be flavored many ways, baked tall or short, made savory or sweet, and even made crustless. This cheesecake recipe features a strawberry-raspberry swirl made with Sukrin's no-sugar-added strawberry-raspberry jam and it tastes amazing!
For those who can't get Sukrin products, try using my sugar-free strawberry jam, raspberry jam, or blueberry chia jam recipes.
Making a Traditional Cheesecake
A traditional cheesecake recipe consists of a crumb base, cream cheese, eggs, and sweetener. To make the cheesecake crust, butter is added to crushed cookies, crackers or toasted bread crumbs. The crumb mixture is pressed into a prepared springform pan or cheesecake pan with a removable base. Leftover cake or cake crumbs can also be used, and if moist, no butter is needed.
Count on 1 egg per 8 ounces of cream cheese. The cheesecake pan is covered in foil and then the cheesecake is baked in a water bath, much like a custard. Most cheesecakes are baked for 1 hour to 90 minutes. Some recipes call for leaving the cheesecake in the oven until it cools completely.
Making sugar-free cheesecake & low carb keto cheesecakes
As I mentioned above, low carb cheesecakes are a Keto dieters dream. They are made much the same as regular cheesecakes except that a low carb sugar alternative (usually sugar-free erythritol blend) is subbed for the sugar. Cheesecake crusts are made from nut or seed flours and melted butter or coconut oil. Sometimes they are made crustless like my Nana's Cheese Pie, which cooks in a pie plate.
Why Do Cheesecakes Crack?
There are many theories as to why a cheesecake may crack, and many more about how to prevent them. Temperature and humidity each play a part, as does whipping too much air into the batter. Some people say a water-bath will prevent cracks and others caution against rapid cooling.
I've learned over the years that sometimes cracks happen! Cracks are only cosmetic and easily disguised with a clever topping. This strawberry raspberry swirl cheesecake cracked each time I made it. Adding jam to the cracks rendered them invisible.
Keto Swirl Cheesecake
To make this delicious keto swirl cheesecake, I pre-baked my almond flour crust until it browned slightly. The flavor of toasted nuts is much nicer than raw. Using room temperature cream cheese and eggs is important. Leave them on the counter for at least 3 hours.
Incorporating the sweetener (Sukrin :1) and cream cheese in my stand mixer with the paddle attachment at the lowest speed was best. Alternately, I used my hand mixer on the lowest speed possible. Then, I added the sour cream. Lastly, I added gently beaten eggs, one at a time, mixing until they were just incorporated and scraping the sides of the bowl well.
To Create The Swirl
To swirl the jam, I added half of the cheesecake batter to the crust. Next, with a small spoon and using ½ of the jam, I made a spiral of small dollops. I swirled the dollops with a larger spoon. Then, I repeated the same process for the top of the cheesecake. After baking and cooling, any cracks were filled with leftover Sukrin jam.
DELICIOUS!
To see a list of available low carb products and sugar-free recipes, visit Sukrin USA on-line. Give them a follow on Facebook to be alerted to seasonal sales.
This amazing keto cheesecake with raspberry swirl is 5 net carbs per serving.
[This recipe and post contain affiliate links. A purchase through a link may result in a small consideration for me at no additional charge to you.]
Keto Cheesecake with Raspberry Swirl
Ingredients
Low Carb Cheesecake Crust (or your favorite crust)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoon ground golden flax meal (or more almond flour)*
- 3 tablespoon whey protein powder (or more almond flour)*
- 2 tablespoon low carb sugar (or Swerve Granulated)
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt
- â…› teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoon butter, melted
Keto Cheesecake Base
- 24 oz full fat cream cheese
- Âľ cup low carb sugar (or Swerve Granulated)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite
- 3 large eggs, slightly beaten (separately)
- 2 drops red food coloring (optional but makes the jam brighter in color)
- ½ cup Sukrin Strawberry Raspberry Jam (or your favorite no added sugar jam)
Topping
- Âľ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon low carb sugar (or Swerve Granulated)
- 12 fresh raspberries
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack to middle position. Spray an 8-inch springform pan or cheesecake pan with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment. Have a larger pan in-which the cheesecake pan fits, ready to use as a water bath. Heat a tea kettle of water. Mix the food coloring into the jam if using. Melt butter.
Low Carb Cheesecake Crust:
- Add all of the dry ingredients for the crust in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Add the melted butter and blend thoroughly. The mixture should hold its shape when squeezed gently in your hand. If not add 1 more tablespoon of melted butter.
- Firmly press the crust into the bottom of the cheesecake pan and partly up the sides. I place a piece of waxed paper over the crust and press firmly with a flat bottomed glass.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until it begins to brown lightly. Remove from the oven and let cool while making the cheesecake batter. BEFORE ADDING THE BATTER TO THE CRUST, MAKE SURE TO LINE THE OUTSIDE OF THE PAN WITH TWO LARGE PIECES OF ALUMINUM FOIL.
Keto Cheesecake Batter:
- Add the softened cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the ¾ cup of Sukrin :1, ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite and vanilla. Mix on lowest speed until smooth. Scrape down the bowl and beaters and mix again to incorporate any unmixed cream cheese.
- Add the sour cream and mix again on low. Gently beat one egg in a small bowl and add it to the cream cheese mixture until just incorporated. Repeat for each egg. Scrape down the bowl and mix once more. Remove the paddle and scrape down the bowl.
Procedure:
- Make sure the pan has been wrapped carefully with foil before beginning! Spoon half of the cheesecake batter into the prepared cheesecake crust. With a small spoon, dollop half of the jam in a spiral pattern over the top of the batter. Swirl with a larger spoon. Clean off spoon. Repeat with the remaining cheesecake batter and jam.
- Place the cheesecake into the larger pan and place onto the oven rack. Add the hot water and enough cool water to the pan to fill halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan, if possible.
Bake:
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The middle should still be jiggly, and the sides set. Using a different size pan will result in a longer or shorter cooking time. Turn the oven off. Prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and let the cheesecake sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely before covering in cling film and refrigerating - best if chilled overnight!
Serve:
- Before serving, fill any cracks with jam. Whip the cream with the sweetener. Serve the cheesecake with whipped cream and a raspberry. Serves 12.
Notes
Nutrition
Low Carb Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Nana's Cheese Pie - Crustless Cheesecake (low carb, keto)
Vikki Bailey
Low Carb Maven is my go-to site for keto recipes and her cheesecakes are perfection!
Kim Hardesty
Thank you for your kind words, Vikki! Have a wonderful week. -Kim
Debora Rempel
Can this be frozen?
Kim Hardesty
Absolutely!
VHM
Made this tonight. I made a raspberry sauce and served it on the side. This is a great cheesecake. One of the best I’ve had. And it’s big - 12 very generous servings.
Lydia
This recipe was really good!
I used a 9-inch pan since that's what I had. I baked the crust 5 minutes less and the cake as a whole 10 minutes less, that's what was needed using my oven.
I was amazed how well this cake tastes! I have only just started keto and made a birthday cake for my partner, who is slowly easing into the keto diet. I hadn't specifically made a keto meal before that uses replacements such as almond flour and swerve (no sukrin available where I live). I was surprised of how tasty the whipped cream got with swerve, I love knowing that I can use this instead of sugar without any weird aftertaste!
My cake still cracked, but I don't really care and I made a nice pattern of whipped cream on it to cover it up anyway.
Thank you for this recipe!
Charlotte
Hi Kim. I also love coffee, steak, and to bake! Have you tried cooking it at a lower temp. to avoid cracking? I recently found a video on preventing cheesecake from cracking.
Kim
Hi Charlotte. YES! I have baked cheesecakes 250 F for a longer time and it works. I don't cook them in a water bath when I do so. -Kim
Pamela Keathley
Hello! Love love love this recipe! I am wanting to make two smaller ones out of one. What would be the cooking time if I did this? Just don't want to mess it up, it's to good to do that!!
Thank you!
Kim
I would check at 20 minutes then every 5-10 depending on how raw it is at 20 minutes. -Kim
addy daria
Does anyone have an opinion as to how a dairy-free cream cheese spread substitute would fare in place of CC?
Either out of experience or speculation?
Think, like, Daiya brand spread.
Jenny
This was amazing! I made it last night for a small gathering of friends celebrating my husbands birthday. My husband and I are both doing low Carb, but the friends were not. Some of the comments were "Divine", "Fabulous" and "really good!". The crust was the centerpiece, everyone thought it was graham cracker. The cake itself was delicious and creamy. The top of my cake got a little brown though, it didn't stay white like yours, but it didn't seem to overcook the inside. Wonderful recipe, thanks!
Kim
Wow, Jenny! I'm so glad you were able to shine with your dessert. I love getting compliments on my cooking and I'm sure you did, too. I'm not sure why the top of yours became more brown. All ovens are different and I have noticed that my mother's wall oven, which is smaller than my free-standing range, cooks hotter and faster than mine. I hope you all enjoyed your husband's birthday! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and tell me about it. Have a wonderful week. -Kim
Mona L
Can this dessert be frozen?
Also instead of the jam, I made this with a rhubarb sauce.
2 cups rhubarb, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 4 tbsp erythritol (or as you prefer) Cook on top of stove and let cool.
My pan was 9” and took about 1 hr 10 minutes. Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks amazing. No cracks so far.
Kim
It sounds amazing, Mona. I love the rhubarb. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I'll have to try that. Yes, as far as I'm aware you can freeze any cheesecake. Enjoy! -Kim
Mona L.
As a follow up to my previous comment. The cheesecake did eventually crack. I did freeze it and took it out of the freezer the day before serving. With the rhubarb sauce instead of the raspberry, it was an absolute hit. Delicious! This recipe is my go to now for my Keto family.
Haley
I made this yesterday and it is delicious! The best low-carb dessert I've made so far. Even my non-LC family members loved this cheesecake. Thanks fot the great recipe!
Kim
I'm so happy you all enjoyed the recipe, Haley! Thanks for letting me know. -Kim
Mira
My cheesecakes get brown on the top. How do you get them to stay white?
Kim
Hi Mira. Actually, mine was a touch under-baked. Sometimes my cheesecakes get browned on top, too. If you have a smaller wall oven, the cheesecake will be closer to the top of the oven and that may be why. I am using a 25 year old stand alone gas oven/stove combo. You could try laying a piece of foil across the top of the pan if you notice the top starting to brown. -Kim
Pamela Keathley
Hi! I love love love this recipe!!! I am wanting to make smaller ones, would the bake time be the same?
Kim
Hi Pamela. I'm so glad you are happy with the recipe. The baking time would be less and would also depend on if you were making muffin sized cheesecakes or smaller 3-4 inch cheesecakes. What I would do is look for similar sized recipes ("mini cheesecakes") and see how long they are being baked. Then I would check 10 minutes before they are supposed to be done. I hope this helps. -Kim
Cheryl
I made this for my daughter's birthday party and it turned out real good! Thanks for the good recipe!
Lady J
Thank you for these great recipes, I have made the Ketos Cheesecake several times, it is a mash in my home.
Christine
Your carb count on this recipe is incorrect. I put the entire recipe in the carb manager app, and the TOTAL CARBS is 25, with 6 NET CARBS. Please verify how you got 6 total carbs in this recipe. Thanks.
Kim
Hi Christine. I'm sorry I did not get to this earlier. As you can imagine, recalculating every recipe that people challenge takes time to do. I always leave these to do later so I can do them all at once... I hope you don't mind.
I'm not sure how you got total carbs at 25g. I think your program is counting the carbs in the erythritol, a sugar alcohol which the body does not absorb or break down. Convention is to leave out the counts since it has zero calories and therefore zero carbs. All nutritional counters are going to differ some in output because each have their own algorithms in which they use to calculate ingredients. I used the MasterCook program to calculate this recipe when I first shared it. I always weigh my ingredients and add them as grams or ounces to get the most accurate counts. Be careful which products you choose. For example, there are some mayos that contain sugar and some that do not. Choosing a brand with sugar is going to affect the numbers you get.
Just double checking quickly on fatsecret.com, I added all of the recipe ingredients except for the raspberries (1 per person) and have 5.88g total carbs with 1.7g fiber calculating to 4.18 net carbs per serving. I did not weigh the ingredients, I just entered them as-is into fatsecret.com. I stand behind my numbers. I hope this helps. -Kim
Meredith
My husband and I just started following a keto diet and were presented with the problem of his birthday. I made this cheesecake and was super nervous about it since I've actually never made a cheesecake before. It turned out devine. I used swerve and made my own raspberry jam. I didn't have flax meal, but I did have Beef Gelatin Collogen Protein Powder, and it felt really weird to put it in a dessert, but I did, and the crust was so yummy. My oven generally cooks things faster than recipes call for so I checked it at 55 minutes (I also used a 9in springform cuz that's what I have) since this is a common cook time for other cheesecake recipes and it was already done - jiggly in the middle and set around the edge. I used a waterbath AND left it in an OFF oven with the door propped open for 20 mins - it only cracked a tiny bit and I filled the cracks with extra raspberry jam. I had non-keto pies onhand for guests, but they were practically untouched and this cheesecake devoured with tons of compliments. Now I just have to get those other pies out of the house!!! Best of all, my hubby was REALLY happy with his birthday cake. THANK YOU!!
Kim
Meredith! I'm thrilled that you were able to celebrate your husband's birthday with a low carb cake he and your guests enjoyed! Thank you for sharing your ingredients subs, pan size, and your cooking method - it will surely help others. I appreciate you taking the time to leave such a great comment and for your kind words. Have a wonderful day. -Kim
Brie
Quick question: can I use Monk Fruit sugar substitute in this recipe?
Kim
Absolutely, Brie! -Kim
Anu
Absolutely wonderful! I made this using your raspberry jam, and it was just beautiful, cracks and all. The crust is a dream, the salt and cinnamon really takes it to the next level... Soo good! I also added a bit of salt to the cheesecake filling as I like a hint of salt in all the desserts I make, just to offset the sweetness and compliment the tartness. I also used Erythritol as that's all I had at hand, and powdered it for the filling, as it tends to get a bit gritty otherwise, but left it granular for the crust. I served the first few slices without any whipped cream but I will definitely whip some up for our slices tomorrow. Thank you for yet another fantastic recipe! Next up - your chocolate truffle cheesecake.. I am SO excited about that one, I am the biggest chocaholic ever!
Kim
I'm so glad you like the recipe, Anu. Thank you for sharing your experience making it and how you tweaked to fit the ingredients you had on hand. You will love the chocolate cheesecake. It is very decadent and should surly take care of that chocolate craving! Enjoy your week. -Kim
Kevin V Cook
I'm a wee bit confused. When you say " BEFORE ADDING THE BATTER TO THE CRUST, MAKE SURE TO LINE THE OUTSIDE OF THE PAN WITH TWO LARGE PIECES OF ALUMINUM FOIL" What exactly do you mean? Do you wrap it around the entire pan, bottom included? What purpose does the foil serve?
Sorry for the silly question, I've never made a cheesecake before.
Kim
Hi Kevin. Great question! Most cheesecakes are cooked in a water bath. The springform pans are notorious for leaking and soaking the crust. Carefully wrapping the pan in foil will help prevent this from happening. I'm sure you find an instructable on google about how to wrap a cheesecake pan in foil and probably find a video on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Susan P
Have never tried Sukrin or Stevia glycerine? Does the cheesecake taste the same as using regular sugar?
Kim
Hi Susan, great question. If you are not on a low carb diet, use 3/4 - 1 cup of regular sugar (depending on your taste buds) and use regular strawberry or raspberry jam. The no-seed varieties work best. Enjoy the cheesecake. -Kim
Sandra
I see stevia glycerate a lot in recipes...what is that and is it necessary? Can powder stevia be used?
Kim
You can use powdered Stevia to taste, Sandra. Yes, the added sweetness is necessary and I like the Stevia glycerite much better than liquid Stevia. I prefer the powdered Stevia in my coffee have a nice weekend. -Kim
Diego Lopes
Cheesecakes are by far my favorite dessert... so I really can't stress enough how much I want this right now.
Kim
Thanks, Diego!
Lisa Huff
Oh wow, this looks so good!
Kim
Thanks, Lisa! Have a nice week. -Kim
Cheryl
Yum! I love how pretty this looks! I might try this! This looks beautiful and perfect for Christmas! Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Kim
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Cheryl. Happy Holidays to you and yours. -Kim
Julie LaCombe
Could this be made without the crust?
Kim
I haven’t tried a cheesecake in a springform pan without a crust, but I have seen pictures on Google and Pinterest. I would line the inside walls if the pan with parchment paper and then the bottom as well. -Kim
Kathleen
Oh, man, that is a thing of beauty! Take a look at the first sentence in Step 1 of the Batter -- I think you mean "cream cheese" rather than "cheesecake". I'll be all over this recipe as soon as I order some of that jam.
Kim
Oh, YES, Kathleen. Thank you for finding that error. I absolutely meant cream cheese. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake. -Kim