Easy, Fudgy Keto Cheesecake Brownies

The ultimate keto cheesecake brownies! Deep layers of chocolatey goodness and sweet creamy cheesecake, swirled together to create one mighty fine dessert. Perfectly moist and fudgy… you’d never guess this indulgent treat is low carb and sugar free. It contains only 2.8g net carbs per square!

I had seen brownie cheesecake bars recently in our local deli, but of course they were made with sugar. But they looked so good – and so pretty, with their brown and white swirls. Ever since then I had wanted to create a low carb version.

I’m using almond flour in this recipe, which is my favourite low carb, grain free flour. As a sweetener, I opted for erythritol. The carbs in erythritol are not absorbed by out bodies, therefore it’s essentially zero carb! It’s a great sweetener when you’re on the keto diet.

I did create a new brownie recipe for this post. And this is not because I don’t love my fabulously fudgy keto brownies. I just wanted to try something different!

The brownie batter in this recipe is fluffier, because I used baking powder. It is also simpler and a bit cheaper to make, because I decided to go for cocoa powder only and omitted the melted chocolate.

If you try both, let me know which you prefer.

My keto cheesecake brownies are nice and rich so you only need a small slice to satisfy those chocolate cravings when they come!

 How to make keto cheesecake brownies – step by step: 

1.) Get your ingredients ready and preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit!

2.) Add all the dry brownie ingredients to a mixing bowl – almond flour, cacao powder, sweetener, baking powder. Mix well with a spatula or a fork.

Add a pinch of salt for extra flavour!

3.) Add the wet ingredients – eggs, melted butter or coconut oil and almond milk – and stir until you have a smooth batter. Last, add the chocolate chips and mix.

4.) Place the cream cheese, erythritol, egg and vanilla into a mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until combined.

5.) Add dollops of brownie batter to a baking tin line with parchment paper. Save about 4 tbsp. Don’t spread.

Spoon the cheesecake batter into the gaps and gently shake the pan to self level. Add the 4 tbsp of reserved brownie mixture to the top of a 4 cheesecake dollops.

6.) Use a toothpick to swirl the batters together. Don’t be tempted to over-swirl. Too much swirling actually won’t end up in a pretty swirly top, but more in a paler all-in-one-brown mix!

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes until the edges are cooked but the centre is still a little jiggly. Make sure the cheesecake batter does not brown. My oven was about 24 minutes.

Keep ingredients at room temperature

Results in baking will always be better with a little planning, and low carb baking is no different.

I recommend to have all the ingredients at room temperature, especially for the cheesecake batter. This will stop the mix splitting.

Also, you’ll have a softer brownie batter if your eggs are room temperature. Think about it – if your eggs are cold, they’ll cause the butter to solidify and your batter becomes tough and difficult to work with. Remember – we’re after a good-looking swirl!

The low carb flour

I’m using ground almonds in this recipe. This is the same as regular almond flour in the US. If your almond flour is SUPER-FINE, I recommend you use 2 tbsp less flour because it’s more absorbent.

I don’t recommend trying to replace the almond flour with coconut flour. Normally, you can substitute it in recipes using between 1/3 and 1/2 the amount because it absorbs more liquid.

Coconut flour also requires more binders as it is more brittle. You might need to use an additional egg, and probably also xanthan gum. Do let me know if you experiment.

The chocolate 

You’ve got choices here  – both cacao powder and cocoa powder works. The difference here is that cacao powder is raw and has additional nutritional benefits. Cocoa powder is roasted, darker in colour and a bit easier to get hold of.

As for the sugar free chocolate chips, use Lily’s if you can get hold of them. They are keto friendly and readily available in the US. If you can’t, simply use a quality dark chocolate such as Lindt or Montezuma’s and chop it into pieces.

You want to opt for a minimum of 85% cocoa solids. I like the Lindt 90%.

Of course, using the chocolate is optional. No hard feelings!

The sweetener

I used Lakanto for this recipe, but any erythritol based sweetener will yield the same result.

I chose granulated sweetener sweetener for the brownie batter. You could use powdered, but you’ll probably need a little less.

Note – the sweetness of these brownies was perfect for me. However, if you know you like your cakes less sweet, start with 1/2 cup of sweetener. Taste, and see if that’s sufficient for you.

For the cheesecake batter do use a powdered erythritol, otherwise the result will be gritty. If you don’t have powdered sweetener at home, you can make your own by blending granulated erythritol in a food processor.

You can replace the erythritol with your sweetener of choice. Xylitol works well, or use Swerve. If you use Swerve, be sure to measure using cups and not by weight as it’s lighter.

Make sure your sweetener is a 1:1 replacement for sugar. Some sweeteners are twice as sweet as sugar and you’d need to use half the amount for these!

Even allulose would be good for the brownie batter, although I don’t recommend you use it for the cheesecake because it may not set as well. If you use allulose, you may need to increase the oven time by a few minutes.

The secret to fudgy brownies

Your keto cheesecake brownies will firm up as they cool so don’t be tempted to over-bake them. It’s absolutely fine if a knife inserted comes out still sticky with brownie batter. The cake should be cooked around the edges and just set on the top in the middle, with the centre jiggly.

I’ve given a time range of 20-25 minutes. Ovens can differ in temperature (the older, the less reliable!) and altitude can also have an impact on how long you need to bake them. My cheesecake parts started to brown at minute 24, so that’s when I took mine out.

I’d say brownies tend to taste the best if you slightly under-bake them!

Definitely wait until your brownies have fully cooled to room temperature before you slice them. This will give them the time they need to firm up. Placing them in the fridge, once cooled, will help to firm them up even more.

How to store Keto Cheesecake Brownies

These brownies need to be stored in the fridge, best in an airtight container. They are fine for about 4-5 days.

You can also freeze them for about 3 months.

Here are some of my other low carb brownie and cheesecake recipes!

• Keto Avocado Brownies Recipe
• Keto Almond Butter Brownie Cookies
• Keto Double Chocolate Cheesecake
• Sugar Free Strawberry Cheesecake

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Fudgy Keto Cheesecake Brownies

Katrin Nürnberger

These keto cheesecake brownies are squares of pure happiness! It's a super easy recipe that's ready in only 40 minutes. Fun to make, too 🙂 I'd love to see how pretty your swirls turn out. Post pics on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram if you can!

5 from 18 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 16

Calories 159 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Brownie batter

• ▢ 1 cup / 100g almond flour
• ▢ 2/3 cup / 57g cacao powder
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 2/3 cup / 130g granulated erythritol (So Nourished)
• ▢ 3 eggs medium***, room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 113g butter or coconut oil melted
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 45g sugar free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks 85% cocoa solids minimum
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

Cheesecake batter

• ▢ 1 cup / 225g cream cheese or mascarpone room temperature
• ▢ 1 egg room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 40g powdered erythritol (So Nourished)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C / 160 fan. Line a 28 x 19 x 3.5cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Brownie Batter

• Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix well with a fork or spatula.
• Add the wet ingredients and stir together using a fork or spatula. Last, stir in the chocolate chips.

Cheesecake batter

• Place the cream cheese, erythritol, egg and vanilla into a mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer until combined.

Assembly

• Add dollops of brownie batter to your prepared baking tin. Save about 4 tbsp. Don’t spread.
• Spoon the cheesecake batter into the gaps and gently shake the pan to self level. Add the 4 tbsp of reserved batter to the top of a 4 cheesecake dollops. Using a toothpick swirl the batters together. Don’t be tempted to over swirl.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes until the edges are cooked but the centre is still a little jiggly and just before the cheesecake batter browns. My oven was about 24 minutes.
• The brownies with firm up as they cool so don’t be tempted to over-bake. Remove from the oven and allow to fully cool to firm up before slicing. Placing in the fridge, once cooled, will also firm them up a bit more.

Video

Notes

Hands on: 15 minutes

Overall cooking time: 40 minutes

Makes 16 slices. Net carbs per slice: 2.8 g 

Storage: Airtight tupperware in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer up to 3 months

I used regular almond flour / ground almonds. If you're using extra-fine almond flour, reduce the amount by 2 tbsp as it's more absorbent. 

***3 medium eggs worked well in my brownie batter. If your eggs are very large, 2 eggs should suffice.  

You can make your own powdered sweetener by simply blitzing some granulated in the food processor!

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 5.6gProtein: 4.5gFat: 15.2gSaturated Fat: 7.4gFiber: 2.8gSugar: 1.4g

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