This easy low carb lemon cheesecake is not only zingy and refreshing, it is also heavenly creamy. Your guests won't believe this is a sugar-free dessert.
I adore cheesecake recipes. They are easy to make, look impressive and cleanse the palate after a meal. And with a few simple tweaks, any cheesecake can be low carb and keto friendly!
This sugar free lemon cheesecake tart is packed with citrus flavor. The no bake filling is set with gelatine. It is velvety and the perfect counterpart to the crispy gluten-free crust.
Many cheesecakes have a no bake crust which can become soggy. That's why I opted for a baked crust because I wanted the result to be crispy and light.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we'll need:
Crust
- Almond Flour - or ground almonds
- Desiccated Coconut - must be unsweetened
- Egg - large
Filling
- Cream Cheese - I like to use Philadelphia, because it is extra smooth. Room temperature is best.
- Sour Cream - This works well instead of the usual heavy cream as the sour flavor goes with the zestiness of the lemon.
- Lemon - We are using the zest and the juice of a whole lemon.
- Powdered Sweetener - Any 1:1 sugar substitute works here. I used to make the recipe with powdered erythritol. Now I prefer either powdered allulose or Bocha Sweet. Neither has the cooling aftertaste of erythritol.
- Powdered Gelatine - This helps to set the filling.
Instructions
It is really simple to make a low carb lemon cheesecake. Here are the basic steps. For ingredient amounts, nutrition and more details, scroll down to the recipe card.
STEP 1
Combine the ingredients for the crust in a blender. Line a tart or pie dish with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter or oil. Press the dough into the bottom of the dish and up the sides.
STEP 2
Bake the crust in the preheated oven until golden. Then, let cool fully.
Crust Tips
- If you feel adventurous, add a teaspoon of ground ginger to the crust mixture. Ginger and lemon are flavour buddies.
- I personally do not think the crust needs additional sweetener as the coconut has some natural sweetness to it. However, we're all different and you know yourself best. Do add a teaspoon of granulated or powdered erythritol if you feel it would work better for you.
- If you have beans for blind baking, throw them on top of the crust before you put it in the oven. They prevent the bottom of the tart from rising up.
- Another trick to prevent the crust base from bubbling up is to prick the unbaked crust with a fork.
Filling
STEP 3
Blend the cream cheese, sour cream, sweetener, lemon juice and zest until well-combined.
STEP 4
Dissolve the gelatine according to the packet instructions. I dissolved mine in a few tablespoons of hot water. Then, stir the gelatine into the cheesecake filling mixture.
STEP 5
Pour the filling into the cooled tart base and refrigerate until set.
Cheesecake Filling Tips
- Let the gelatine mixture cool down to lukewarm before mixing it into the filling. If the temperature difference is too great it might end up lumpy.
- Don't omit the lemon zest. It makes the cake taste 100% better.
- And as with the crust, adjust the sugar substitute to taste. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and you may prefer a little more sweetness.
Serving Suggestion
Option to top the tart with lemon slices, a layer of sugar free whipped cream or sugar free lemon curd.
Variations
Use Lime: Replace the lemon with lime for a version of sugar free key lime pie.
No Bake Crust: Skip the baking and make a no-bake crust. Use the same amounts of almond flour and coconut, but replace the egg with ¼ cup of coconut oil. Use a springform lined with parchment paper and spread the crust mix only on the bottom and not the sides.
Mini cheesecakes: Make individual cheesecakes in a muffin tin. To release those out of the tin with ease, use paper cups or freeze them for a couple of hours so they are nice and firm and pop out of the tin without you denting them. This is a trick I learned when making these low carb raspberry cheesecakes.
No gelatine: If you don't like the idea of gelatine, use whipped heavy cream or whipped coconut cream (use only the firm parts from your can of coconut milk) instead of sour cream. Fold it into the filling mixture at the end. Refrigerate well before cutting.
Less calories: Low carb desserts do not normally focus on being low fat. However, if you would prefer a lighter cake, replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt. This reduces the fat content.
Storage
Like its sugary original, this low carb lemon cheesecake must be stored in the refrigerator. In an airtight container, the cake keeps fresh for 4-5 days.
It also freezes well! I slice and freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. This way, I can defrost one slice at a time. My husband likes to eat it frozen, straight from the freezer. This way, it tastes a bit like a lemon creamsicle!
More Low Carb Cheesecake Recipes
Here are more fruity sugar free cheesecakes to try:
- Keto Orange Cheesecake1 Hours 30 Minutes
- Keto Strawberry Cheesecake4 Hours 20 Minutes
- Keto Blueberry Cheesecake (No Bake)10 Hours 15 Minutes
- Sugar Free Cheesecake7 Hours 15 Minutes
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Recipe
Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Equipment
- pie pan with a removable bottom
Ingredients
For the base
- 1.5 cup almond flour 150g or ground almonds
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut 70g, unsweetened
- 1 egg large
For the filling
- 10.5 oz cream cheese 300g, room temperature
- 10.5 oz sour cream 300g
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoon powdered sweetener (or more, to taste)
- 1 pack gelatine 12g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit (electric). Line the bottom of a tart/pie dish with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- In a blender or with a hand mixer (use a tall jug), blend the ingredients for the tart base until they resemble sticky crumbles and the coconut is starting to release its oils.
- Press the dough into a tart or pie dish with your fingers. My dish measured 22 cm at the bottom and 26 cm at the top.
- Bake for around 20 minutes until the tart crust is lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool down. Then remove tart base from the pan.
- Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, sweetener, lemon juice and zest in a bowl until smooth.
- Dissolve your gelatine according to your manufacturer's instructions (I dissolved mine in a few tablespoons of hot water) and add to the filling mix. Blend and fill into the tart base.
- Cool the tart in the fridge until set, a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. Decorate with more lemon zest or to your liking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I first published this post in 2018 and republished it in 2024 with more details and tips.
Ioneta
Thank you from Cairo too! Can’t wait to try this cheesecake, in fact there are several recipes on my schedule. Wonderful your site. I’ll return with a feedback.
Glyn
I love the LEMON LOW CARB CHEESECAKE (KETO, SUGAR FREE)
I want to make it
I noticed that the portion number changed the metric sizes, but not the imperial sizes (OZ's )
Maybe a glitch in the system.
I just thought I would let you know
great website
Barbara T
Delicious and worked well and even
the gelatine “behaved”. I wondered if you could use that tart crust with apple slices on it like for a French apple tart baking it at the same temperature?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, I think that would work!
Rachel
Hey! This looks amazing, I'm going to make it next weekend but can I check something - for the gelatine I've read a 12g sachet makes a pint of liquid so how much liquid should be added? Just want to make sure I do it right! Thanks 🙂
Katrin Nürnberger
I just used a few tablespoons of hot water, just enough to dissolve it. Don't use any additional water. You need the gelatine to set the cream cheese and lemon juice mix.
Luca
Hi, lovely recipe you have- especially for summer time.
Have you tried using xanthan gum as thickener in the filling?
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't think that would work. You'd have to use too much of it and it would probably taste a bit slimy.
Nicola Davis
Silly question is this nutrition per slice or for the whole pie?
Katrin Nürnberger
Nutrition is per slice! 🙂
Julie
Oh I love it so much! Are you able to freeze this yummy cheesecake?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, you can 🙂
Julie Puttock
Oh yes... I am definitely making this at the weekend. You've just made my day. Thank you
deborah harper
can i replace the sour cream with yoghurt or cream? thank you
Katrin
I think maybe a mix of greek yoghurt and double / heavy cream would work as a replacement. That way you'll have a similar texture and fat content.
Ken Simpson
This is a delicious low carb dessert. I made it just like your recipe called for and loved it . I may try the coconut butter instead of gelatin as you suggested. I'll let you know how that goes. It's hard to believe this is a low carb dessert.
Angela Henderson
I made this yesterday and I really liked it. I used about 1 1/3 cup of 100% erythritol (the powdered kind) and added it to the filling. I made a slightly different base (1 1/2 cups almond flour, 4 tablespoons melted butter and 2 tablespoons erythritol & baked at 180C for 20 minutes.). It tastes deilcious. I think next time I will make a berry jam (with erythritol) and swirl it onto the top of the cake before letting it set.
thanks for sharing the recipe.
Katrin
I love your idea of a berry swirl! Thanks for letting us know your tweaks 🙂