This easy no bake sugar free cheesecake has a silky-smooth, creamy filling and a buttery almond flour crust. It's a low carb cheesecake recipe the whole family is going to love - in fact, you'd never guess it's sugar free, gluten free and keto. My kids both asked for seconds!
My friends, this cheesecake is so easy and so delicious at the same time that it deserves a place in the Hall of Fame for sugar-free desserts. The texture is just so creamy and it has a wonderful fresh flavor.
I have quite a few sugar free cheesecake recipes on my website already. Amongst my favourites for summer are this sugar free strawberry cheesecake and this low carb lemon cheesecake. In winter I'll crave this epic keto chocolate cheesecake, my Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake and of course keto cheesecake brownies.
I felt I needed to include a classic low carb cheesecake in my repertoire. One that tastes wonderful all on its own, but can be customised with different toppings, from fruit and berries to caramel or sugar-free chocolate (see a list of ideas at the end of the post!).
Jump to:
Baked VS No Bake Cheesecake
I love a classic New York-style baked cheesecake. But admittedly they require a little more attention and care. Baked cheesecakes contain eggs to help them set. And if you don't get it right, the top can crack easily.
First of all, you have to line the outside of your pan with foil. Then you must put your pan into a larger pan half-filled with water - a water bath. Also, you must take care that you don't over-cook it. The center should be ALMOST set, but must be still jiggly.
And lastly, you should never cool it too fast. Why? Because the sudden temperature change can cause a crack in the filling at the very end. It's a minefield for a novice baker!
This no bake sugar free cheesecake, on the other hand, is a BREEZE. Instead of eggs we are using whipped cream to help it firm up. No risk of cracks or sunken middles. No bake means it's totally FAILSAFE. Easy-peasy. No waiting until the oven is hot. It's mix, cool, enjoy!
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
STEP 1
Get your ingredients ready! You'll need almond flour or ground almonds, coconut flour, melted unsalted butter, powdered erythritol and a pinch of salt for the base.
For the filling, measure out room temperature cream cheese or mascarpone, lemon juice, vanilla extract and heavy cream / double cream.
STEP 2
Place all the dry base ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to form a flakey crumb.
STEP 3
Grease a 7-inch non-stick loose-bottom baking tin or a springform pan with a little melted butter.
Then, press the base mix into the bottom with your fingers. Smooth with the back of the spoon to make the edges nice and neat.
STEP 4
In a clean mixing bowl, add the full-fat cream cheese, powdered erythritol, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Mix with an electric mixer to combine, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your palate with optional liquid stevia.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thick (but don’t over whisk so it goes super stiff).
STEP 5
Fold the cream through the cream cheese with a spatula to combine.
STEP 6
Spoon the filling on top of the base and smooth the top off with a silicone spatula.
Cover with plastic wrap and place the sugar free cheesecake in the fridge to fully set, about 6 - 8 hours, or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer until set.
Expert Tip
I left my cake in the fridge overnight because I was taking the pictures the next morning. I then popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes before adding the topping. This made it very firm, but not frozen. This simple trick makes the cake very easy to slice!
Low Carb Cheesecake ToppingÂ
For the topping, add the heavy cream to a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric whisk until thick, but still fluid, not super stiff.
Run a sharp knife along the inside of the cake tin to release the cake before you open the springform or remove the tin.
Top with whipped cream, smoothing with a spatula for pillowy ripples and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries. Option to dust with a little powdered sweetener for prettiness.
Serve and enjoy!!
Sugar Free Cheesecake Crust Options
My low carb, gluten-free crust is so yummy that you won't miss the graham crackers you'd use in a traditional cheesecake at all. However, I always get questions on how to substitute ingredients, so I have summed up all crust variations I can think of:
Almond flour crust. If you don't want to use coconut flour, omit it and use 1 ½ cup or 150 grams of almond flour in total.
Coconut flour crust. I know some of my readers are allergic to almond flour. In this case, use ½ cup / 60g of coconut flour to make the crust. You need less coconut flour because it absorbs more liquid than almond flour.
Use other nuts. You can replace the almond flour with other nut flours! Ground pecans or walnuts would work well. If you want to steer away from nuts altogether, you could also consider using sunflower seed meal. Replace these options 1:1 with the almond flour.
Dairy-free crust. To make the crust dairy free, replace the butter with the same amount of coconut oil or ghee.
No crust. Yes, even this is an option! You actually don't need the crust at all. If you omit it, be sure to line the bottom of the cake tin with parchment paper so you can remove the base easily.
Keto Cheesecake FillingÂ
It's possible to use either cream cheese or mascarpone for the filling. Mascarpone will make the end result a little richer. You could also replace half of the cream cheese with sour cream.
The heavy cream is non-negotiable, as it helps keep the filling firm.
I recommend using room-temperature cream cheese as it will blend easier and there's no issue with lumps forming.
The great thing about this recipe is that you don't need to add gelatin for the cake to set. This only becomes necessary once you add additional ingredients that contain liquid, such as lemon juice or fruit.
This cheesecake is simple and simply delicious. Incidentally, the filling all on its own would also make a fabulous keto cheesecake fluff. Simply mix, fill into individual jars, cool and enjoy!
Toppings
Purists will enjoy this cheesecake without toppings. I have added whipped cream and a mix of fresh berries plus lemon zest. Here are more topping ideas:
- - Blueberries or blackberries
- - sugar free lemon curd
- - melted sugar free chocolate
- - raspberry coulis (mix mashed raspberries with a little powdered sweetener)
- - keto caramel sauce
- - sugar free blueberry jam
FAQs
In most sugar free desserts it's fine to use granulated erythritol, such as in cakes or cookies. For any recipe that has a silky-smooth finish though we MUST use powdered erythritol.
The reason is that erythritol does not melt into liquids as regular sugar does. And who likes a grainy cheesecake filling, right?
You can use pure erythritol or an erythritol/stevia or erythritol / monkfruit mix or Swerve.
If you don't have powdered erythritol to hand, you can powder it yourself in a coffee grinder or in a high-speed blender.
You could also use xylitol or Splenda in this sugar free cheesecake recipe, which I know is still popular in the diabetic community. With Splenda, you MUST measure in cups and not in weight. It's lighter than erythritol and if you'd measure it in grams you would use WAY too much.
You can also use allulose or Bocha Sweet for the filling.
A slice of this sugar free cheesecake without topping has only 2.8 grams of net carbs. If you include the optional berries and additional whipped cream on top, this increases to 3.8 grams of net carbs.
So in case you are wondering "Is sugar-free cheesecake keto?" - the answer is a resounding YES. It's perfect for anyone on a keto diet.
You see, it's easy to make a keto cheesecake recipe. You only have to change two ingredients - the flour and the sugar - and replace them with nut flour and a sweetener such as erythritol.
The rest of the ingredients are already naturally low in carbs and sugar. Cream cheese and heavy cream, which you need for the filling, are regulars in keto desserts!
Storage
The most important thing is to keep cheesecake cool! Store it covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months.
Ideally, freeze without toppings. I like to freeze individual slices, which I wrap in clingfilm and then in aluminium foil once they are frozen. That way, they don't lose their shape.
Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight or defrost on the kitchen counter for 4 hours. Individual slices thaw in 1-2 hours.
More Sugar Free Cheesecake Recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
★ STAY IN TOUCH on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more great food and join my NEWSLETTER for the latest updates and a FREE EBOOK.★
Recipe
No Bake Sugar Free 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.
Ingredients
BASE
- ¾ cup / 75g almond flour or ground almonds
- ¼ cup / 30g coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sweetener
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ / 57g cup butter melted
FILLING
- 1.5 cups / 360g cream cheese or mascarpone room temperature
- â…” cup / 107g powdered erythritol
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup / 240ml heavy cream / double cream
- 5 - 10 drops liquid stevia optional - if you have a sweet tooth!
TOPPING (optional)
- ¾ cup / 180g heavy cream / double cream
- ½ cup / 75g strawberries halved or quartered
- â…“ cup / 40g raspberries
Instructions
BASE
- Place all the dry base ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to form a flakey crumb.
- Grease a 7 inch non-stick loose bottom baking tin with a little melted butter.
- Press the base mix into the bottom and smooth with the back of the spoon to get the edges nice and neat.
FILLING
- In a clean mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered erythritol, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer to combine, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your palate with optional liquid stevia.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream until thick (but don’t over whisk so it goes super stiff).
- Fold the cream through the cream cheese with a spatula to combine.
- Spoon the filling on top of the base and smooth the top off with a silicone spatula.
- Place in the fridge to fully set, about 6 - 8 hours, or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer until set. I actually left mine in the fridge overnight, then popped it in the freezer for 30 minutes. This way it was nice and firm for slicing, but not frozen.
TOPPING
- Add ¾ cup heavy cream to a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric whisk until thick, but still soft, not super stiff.
- Remove the cheesecake from the tin and top with whipped cream, smoothing with a spatula for pillowy ripples and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries. Option to dust with a little powdered erythritol.
Attila
This is a wonderful cake. I've now made it twice in less than two months. Thank you for the recipe!
I have a question though, maybe you can give some suggestions. When I first made the cake, the whole process was very smooth and I had no difficulties with it at all. Surprisingly smooth really, as that was the firs cake I ever made in my life.
Now this second time I had some problems with it. The base of the cake stuck to the bottom of the tin and it was really difficult to remove it. I could move it only after some struggle and large chunks broke off from the bottom of the cake. I'm fairly sure I followed the recipe the same as I did the first time, including greasing the bottom with melted butter, so I have no idea what could have possibly caused this.
Anyway, this had no impact on the taste at all which is as great as ever and most of the cake is gone by now 🙂
Katrin Nürnberger
I’m really happy you like the cheesecake recipe! As for the base, an easy way to prevent sticking altogether is to simply line it with parchment paper 🙂
Attila
I'll try the parchment paper next time, thanks! 🙂
Lori Manlove
It was delicious! Do you agree that this would also be considered gluten-free?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, all the recipes on my website are gluten free because I only use nut and seed flours.
Lily
Wow, I should have listened to myself when it came to the vanilla. I just got vanilla slapped. It was so over powering and I love me some vanilla. It was like drinking it straight from the bottle. I’m not sure if the cheap imitation stuff is being used or the actual real stuff. But I use the real thing so maybe that’s why it is so strong, but will listen to myself next time.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Lily, I use a regular vanilla extract. Maybe yours is stronger than that? Or maybe it's just down to taste. I have had other readers tell me that they actually doubled the amount I gave and thought that was perfect.
Lindsey Park
Absolutely deeelish!
Julie Moths
I have never made anything keto and I’m not familiar with the different types of sugar. I am going to make this cheesecake and noticed that it calls for two types of sweeteners. What is the difference between powdered sweetener and powdered erythritol? Are they the same thing?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes. You can use powdered erythritol, powdered xylitol or an erythritol/stevia or erythritol/monk fruit blend. With the blends, make sure they are a 1:1 sugar replacement.
Brittanie Boulton
Is there anything else I can use besides the lemon juice?
Katrin Nürnberger
You could double the vanilla extract if lemon is not your thing.
Brittanie Boulton
Thanks!
Brittanie Boulton
I doubled the vanilla. this is DELICIOUS!!! Saving this recipe and making this all the time!!!
Shereen
Just made this and it tastes great. Could you tell me if the nutritional information is for 100 g . It fursnt specify. It doesn’t seem possible that it is for the whole cheesecake as at 29.5 g fat this seems remarkably low! Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
The nutrition is per slice.
Fleur
How many slices do you cut it into total? I'm making this for a diabetic, so I'm looking at 'Total Carbs' per slice, not net.
Thank you, I can't wait to make this.
Katrin Nürnberger
I cut this into 12 slices.
Lynn
Can I omit the erythritol and not any type of fake sugar?
Katrin Nürnberger
Erythritol is a 1:1 sugar alternative. You can replace it with any 1:1 sweetener or even sugar. Just be aware that the carb count will change!
Becky
Not trying to be mean or nitpicky, but do you realize ghee is clarified butter which, is to say, butter that has been melted and had the solids skimmed out. So I'm not sure it's legit for someone who is dairy free.
Katrin Nürnberger
If you're dairy free, you can use coconut oil 🙂
Catherine Pitts
Why did you recommend not using Allulose? I've found that it doesn't have an aftertaste or the cooling effect of erythrotol and it doesn't really-crystalize like some other sweeteners do. Seems like a perfect fit for cheesecake. I run it through the coffee grinder for a confectioners style.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Catherine, it's a precaution. When I have baked with allulose, it results in softer cakes or muffins (which is great). It helps keep ice cream and caramel softer. As it's essential this cake holds together, I did not want to risk it being any softer than it should be. It may be an idea to try this out on a quick dish like my keto cheesecake fluff.