Cheesecake is one of the best keto desserts. It’s naturally high in fat and its tart flavor works well with alternative sweeteners like allulose. That being said, I was still hesitant to try making a full-on keto cheesecake until this weekend. I’m glad I did because this one was awesome! It’s honestly the best keto cheesecake I’ve ever made! Also, the only. There will be more, especially if cream cheese prices stay reasonable. Remember the cream cheese shortage of 2021/2022? I’m glad that’s over.
Almond Flour Crust
Okay, so I had some doubts about this crust. Sometimes almond flour baked goods come out kind of mealy textured. Using a coconut flour to soak up excess moisture did the trick. That is, I thought it would be a little soggy, but once it cooled it held up well under the cream cheese topping. Another thing that added a good flavor was the brown sugar sweetener I used, Maya’s Wholesome Yum Besti. I think Maya’s sweeteners have renewed my interest in keto baking because they actually taste good.
Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Sweeteners
For the sweeteners, I went with two different kinds. As mentioned I used Wholesome Yum Nature’s Besti brown allulose & monk fruit blend for the crust. The Besti is a 1:1 blend which means you can use it in the same amount you would use sugar. For the filling, I went with with a different brand (Durelife) pure allulose powder which is slightly less sweet than sugar or 1:1 sugar blends. When using allulose, it seems the powdered type works best without the grittiness of granulated, so for now I recommend sticking with powdered such as the one in the link.
Important: If using something other than 100% powdered allulose for the filling, you’ll most likely need only ¾ cup. For example, if you go with a powdered monk fruit and allulose blend like Besti in the filling, you’ll only need about ¾ cup. I actually love the Besti allulose & monk fruit blend too, but it’s a little more expensive than the Durelife.
Room Temperature Ingredients
Most of the tips are within the recipe itself, but just remember to bring the ingredients to room temperature. It’s very important for cheesecake. For the cream cheese, you can leave it out or better yet, soften in the microwave using a low setting. If it’s a bit warm and seems overly soft, that’s okay. Better to be too soft than too cold when it comes to cheesecake. And for the eggs, dunking for 60 seconds in hot water does the trick. The sour cream can be brought to room temperature using a very low setting on the microwave or by being left out for about 30 minutes.
Allulose Sweetened Strawberry Topping
I used my usual strawberry topping recipe, but replaced sugar with allulose. Since allulose is not quite as sweet I needed a bit more. It tasted very good and covered up the big crack. Yes, expect a crack in this cheesecake. There are ways to avoid cracks, but I didn’t bother with any of them because I’d planned on covering it with strawberry topping anyway and was more worried about the flavor and texture and how to keto sweetener would work.
Recipe
Keto Strawberry Cheesecake
New York style cheesecake with a strawberry topping.
Ingredients
Almond Flour Crust
- 1 ½ cups fine blanched almond flour (150 grams)
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour (7 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar monk fruit and allulose blend or another 1:1 sweetener
- 5 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted or salted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup pure allulose powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice plus a few scrapes of lemon zest
Strawberry Topping
- ½ pound frozen strawberries
- 1 tablespoon allulose & monk fruit blend
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 splash of lemon juice
Instructions
Preparation Steps
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Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease an 8 ½ or 9-inch springform pan.
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Make the crust: Mix almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Press into the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
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Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attached, beat softened cream cheese and sweetener until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Mix in vanilla, sour cream, lemon juice and zest.
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Pour filling over the crust. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until edges are set but center is slightly jiggly. Let cool at room temperature for about 40 minutes. While it’s cooling, you can loosen it from the sides of the pan, but don’t remove the sides completely.
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Chill for 8 hours or overnight. When cold and firm, remove the sides and transfer to a plate. Cover the crack with strawberry topping and chill until ready to serve.
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To make the topping, thaw the frozen strawberries in a microwave-safe bowl using a low power setting. Drain and reserve the juice. You should have close to ¼ cup, but if you need to add water to make ¼ cup. Put the cold juice in a saucepan and whisk in the sweetener and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and whisk until thick and translucent. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour over the thawed strawberries and let mixture cool. Spread over the cheesecake.
