This Keto Death by Chocolate Cheesecake is absolutely loaded with, you guessed it, chocolate! A crisp chocolate crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake filling, and a rich chocolate ganache topping take this decadent dessert over the top – and it’s all keto friendly and low carb!
You might have noticed that I have a bit of a thing for cheesecake.
It’s partially because what’s not to love about creamy, decadent cheesecake but also because cream cheese is absolutely MAGIC when it comes to hiding any sweetener aftertastes.
It is a bit of an adjustment to switch from sugar to a keto sweetener – they often bake just the same, but they don’t always taste exactly the same.
Cheesecake is the perfect answer because it tastes just like the high carb cheesecake most people are used to.
I often make low carb cheesecake and serve it to friends and family and NO ONE ever realizes it’s low carb and sugar free. Of course, everyone experiences low carb sweeteners a bit differently and some are more sensitive to the flavor than others.
What We Love About This Recipe:
All that chocolate! A chocolate crust, a chocolate filling, a chocolate ganache topping, and gorgeous chocolate shavings really make this a death by chocolate cheesecake!
The cream cheese really helps mask any of the sweetener aftertaste you might normally detect and nobody will know these are low carb!
More Favorite Cheesecake Recipes:
- Keto Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Mini Cheesecakes (with strawberry sauce!)
- Mini Cranberry Cheesecake
Keto Chocolate Crust Ingredients:
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Cocoa Powder – Dutch processed or natural cocoa powder will work just fine here.
Sweetener – We use and love Lakanto products. We’re using their original sweetener in this recipe. It bakes and tastes like real sugar with no impact on blood glucose, so it can be counted as ZERO net carbs! Use code THATLOWCARBLIFE for 20% off your order at Lakanto.
Almond Flour – This crust uses almond flour to keep things grain free and low carb. We do not have a substitute for almond flour at this time.
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
Cream Cheese – The key to a smooth and creamy cheesecake is room temperature cream cheese. Just be sure to get the kind in the block, not the kind that comes in the tub!
Sour Cream – This helps create a soft, smooth texture in the cheesecake.
Sugar Free Chocolate – You’ll be adding both cocoa powder and semi-sweet sugar free chocolate chips to the cheesecake filling in this recipe, and if that wasn’t enough you’ll finish it off with a rich sugar-free milk chocolate ganache topping! Natural cocoa powder works best for the filling. We recommend Lily’s chocolate chips.
Eggs – Make sure your eggs are room temperature for the best results.
We use Thrive Market for a lot of our specialty ingredients and keto snacks or products. Their prices tend to be cheaper than the local stores and I love that you can so easily sort products by diet.
Like Costco, this is a membership site, but we find that it’s more than worth it based on the amount we save over the regular grocery store.
They have monthly or yearly plans. Check it out here.
Cheesecake turns out best in a springform pan. This type of pan has a removable side so that you end up with a gorgeous, smooth cheesecake all around the edges. This is the springform pan that we use and recommend.
How To:
- Make the Cheesecake Crust – This crust is really simple to throw together, just four simple ingredients: almond flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and melted butter! Stir these together well until you’ve got a coarse chocolatey mixture. When combined, add the chocolate cheesecake crust mixture to a springform pan and use your hands or the bottom of a glass to pack it down tightly.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling – This cheesecake filling is going to be full of chocolate! Start by adding the cream cheese and sweetener to a mixing bowl and beat together until just combined. Next beat in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until the filling is smooth. You don’t want to overbeat the mixture! Finally, add the cocoa powder and melted and cooled sugar free semi-sweet chocolate chips and pour it in with the other filling ingredients and continue mixing until the melted chocolate is combined.
- Bake – When the filling is ready you can go ahead and pour it over the crust in the cake pan. Smooth the chocolate filling evenly over the crust with a rubber spatula. Pop it in the oven for about an hour and then turn the oven off and crack the door. Let the cheesecake cool for another hour in the oven – this will help prevent cracking.
- Chocolate Ganache Topping – This Death By Chocolate Cheesecake recipe couldn’t possibly be complete without a rich and decadent chocolate topping! The chocolate crust and chocolate filling just weren’t enough. So go ahead and add some sugar free milk chocolate chips to a small mixing bowl and pour some heated heavy whipping cream over the top. Mix it well with a spoon allowing the heated cream to melt the chocolate. Finally, pour this ganache over the top of the cheesecake and allow it to cool completely.
- Chocolate Shavings – As you can see from the photos, we took it a step further to make this Death By Chocolate Cheesecake even more gorgeous by topping it off with chocolate shavings. Just take a vegetable peeler and a cold bar of sugar free chocolate and scrape the peeler down the edges. It’s so easy to make chocolate shavings this way!
Here are a few tips for preventing cracks in your cheesecake:
- Always start with room temperature ingredients.
- Don’t overmix the cheesecake batter! Doing this may draw too much air into the batter which could cause the cheesecake to crack or sink.
- Place a 9×13 baking dish in the bottom rack of your oven and add an inch or two of water. Place your cheesecake on the middle rack above the pan of water while baking.
- Once the center of the cheesecake is just slightly jiggly, turn the oven off and crack the door. Let the cheesecake cool in the warm oven for about an hour.
FAQ’s:
This chocolate cheesecake recipe should last up to 5 days in the fridge if tightly covered, and up to 6 months in the freezer!
The cheesecake should be done when it has mostly set but still jiggles slightly when you shake the pan. It will finish setting up as it cools.
Be sure to use room temperature eggs and cream cheese when making cheesecake. Do not overmix the batter to prevent adding too much air to the mixture. Cook your cheesecake in a water bath and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked open.
More Low Carb Chocolate Recipes!
Keto Death By Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated erythritol such as Lakanto or Swerve
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
For the filling:
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated erythritol such as Lakanto or Swerve
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 6 ounces semi-sweet sugar-free chocolate melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
For the chocolate ganache:
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces sugar free milk chocolate chips
For the chocolate shavings:
- 4 ounces sugar free chocolate bar
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener to a small mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Pour the melted butter over the top and stir to combine.
- Press the crust mixture into a greased 10-inch springform pan.
To make the cheesecake batter:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Add the cream cheese and sweetener to a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each one is just incorporated.
- Mix in the melted chocolate and cocoa powder until the mixture is combined and creamy, being careful not to overmix the batter to avoid adding too much air to the cheesecake batter.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan and smooth the top.
- Place a 9×13 baking filled with 2 inches of water on the bottom rack of your oven. Place the cheesecake directly over the pan of water on the middle rack.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the center is just slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour before removing to the counter to cool completely.
To make the ganache:
- Once the cheesecake is cool, heat the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stove until hot, but not boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and whisk well until the chocolate has melted. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken up.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread it over the top and let it drip down the sides.
To make the chocolate shavings:
- Place the chocolate bar in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before starting to make it easier to work with.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips from the side of the chocolate bar to make shavings.
- Sprinkle the shavings over the top the of the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving to let it firm up completely.
shirley thomas says
which sweetner in the UK is ok to use please
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure what sweeteners you have available. I’d recommend erythritol or allulose.
Darlene says
how much almond flour? its missing from the ingredients list
Karly Campbell says
Hi Darlene! It’s not missing, but it is an affiliate link to the brand we use. If you have an ad blocker on your browser, it’s probably hiding all of those links – there are a few of them. You’ll want to turn that off to fully view the recipe.
Chris says
This recipe is amazing!!! I made it for a party at our Healing Rooms at church. It was a total success. I forgot to add cocoa powder to the crust but it still turned out amazing! This is now my go to recipe for any future parties I have to go to. In fact I’m making it again and freezing individual pieces for those times when I have a major chocolate craving. Make your slices small as this is super rich and filling.
Daley says
Can cocoa powder be used instead?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Daley! This recipe already calls for cocoa powder. I haven’t tried using more in the cheesecake batter but it may work – texture might get a bit different though. It definitely won’t work for the topping.
MaryLou says
Will Splenda Baking sugar work in place of the Sugar Sweetener that you mention. There is an ingredient in your sweetener that I am allergic to. I am planning on using extra dark Chocolate instead of sugar free chocolate for the same reason
Karly Campbell says
Hi MaryLou! Splenda should work just fine. I believe it’s also swapped at a 1:1 ratio to sugar, but if not, that may cause some issues. Extra dark chocolate should work fine, but of course you’ll have a less sweet cheesecake. 🙂