Keto Chocolate Cheesecake
With layers of a brownie batter base, luscious chocolate cheesecake, and a topping of chocolate ganache, this easy no-bake Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe is any chocolate lover’s dream. My low carb chocolate cheesecake will be the best keto dessert you’ve ever tried.
When I saw a video for a no-bake brownie batter cheesecake floating around on Facebook, I knew it would be the perfect partner to my Keto Cookie Dough Cheesecake! Brownie batter is just as good to eat from the bowl as cookie dough is. I had to give it a try as a cheesecake too.
And it came out perfect. It has become my favorite cheesecake recipe. This keto chocolate cheesecake is rich, decadent, and can even be made as mini cheesecakes for portion control. This easy chocolate cheesecake recipe is also gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
Want more no-bake low carb cheesecake recipes? Try this Cannoli Cheesecake. You can’t go wrong with a no-bake cheesecake that tastes just like a cannoli. Or my Keto Oreo Cheesecake Bites, which taste like cheesecake plus classic Oreo cookies.
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- Almond Flour – You can sub in sunflower seed flour to make this cheesecake nut free.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Raw cocoa powder works too.
- Sweetener – I use a blend of erythritol or allulose, stevia, and xylitol. I give alternatives for other keto sweeteners in the recipe card.
- Butter – I use salted butter to contrast the sweetness.
- Cream Cheese – Any brand of cream cheese is fine.
- Gelatin – You want plain unsweetened gelatin and you add it to the crust in its powdered form. It is optional but gives a little boost of protein.
- Vanilla – Any vanilla extract is fine in this recipe.
Cheesecake Filling
- Dissolved Gelatin – To get the gelatin ready for the cheesecake, you simply sprinkle it over cold water and then mix it in hot water until it is dissolved.
- Cream Cheese – I use full fat cream cheese, but low-fat cream cheese can work as well. Just make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing.
- Sweetener – If you want to grind your sweetener or use a powdered sweetener, you can. I don’t find this cheesecake gritty with granular sweetener, but using a powdered sweetener can eliminate that possibility.
- Cocoa Powder – Make sure to choose one that tastes good to you.
- Heavy Cream – Makes a no-bake cheesecake extra creamy.
- Sour Cream – I love how the tang of sour cream balances the creaminess of the cream cheese.
- Vanilla – Just a little enhances the other flavors.
- Baking Soda – Just a pinch cuts the bitterness from the cocoa powder.
Ganache Topping
- Sugar Free Chocolate Chips – Any chips will work, milk chocolate chips, semi sweet chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy whipping cream, light cream, or even half and half work in ganache.
How to Make Keto Chocolate Cheesecake
1️⃣ Prepare the Crust
Pulse the ingredients for the chocolate almond flour crust in your food processor. It will look like clumps of dirt.
Pour them into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and press down to make an even crust. You can do this with your fingers or with an upside-down measuring cup.
2️⃣ Make the Filling
Process the bloomed (dissolved) gelatin and the other ingredients for the chocolate cream cheese filling in the same food processor (no need to wash it).
👉 Tip: Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer or electric mixer and a large bowl. Mix the crust ingredients, which should look like cookie crumbs mixed with melted butter. Then press into the pan, and then beat the cream cheese until fluffy, and add the other ingredients.
Spread the chocolate cream cheese mixture on top of the prepared chocolate crust. Chill for at least one hour at this point.
3️⃣ Make the Topping
Make the ganache by heating the chocolate and cream. You can do this in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave. If microwaving, heat until the chocolate is 50% melted and then just stir until it melts completely. Spread the chocolate ganache gently over the cheesecake filling.
4️⃣ Chill the Cheesecake
Chill the keto cheesecake in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Preferably 3-4 hours or even overnight.
Variations
- Peppermint – I love the combination of chocolate and mint around the holidays. Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract into the no bake chocolate cheesecake filling and half a teaspoon into the ganache.
- Mocha – Love coffee? Add a tablespoon of either instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder into the filling.
- Pie Plate – If you’d like to make this in a pie plate instead of a springform pan, you may. But I would suggest halving the amount of filling, or it may not fit.
- Topping – You can top this with whipped cream instead of ganache if you prefer. Just beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form and then add a powdered sugar style sweetener to taste.
- Classic – Looking for a non-chocolate version? You can make this Keto No-Bake Cheesecake with lemon, lime, or vanilla!
Common Questions
How do I make smooth ganache?
My tip for ganache is just to mix, mix, and mix some more. As you mix it thickens and gets glossy. You are looking for a smooth, thick, glossy texture. Sometimes I make ganache with unsweetened chocolate, sweetener, and cream but this time I kept it simple and just used sugar-free chocolate chips.
How can I Make Chocolate Less Bitter?
Making the no-bake keto chocolate cheesecake filling chocolaty without being bitter was the key to this recipe. I decided to add a pinch of baking soda, and that did the trick!
Using Gelatin in No Bake Cheesecake
Over the years, I’ve finally mastered the art of blooming gelatin to use in cheesecake. At first, I was afraid to add hot water to melt the gelatin. Truth. I thought it would water down the cheesecake. So I’d add less water, not dissolve the gelatin properly, and end up with clumpy cheesecake.
Then I tried just adding the powdered gelatin. This works well for a soft set cheesecake. But if you want a nice firm no-bake cheesecake, you need gelatin. And you have to dissolve it. Go ahead and add the hot water. It will be ok. You need it.
How to Make Cheesecake in the Food Processor
This is the easiest way to make any cheesecake, but especially a low carb cheesecake when you are making all the components from scratch! You can mix up the crust and then make the filling without even washing it!
Just add the crust ingredients and process until they come together in large crumbs. Then press those into your pan and add the filling ingredients. Process again until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
When I started working on this recipe, I used a couple of my low carb recipes for brownies as a beginning point. I left out the eggs and worked on making the batter into more of a crust texture without losing that brownie taste. I think I did a pretty good job!
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Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp gelatin
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 tsp cold water
- 2 tsp gelatin
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 2/3 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Ganache Topping
- 3/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips
- 4 oz heavy cream
Instructions
Brownie Base
- Pulse the ingredients for the brownie batter crust in a food processor until large crumbs form. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.
Cheesecake Filling
- Put the cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on top of the cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the hot water and stir until dissolved.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients to the food processor. Process until smooth. Add the softened gelatin. Pulse until smooth. Pour on top of the prepared crust.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before adding the ganache.
Ganache
- Heat the cream to just before the boiling point. Pour over the chocolate. Stir until it is smooth. Pour over the chilled cheesecake and spread to cover the top.
- Chill for at least 2 hours or until firm enough to unmold.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published July 16, 2018. Revised and Republished March 11, 2026.
I tried making this recipe once, and the gelatin hardened far too quickly, so I had chunks of it throughout the cheesecake. If I were to make this in such a way were I’d bake it instead, what changed would you suggest for the crust? For the filling, I think I would sub out the water and gelatin for 4 eggs, but beyond that, I’m not sure.
Also, do you have a recipe for a coffee cheesecake?
Hi Kimberly, sorry you had trouble with gelatin. There is definitely a learning curve to using it.
I think adding 4 eggs would be sufficient. For a coffee cheesecake you can just add instant coffee powder to this cheesecake to taste: https://joyfilledeats.com/keto-cheesecake/
Your recipes all look yummy. I have tried one but a lot of your recipes call for use of a food processor. Is there any way to make these without a food processor?
You might be able to do them in small batches in a blender. But I would recommend looking into getting a food processor. It really helps in low carb recipes. You can always get a used one at a thrift store or on facebook marketplace. I use my food processor several times a week.
Very nicely flavored, rich, delicious chocolate cheesecake! Will be making for Friendsgiving! A suggestion: if xylitol is recommended or mentioned in a recipe please add a note that it’s highly toxic (to the point of organ failure and death) to dogs to spread awareness. Maybe you did but u didn’t see it.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Karma, there is a warning on my sweetener page. Glad you liked it!
I made this cheesecake exactly to the recipe and it was delicious and turned out perfect. I also loved the fact that it was made in a food processor and no washing in between, so easy! Thank you for sharing your recipe everyone enjoyed it.
This is one of my favorite keto desserts! I’ve made it twice and it will be something I keep in my regular dessert rotations. The first time I made this, I added the gelatin to both the crust and cheesecake. Since my protein intake tends to be a little higher than I’d like, I decided to skip the gelatin and see how it turned out without it. It definitely was a little softer for both the crust and the cheesecake but it still turned out good. I also used cacao rather than Coco powder since this is what I had on hand. This caused everything to be a little more bitter. I added cinnamon to both the crust and the cheesecake the second time I prepared it and it was delicious! It didn’t change the flavor, it just helped cut the bitterness without having to add more sweetener. So yummy! 😋
This is so helpful! Thank you!!
I loved this cheesecake! My crust was a little crumbly. I had to use a hand mixer so I’m wondering if that is why. Otherwise, it tasted amazing and I will definitely bring to our next family get together! Thanks for the recipe
just made this for a birthday in the office. very impressed with taste and texture. thank you so much for sharing.