With layers of a brownie batter flavored base, luscious chocolate cheesecake, and a topping of chocolate ganache this easy gluten free Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe is any chocolate lover's dream. My no-bake chocolate cheesecake will be the best low carb 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 no-bake 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. This keto chocolate cheesecake is rich, decadent, and can even be made as mini cheesecakes for portion control. This easy low carb chocolate cheesecake recipe is also gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
What You Need
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, stevia, and xylitol. I give alternatives 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 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 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 entirely.
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
This no bake chocolate cheesecake has three layers so there are three steps. But each is pretty simple so don't get intimidated. You start with the perfect chocolate cheesecake crust - it tastes just like raw brownie batter combined with a chocolate graham cracker crust! Then, my no bake cheesecake filling is creamy and rich. And how can you have a gluten free chocolate cheesecake without a little melted chocolate topping?
Step One: Pulse the ingredients for the crust in your food processor. It will look like clumps of dirt.
Pour them into a springform pan and press down to make an even crust. You can do this with your fingers or with an upside-down measuring cup.
Step Two: 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).
Expert Tip: Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer or electric mixer. Mix the crust ingredients, which should look like cookie crumbs mixed with melted butter. Then press into the pan, and then beat 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.
Step Three: Make the ganache. Spread the chocolate ganache gently over the cheesecake filling.
Variations
Peppermint - I love the combination of chocolate and mint around the holidays. Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract into the 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.
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 starting working on this low carb keto chocolate cheesecake 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
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 teaspoon cold water
- 2 teaspoon gelatin
- 2 tablespoon hot water
- 16 oz cream cheese
- â…” cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- â…“ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Ganache Topping
- ¾ 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 one 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
More Keto Cheesecakes
Keto No-Bake Cheesecake - Looking for a non-chocolate version? You can make this cheesecake with lemon, lime, or vanilla!
Keto Blueberry Cheesecake - I love this dessert with both blueberries baked in and fresh berries on top with a graham cracker style pie crust.
Cannoli Cheesecake - You can't go wrong with a no-bake cheesecake that tastes just like a cannoli.
Keto Oreo Cheesecake Bites - These taste like classic oreo cookies are mixed in.
Salted Caramel Cashew Cheesecake - This is definitely a special occasion dessert with rich salted caramel and plenty of cashews.
Keto Cheesecake Fluff - While not an official cheesecake this tastes like one in only five minutes.
Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake - This one is perfect for the fall and Thanksgiving.
Originally Published July 16, 2018. Revised and Republished March 10, 2023.
Fiorenza says
Excellent for the summer that is coming, but not only. I had never even made a chocolate cheesecake yet, could I use maple syrup to make brownie crust?
Andrea says
Only 6 net carbs per slice - I am so happy I found this recipe! It's creamy and sooo delicious.
Jaclyn says
So delicious and perfect for summer!
Claudia says
Hi, can wait to try this recipe, is look so yummy. I have a question, can I sub the sweetener, with lakanto monk fruit.
Thanks.
Sammie says
Wow, phenomenal recipe!! I did have to substitute a bit though. Had no sour cream so I used plain full fat Greek yogurt, and don't tend to like almond flour crusts, so I ground raw hazelnuts to powder and used that instead. Made it taste a bit Nutella like, which wasn't a bad thing. Will be making this frequently, thank you for a fantastic recipe, love that it's no bake!
Marcia Dunsford says
I am going to make this tomorrow for my birthday on Friday but adding in the peanut butter. I will be using a 10 inch springform. How much should I adjust the ingredients by? My pan appears to be very deep.
Taryn says
You can multiply all the ingredients by 1.5 which should fill your pan.
mitchie says
what if i use EQUAL GOLD? how much should i use?p
Taryn says
I'm sorry I'm not familiar with that sweetener.
Kylie says
If I’m using Truvia, how much do I use to be the conversion from the 2/3c of the trim healthy mama sweetener??
Taryn says
Truvia is equal to gentle sweet so you use the same amount.
Becky says
Hello!
Wanting to sub the almond flour with coconut flour. Is it the same ratio? And someone said I need to change the butter. More or less?! Thanks!
Kris Cavanagh says
If I was going to use swerve, would it be powdered or granular?
Taryn says
Either would work but granular may be gritty. Powdered would work better.
Alisa says
I made this today and it is to die for!! Something went terribly wrong with the gelatin, though. I followed the directions, but after I let it set for 5 minutes, it was basically a big clump! I added the hot water, but I never could get it to fully dissolve. I stirred and stirred and stirred with a little wire whisk, but there were still little lumps. I went ahead and added to the filling and it seemed like the little lumps turned into huge chunks of hard gelatin balls! I spent 20 minutes fishing them out of the filling. What did I do wrong??
Taryn says
Blooming gelatin does have a learning curve. In the future add more hot water, little by little, until all the gelatin dissolves.
Maryanne Hewey says
Gelatin needs to be put into cold water first and then heated to boiling and cooled down. works awesome
Audrey says
Hi, I asked a question just minutes ago on you homemade Gentle Sweet recipe because I am wanting to make this recipe as well as possibly use this brownie crust in another cheesecake I am modifying for Keto. The other cheesecake uses 24 oz cream cheese, 15oz sweet and condensed milk (gonna swap for homemade keto version), 3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, and chocolate chips(gonna use sugar free), with a butter and cocoa/graham cracker(some similar recipes use Oreos) crust recipe. I want to use this brownie crust- am I going to ruin it by baking it? My original recipe calls to form the graham cracker crust in the springform pan, pour the batter in then bake for an hour at 300° and leave in the oven for an additional hour before cooling in the fridge. Is this doable with your brownie crust or do you have suggestions of how to do a replacement for my chocolate graham cracker crust? Thank in advance!
Taryn says
I think this crust would work for a baked cheesecake as well. Please let me know how it turns out 😀
Mary says
I made this twice for the holidays. I used a group of ladies at a potluck for my 'guinea pigs' the first time, and they gave it huge thumbs up. Then I made one for my father-in-law for Christmas. He's diabetic, so keto recipes work well for him. He enjoyed it and put some in the freezer for later. Thanks, Taryn!
Gwen says
I don't have sugar free chocolate. How should I make the ganache with heavy cream, unsweetened chocolate and sweetener?
Taryn says
I have a ganache using those ingredients here: https://joyfilledeats.com/raspberries-with-ganache/
You will have to double it to have enough to cover the cheesecake.
Gwen says
Thanks! Can't wait to try this.
Kelly says
Your desserts truly bring joy! I made this in little bite sized molds (without the top layer since I didn’t have any sugar free chips). They turned out perfect...especially frozen! Thanks for making the holidays so much easier!
Kelly says
Does this freeze well? Would I then defrost before serving?
Taryn says
Yes. If you freeze in individual slices you can eat it frozen. I love it that way.
Lori says
This cheesecake was the best ever! I have made a LOT of THM desserts over the last year that I've been doing THM, and this is by far the very best one. I only made half of the recipe because I've learned that it's best to test and see if I'm going to like it before I spend a lot on ingredients as they are pricey, but now I wish I had have doubled the recipe instead! I'm curious as to what made you think to put baking soda in the mix? Nevertheless, it was amazing and I thank you for that!! I think another review stated that it deserved 6 our of five stars, and I agree!
Taryn says
Just lots of time watching the food network over the years. Lol. The baking soda cuts bitterness. I don't remember when I learned that tip but it was probably from a cooking show.
Sandra says
Could you make this in a square glass dish instead of the springform pan? Looks amazing!
Taryn says
Yes, but you might not get neat pieces. It will still be delicious though!
Aubrey says
Can I leave out the gelatin on both the Crust and the filling?
Taryn says
It will set pretty softly if you leave out the gelatin. You can but you won't get nice slices.
Gina says
I’m a little confused on the gelatin in the crust. Do you add water to it? Or just add the powder to the mixture?
Taryn says
Just add the powder. It helps firm up the crust a little. It will absorb a little of the moisture from the other ingredients.