This Vanilla Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe is rich and creamy. If you’ve never tried ricotta in a cheesecake it works really well. It makes a lighter cheesecake than just using cream cheese. With just 8 simple ingredients I'm sure this will be your new favorite keto cheesecake!
Almost every year my husband and I host a cheese tasting party for our friends. It is one of my favorite nights of the year. We provide wine, crackers, fruits, and dessert and each couple brings an interesting variety of cheese. We also do a white elephant gift exchange with humorous gifts. What is the best type of dessert for a cheese party? Cheesecake, of course. So I decided to stick with the theme and make a ricotta cheesecake for dessert.
From the very first time I made this, it has been our go-to dessert for nice occasions.
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When presented with multiple cheesecake flavors I tend to stick to the classics. Vanilla. Lemon. Maybe Raspberry. Plain old New York Style Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries. I don’t often go for chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, or other intense flavors when eating cheesecake. I love all of those but like my cheesecake simple most of the time.
The vanilla flavor is the star in this cheesecake. It is perfect on its own or topped with a top of whipped cream and the fresh berries of your choice.
How to make the ricotta cheesecake crust:
I make a very simple almond flour crust for this ricotta cheesecake in my food processor. It only takes a minute or two to pulse the ingredients and then press them into the bottom of a springform pan.
Using unblanched almond flour gives an appearance similar to a traditional graham cracker crust.
Once you press the crust into the bottom of a standard nine inch springform pan you bake it until it is golden while you make the cheesecake filling. Prebaking the crust brings out the flavor from the almond flour and gives it a nice golden hue. It also helps prevent the crust from getting soggy from the ricotta filling.
Making Cheesecake with Ricotta
Using whole milk ricotta in cheesecake gives the cheesecake a lighter texture than a dense New York cheesecake and has a mild enough flavor you can add in any flavor of your choice. I think it is as close to an authentic Italian recipe for cheesecake as you can get while converting to keto.
Step One: Once you've got the crust in the oven it is time to make the filling. Simply process the room temperature filling ingredients in the same food processor bowl. I don't even bother to wash it in between.
Step Two: Pour the filling over the par-baked crust. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath (just a larger roasting pan with an inch or two of boiling water) until it no longer jiggles in the center when lightly shaken. Cool completely and then chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Flavors for Cheesecake
I used vanilla extract in this ricotta cheesecake so the flavors of the ricotta and cream cheese would really stand out. You can sub in a little lemon juice, lemon zest, or lemon extract, orange zest, or almond extract instead.
Another idea would be to swirl in a berry puree before baking. I love the beautiful colors of cranberry cheesecake bars or my raspberry cheesecake brownies. Looking for a no-bake recipe? Try my Keto Blackberry Cheesecake!
Tips for making a Food Processor Cheesecake
My top kitchen appliance is a food processor. You see my Cuisinart food processor in almost every recipe I have. If you are only going to buy one appliance to prep with this should be it. I recently upgraded to the 14 cup model and it is like a dream come true. I gave my ten year old smaller food processor to a friend because it is still going strong.
When you make cheesecake in the food processor it saves on time because you can make the crust and then the filling without even washing it. True story. I don't even bother to wash the bowl between steps. A couple of bits of almond flour crust in the cheesecake batter doesn't matter in the slightest. I just scrape out the sides with a rubber spatula and let the crumbs remain.
This method makes any of the cheese cake recipes you want to try SO much easier!
What is a Bain Marie? Do I need a water bath for a cheesecake?
The term Bain-marie means "A container holding hot water into which a pan is placed for slow cooking". The reason why a water bath works so well for cheesecake is that it helps the cheesecake heat up and then cool down gradually. This ensures a creamy texture and helps prevent cracking.
I don't always use a water bath. And I'm not always patient enough (or have enough time) to let my cheesecake cool gradually. So sometimes my cheesecakes crack. When that happens I simply top them with berries or whipped cream and no one is any wiser. Check out my beautiful cracked easy pumpkin cheesecake. Still delicious!
What if I don't have a springform pan?
You can make any cheesecake into cheesecake bars. For this one, I would make 1.5 times the crust and then bake it in a 9 x 13 pan. It will take between 35-45 minutes to bake. Maybe a little longer. Just bake it until the center only jiggles slightly when gently shaken.
Tips for a Perfect Ricotta Cheesecake
- Do use the water bath
- Try not to open the oven door
- Let the cheesecake cool in the oven (this helps prevent cracking)
I hope you love this Ricotta Cheesecake!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- 4 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoon Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¾ cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Wrap a springform pan with three layers of aluminum foil. You are going to bake this is a water bath so this protects the crust from getting wet.
- Mix crust ingredients until crumbly. Press into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or with an electric mixer mix the ricotta cheese until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix again until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and sweetener. Process until smooth. You will probably need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- When the crust is done grease the sides of the pan with a pat of butter on a fork. Don't touch it to the crust. This will help the cheesecake release from the pan easier. Pour the cheese mixture on top of the crust.
- Put the entire pan into a larger pan. Pour hot water into the larger, outside pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 10 minutes or until only the very center of the cheesecake jiggles.
- Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven off for at least one hour. Preferable two hours. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. To serve run a knife around the edges of the pan and then release the spring mechanism to remove the outside of the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published February 22, 2016. Revised and Republished January 9, 2019.
Mimi A says
Delicious and creamy! I put a bit of cinnamon in the crust and used double the vanilla after reading other comments. Also, instead of foil I put my springform pans in the roasting bags then in the water bath. Works like a charm and never a leak!
M C S says
Can honey be used as the sweetener?
Taryn says
Probably, but you may need to add an extra egg to compensate for the added liquid.
Jodi says
This recipe was amazing. Easy straight forward and so close to an authentic Italian cheesecake. My non keto family members loved it.
Nicole says
Love this recipe! Have you ever made cheesecake cups instead of bars? Just wondering what the cook time would be? And if the temp should be lower or not. Thanks!
Taryn says
The temp should be the same. Just bake until they no longer jiggle. I'd start checking at 15 minutes.
Chrissy says
Literally couldn’t eat this. The texture was so bad! Not like a cheesecake at all! I used high quality ingredients and just wasted them. Sorry but the ricotta totally ruined it!
Taryn says
I'm sorry you didn't like it. This normally gets great reviews and should have a cheesecake texture.
Did you use a food processor as directed? What brand of ricotta?
Barbara King says
Can I freeze the cheesecake bars?
Taryn says
Yes, cheesecake freezes well.
Vivian Baker says
The cake was a bit bland and not as creamy as I had hoped. I may need to put more sugar in it next time. And I may have left it in the oven too long after being turned off. The top was pretty brown, so I may have cooked it too long. I put whipped cream on top of it to serve, and that helped a bit. Strawberries and blueberries might help even more. I used Swerve, so I'll add a bit more if I make it again.
Taryn says
How much swerve did you use?
Anya says
I want to make this ricotta cheesecake with pumpkin puree. Do you suggest using half the amount of ricotta to balance out the pumpkin puree?
Taryn says
I think that would work.
Melissa says
Would your pecan crust work for this cheesecake?
Taryn says
Yup!
H Nam says
Can I make this entirely with ricotta cheese and not cream cheese?
Taryn says
I have not tested it with all ricotta cheese. Ricotta is more watery than cream cheese so I'm not entirely sure if it would work - sorry!
Monika Schuldt says
Can I make this without the crust. Using silicone cupcake cups for individual servings. I'm not big on crust even before I went keto.
Taryn says
Yes, that should work as long as you grease the cups. I'm not sure the exact baking time though. Maybe 20 minutes.
April says
The flavor was great! I used THM Super Sweet but only a 1/3 of what it called for in Gentle Sweet and I was plenty sweet. My only problem was the water bath. I wrapped my pan 5 times with the foil yet water still got through. 😩 I’ve made cheesecakes before without the water bath and they were excellent. I may try it that way next time. Also, what size is your springform? I really wanted mine to be thick and creamy like yours but it was only about an inch thick. 🤷🏻♀️
Taryn says
My pan is 9 inches. Cutting back on the sweetener amount would've decreased height a bit. You can skip the water bath if you prefer and just set a pan of water on the rack below the cheesecake.
Mimi says
Instead of wrapping in foil put the cheesecake in a plastic liner used for crock pots. Works every time!
Taryn says
Great idea!
kathy ingham says
LOVED THE CHEESECAKE, BUT IF I MAKE THE BARS, DO I PUT THE 13X9 IN A WATER BATH OR JUST BAKE THEM LIKE REGULAR CHEESECAKE COOKIES?
Taryn says
You can just bake in the 9x13 pan without the water bath to make bars.
Maureen says
Mine didn’t rise as high as the picture looks! I needed more swerve but didn’t notice the instruction to increase the amount till the end. However; with fresh strawberries mixed with Swerve it was excellent.
Taryn says
I'm glad you liked it! Cheesecake doesn't rise much but if your pan was a little bigger than mine that could've been the difference 🙂
Ada says
Hi. I would like to make this recipe however not using the sweeteners you’ve mentioned. Can I simply use regular white sugar or any other kind and how much of it?
Taryn says
You can use white sugar. Try 1.5 times the amount of sweetener listed.
Ada says
Ok, now is that 1.5 times for each- crust and filling?
Leila says
Hi,
This cheesecake is amazing, it turned out creamy and tasty. I made walnut crust instead of almond flour .
Thank you for the recipe!I will make again!
Kelly says
I’m going to make this today and was wondering if Monkfruit sweetner will work-thanks!
Taryn says
Yes, you can use a monk fruit sweetener like lakanto. Use a little more than the amount listed.
Karine says
Wow!!just did it!!i made a keto caramel sauce to go with 🙈 thanks for the recipe,im gonna make it again for sure!!!
Lynnita Ellis says
If I bake in a 9x13 inch pan, how do I do a water bath?
TY
Taryn says
You can set the 9x13 in a larger pan of water. Or you can put a pan with water on the lowest oven rack and then just bake the cheesecake on the middle rack.
Marge says
I don’t see what size Springform pan you used as I don’t want to over cook.
Taryn says
I used a standard 9 inch springform pan.