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Whether you’re on a keto diet or not, you will LOVE this rich, creamy, low carb lemon cheesecake made with a grain-free almond flour crust and garnished with toasted coconut!
Please Note: I have updated the text of this post slightly as of March 2020. The recipe remains the same.
Well, we made it through renos!! Almost. We still have some work going on, but we’re living upstairs again and the bedroom furniture is moved back in. Yay! And only one ding in the new wall paint so far *knocks on wood*.
I am being slightly neurotic about packing all of the STUFF back into the rooms. I’m using this opportunity to get rid of allllllll of the junk. Marie Kondo style. Etienne wants me to pile all of my clothes on the bed like Marie does in the Netflix show, but I don’t think I have a big enough bed 😉 To be fair, I have gotten rid of a ton of clothes so far!
When it comes to sentimental items – what’s your position? I have such a hard time getting rid of anything that someone made for me, or for the kids. It just seems too harsh to toss it away! Hence, I have a few overflowing boxes full of “keepers”.
Speaking of “keepers” – check out this KEEPER of a low carb lemon cheesecake!! OMG you guys. Can you believe I don’t have a single cheesecake recipe on the blog!? I don’t know how that’s even possible. I ADORE cheesecake! Maybe it’s just all been a bit intimidating with the whole possibility of cracking and water-bathing. Luckily, I think I’ve figured that part out.
Does this low carb cheesecake require a water bath?
I know there is a lot of recipes and instruction out there that will have you completely wrap your cheesecake pan with aluminum foil, and place it into a water “bath”. I found that so many times, no matter how carefully I thought I wrapped it, water would somehow get into the bottom of my pan and I’d end up with a soggy crust! Boo! Can’t have that.
SO – lately I’ve been placing my cheesecake pan on a wire rack, placed in a shallow pan that has been filled with a couple inches of water. You still get the benefits of the steam without the soggy crust! Win!
One other trick that I find helps prevent cracking in my cheesecake is to turn the oven off when the cake is finished baking, opening the door an inch or so and letting it cool down INSIDE the oven for about an hour before transferring it to the fridge!
What makes this cheesecake low carb?
It’s tricky sometimes to come up with keto-friendly desserts for the keto’ers in my life, but what I love about cheesecake is that it’s pretty much already keto. You have to swap out the sugar for sweetener, and make a grain-free crust, but cheesecake is MEANT to be full-fat, rich and delicious. I normally don’t love the taste of sweetener too much, but I find the lemon zing in this particular cheesecake really hides any sweetener after taste. And there’s less than a cup of sweetener in the whole cheesecake! If you aren’t following the keto diet, just swap the amount of sweetener for regular sugar.
Well, wish me luck while I finish the rest of my organizing. I am THIS close to feeling sane again!
Happy weekend!
I have a few other keto and low-carb desserts on the blog that you might like!
- keto peanut butter cookies
- healthy blueberry pie
- grain-free chocolate coconut tart
- sunny citrus tart
Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Whether you’re on a keto diet or not, you will LOVE this rich, creamy, low carb lemon cheesecake made with a grain-free almond flour crust and garnished with toasted coconut!Â
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut*
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 3 blocks (24oz) cream cheese, full-fat
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sweetener*
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream, full-fat
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional, for topping)*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9″ springform pan with non-stick cooking spray or line the pan with parchment paper. Combine together the almond flour, coconut and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a handheld blender, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sweetener and mix for an additional minute. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Scrape down the sides as necessary with a spatula. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and mix just until combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with your spatula.
- Place a wire rack on top of a shallow pan filled with about 2 inches of water. Place the cheesecake on top of the rack. The water should not touch the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is soft but no longer jiggles. Turn the oven off, and open the door a couple of inches. Allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven (1-2 hours) before removing and placing in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Garnish with toasted coconut and serve.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, in an airtight container. Cheesecake can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Notes
- For the purposes of this recipe, assume that the coconut I am referring to is the “medium” shredded, unsweetened coconut.
- I use Swerve brand sweetener (erythritol). You can substitute this for any other granulated sweetener, or granulated sugar.
- To toast your coconut, spread it out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake in an oven preheated to 375 F for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: dessert
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
Ohh I love this! I just got some Swerve and lemons! 🙂 YUM and Pinning, have a great weekend Katherine!
Yay – I use swerve in my baking too! I hope you love it, Kim. Lemon and cheesecake is a great combo!!
I’m the worst when it comes to getting rid of things. Last time I moved I got rid of more than half of my book collection and tons of clothes and shoes. But sentimental stuff? Nope. I can’t. And this cheesecake? YUM! I can’t say no to desserts with lemon!
Good for you, Kelsie!! I have a really hard time getting rid of books, which is kind of silly because I never read the same book twice. I’m glad you feel me on the sentimental stuff! Thanks my friend – I know you’re also a lemon lover!!
This cheesecake is a beauty Katherine! I don’t often eat cheesecake, but I love lemon desserts, so I’m sure I would enjoy this one. Congrats on the renos almost being completed! Happy weekend!
Thanks Leanne! I guess you wouldn’t – you don’t eat dairy right? I do know you love your lemon though! 😉 Enjoy your weekend, my friend!!
Oh dear ! I am in the middle of what I call “seasons’ cleaning” which basically means getting rid of junk, clothes and dishes and do balcony gardening ( if this is the right word to say in English ). I am also very sentimental about son’s first shoes, for example, and clothes and some of souvenirs given by special people so, yes, it becomes hard to really clean the mess 🙂 Keeping this recipe as well 🙂 🙂 🙂
Aw, YES! The baby clothes and shoes are so hard to say goodbye too. I’m glad you understand! Good luck with your seasons cleaning!! XO
We always had the boys get rid of stuff because the clutter was crazy. If they didn’t play with something, it was gone. I always had a hard time giving the books away…all the memories reading to them were too much! This cheesecake looks divine Katherine. I love lemons, coconut and cheesecake, so this looks irresistible!
YES – the constant clutter. They always seem to be getting new toys from family members too – if you didn’t toss some of it the mess would make a person crazy! Books are definitely hard to part with. Anything with a memory attached, really! Thanks Marcie – it’s a really great one. We devoured it quickly!
Katherine, this looks delicious! I love lemon desserts. And this cheesecake looks so dreamy!
I have a storage area for the “sentimental” items. Basically everything that ever belonged to my kids! I guess I’m holding on to them hoping for grandkids some day!
Thanks Kelly! I love lemon desserts too – a close second to chocolate for sure. Haha I think there’s nothing wrong with keeping the sentimental things. Just too hard to throw away, and usually so nice to look at again!
YUM! This is definitely a keeper, Katherine! So, as your reno concludes, ours is just about to start! And it’s the kitchen….so that’s going to be fun! 😉 I’m pretty good about Marie Kondo-ing stuff! The things I have the toughest time getting rid of (which I don’t get rid of) are cards and letters. I’ll need a few of these cheesecakes, soon! 🙂
Oooh no, Annie! It’s going to be a huge pain for you not having a kitchen – BUT – I bet it’ll look soooo amazing! I also keep a ton of cards and letters – there’s something about your loved one’s actual writing! Thanks friend!
This definitely looks like a ‘keeper,’ Katherine! Totally mouthwatering!!
I do hold on to a few items that are sentimental, but mostly I snap a photo and send it on its way to Goodwill if I don’t have a use for it anymore. 🙂
Thank you Marissa!! Definitely a keeper 🙂 Good for you!! I need to adopt more practices like yours!
Yay for making it through the renos!!! Definitely should celebrate with this cheesecake. I love that it’s Keto and your pictures are GORGEOUS Katherine! YUMMMM!
Yay indeed!! So happy to be finally done! Thanks Kelly! I bet you’d love this one!! 🙂
Yay! for almost getting back to normalcy!! I can’t imagine how hard it must have been with three little ones in the house. I want to live minimally but my house if far from it. This cheesecake looks amazing!! With lemon and coconut, I’ll be eating every last crumb!
It has been a huge pain, Thao. So happy to be back upstairs and living normally again!! It’s so hard to live minimal – especially with kids!! Thanks friend – I DID eat every last crumb!!