Everyone loves cheesecake, even though we all know it's not the best for us. The great thing about these 13 recipes is that they are all keto and still taste like a great cheesecake! They're easy to make, and especially if you are low on energy or mood, you can have these any time of the day, even as a snack.
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1) Low-Carb Classic Cheesecake Pudding (cream cheese, erythritol)
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No recipe hunting, no messy shopping notes, no complicated chef projects. Just family dinners that fit real weeks.
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese and erythritol until smooth using a hand mixer.
- Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt; mix briefly.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl.
- Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until light and uniform.
- Chill at least 1 hour to set; stir briefly before serving.
This is a take on a classic cheesecake but made keto. How does it do this? No base. It's basically everything in a cheesecake minus the biscuit- really simple ingredients- and it uses erythritol as the keto sweetener. I personally like erythritol; you can use it on a one-to-one basis as you would sugar, and it doesn't require too much extra faff.
2) Sugar-Free Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Blend strawberries with lemon juice and 1-2 tsp sweetener until smooth; set aside to cool.
- Whip cream to soft peaks; chill while you work on the base.
- Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, remaining sweetener, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Fold whipped cream into the cheese mixture gently for light, creamy pudding.
- Spoon half the pudding into serving dishes, drizzle strawberry purée, then layer remaining pudding and swirl with a knife.
- Chill 1–2 hours to set; skip gelatin if you prefer a looser pudding.
Who doesn't love strawberry cheesecake? It's a classic, and this keto version tastes just as good. Again, erythritol is the best keto sweetener to use, but things like stevia could also be added as an alternative. Adding mascarpone to this will give it extra creaminess, but if you don't have any, it will still work.
This is great in summer for using up fresh strawberries, but do what I do and keep a pack of frozen strawberries in your freezer. Sometimes you just want a quick cheesecake fix, and frozen strawberries are perfectly fine to use and will give you that. Because this is no-bake, it may be slightly looser than a standard cheesecake. If you want it firmer, try adding a little gelatin or xanthan gum to help set it.
3) Keto Lemon Cheesecake Pudding with mascarpone
Ingredients
Method
- Whip mascarpone, cream cheese, and sweetener in a bowl until smooth and slightly fluffy.
- Add heavy cream, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt; beat until pudding thickens to spoonable consistency.
- Chill at least 30 minutes to set and let flavors meld.
- Spoon into cups and top with berries and extra zest if desired.
Lemon cheesecake is a big favorite of mine. I feel like it doesn't get talked about or made enough; it's so refreshing and perfect for summer. I tend to always use vanilla extract, but if you want to make it a little bit posh, try adding the seeds from a fresh vanilla pod; it does make a huge difference. Mascarpone cheese is added here, but you could even try using cottage cheese if you want to increase the protein content, ideal when doing keto.
I would always use fresh lemon juice, not the fake stuff; you can't replicate the zing that it gives. Blueberries are a favorite of mine to add on top of this, but virtually any berry will do. You could even try making candied lemon on top just for something different; just be careful with the carbs on that one, though.
4) Chocolate Hazelnut Keto Cheesecake Pudding (sugar-free spread)
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese until smooth in a medium bowl.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl.
- Fold chocolate hazelnut spread, erythritol, vanilla, and salt into the cream cheese.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until light and uniform.
- Spoon into serving jars, chill at least 1 hour, and sprinkle hazelnuts before serving.
This keto version tastes just like Nutella, and you would never know it's sugar-free; just be sure to use a sugar-free chocolate. A lot of people forget their little pinch of salt and how important it is to add.
It stops the pudding from being just far too sweet and helps to balance everything out. If you want an even bigger chocolate hit, you can add some cocoa powder too. The best way to top this off is with crushed, toasted hazelnuts, but any nut will work.
5) No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Cups
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese, sweetener, and vanilla until smooth.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into the cream cheese mixture with sour cream.
- Stir lemon juice into blueberries; mash slightly for jammy texture.
- Layer crumbs, cheesecake pudding, and blueberry mix into cups; repeat if space allows.
- Chill at least 1 hour to set; sprinkle reserved blueberries before serving.
This one's a touch different and has some sour cream added, which gives it a little bit of bite. You can use low-carb graham crackers for the base, and if you don't have these, make a quick crumble using almond flour and some melted butter. The xanthan gum will work quite well here to set it up nicely. Don't forget the full-fat cheese; this always sets better.
6) Pumpkin Spice Keto Cheesecake Pudding (fall weeknight dessert)
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese and sweetener until smooth in a medium bowl.
- Add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt; mix until combined.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into pumpkin-cheesecake mixture gently.
- Spoon into four small ramekins or jars, chill 1 hour to set.
- Top with chopped pecans before serving, if using.
This keto cheesecake pudding is perfect for use in the autumn, with pumpkin flavor running through it. But you don't have to wait until autumn to make it, since pumpkins are available; just use a good canned pumpkin puree. I wouldn't use pumpkin pie filling. Puree is much more versatile, and you can add your own level of spices to it.
You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice, or try making it yourself to get the exact level of spice that you want. Chopped pecans are great for this. Sometimes what I like to do is top it with a pecan brittle. Maybe you don't have pecans; walnuts will work too.
7) Peanut Butter Chocolate Keto Cheesecake Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese and peanut butter together until smooth and lump-free.
- Add sweetener, cocoa, vanilla, and salt; mix thoroughly.
- Slowly pour in heavy cream while beating to reach pudding consistency.
- If using, sprinkle gelatin over 1 tbsp cold water, bloom 5 minutes, warm and stir in; or whisk in xanthan gum slowly.
- Taste and thin with almond milk if needed; chill 30–60 minutes before serving.
Peanut butter is one of those ingredients I use almost daily, and it's great for using on keto. Almond butter is another great choice and is even lower in carbs. When looking for a good nut butter, make sure it's natural. A lot of them have things like palm oil and sugar, but you definitely want to avoid that.
Again, use gelatin or xanthan gum if you want it to set a little bit firmer. If you find you need to thin it out a little, use your favorite plant-based milk.
8) Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Pudding with almond crust crumble
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Ingredients
Method
- Whip cream to soft peaks and set aside chilled.
- Beat cream cheese, erythritol, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.
- Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture gently. Stir in xanthan gum or dissolved gelatin until thickened.
- Mix almond meal with melted butter and 1 tbsp sweetener to make a crumbly crust. Toast crumbs briefly in a skillet for extra flavor.
- Layer pudding into glasses, top with almond crumble and sliced almonds. Chill at least 1 hour to set.
Almonds are great for using on keto and are naturally gluten-free. The key to this one is to try to use real vanilla bean. They are expensive, but the difference compared to extract is huge. My next best thing would be vanilla bean paste.
You can use pre-bought almond meal to mix with butter and sweetener to make the crumble. If you don't have almond meal, just roughly chop almonds or gently pulse in a blender.
Room-temperature butter and eggs make every single one of these recipes turn out better. Set them out an hour before you start. That tiny step is the difference between bakery quality and just-okay.
9) Raspberry White Chocolate Keto Cheesecake Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.
- Whip heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into cream cheese mixture.
- Fold in melted white chocolate gently, then fold in raspberries, keeping some whole for texture.
- Chill at least 1 hour to set; garnish with a few raspberries before serving.
Raspberry and white chocolate are a classic combination, and it's one I love to use regularly. I always tend to have raspberries in the freezer, so I make this for myself often. If you want to try to up the protein on this, you could try using cottage cheese along with the cream cheese. You might need to use gelatin to set it if it becomes too runny.
You need to chill these for at least an hour, so I like to make a batch of them and keep them in the fridge for when I want a quick snack. Watch out for overwhipping the cream. You only want it to get to soft peaks. Overwhip it, and it will turn grainy.
10) Cinnamon Apple Keto Cheesecake Pudding (lightly stewed apples)
Ingredients
Method
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium, add diced apple, 2 tbsp sweetener, cinnamon, and lemon juice; stew 6–8 minutes until slightly softened.
- Beat cream cheese with remaining sweetener until smooth. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt; whip to pudding consistency.
- Spoon pudding into four bowls, top with warm stewed apples, and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon. Chill briefly if you prefer it cooler.
Cinnamon and apples are a combination I love, and this one almost reminds me of apple pie. I enjoy the contrast in temperatures between the warm stewed apples and the cold cream cheese. If I ever have excess apples that need to be used, this is the pudding that I go for. It's goat-free.
If you don't have Granny Smiths, you can use other apples; just be aware that some apples keep their shape better when stewed. I like to use Pink Lady apples; they are sweet but also hold their shape really well.
11) Matcha Cheesecake Pudding with coconut milk
Ingredients
Method
- Bloom gelatin in hot water for 2–3 minutes; set aside.
- Beat cream cheese with sweetener until smooth.
- Whisk in coconut milk, vanilla, lemon juice, matcha, and salt until fully combined.
- Stir in bloomed gelatin until no lumps remain.
- Pour into serving dishes, chill 2–3 hours until set.
- Top with a dusting of matcha or toasted coconut before serving.
This one is quite interesting because it uses coconut milk along with the cream cheese, which makes it super creamy. I think coconut milk is underrated and not used enough, and the first bite will surprise you as to how smooth it is. This one is easy to make, but you will have to give it a few hours to set, so you need to plan in advance.
Make sure you use the right amount of gelatin and bloom it properly in hot water. If you use too little, it won't set, and too much will make it too firm. Remember that there's a difference between using gelatin powder and leaf gelatin; they are not used in a one-to-one ratio.
12) Brownie-Crust Keto Cheesecake Pudding Parfaits
Ingredients
Method
- Mix almond flour, cocoa, melted butter, and 1 tbsp erythritol; press into ramekins for crust. Chill 10 minutes.
- Beat cream cheese with remaining 1 tbsp erythritol and vanilla until smooth.
- Whip heavy cream with powdered erythritol until soft peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon pudding over chilled crusts; top with chocolate chips if using.
- Chill at least 30 minutes before serving so layers set.
I like to use these when I need a little chocolate fix. They're simple to make, and you can swap out the almond flour for any other nut flour, as long as it fits your keto diet. Across the board, it's super simple to make.
You mix everything together, then let it chill for a little while. Be careful whipping the heavy cream. I prefer to do it by hand, as it's more difficult to overwhisk that way. If you're using an electric whisk, be careful of overwhipping.
13) Maple Pecan Keto Cheesecake Pudding (sugar-free syrup)
Ingredients
Method
- Beat cream cheese and sweetener until smooth and fluffy.
- Whip heavy cream with vanilla until soft peaks form; fold into cream cheese mixture.
- Stir in sugar-free maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and chopped pecans.
- Chill at least 1 hour to thicken; garnish with extra pecans before serving.
I love maple syrup, and this one uses sugar-free syrup, so it's perfect for keto, at least for me. A technique you need to master here is folding all of the ingredients together.
You don't want to knock out the air that you built up when you whip the heavy cream. You need to chill this to set for at least one hour. Pecans are the classic to go with maple, but I've tried walnuts too, and they work just as well.
The Whole Point
Pantry cooking involves using only what you already have in your cupboards and pantry. This is actually quite exciting and can make you a much better cook. You may not have one particular ingredient, but you have something that could do the job. This allows you to experiment and play around with flavors and textures. I am a big fan of making a large batch and then pushing it out. I usually like to freeze some of these, which makes dinner prep easier.
I always make sure I have an overstock of things like spices and canned goods, coconut milk, and dried fruits. The more you experiment and play around with ingredients, the better you will get at knowing what to stock in your pantry, so you always have something to make a good meal with.
, Sara