These gluten free and keto cheesecake brownies are the best of both worlds! An incredibly fudgy low carb brownie is paired with tangy swirls of creamy cheesecake. The best part? Just 1.5g net carbs!
Gluten Free & Keto Cheesecake Brownies 🍫
Supper Fudgy!
You’ve already met our suuuper fudgy keto brownies right?! They’re intensely chocolatey, fudgy, lightly chewy and good… like really good. Fact is, it’s the most popular recipe in the entire site, so that’s gotta tell you something!
Though, in all honesty, I would’ve never guessed it when I first hit publish. And don’t get me wrong, I love the recipe. I mean, it’s been my go-to brownie recipe for years now (and one of my favorite keto chocolate treats by far). But it’s sky-rocketing popularity still managed to wow me! So thank you guys for enjoying, sharing, and recommending it!
Now, amongst many of your requests, perhaps the most popular has been to adapt it into a sugar-free cheesecake brownie version. So wish granted peeps!
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Got more requests? Send them along, I always love to hear (and hopefully grant!) them.
The Chocolate 🍫
Cocoa brownies are generally regarded as second best to their ‘molten chocolate bar’ counterparts, given that they’re generally more cake-like than fudgy. But that’s most definitely not the case here, as these are some of the fudgiest brownies you’ll ever make.
Albeit ‘healthier‘, as you can control the chocolate and fat input completely, so no added refined sugars, preservatives etc. And of course, cocoa powder is much less expensive than chocolate bars (particularly keto ones!). So think of these keto brownies as wallet-friendly too.
Cocoa or cacao? Both work great, just know that quality really matters here. Our favorite will forever be the Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. But feel free to use a raw cacao powder (arguably more nutritional perks here), though keep in mind that your brownies will be lighter in color and more reddish in hue. Both are well and good, as long as they’re unsweetened.
The Flours
This recipe uses almond flour only (💥💃🎆!!). Yup, that’s it! Having said that, you can always sub half of the almond for hazelnut flour (think Nutella), if you wanna spiff things up a notch or give them a little twist.
In terms of brands, for the almond either Anthony’s or WellBees work great. Both are super fine grinds.
The Sweetener 🍯
You’ve got options here. Think xylitol (no aftertaste and chewier texture), Lakanto (barely any aftertaste), and Swerve (some cooling sensation). Xylitol takes (much) longer to dry out though so your brownies will be extra delicate (think gooey) right after baking, so just keep that in mind.
Fun fact: it might also be our taste buds here, but we’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So we cannot recommend enough that you don’t use stevia-based sweeteners here.
Oh, and if just paleo or gluten free (or not restricted by sugars), simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup (or kitty!) around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
A Couple (Very Simple!) Rules
We’ll start with the most important one: do not over-bake the brownies! Timing might just be the most important rule when making any type of brownie, so you don’t end up with a dry and crumbly mess. Keep an eye out for them, and take them out once the center is set but still jiggly.
We even prefer to slightly undercook them and chill them in the fridge before cutting. That’s the secret for extra fudgy brownies.
Otherwise, you need to be sure that your eggs are properly at room temperature. If they’re not, they’ll solidify the butter and the batter will become rock-hard as soon as you add the almond flour.
The Recipe Video 📽
Gluten Free, Low Carb & Keto Cheesecake Brownies
These gluten free and keto cheesecake brownies are the best of both worlds! An incredibly fudgy low carb brownie is paired with tangy swirls of creamy cheesecake. The best part? Just 1.5g net carbs!
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cupsfor an instant conversion.
Ingredients
For cheesecake layer
- 227 g cream cheese softened
- 50-70 g xylitol we do 1/4 cup*
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For keto brownie layer
- 130 g unsalted grass-fed butter
- 140-210 g xylitol we do 2/3 cup*
- 80 g cocoa powder **
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs at room temperature***
- 70 g almond flour
Serving suggestions
Instructions
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See recipe video for guidance!
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Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Line with parchment paper the bottom and sides of a 8x8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
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Make the cheesecake layer first. Add cream cheese and sweetener to a bowl and cream using an electric mixer (faster and easier) or whisk until creamy and smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined. Set aside.
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Add butter, sweetener, cocoa powder and salt to a medium heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use the microwave). You'll want to heat it up until most of the sweetener has melted and the mixture is well incorporated. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
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Add one egg at a time, whisking well after each one until completely incorporated. The texture should appear smooth, with all the sweetener dissolving into the mixture. Add the almond flour, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute).
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Pour 2/3 of the mixture into prepared pan, followed by the cheesecake layer. Add the remaining brownie batter in 4 dollops (see pictures in post for reference), and swirl the two batters together using a knife.
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Bake for 15-25 minutes (we do 23), or until the center is just set and still jiggly. This really does vary (a lot!!) from oven to oven (think convection etc), so give them a check from minute 15 the first time around.
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Allow to cool completely on a rack. Lift brownies using the edges of the parchment paper and cut into desired size (we do 16!). To get extra clean edges, place in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to cutting.
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Store in the fridge for 3 days and freeze for up to 3 months (they freeze great!).
Recipe Notes
*The lower quantities are for more keto-adapted palates, while the larger ones will get you more 'traditional' sweetness. Please see section on sweeteners for deets and possible substitutions. Just keep in mind that stevia doesn't work (at all!) for these!
**If measuring the cocoa with tablespoons rather than grams, be mindful of how you scoop as you can end up with a lot more cocoa powder than needed. Drop the cocoa powder into the tablespoon and level it, rather than scooping it out of the bag with the tablespoon (which can lead to overpacked tablespoons!).
***Must use eggs at room temp. Reason being that if you add cold eggs, you'll solidify the batter and won't be able to mix the flours properly.
Please note that we always subtract sugar alcohols from total carbs to calculate net carbs (as is customary).
This recipe was great! Although, the author was not kidding when she said to use xylitol instead of stevia as your sugar substitute. While the cheesecake part was very good, the brownie was FUNKY. I will be investing in some xylitol. Lol. I also ended up only cooking the brownies at 325° for 23 min and in a water bath. They came out very moist. Will be making these again with the proper ingredients. Thank you💗
I made these with powdered erythritol. Delicious! Next time I may add some pecans. Thanks for the great recipe.
THESE ARE AMAZING.
I have made them 3x in as many weeks, and my husband and teenage son expect me to keep them on hand at all times now. LOL
Thanks for another incredible recipe!!!
WOWZ that’s awesome to hear Jen!!
I have been searching and searching for a Banting (similar to Paleo) brownie recipe that was fudgie and delicious. This is it!
It’s ridiculous how good this is. I was scared that my chocolate batter was too grainy before I added the egg, but it ends up baking fine. I used the Cocoa Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder as recommended by Stella Parks from Serious Eats (my non-keto baking queen) and I would definitely suggest it. This recipe is super rich so you won’t want to eat more than one piece. Love that it’s in metric!
By far the best keto dessert I’ve made so far. I used half xylitol and half erythritol (lowest amounts suggested) and still found it sweet enough. I find most recipes too sweet now!
Is Sola sweetener an acceptable replacement?
Thanks in advance!
Just made these with a cross between 365 French Vanilla Liquid Stevia Drops and Splenda Liquid Sweetner (mixed in the chocolate & straight stevia in the cheesecake) and IMPO it turned out quite nicely… Though I DO like unsweetend and bitter sweet chocolate straight up… So that COULD have an impact on that…
Also I didn’t pay full attention so I ended up with cheesecake bottom and brownie top… Aka upside down cheesecake brownies lol but it works!
holy cow, that was awesome! I made them last night, my only deviation was a little cinnamon in the chocolate, and I used the monkfruit/erythritol blend as the sweetener. DELICIOUS!! thank you!
Hi! I’m very confused by the nutrition label you provided. I input all the ingredients to my keto app, and it told me the carbs in 1/16 brownies is 14 net carbs! Can you offer any insight as to why my numbers might be so different?
I did that too when I made the regular brownies and I realized that a lot of it was fiber. Make sure you’re subtracting fiber from the carbs, as well as the sugar substitute- those carbs don’t count! 🙂 I’m pumped to make the cheesecake ones now!!!
I am having the same problem on my fitness pal. I think it’s the cocoa that is adding the carbs for me. So confused.🙁
Cocoa values can vary A LOT! Just check the ones on your actual label and make sure it’s unsweetened xo!
The only sweenter we had was stevia when I made this today for the Fourth of July BBQ. I just measured out the amount of sweetner you suggested then put the stevia in our magic bullet and powdered it. Turned out awesome!! Thanks for making it so I get cheese cake too today while the rest of my family enjoys Costco cheese cake.
I’m wondering which brand of Stevia you used since the author mentioned this recipe doesn’t work well with stevia. Thank you 🙂
One of my favorites! Would this fill a springform pan or would I have to double the recipe?
Awesome to hear Estefanie (also one of mine!!). Depends on the size of your pan- if it’s 8 inches it’s fine. If it’s 9 you will want to at least do 1.5x the recipe. You can also double it and you’ll get thicker pieces. xo!
Awesome! I’m planning on using a 9 inch springform. Do I increase bake time as well?
In all honesty I’m not sure how much longer, as the brownies overall vary so much from oven to oven :-S. I would just check in 5 minute increments after the original baking time until they’re set but still jiggly
These are amazing! I added a serving of PB Fit to the cream cheese instead of the vanilla and did half swerve white sugar and half splenda brown sugar in the brownie mix because I ran out of swerve. Perfection!
Hands down, this is the most delicious keto dessert recipe I’ve found – I’ve now made them 3 times and I will probably keep making them even when I stop doing keto. I added half a teaspoon peppermint extract to the cream cheese mixture, which gives it an extra little pep if chocolate/mint is your thing.
I will say that my chocolate mixture has never come out in a form that could be described as “pourable” – it always comes out much thicker and I have to scoop it into the pan and press it in with my hands. Not a big deal because it still bakes fine (and tastes amazing), but it does prevent having the beautiful swirls on top – it’s more of a crumble. Again, NBD – I mostly just wanted your readers to know that they don’t have to scrap the whole thing if it doesn’t come out like the video/pics. Thanks for this incredible recipe!
Hi Becca! Thanks so much for reporting back, so awesome to hear! Regarding your batter, can I just confirm that you used erythritol (brand would be a plus!). It seems that the stiff batter is something that happens to some of you when using erythritol based sweeteners (usually Swerve). I’m still trying to point out the details, but a few of you have reported back on adding an extra egg and a bit of almond milk to losen up the batter. Like you said, it doesn’t seem to affect taste though!
Working on adding extra details to this one, and the comments from you guys have been invaluable as differences in sweeteners vary SO much 😉 xo!
Yes! I was using Swerve confectioners, about 2/3 of the lower amount (by weight) you call for in the ingredient list. The reduction was out of necessity the first time (I just ran out) but I found it to be sweet enough so haven’t changed it.
This recipe was a bit of a challenge for me. Had trouble getting the swerve sweetener to “melt” into the batter. Tried both micro and water bath, it remained grainy, almost like the chocolate seized up or something. It did not become smooth even after adding the eggs. After adding the almond flour it became so thick I had a tough time spreading enough to fill the entire bottom of pan. The cream cheese mixture seem to come out fine though, so I just added that ontop and swirled with the bottom the best I could. They baked up fine and were tasty. Wonder if a different sweetener would have made it an easier experience.
This happens sporadically to lesser and greater extent with erythritol Leah, try xylitol next time 😉 xo!
Well then I will definitely comment back with my results after I test it out. Really hoping they turn out 😉
Please do! All your comments are so helpful always to learn the quirks with the different ingredients and ultimately add enough notes that they work for all!
These are definitely going on my keeper list! Worked out perfectly in my opinion using the Sukrin Gold. These are one of the best desserts I’ve tried yet.
I’m thinking of making these as a dish to pass for my family reunion this weekend since we I have the ingredients and wont have to go buy anything. Well except I buy Pyure and I see a comment where you said that doesn’t work well with this recipe. How exactly does it affect this recipe. I do have Sukrin Gold, would I be able to sub with that and if so would it be the same amount as the sweetener called for in the recipe? Thank you in advance.
Hi Nikki! The issue with Pyure is that stevia and chocolate (particularly when warm) result in a super bitter aftertaste in the back of the throat for most, and a lot of people who have used Pyure against advice report back that they chucked the batch (this is mostly on the original brownie recipe).
Sukrin is a better sub (it’s 1-1 to sugar right? so yes same amounts). Now, the batter with erythritol sweeteners seems to clump up sporadically for some readers (higher melting point). If this happens, a few of you have reported back on adding an extra egg and a tablespoon or so of almond milk and whisk until you get a nice thick batter. I’m still trying to test it, but my batter hasn’t clumped up yet- but want to give you a heads up just in case. xo!
Thank you! I didn’t know if it would be different since the Sukrin Gold is technically a brown sugar substitute. I’ll give it a shot using that and if it gets clumpy I’ll use the egg suggestion 😉
The thing is that every single sugar sub seems to have different additives, and funny enough this brownie recipe seems to be VERY sensitive to those little changes in melting points. So I’m currently testing the recipe with 7 of them to give you all detailed specific pointers 😉
p.s. I cannot test Sukrin Gold because it has malt extract and I have celiacs so I’d rather not risk it
Hi! These were delicious! Just a note, you have the recipe marked as “dairy-free” but I didn’t see a section that suggests what to substitute for the cream cheese or the butter (both of which contain dairy 😛 )
I am lactose intolerant and used soy cream cheese and ghee as substitutes and they worked great. Each had less carbs and sugar than their dairy alternatives, which was nice!
Thanks for the heads up Mackenzie! That’s actually a mistake, as I haven’t made these DF yet (the brownies themselves do have paleo & df subs) xo!
can we use coconut flour instead of almond? and what would be the measurement
Unfortunately no! 🙁
Hi Paola,
My husband loves the brownies but would like more creamcheese batter in them.
If I were to double the creamcheese batter would the bake time be the same?
Hi Tere! You’ll have to increase the baking time with more cream cheese… how much tbh I can’t tell you for sure. Try checking in on them every three minutes just in case! xo
I am trying this recipe. Is the cocoa regular cocoa or cacao?
I’m thinking that if it reads cocoa it’s cocoa? I’m not sure what you mean by regular cocoa?! xo!
The brownie batter was very thick…I used swerve and microwaved for about a minute instead of warm bath. So thick I had to spread it out in the pan myself and swirling on top was not easy. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Laura! This is a weird hiccup that seems to happen on and off for peeps using Swerve. It’s a bit weird as microwaving it seems to solve the problem for most, but I honestly have no idea what causes it as you all report different situations. For most it has been solved by making sure the eggs are at room temp, and microwaving the swerve. xo!
Loved these so much! I am a regular here and make so many of your recipes! Can I used confectioners sugar (swerve) instead of granulated sugar? I could actually feel and hear the sugar with every bite…
Hi Jacky! Yes, you can definitely use confectioners here too! xo!
Hi, I’m not sure what I did wrong, but mine wouldn’t set properly…went more like choc mouse, and I baked it for around 25 mins. Even when I freezed it overnight it didn’t actually hardened. Tasted delicious but you had to eat it out of the bowl with a spoon. Any suggestions where I went wrong…felt like it needed gelatin?
Hi Sue! It actually sounds like they just needed a bit longer in the oven (temperature can vary a lot from oven to oven for brownies overall). Even 3-5 minutes longer should make a big difference 😉 xo!
The video is for the plain brownies…Is there one for the cheesecake one? Interested in how you got it sooo pretty!
Thanks
Hi Siobhan! I don’t have any videos coming out right now as I had surgery on my hand (tendinitis!). Hopefully in a month or two :-S xo!
For nut allergies do you think coconut flour would work?
No, but you can try sunflower seed flour xo!
I’ve been doing Keto for about five weeks. I’ve pretty much skipped the sweeteners in every recipe I’ve made and still really enjoyed everything. This seems to call for quite a bit of sweetener though. Do you think it will be ok without?
Hi Cassie! Yeah this recipe is one where you really don’t want to skip the sweetener unfortunately. Maybe check out the cheesecakes for 1? Those would be OK without (particularly the key lime pie one!) xo!
I love this recipe! However I made it for my husband to move away from the regular sugar. He didn’t like this at all. Didn’t have the sweet kick that other keto brownies have. I used the xylitol. Would monk fruit be better or is it the same? Also did I do something wrong in the brownie recipe because it was so sticky I couldn’t get it off my whisk. Thank you in advance. 🙂
Hi Hana! Do you think it could be that they weren’t sweet enough for his taste? If he’s just getting into keto, these are definitely not as sweet as regular brownies. You would need to increase the xylitol to 250g to get the sweetness of regular brownies. The batter is also sticky xo!
Well the cheesecake layer had 70g of sweetener and the brownie had 210g. Which would I increase? He did say he didn’t like the cheesecake mix. Maybe that’s where I’d increase by 40-60g?
Thank you for your reply. Sincerely appreciate it! :))
Ps.. my daughter said she loves it and she has a sweet tooth. It tastes awsm hard frozen.
Maybe you can then just do the brownies without the cheesecake layer? There’s a recipe link to that one on the page. So you would want to increase the xylitol amount between 200-250g. xo!
So good! Thank you! What’s the serving size though? Roughly…
SO happy you liked them Grace! Serving size was calculated per brownie (assuming you cut it up into 16 pieces!) xo!
These are amazing. I took a picture of them. To show how beautiful they are. My kids are in love with these, plus I can give them to my diabetic son with no worries. Love your recipes 😁
LOl that’s amazing Bekah! So happy to hear you and your kids loved these so much! Thank you for sharing with us 😉 xo!
Hello new to the keto lifestyle and I soooooooo want to try making these. I’ve yet to have any dessert since I’ve been doing keto 🙁 this calls for almond flour (which saddens me because MOST keto recipes call for it) but I have a allergy to nuts. You can’t substitute for coconut flour?
Hi LaToya! Unfortunately coconut flour isn’t a great sub here, but have you tried sunflower seed flour? Many readers who are allergic to nuts use it 😉 xo!
The brown sugar substitute that Sukrin make would be great in these
Definitely! Just keep in mind that it has malt extract (so not Celiac friendly) xo!
Hi – So excited to try these! I was wondering, have you ever tried substituting butter with lard, or if you know if that would work with this recipe? Thanks!!
Hi Connie! I really don’t think you want to use lard in these, I haven’t tried though xo!
Soo… really want to try these newish to keto and see a lot of recipes with cream cheese.. I have a hate for cheese I can only really eat cheap pizza cheese… do you taste the cream cheese or is it just kinda hidden
Hi Adrianna! I mean, these are cheesecake brownies… so you can definitely taste the cheese part! If you don’t really like cheese I would suggest you make the regular version without the cream cheese xo 😉
WOW!! These were delicious!! And my kids loved them too! The older one even said that these were like none of the other ‘yucky healthy sweets mummy’s been making’. Couldn’t stop laughing! THANK YOU!
Oh lol Alleana!! I think that’s the best compliment these brownies could’ve received! Cracking up too- thanks for sharing! 🙂
I can’t find the section on sweeteners with possible substitutions? Could you please give me the link? Thank you!! btw I love your recipes!! 🙂
Hi Sandra! So happy you’re loving the recipes! And simply scroll up the post and there’s a section titled The Sweetener (there’s one in every post) xo!
Hi, yes I saw it, but are the quatities the same then? Thank you!
Yup! Xylitol, Lakanto and Swerve are all 1-to-1 to sugar. I’ll put in parenthesis when quantities change (such as with Pyure, but that one doesn’t work well here) xo!
Got no requests really, you seem to magically hit my cravings spot on!! 😉
Lol!! That’s seriously awesome to hear 😉 xo!