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 carb!
Gluten Free & Keto Cheesecake Brownies
Suuuper 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!
Got more requests? Send them along, I always love to hear (and hopefully grant!) them.
The Chocolate
Cocoa or cacao? Both work great, just know that quality really matters here. My 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 Keto Flours
This recipe uses almond flour only (!!). Yup, that’s it!
In terms of brands, for the almond either Anthony’s or WellBees work great. Both are super fine grinds.
The Sweetener
You’ve got a couple options here. Xylitol (non corn to avoid tummy troubles!) and allulose (using 30% more) have become my top choice (no aftertaste, best and chewier texture), followed by Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, but thicker texture).
If using erythritol in any form, because it needs a little extra help to dissolve than xylitol (and they vary so much from brand to brand because of different fillers and so on!), you’ll want to be sure to use a powdered form. If you only have granular on hand, don’t sweat it, and simply blend it in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until powdered. Easy-peasy!
And one more thing to keep in mind, is that a few of you who have used erythritol (Swerve in particular) report back periodically that your batter ends up thick. This seems to be improved by microwaving rather than using a water bath, and using powdered rather than regular. Though there seems to be no hard rule here.
Doesn’t seem to affect the taste in the end, so just spread the batter rather than pour it in. But if you’re finding your brownies feel too thick, simply add in an extra egg or a couple tablespoons of almond milk (just don’t over-whisk or they could become more cakey).
Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So I 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
I’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 and a toothpick inserted comes out moist (but not drenching).
I even prefer to slightly undercook them and chill them in the fridge before cutting. That’s the secret for extra fudgy brownies.
I’ve also noticed that when using powdered erythritol rather than xylitol (my favorite), you also need to decrease the baking time by about 5 minutes as they cook faster.
You’ll also want to use eggs at room temp. Reason being that if your cocoa/butter mixture is not hot enough (and your eggs are very cold), they’ll solidify the butter and your batter will be too thick (doesn’t affect the end results, just annoying to spoon rather than pour!).
Looking for more stellar keto brownie variations?! Don’t miss out on our peanut butter brownies (they’re ace!).
Gluten Free & Keto Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
For cheesecake layer
- 227 g cream cheese softened
- 50-70 g allulose xylitol or erythritol (I do 1/4 cup)*
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For keto brownie layer
- 1 batch (suuuper fudgy!) keto brownies
Serving suggestions
Instructions
- See recipe video for guidance on the brownies!
- 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.
- 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.
- Whip up a batch of our (suuuper fudgy!) keto brownies. Please note that your batter with xylitol and allulose will be thinner than with erythritrol (where you can add an extra egg or a couple tablespoons of almond milk to loosen up a bit for cleaner swirls!- see brownie post for more deets).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Store in the fridge for 3 days and freeze for up to 3 months (they freeze great!).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
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xo! Paola
Hi! I’m getting ready to make this recipe and this is the issue I run into with almost every treat type recipe. I’m on keto with only a 1120 calorie budget and need to hit 82g of protein. I’d love to make these but if I eat one, I’d almost never hit my protein goal. Do you have any idea if I could add protein powder to this recipe to give them some more protein so they fit in my macros every once in a while?
I only have erythritol in my pantry. Which one works better? Powdered or granulated erythritol?
Powdered! If the batter is too thick (depends on brand), you may want to add an extra egg xo!
is the measurements for erythritol vs. xylitol the same? If not what is the exchange?
Yup!
Made the brownies yesterday. Fed them to my family members and co-workers and they are no keto fans accept my kids they love keto paleo foods. Everybody loved the brownies!
I only halved the Sweetners because it’s way to sweet for us the amount you use haha!
This brownies are the bomb!
Made with Erythritol in a 9×9 pan (all I had). I 1.5’d the recipe and added one extra egg to the brownie portion. I also melted the erythritol for a long while in the butter. They came out absolutely perfect in texture and taste. I did make them a little too sweet this time but that can be fixed with unsweetened whipped cream and smaller portions. Next time I’ll try with Xylitol and in an 8×8 pan. Great recipe.
I can’t find the video to watch to make these. 🙁
It sometimes happens if you’re running an ad blocker? It blocks the video player too!
Would I change the temp or timing if I wanted to make these into cupcakes?
Hi Mona! You’ll likely need to half the time (will vary quite a bit from oven to oven) xo!
Thanks. I don’t really want to make them cupcakes but I ran out of parchment paper :(. Do you think they will stick if I don’t use the parchment and just grease it really well?
I think they might stick? They even stuck to my parchment paper 🙈). But they will still taste the same?
Why can’t I use stevia? That’s all I have in my cabinet at the moment lol
I see in the directions it calls for cream in the cream cheese part but in the ingredients there is nothing there. So how much cream does it call for? Thank you.
Cream as in the verb 😉
OH. MY GOD!!!! I just made these and they are SO good! I used xylitol and made them as muffins! Baking time was about 12 to 13 minutes with my oven. Holy crap are they good! Served them to a non-keto person and tjey couldn’t tell it was not standard baking! You deserve all the praise for tjis ridiculously easy recipe!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Those look amazing. Do you think they’d turn out decent as muffins as well? If so, how would the oven time change?
Def! And on the baking time you’re going to have to just keep an eye out for them after about 10 mins xo!
Awesome, thank you so much for your speedy reply! Many regards from Germany!!! 😉
Ok, you are a GENIUS And xylitol is a game changer! I actually made your one bowl peanut butter blondies to bake in the same dish (like Buzzfeed Tasty) two desserts for one because they have the same cooking time.
Fudgy, gooey and very rich. The pb one almost tasted like a golden syrup cake oml so good. Underbaking is the key here. But mine managed to bake for 30 mins before it was set!
Made it all in a mixer using a blade attachment. So epic, so easy. The BEST recipe I’ve tried for brownies and potentially customisable? I’ll be making that cheesecake separately it was so tasty.
Also, is it okay to discount xylitol carbs? Some people count them in full or halves, I assume because the gi is above 0.
Awesome Becky! I discount all the sugar alcohols form xylitol, but tbh I’m also careful not to overdo it! But you can also count half (I think this helps at the beginning to keep peeps accountable!) xo!
These would not get to firm for me at all, even after doubling the baking time :/ I did use swerve so I had the thick batter, but it turned very oily after adding in eggs. Still tasty though! I guess I’ll have to freeze it
Mine too! I am currently baking longer to get it to set more. Then I guess I will freeze. The oil separation is weird.
It happens from time to time when the batter isn’t emulsified right xo!
Made these for a girls weekend I took recently with my sisters and cousins. I am the only one that is Keto and they ate more of them then me because they are just that good!! My brownie batter was pretty stiff but it turned out just fine once cooked. I used Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener and it was so yummy!
I had a really hard time with getting them to cook thoroughly? Taste was good I used Lakanto monk fruit. But it took double time!
Clearly, everyone knows this already, but these are insanely delicious. I’m serving these to family at our next get-together, for sure. I slightly undercooked move and resisted temptation somehow so they could cool completely in the fridge. The next day, they were amazing! Thank you for this delicious creation!!
Yeah I definitely LOVE them slightly undercooked (you can eat them straight from the freezer that way 😂!). xo Kelly!
Maybe a silly question, but in addition to the gluten my husband is allergic to egg whites as well. Any idea if this recipe would work using only the yolks?? Thanks so much!
Ive made this about 7 times now but ive been using fine organic matcha powder instead of cocoa! Soo good
OMG that sounds amazing Geraldine!
Would love to see a photo of your end product with marcha!! Please….
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.
Paula, I wish I could post pictures to your comments!! 😀 I made a triple batch of these for my sister’s wedding reception and they were a huge hit. And I didn’t tell people they were low carb! My dad even said, “I’ve died and gone to heaven,” when he had the first of many. Thank you so much for the quality recipes you keep putting out. You’re by far my favorite keto cook!!
Can you use almond cream cheese in this 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!
Just saw these on your IG page and was wondering if xylitol can be replaced with erythritol?
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!
Paola, I love love love your receipes!! Most of them are staples in my household. I thank you for that. This is my new favorite. 🙂
Amazing!!!! Just the sweet fix I needed after going Keto for a few months. I figured my net carbs to be at 6g however? Still worth every single one!