These. Are. Everything! Fact is, expect these gluten free and keto pumpkin cheesecake brownies to become your favorite (easy!) fall dessert!

Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies 🍂

Because pumpkin everything!

You’ve already met our suuuper fudgy keto brownies right?! They’re intensely chocolatey, fudgy, lightly chewy and good… like really good. And yup, there’s been a cheesecake version already too (easily the most instagrammed recipe by you all!).

So with fall, and pumpkin season in full rage, this pumpkin spinoff simply had to happen. Things to expect: your kitchen will smell ah-mazing (think chocolate + spiced pumpkin goodness!) and you’ll be hooked for life.

Plus, they’re stupid easy to whip up and they freeze great too! (p.s. they’re great frozen too…🙊!).

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 (!!).

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 has become my top choice (no aftertaste, best and chewier texture), Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, and many of you also love the Golden version), and powdered Swerve (some cooling sensation, but still great). Xylitol takes (much) longer to dry out though so your brownies will be extra delicate (think gooey) right after baking.

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.  Doesn’t seem to affect much 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 (I did!), simply add in an extra egg (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 (and cheesecake, for that matter!), 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.

I 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 & Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free, keto, low carb

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 16 brownies

Calories: 158 kcal

These. Are. Everything! Fact is, expect these gluten free and keto pumpkin cheesecake brownies to become your favorite (easy!) fall dessert!

Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cupsfor an instant conversion.

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Ingredients

For pumpkin cheesecake layer

• 227 g cream cheese softened
• 50-70 g xylitol or powdered erythritol (we do 1/4 cup)*
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 125 g pumpkin puree to taste**

For keto brownie layer

• 130 g unsalted grass-fed butter
• 80 g cocoa powder ***
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 140-210 g xylitol or powdered erythritol (we do 2/3 cup)*
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 70 g almond flour

Serving suggestions

• our no-churn keto vanilla ice cream

Metric - US Cups

Instructions

1. See recipe video for guidance! 

2. 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. 

3. Make the pumpkin 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, vanilla extract and pumpkin spice until fully combined. Mix in pumpkin puree. Set aside. 

4. Add butter, cocoa powder and salt to a medium heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use the microwave). Add in sweetener and mix until combined (xylitol will dissolve a bit, erythritol won't- don't worry!). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

5. 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. And if using erythritol, and your batter ends up too thick, you may want to add an extra egg. Just be sure not to over-whisk, or your brownies could end up more cakey rather than fudgy. 

6. Add the almond flour, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute). 

7. 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. 

8. Bake for 23-30 minutes (we did 28 for these), 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. 

9. 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. 

10. 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! 

**You can technically go all the way up to 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Just keep in mind you'll need to increase baking time a tad (and a bit more carbs). 

***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!). 

Please note that we always subtract sugar alcohols from total carbs to calculate net carbs (as is customary). 

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free & Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Amount Per Serving (1 brownie)

Calories 158 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 7g35%

Cholesterol 63mg21%

Sodium 189mg8%

Potassium 123mg4%

Carbohydrates 4.5g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 1655IU33%

Vitamin C 0.3mg0%

Calcium 39mg4%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.