Rich, creamy, and delicious — you’ll love making this keto pumpkin cheesecake all fall and winter long.  This pumpkin cheesecake is low-carb and has no added sugar, but you’d never guess with how amazing it tastes! Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to try this recipe!

Pumpkin Keto Cheesecake Recipe

Cheesecake is the quintessential keto dessert for a reason.  It’s creamy, perfectly sweet, and easy to fit into your low-carb diet.  And when you combine it with pumpkin?  Oh man — it’s amazing!

Pumpkin cheesecake is a delicious fall dessert that I know you enjoy.  This keto cheesecake is the perfect dessert to serve at your fall celebrations! This recipe comes together quickly and easily — and it’s sure to impress your friends and family.

I like to top this cheesecake with lots of whipped cream and a generous sprinkle of pecans.  To me, this pumpkin cheesecake is better than pumpkin pie, any day.

Is Pumpkin Cheesecake Keto?

So, you may be wondering, is cheesecake keto?

Regular cheesecake is pretty high in carbs due to it’s sugar content and traditional graham cracker crust.  But, this pumpkin cheesecake is made with cream cheese, an alternative sweetener, and an almond flour crust — so it’s naturally gluten-free and low in carbs.

But then you might ask, is pumpkin keto?

Yes, you can easily incorporate pumpkin into a low-carb diet. Like most things, it’s just important to watch your portion size.

This recipe for pumpkin cheesecake calls for 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree — which is about half a can.  2/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree has 14 grams of carbohydrates and 6 gram of fiber per cup. Subtracting 6 grams of fiber from 14 grams of total carbs yields 8 grams of net carbs.  So, when you divide that amount of net carbs over the number of servings in this cheesecake, you’ll see that the pumpkin contributes less than 1 net carb per serving.  Worth it, if you ask me!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake

This pumpkin cheesecake starts out with, you guessed it, pumpkin puree.  In this recipe, I like to use canned pumpkin because of its convenience and consistent texture.

Canned pumpkin is just that — pumpkin in a can. When you read the ingredients, there should be no sugar or flavorings. (In contrast, “Pumpkin Pie filling” has spices and sugar already added.  When you’re shopping, look for Pure Pumpkin, so that you can control the sweeteners and spices added.

Here’s what else you’ll need for this recipe.

For the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

• Pumpkin puree.  Like I wrote about earlier, try to buy 100% pure pumpkin without additional sweeteners.
• Cream cheese.  Let your cream cheese come to room temperature before you begin baking.  Room temperature ingredients incorporate much more easily — helping you to avoid lumpy cheesecake!
• Powdered erythritol sweetener. I like Swerve brand the best.  If you can’t find powdered sweetener, you can grind granulated sweetener in a very(!) dry(!) food processor for a while to DIY your powdered sweetener.
• Eggs. I use large eggs in this, and all of my recipes.  Just like with your cream cheese, let your eggs come to room temperature before beginning to make this cheesecake.  If you need to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, you can place them in a large bowl of hot water for a few minutes.
• Vanilla extract.
• A pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.

For the gluten-free crust:

• Almond flour. I usually recommend super-fine blanched almond flour in my keto baking recipes.  Blanched almond flour gives the finished baked good a fine texture and light crumb.  That said — in this particular crust recipe, you can substitute natural almond meal with no problems.
• Flax Seed Meal. I like to add a tablespoon of flaxseed to the crust to help bind it together and keep it from crumbling when you slice the cheesecake.  If you don’t have flaxseed meal handy, you could replace it with 2 tsp of finely ground chia seeds or a 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum.  If you have none of those ingredients, you could skip it altogether — although your crust may be a bit more crumbly.
• Butter.  Some say that grass-fed butter has the best flavor.  I find that there are so many other delicious flavors going on in this recipe, that I didn’t notice a difference.  Use what you like.
• Erythritol sweetener.  I like Swerve brand.  Sweeteners like Xylitol and Pyure brand sweetener can also work.  You’ll just want to check the conversion chart on the back of the bag before you begin baking.  For example, Swerve has a 1:1 ratio of sweetness to sugar.  Some brands of sweetener are twice as sweet as sugar, or a 2:1 ratio.  In that case, you’ll want to use less sweetener than what I call for in this recipe.
• A pinch of salt.

How to Prevent Cracks in Cheesecake

Sometimes a cheesecake will develop a crack or two as it cools.  Fortunately, an ugly cheesecake will still taste delicious!  And, I think that a cracked cheesecake is just an excuse to cover the top with whipped cream!

But, if you’d like to avoid a cracked cheesecake, read on for my 3 best tips.

1. Check your oven temperature.  Sometimes ovens run hot.  And baking a cheesecake at too high of a temperature may cause it to crack.  If you are not sure if your oven temperature, I recommend using an inexpensive oven thermometer to double check.  In my experience, cheesecakes are best baked between 300 and 325° F.
2. Bake the cheesecake until it is just done.  Remember that cheesecake is a custard, and will not fully set when baking.  A cheesecake is done with the center is almost set, but will still wobble or jiggle a bit.  A cheesecake will set up more as it cools.  So, make sure to take the cake out of the oven while the center still jiggles when you tap the side of the pan.
3. Grease the sides of your pan.  Sometimes you’ll pull out a beautiful cheesecake (with no cracks) that will develop cracks as it cools.  This is because the cake shrank during cooling, but stuck to the sides of the pan, making a crack in the center.  To avoid this, make sure to grease the sides of your pan.  For extra insurance, run a thin paring knife around the sides of the pan to release the cheesecake after you pull it from the oven.

How to Make Cheesecake Without a Springform Pan

Most cheesecake recipes will suggest that you use a springform pan. And for a good reason!  A quality springform pan will make it easy for you to get delicate cakes like cheesecake out of the pan without damaging.

However, a bad springform pan will never close tight enough, leading to leaky cakes batters and disappointed eaters. 🙁

So, if you don’t have springform pan in your collection, don’t worry.  There are several things that you can use in place of a springform pan, despite what the recipe may say.

If you don’t have a springform pan, here are some options to consider:

• Serve your cake from the pan.  Okay, this one’s a gimme.  You don’t have to remove the whole cake from the pan in one piece, right?  If you don’t need to post a photo of your finished cake to Instagram, just serve the finished cheesecake straight from the pan.
• Use a round cake pan.  Choose a round cake pan the same size as the suggested springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. To do this, spray the inside of the pan with nonstick spray.  Cut out a circle of parchment for the bottom of the pan and cut strips of parchment for sides.  The nonstick spray will help the parchment stick to the pan while you will it with the cheesecake batter.  Then, when your cheesecake is completely cooled, flip it over on a plastic wrap lined plate, and then flip it back again, right side up, onto your serving plate.  I’ve had the best success with this “flip method” when I freeze the cheesecake first, before trying to flip it out.
• Use a pie plate.  You can bake this cheesecake recipe in a large pie pan to make a pumpkin cheese…pie.   Instead of an 8″ round cake pan, use a 9.5″ deep dish pie plate.  Your cheesecake may be a bit thinner, so it won’t cook for as long.

If you’d to check out our other keto baking recipes, why not try Keto Oreo cookies, Cinnamon Crumb cake donuts, or Keto Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting?

And if you’re looking for more keto pumpkin recipes, try this amazing keto Pumpkin Bread!

Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

Rich, creamy, and delicious -- you'll love making this keto pumpkin cheesecake all fall and winter long.  This pumpkin cheesecake is low-carb and has no added sugar, but you'd never guess with how amazing it tastes! Don't wait until Thanksgiving to try this recipe!

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Ingredients

For the Cheesecake

• 16 oz cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sweetener, like Swerve
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• pinch cloves

For the Crust

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp sweetener, like Swerve
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 9" springform cake pan, or prepare a 9" round cake pan. To prepare a round cake pan, spray with nonstick spray, and adhere parchment paper to the bottom and the sides. (See notes in the post above.)

Make the Crust

1. Combine almond flour, flaxseed meal, sweetener, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir well to break up any lumps in the almond flour.
2. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Using your fingertips, press down flat into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Remove, and let cool at least 10 minutes while you make the batter.

Make the Cheesecake Batter

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, sweetener, salt, vanilla, and the spices. Stir together until well combined.
2. Pour the cheesecake batter into the crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for about 45 -55 minutes. Check the cheesecake for doneness, removing when the center of the cheesecake still jiggles a bit when you tap the side of the pan.
3. Remove from the oven. Let cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Cool completely before serving. (See unmolding tips in the notes or in the post above.)

Notes

To unmold, run a thin paring knife around the edge of the cheesecake to help release it from the pan.

If your cake is really stuck, you can place the entire cake pan into a hot water bath for about 15 seconds.

If using a regular round cake pan, check the post for more tips.

To make clean slices, place your knife into a hot water bath before slicing, and wipe dry each time you make a pass through the cake.

Want more crust? If you are using a springform pan, and want the crust to reach all the way up the sides, you can double the crust recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 276mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. It was calculated by My Fitness Pal with the recommended brands and ingredients. All brands are different, so please verify the macros with your specific ingredients to ensure accuracy.

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