Keto + Vegan + GF Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Need a delicious low carb way to celebrate the coming of summer? This Keto Strawberry Cheesecake should be perfect way to do so!

Spring and summer come with some of the best seasonal fruits, and strawberries are always a favorite!

this Keto Strawberry Cheesecake is a delicious healthy option that you can feel good about indulging in!

It has the familiar creamy texture of cheesecake with all the bright sweetness of strawberries. However, substituting a keto sweetener such as Allulose (or erythritol or monk fruit) sweetener makes it a much healthier dessert.

It’s also a great dessert to make ahead of time and freeze so you can grab a piece any time you’d like!

keto cheesecake

What is the keto diet?

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet similar to the Atkins diet.

It requires you to drastically reduce your carb intake so that your body is in a metabolic state known as ketosis. Once you body runs out of the fuel (sugar), it will start to break down fat for energy. And this results in weight loss.

Most people on the keto diet count “net carbs”. Meaning you count the total carbs (but exclude fiber).

The wonderful health benefits of the keto diet? You’ll see a big decrease in your blood sugar and insulin levels.

Plus, when your body burns fat for for energy, the fat also turns into ketones in the liver. These ketones give your brain energy.

Ingredients Needed To Make Keto Strawberry Cheesecake

Almond flour — If you don’t have almond flour for the crust, you can make your own! Pulse sliced almonds in a blender or food processor until they are a sandy texture. Don’t over grind, as this will make your crust too powdery.

Allulose low-carb sweetener

Melted Vegan Butter (earth balance)

Vegan cream cheese — When making cheesecake, it’s important to use full-fat cream cheese. Tofutti 8oz or others Sunflower based from Spero.

Cashews (no salt)

Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk

Vanilla extract

Lemon juice

Fresh Strawberries

How To Make A Low Carb Strawberry Cheesecake

Before making the crust:

First, bring the cream cheese and eggs to room temperature.

Next, stir together two cups of almond flour, 3 tablespoons of Allulose, and 5 tablespoons of melted vegan butter. The mixture should be crumbly and clumpy, but not very wet.

Grease a 9” or 8” springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom, then press the almond flour crust mix into the bottom of it. The crust should be an even layer across the bottom.

Bake the crust at 350° for 10 minutes, then allow it to cool.

To make the cheesecake filling:

Take a blender and blend up 2 cups raw unsalted cashews with 2 cups of dairy-free milk. Blend for at least 2 minutes. You might have to do one cut by one cup to fit into your blender. If you have a weak blender you might need to soak cashews overnight in non-dairy milk.

Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, and beat the 1 -8oz blocks of cream cheese until they are smooth and creamy.

Add in the cashew creamy texture from blender and beat.

Add in 1 cup of allulose and beat it with the cream cheese and cashew cream for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure that all of the ingredients are getting mixed together.

Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Place 1 pound of fresh strawberries in a blender or the bowl of a food processor with 1/2 cup of allulose. Blend until smooth. Strawberries should resemble a smooth puree. There should be about 2 cups total.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree, then pour the rest into the cheesecake mixture. Stir it in until it is thoroughly combined.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan over the almond crust.

Drip the remaining half cup of the strawberries in lines over the top of the cheesecake, and use the tip of a spoon to create swirls over the top.

cheesecake baking

Wrap the bottom of the cake or springform pan well with aluminum foil so that it comes up several inches around the bottom of the pan. This is to prevent water from getting into the cheesecake when you bake it in a water bath.

Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan in a large baking or roasting dish.

Put the dish with the cheesecake in it on the center rack of the oven heated to 350°. Then, pour a few cups of water into the baking dish until there are between 1 and 2 inches of water up the side of the cheesecake pan.

Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes to an hour.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan over the almond crust.

Drip the remaining half cup of the strawberries in lines over the top of the cheesecake, and use the tip of a spoon to create swirls over the top.

Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan in a large baking or roasting dish.

Bake the strawberry for 50 minutes to an hour.

To check if it is done, shake the pan very gently.

The edges of the cheesecake should be pulling away from the pan slightly, and the center will be mostly firm with a slight jiggle in the center. The top should look dry. There may be a few browned spots, but you don’t want the top to be burnt.

Turn off the oven and leave the door open, leaving the cheesecake in for about an hour so that it cools slowly.

Remove it from the oven after the hour is up and let it sit at room temperature for another hour before covering it well and refrigerating the strawberry cheesecake overnight.

It won’t be completely set up and solid until it has been chilled, so try not to cut into it too soon!

Decorating and Serving Your Keto Strawberry Cheesecake

keto cheesecake recipe

To serve the strawberry cheesecake, slice a pound of strawberries and arrange them over the top of the cheesecake.

Slice the cheesecake into about 12 to 16 slices. It’s a fairly rich dessert, so you can get quite a few servings out of a cheesecake!

Serve it cold, and store any leftovers you have in the refrigerator. Cheesecake should always be stored in the refrigerator for food safety reasons.

If you want to store it in the pan, you can simply cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Otherwise, keep it in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes and Tips

— Cheesecakes are prone to large cracks in the top. While a cracked cheesecake is delicious, it’s certainly not as pretty! To avoid cracks, bake your cheesecake in a water bath and do not submit it to any extreme or quick temperature changes. That’s why it should be left in the open, turned-off oven for an hour, and allowed to come to room temperature before chilling.

— This recipe will make either an 8” cheesecake.

— In order to easily remove your cheesecake from the pan, you’ll need a springform pan that’s 8” You can also use a regular cake pan with a removable bottom. To take the cheesecake out of the pan, set it on a flat jar or glass and carefully push down the side of the cake pan.

— Before removing your cheesecake from the pan, carefully run a sharp knife around the edge to release and parts of the cake that may be stuck. If there is a bit that’s stuck, it could tear and leave a hole in the side of your cheesecake when you remove it.

— Use a straight-edged knife or spatula to smooth the sides of your cheesecake.

strawberry vegan cheesecake

EQUIPMENT

Springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom
Hand or stand mixer
Rubber spatula
Food processor or blender

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp allulose sweetener
5 tbsp melted vegan butter (Earth Balance)

For the cheesecake filling:

8 oz vegan cream cheese (Tofutti)
1.5 cup allulose sweetener recommended
2 cups raw cashews unsalted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 lb strawberries plus more for topping

To make the crust:

Stir together 2 cups of almond flour, 3 tablespoons of allulose, and 5 tablespoons of melted vegan butter. The mixture should be crumbly and clumpy, but not very wet.
Grease a 8” springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom. Then, press the almond flour crust mix into the bottom of it. The crust should be an even layer across the bottom.
Bake the crust at 350° for 10 minutes. Then, allow it to cool.

To make the cheesecake filling:

Add the 2 cups of cashew nuts into a high speed blender and add 2 cups of soy milk. If you have a small blender you might need to divide the 1 cup to 1 cup. Blend until smooth and no cashew pieces are visible.
Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, and beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
Add in 1 cup of allulose, and beat it with the cream cheese for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure that all of the ingredients mixed together.
With the mixer still running, add the cashew cream to the cream cheese mixture. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and turn onto high whisk speed.
Place 1 pound of fresh strawberries in a blender or the bowl of a food processor with 1/2 cup of allulose. Blend until smooth. Strawberries should resemble a smooth puree. There should be about 2 cups total.
Set aside 1/2 cup of the strawberry puree, then pour the rest into the cheesecake mixture. Stir it in until it is thoroughly combined.
Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan over the almond crust.
Drip the remaining half cup of the strawberries in lines over the top of the cheesecake, and use the tip of a spoon to create swirls over the top.
Wrap the bottom of the cake or springform pan well with aluminum foil so that it comes up several inches around the bottom of the pan. This is to prevent water from getting into the cheesecake when you bake it in a water bath.
Place the foil-wrapped cheesecake pan in a large baking or roasting dish.
Put the dish with the cheesecake in it on the center rack of the oven heated to 350°. Then, pour a few cups of water into the baking dish until there are between 1 and 2 inches of water up the side of the cheesecake pan.
Bake the strawberry cheesecake for 50 minutes to an hour. To check if it is done, shake the pan very gently. The edges of the cheesecake should be pulling away from the pan slightly, and the center will be mostly firm with a slight jiggle in the center. The top should look dry. There may be a few browned spots, but you don’t want the top to be burnt.
Turn off the oven and leave the door open. Leaving the cheesecake in for about an hour so that it cools slowly.
Remove it from the oven after the hour is up and let it sit at room temperature for another hour before covering it well and refrigerating the strawberry cheesecake overnight. It won’t be completely set up and solid until it has been chilled, so try not to cut into it too soon!