Low Carb Caramel Swirl Cheesecake is a creamy vanilla cheesecake base with a swirl of rich sugar-free caramel that is delightful.
Make this for your next celebration or holiday gathering as a treat to your family and friends.
How To Make An Low Carb Cheesecake From Scratch
There are all types of cheesecakes out there on the internet some easier or harder than others.
I pride myself on trying to put out delicious recipes that are both simples to make and delicious and this cheesecake fits right in.
This cheesecake is so easy that it is all made in a blender (except the caramel sauce) and it is baked in under 30 minutes.
There is no water bath required or special tools. Just a few ingredients, a great low-carb caramel, and some time in the kitchen and you’ll have a wonderful cheesecake.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- eggs
- low carb sweetener
- Low Carb Caramel
- almond milk
- almond flour
- Oat Fiber
- Butter
There are three main components to this cheesecake. The crust, the vanilla cheesecake filling, and the Low Carb Caramel.
The caramel is a recipe that I recently added here on the blog so you might have seen it last week.
But if you haven’t, you can hop over there later and take a look after you have finished here. I worked a while perfecting that caramel recipe and I can honestly say that it is amazing.
When making the caramel it is best to make it in advance, preferably the day before you make this cheesecake, so it will be super thick and creamy when you are ready to swirl it in.
You can even make the caramel up to a week in advance, that is if you can keep your spoon out of it that long because we can’t, ha! I have to hide it to keep my family out of it.
Don’t let the idea of having to make the caramel for this recipe scare you off. I promise it is much easier than it sounds. You don’t need a candy thermometer or anything.
Just the ingredients, the pan, and your stovetop.
The cheesecake filling and the crust are pretty basic once you have the caramel done. To make the crust you combine the dry ingredients and the butter, then press it into the pan you are using before prebaking it for 10 minutes.
When you are ready to make the filling, all you do is toss all the ingredients into the blender or food processor, whiz them up together, and then pour them into the crust. That’s when you’ll swirl in the caramel before baking.
Bake the cheesecake until it has just a slight wobble in the center. You don’t want to overcook it, so keep an eye on it as it bakes.
Nothing left then except letting it cool down and then chilling in the fridge. That’s it, your Low Carb Caramel Cheesecake is ready.
What Size Pan Do I Bake This Low Carb Caramel Cheesecake In?
I love making my pretty swirly cheesecakes in my Wilton 9-inch Tart Pan (also known as a quiche pan) just because I love the fluted edges and how easily it pops out of the pan since the bottom lifts right out.
But if you don’t have this type of tart pan, that is totally fine. You can still make this cheesecake and it will turn out just as beautiful and delicious. Remember, you don’t have to have fancy tools to make tasty food.
For example, if you only have a 10-inch pan and you want to make this cheesecake, it’s okay to use the pan you have on hand. You could even bake this cheesecake in a 9×11 baking dish if needed.
Changing the pan size will only change the thickness (aka height) of the cheesecake. The smaller the baking pan the thicker the cheesecake will be.
Obviously, if you use a 9×11 or a 10-inch pan for this recipe it will be a little thinner but the flavors and texture will not be affected at all.
However, there is one thing pan size does influence, and that is cooking times. The thicker the cheesecake is the longer it will need to bake. This cheesecake in my 9-inch pan takes about 20-25 minutes to cook.
How Do I Prevent My Cheesecake From Cracking On Top?
In my experience, the two most common reasons why cheesecakes form cracks on top while baking is overcooking and letting them cool too quickly.
I know the latter one doesn’t seem like it would make a difference but with a cheesecake it does.
No worries though, because cracks are totally preventable. For starters, to avoid overcooking my cheesecake, I like to lower the cooking temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 350 degrees.
Not only do you need to watch the temperature at which you cook the cheesecake, but keep a close eye on the timing and how your cheesecake looks during the cooking time.
You only want to cook the cheesecake until the outer edges of the dessert are fairly firm, but the center still jiggles or wobbles a little.
Of course, if it is still soupy leave it in longer but if there is a slight wobble like gelatin, you’re good to go. Keep in mind it will have some carry-over cooking as it cools off.
That brings us to the second crack prevention step, cooling the cheesecake down. It’s important with a cheesecake to do it slowly.
Let the cheesecake sit in the oven after you have turned it off for about ten to twenty minutes before you remove it. I also like to leave the oven door cracked while doing this.
If you are baking a thick cheesecake versus a thinner one like this Low Carb Caramel Swirl version, you would want to leave them in the oven to cool longer.
Possibly up to an hour in there before removing it to let it finish cooling on a baking rack. Then it is ready to move into the chilly phase.
Do Cheesecakes Need To Be Chilled Before Serving?
Plain and simple answer. Yes, cheesecakes need to be chilled before you serve them. Patience is a must with this type of dessert.
A cheesecake really should be made in advance of the time you plan on serving it to make allowances for chilling.
After all, you’ve gone through all the trouble of making the perfect creamy dessert, you don’t want to start cutting corners now, do you?
Of course, you don’t. It will pay off in the end, I promise. A good low-carb cheesecake needs to chill in the fridge and finish setting up for at least three hours ideally, the cheesecake can sit overnight.
But I think most cheesecake connoisseurs know that cheesecakes are not meant to be eaten warm so all is good with the waiting period since we are anticipating that oh-so-yummy payoff.
If you’re new to making cheesecakes and you’re wondering “Why does it have to chill” the simple answer is for texture and taste.
With a cheesecake, the texture will be much smoother and creamier once it has set completely and had time to chill.
Chilling it will also make it much easier to slice and serve when you are ready to wow your family and friends. It’s no fun when you go to cut a cheesecake and it falls apart.
The other great thing about letting the Caramel Swirl Cheesecake chill as long as possible is that with low-carb sweet treats, the sweeteners need to mellow out a b
it. I’m sure if you’ve baked low-carb desserts for a very long you know exactly what I mean by that.
So trust me, make time for chilling this cheesecake. I want you to have the best experience and this is a big part of making that happen.
Caramel Swirl Cheesecake
Creamy cheesecake swirled with a rich low carb caramel sauce. This cheesecake is Keto and THM diet friendly.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/2 cups of almond meal
- 1/2 cup of Oat Fiber
- 12 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1/4 cup of THM Super Sweet (or a Erythritol Stevia Blend)
For the Cheesecake
- 12 ounces of very soft cream cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 up unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup THM Super Sweet (or a Erythritol Stevia Blend)
- 1/3 cup of Low Carb Caramel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To make the crust add the dry ingredients into a bowl and drizzle in the butter and combine until the mixture will hold together when pinched between two fingers.
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the 9-inch tart pan and up the sides a little way. It will not come all the way up the side of the pan. Try to get the crust spread as evenly as possible. See the post for other options for baking pans.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking add the cream cheese, sour cream, sweetener, almond milk, and vanilla to a blender and mix on high until it is all smooth and creamy.
- At this point, you can taste sweetness to see if you need to add more to your liking. Just taste before the next step of adding the eggs.
- Add in the three eggs and mix again until all is incorporated.
- Remove the prebaked crust from the oven and pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and spread it around evenly.
- To create the caramel swirl you will need a 1/3 cup of low-carb caramel, a spoon, and a straw or toothpick.
- Carefully drizzle the caramel across the top of the cheesecake mixture. If your caramel is too thick you can microwave it for a few seconds.
- After the caramel is added use a straw or toothpicks to carefully swirl the caramel into the vanilla cheesecake. Do not mix it all in or you will not see the beautiful swirl on top after baking.
- Bake the cheesecake for about 20 minutes and check on it. This cheesecake in the 9-inch tart pan will not take too long to bake. If the cheesecake is set and has only a slight wobble it is ready.
- Turn the oven off and crack the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool for about 20 minutes in the turned-off oven.
- Lastly, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before putting it in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or two.
Notes
See the Blog Post Above the Recipe Card for suggestions and tips for this recipe. You'll find options for alternative sweeteners and different baking pan choices. Nutritional Note: I noted the Allulose in the sugar alcohol section of the nutritional label even though technically it isn't sugar alcohol. I did this so those counting net carbs would know to deduct it.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 365Total Fat 32gCarbohydrates 8gNet Carbohydrates 3gFiber 3gSugar 3gSugar Alcohols 2gProtein 8g
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.
I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!
Is that a flan pan?
No, it is called a tart pan. Mine is from Wilton. Here’s a link to one just like mine. https://amzn.to/3j0Qmjg