Keto Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
Keto Raspberry Cheesecake Bites are a low-carb dessert with a rich creamy filling, a crunchy citrus crust, and sweet raspberry sauce on top. These delicious low-carb bites are also gluten-free using an almond flour crust. Perfect for a keto diet with healthy fats but no sugar. My family says these low-carb keto cheesecake bombs are also delicious and that the keto cheesecake is better than traditional ones.
A keto diet, or a ketogenic or low-carb diet, is a diet low in carbohydrates and high in fat. It is to help lose weight and also provides many other health benefits. The fat helps your body burn fat for energy because it goes into a metabolic state of ketosis. But you have to seriously reduce carbs to almost zero.
Ingredients needed:
- Raspberries: Frozen raspberries or fresh raspberries will both work.
- Powdered monkfruit sweetener: Monkfruit sweetener has the same amount of sweetness as regular sugar without all the carbs. The powdered sweetener is best for blending in.
- Golden monkfruit sweetener: This is a keto version of brown sugar with the same sweet and rich taste.
- Room temperature cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for easier blending.
- Melted butter: Unsalted butter is best, but you can use regular if that is all you have.
- Large egg: Warmed to room temperature for easier incorporation.
- Pure vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract, not artificially flavored.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is best, but you can use store-bought.
- Lemon zest: Gives your raspberry cheesecake bites a little more tang.
- Almond flour: Although I used almond flour, you can use any kind you want. Just remember, regular flour has more carbs than almond flour.
- Cinnamon: For an extra boost of flavor in your keto raspberry cheesecake dessert.
- Water: To make the raspberry swirl sauce.
How to make raspberry cheesecake bites from scratch?
- Preheat oven: First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and butter a muffin tin.
- Make the cream cheese mixture: Then, in a large mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese with a quarter cup of the powdered sweetener until just combined. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and lemon juice, beating on low until smooth.
- Make the cheesecake crust: Next, mix lemon zest, cinnamon, melted butter, golden monkfruit, and almond flour in a small bowl. Stir until it is crumbly.
- Make the raspberry sauce: Now, put the raspberries in a small saucepan with the water. Cook over medium-low heat while mashing the berries. Add powdered sweetener and stir until smooth. Remove and let cool completely.
- Press in the crusts: After, spoon one tablespoon of the crust mixture into each muffin cup and press it down firmly.
- Add the cheesecake batter: Then, add a spoonful of cheesecake mixture on top of the crust mixture.
- Swirl in the sauce: Lastly, add two teaspoons of raspberry sauce to each cheesecake bite and swirl it around.
- Bake keto cheesecake bites: Finally, bake for 15 minutes and let them chill in the fridge for a few hours before removing them from the pan. Serve chilled.
Recipe variations:
- Keto cheesecake bars: Instead of using a muffin tin, you could make this in one baking pan and cut them into keto raspberry cheesecake bars.
- Add chocolate: For chocolate lovers, add a cup of sugar-free chocolate chips to your cheesecake filling.
- Coconut oil: Instead of butter, you can use coconut oil to grease your tins.
- Other flour: Feel free to substitute the almond flour with whatever you like to use. Coconut flour would be perfect and keep it gluten-free, but you can use all-purpose flour if that is what you normally bake with.
- Fresh berries: Keep it low carb but make it even sweeter by adding some fresh berries on top of your mini cheesecakes.
- More sweetness: Make your sweet treat even better by adding a dollop of sugar-free whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on top of your cheesecake.
- Add sauce: Another way to top these mini cheesecakes is with some keto caramel sauce or chocolate syrup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between regular and golden monkfruit?
Just like regular sugar, monkfruit comes in powdered, white, and brown versions and they all have zero net carbs. They just call their brown sugar golden. The golden monkfruit is a light brown color and has a richer and more caramelly flavor. This recipe calls for powdered monkfruit as well as golden, so you get both the light sweetness of the powdered sweetener and the richness of the golden.
Is Splenda the same as monkfruit?
No. Monkfruit is a natural sweetener while Splenda is made from sucralose, which is a manmade sweetener. Also, the monkfruit sweetener has a glycemic index of 0 and Splenda has a glycemic index of 80. This means monkfruit has no effect on blood levels, but Splenda has a large effect on blood and net carbs. They are both keto-friendly but monkfruit is better for you. The flavor is different too since monkfruit has a fruity taste that Splenda is missing.
Can I use a different granulated sweetener?
Other sugar substitutes will also work just fine in this recipe. Either way, these keto cheesecake bites are incredibly creamy, sweet, and crunchy. The raspberry swirl gives it that extra bit of sweetness without added sugar. Whatever kind of sweetener you usually use to tame your sweet tooth will work in this low-carb version of raspberry cheesecake bites.
How to store leftovers:
- Store: You can store your leftover raspberry cheesecake bites in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Freeze: Freezing is not recommended.
More low-carb keto desserts to try:
Keto Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons golden monkfruit sweetener
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Raspberry Sauce:
- 1/2 cup raspberries frozen or fresh
- 2 tablespoons monkfruit sweetener
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Butter or spray with cooking spray a muffin pan, or just add muffin liners, and set it aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crust:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the crust ingredients, until combined. Distribute the mixture between the muffin tins, about 1 tablespoon in each, and press to form the crust.
Filling:
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese with 1/4 cup of powdered monkfruit sweetener until just combined.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Beat on low until smooth. Distribute the filling on top of the crust. Smooth the top with a spoon.
Raspberry Sauce:
- Place the raspberries and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook over medium-low heat while mashing the berries.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of powdered monkfruit sweetener and stir until smooth. Remove the sauce from the stove and let it cool.
- Once cooled, add about 2 teaspoons of the raspberry sauce to each mini cheesecake and swirl it around.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until set.
- Cool the cheesecakes to room temperature in the muffin tin on a wire rack, after that chill in the fridge for a few hours before removing them out of the muffin pan.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Baking tips:
- Feel free to use a food processor to mix your raspberry sauce easier and faster.
- Although sour cream, vanilla Greek yogurt, or heavy cream can be used instead of cream cheese for dips and puddings, you need the real thing for this low-carb cheesecake.
- Tap the muffin tin on a hard surface before baking to get rid of air bubbles.
- You could line each muffin tin with parchment paper or use cupcake liners. You could also use silicone.
- If you want to lose weight, make this low-calorie by using light cream cheese.
- For shorter prep time, just make one big cheesecake and cut it into slices or serve as keto raspberry cheesecake bars.
- Add a teaspoon of xanthan gum to your cheesecake filling to keep it from crystallizing.
