This creamy pumpkin cheesecake is healthier than traditional cheesecake and is also low carb and keto-friendly. The batter takes only a few minutes to prepare. It is a delicious lighter alternative to traditional cheesecake.
This cheesecake is very creamy and has a strong pumpkin flavor. Unlike traditional cheesecake, it is not made with cream cheese. Instead it is made with cottage cheese but you won’t be able to taste the cottage cheese at all.
Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese
- Pumpkin puree
- Eggs
- Powdered Sweetener
Cottage cheese: The cheese part of this cake is made with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is a healthier alternative to cream cheese and is packed with protein. It gives this cheesecake an extra creamy texture.
Pumpkin puree: We used canned pumpkin puree but you can also use homemade pumpkin puree. If you are using homemade pumpkin puree, make sure it is thick and doesn’t have added water.
Eggs: Eggs are used to give the cheesecake its structure.
Powdered Sweetener: A powdered sweetener is used to sweeten the cake and help it bind. You do need to make sure you use a powdered sweetener and not granular. Powdered sugars and sweeteners include tapioca starch or cornstarch to prevent the sugar from clumping and this also helps the cake bind. We tested with powdered Swerve and powdered allulose. It should also work with regular powdered sugar if you are not on a keto or low carb diet and just want a cheesecake made without cream cheese.
How to Make Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
- The cottage cheese is first blended until smooth. The pumpkin, eggs and powdered sugar are then added in and blended until the batter is smooth.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan.
- Place the cake pan in a larger baking dish or cake pan (around 9 x 13 inch or bigger) and add enough hot water until it reaches halfway up the cake pan.
- Bake the cake for about an hour or until it is done. Allow the cake to cool and place into the fridge to set.
Cake Texture
This cheesecake has a very moist and creamy texture. Because it doesn’t have a crust, it is more moist than traditional cheesecake since there is not a crust to absorb some of the moisture. I really enjoy the creamy texture and the strong pumpkin flavor. I did not add pumpkin spice, but you can add cinnamon, nutmeg or a pumpkin pie spice blend if you wish the cheesecake to have pumpkin spice flavor.
More Keto Cheesecake Recipes
4 Ingredient Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (376 g) cottage cheese
- 1 (15 oz/425 g) can pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup (90 g) powdered Swerve or other powdered sweeteners
- 3 large (155 g) eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8-inch cake pan (one-piece pan, not a springform pan) and line the bottom with a parchment paper round. Add pan to a large baking dish (like a 9 x 13 inch pan or bigger).
- Add cottage cheese to a blender. Blend until completely smooth and no chunks remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Pour hot water into the larger baking dish until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
- Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until the cheesecake is set.
- Remove cake from the waterbath and let cool completely at room temperature. Then place it into the fridge to chill and set for at least 4 hours or overnight. To remove the cake from the pan, I did a double flip. I first used a spatula to loosen the cake from the edges and then flipped it upside down onto one plate and then flipped it again onto another plate so the cake is upright.
Notes
- This cake is very moist so you do want to allow it to chill and set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- We recommend baking in a one-piece cake pan rather than a springform pan because the cake has to bake in a water bath.
- The cake does not have any pumpkin spice flavor. If you want spice flavor in your cake you can add 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon to the batter.
- Make sure you use a powdered sweetener. Powdered sweeteners contain tapioca starch or cornstarch to prevent the sugar from clumping and this will also help to bind the cake. We made this cake with powdered Swerve (Swerve confectioners).* We have also tested it with powdered allulose. It should also work with regular powdered sugar.
- This cake works with both lowfat or 4% milkfat cottage cheese. We prefer 4% milkfat.
- If you are on a keto diet, please remember to look at net carbs and not just total carbs in the estimated nutrition. The net carbs count excludes fiber and carbs from sugar alcohols.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
