Keto Blueberry Cheesecake

The first one I ever made

This was the first keto dessert I tried when I started the keto diet.

I remember being fairly sure it would not work. Most things you read about sugar free baking make it sound like a lot. Either a long list of ingredients or a long list of steps, and I was not looking for a project. I was looking for something sweet I could enjoy as a dessert without undoing the progress I had made.

It was easier than I expected. A handful of ingredients, most of which I already had, and the only thing that goes in the oven is the crust.

Everyone eats it

The part I did not expect is that it stopped being my dessert.

My husband asks for it. Our family eats it without anyone mentioning that it is sugar free, which is the highest praise a keto recipe can get. Nobody sits there being polite about it.

That matters more than it sounds. When you are the only person in the house eating differently, every meal becomes a small negotiation. Something everyone actually wants is a rest from that.

Why it works for me

No sugar, so it does not send my blood sugar somewhere I will feel later. That is the whole reason I eat this way. Insulin resistance sits underneath so much of PCOS, and dessert used to be the thing that undid a good week.

The almond flour crust keeps the carbs low. The filling is whipped rather than baked, so it is light instead of dense, and it needs no water bath and no cracked top to worry about.

The blueberries are there because I wanted fruit and blueberries are one of the lower sugar options. The chia seeds thicken the compote without any starch, and they set it into a proper glossy gel as it cools.

Things I have learned making it

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature properly. Cold cream cheese will not go smooth, and you get little lumps through the whole filling that no amount of beating fixes afterwards.

Chill the bowl for the cream. Cold cream in a cold bowl whips faster and holds better.

Fold, do not stir. All the air you just whipped into the cream is the texture. Stirring knocks it straight back out.

Let the compote cool completely. Warm compote will sink into the filling and you lose the clean layers. It also carries on thickening as it cools, so if it looks loose in the pan, leave it alone.

Do not rush the chilling. I have sliced it too early and it was still delicious, but it slumps. If you can leave it overnight, do.

If you are new to this

You do not need special equipment. A hand mixer, two bowls and a springform pan.

The sweetener is the only thing you might not have. I use monk fruit or erythritol, and it is worth buying both granulated and powdered if you are going to make this more than once. Powdered dissolves into the filling without any grit.

Otherwise it is cream cheese, cream, almond flour, butter and blueberries. Nothing you cannot find.