This keto-friendly Italian Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake has a sweet, tangy flavor and rich, creamy texture that is simply irresistible! It’s also easy to make and only has 4 net carbs per slice.
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Cheesecake can be a great keto dessert. As long as you use a low-carb sweetener, the rest of the ingredients are very keto-friendly!
It’s a delicious dessert that is always sure to please a crowd. It feels like indulging even when you’re not.
I love creating new keto cheesecake recipes. There are so many different ways to make them, from my traditional keto cheesecake recipe to these cute no bake keto key lime cheesecake in a jar.
If you love this rich, delicious dessert as much as I do, you have to try my Italian lemon ricotta cheesecake! Although it's similar to my ricotta cheese pie, the texture is lighter.
The fresh, bright flavor of the lemons combined with the rich, creamy texture makes this treat irresistible. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart that makes you keep going back for more!
And you’ll never guess how simple it is to make. After you prebake the crust, you’ll simply whip the heavy cream, mix the rest of the ingredients until smooth, fold them together, then pour into the crust and allow to set in the refrigerator.
This Italian inspired variation of cheesecake is so delicious, it’s sure to be a hit with any crowd!
How to make a keto lemon ricotta cheesecake
Prepping your cheesecake is as easy as mixing together the ingredients! This is a very straightforward, simple recipe.
First, we’ll prep and bake the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine melted butter, almond flour, sea salt, and sweetener in medium bowl. Stir until well-combined.
- Grease 9-inch glass pie pan with non-stick cooking spray or oil, then gently press the crust into the pan.
- Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes, then remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
Next, we’ll combine the filling ingredients and allow the cheesecake to set:
- Add cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sweetener, lemon and vanilla extracts, and lemon zest to large mixing bowl.
- Blend everything together on medium speed until the filling is creamy and smooth.
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form in a separate bowl. I find that using a chilled mixing bowl speeds up the process.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Be gentle to avoid deflating the whipped cream too much, but make sure all the ingredients are completely mixed.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust.
- Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours before serving.
Your low carb Italian ricotta cheesecake will be ready to enjoy! I like to slice mine into 16 slices, which come out to 4 net carbs per serving.
What is Italian cheesecake
The cheesecake usually served in the US is a New York style cheesecake. If you’ve ever had cheesecake at a restaurant or party, it was probably this style.
The main difference is that New York style cheesecake is made with cream cheese while traditional Italian cheesecake is made with ricotta. They’re sometimes even called “ricotta pies.”
Italian cheesecakes will be a bit lighter and fluffier. New York style cheesecakes are known for being very heavy and dense due to the cream cheese.
For this lemon ricotta cheesecake recipe, I like to combine cream cheese and ricotta. You get the best of both worlds! The result is rich and tangy with a beautiful, creamy texture.
If you like cheesecake, you’re going to love this keto version made with ricotta.
Making sure your cheesecake sets
If there is too much liquid in your filling, your cheesecake will not be able to set properly.
Most excess liquid will come from the ricotta. Before mixing the filling ingredients together, it's best to strain the ricotta with a wire mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
You could also strain the filling after you’ve combined it, before pouring into the cooled crust.
If you try this recipe and the cheesecake does not set, you may not have strained the filling properly.
More recipes to try
Can’t get enough of rich, creamy, low-carb cheesecake recipes? Check out a few of these favorites:
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake combines chocolate and peanut butter for a fantastic dessert that will satisfy any sweet tooth!
- Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake is as beautiful as it is delicious. It’s perfect for holiday gatherings or parties.
- Keto Cream Cheese Brownies combine two of the best desserts into one decadent dessert!
- Cheesecake Keto Mousse is light, airy, easy to make, and wonderful topped with chocolate or fruit.
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes combine two fabulous flavors into the perfect single-serving treat!
You may want to give this keto strawberry cheesecake a try too!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Italian Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Video
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups almond flour
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoon low carb sugar substitute
Filling
- 1 teaspoon grass-fed gelatin optional, but recommended
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- ½ cup low carb sugar substitute add more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.
- Combine the melted butter, almond flour, sea salt, and sweetener in a medium mixing bowl.
- Spray a 9in. glass pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and gently press the crust into the pan. Bake it for 12-15 minutes then remove it from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
Filling
- Sprinkle gelatin (if using) on top of two teaspoons of water in small bowl to soften. Then stir in 2 teaspoons hot water to completely dissolve the gelatin.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer combine the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sweetener, the lemon and vanilla extracts, and the lemon zest.
- Blend everything together on medium speed until the filling is creamy and smooth.
- In another medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, streaming in gelatin water mixture (if using) to stabilize the cream.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Be gentle but be sure to completely mix all the ingredients.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours before serving.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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First Published: July 9, 2018... Last Updated: May 21, 2020
Karina
Can I use marscapone instead of ricotta
Lisa MarcAurele
Mascarpone should work but I haven't tested it myself to say for sure.
Vinny
I loved the ricotta. I substituted 2 medium eggs for the gelatin and used just enough Monkfruit sugar substitute (1/2 cup was good) to make it mildly sweet. (I don't like a heavy amount of substitute as it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Don't forget to chillier 4 hours, it sets the cake.
Everyone loved this. Keto people or not. It was devoured after dinner.
Bonnie Nicholson
Hi there, I made this recipe last weekend. It tasted fabulous; however, the only problem I ran into is that the pie never set properly for me. I did follow your instructions regarding the gelatin and water and the pie went into the refrigerator overnight for approximately 18 hours before we cut into it and is was nothing but mush. I can't figure out what happened. I loved the flavor and the silky texture but I really hated the fact that it never firmed up enough to cut the darn thing. Any ideas why I can't replicate your results?
Lisa MarcAurele
The cream cheese generally holds the pie together and the ricotta cheese does need to be drained. You can up the gelatin to 1 tablespoon if needed, but you need to be careful not to add too much or the pie will be too firm.
Seda
This was amazing! I used liquid stevia and it turned out great, set perfectly and tasted absolutely delicious. I’m totally fine with Stevia, the aftertaste doesn’t bother me at all and the lemon flavor in this recipe suppresses it, if there is any. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Fil
WORST TASTING CHEESECAKE EVER!!!! I pride myself in the quality and taste of my cheesecakes. I have made many that have been very difficult. I'm doing Keto now and thought I would try this recipe. Sweetener completely ruins it
Lisa MarcAurele
It could have been the sweetener you used. I find that blending different sweeteners and adjusting the amount to taste works best.
Helene Bahnman
I would like to make this. Do you use block cream cheese, or the softened cream cheese from a tub?
Lisa MarcAurele
Its softened block cream cheese.
deborah cambria
Although the taste was good, the cake is a mess. It did not hold shape, even being scooped out of dish it was more like a watery pudding. I followed the recipe to a T. It needs eggs or gelatin
Lisa MarcAurele
Added the recommendation to add in gelatin to stabilize the whipped cream which can go flat if it isn't added.
Erica
This one is easy to do and was so tasty that my guests asked for seconds
Chrissy
Filling tasted amazing and crust was great. We had way too much filling and added it to ramekins. What does straining the filling mean? It never set and had a very liquidy consistency. Any advice on this?
Lisa MarcAurele
When you strain the filling, you need to remove any excess liquid. I usually just strain the ricotta cheese in a wire mesh strainer or cheesecloth before using.
Chrissy
Perfect! Thank you! My husband and I will try again!
Diane R Eftedahl-Hawkins
I don't understand why,but I had enough filling for 2 pies.?? Hoping the filling lasts till I want to make another pie crust.....just the two of us.
Lisa MarcAurele
I use a deep dish 9.5-inch pan. Maybe yours was a bit smaller? The filling can be baked crustless if you don't want to make another crust.
Fatima
Looks delic! Is there a subtitute to riccota cheese?
Lisa MarcAurele
This is a ricotta cheesecake so I don't recommend a substitute. But generally, cottage cheese is a good substitute.
Jessica Wood
Taste was amazing. But it was a bit runny. Next time I would add some grass fed gelatin to give it more shape. Non keto people were raving about the taste at the Xmas party! Also made the crust from pecans not almonds and turned o it great.
Tammy
Can the almond flour be switched out with coconut flour? I have a daughter with nut allergies! She likes eating my Keto snacks!!
Lisa MarcAurele
You can just use a coconut flour based crust instead or sub the almond flour with sunflower seed flour.