Perfect for spring or summer, these easy keto strawberry cheesecake bars are jam-packed with strawberry flavour! A delicious graham cracker crust topped with cheesecake, a luscious creamy strawberry layer topped with a sweetened sliced strawberry, these keto bars are not only pretty to look at but delicious to eat!
Sugar-Free Strawberry Cheesecake
I remember as a kid, going to the local strawberry patch and getting paid to pick strawberries for the local farmer. I can't remember how much he would pay for a flat but it didn't matter since eating fresh warm strawberries as we picked made it worth every ounce of labour.
Since I ended up staying in school (;-) I now can actually go to the store and purchase as many strawberries as I want without having to lift a finger!!!
So, after buying a flat of strawberries from my local farmers market and stumbling on an America's Test Kitchen Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe, I decided to attempt to convert into a keto-friendly, sugar-free and gluten-free recipe.
Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These cheesecake bars are made up of 3 basic layers.
FIRST - The bottom layer is a crunchy graham cracker base. To convert the original recipe into a sugar-free, keto and gluten-free recipe, I opted to use Catalina Crunch Cereal which I can find at my local grocery store. If you don't have a keto cereal on hand, you can use this Easy Graham Cracker Crust recipe instead.
SECOND - The next layer is a basic keto cheesecake. All you need for the keto cheesecake is some cream cheese, eggs and sweetener. The keto cheesecake bars are then baked and then must cool so make sure that you allow enough time for the cooling.
THIRD - Lastly, a combination of strawberry puree and sour cream are combined for a strawberry-forward flavour. If your strawberries are not as flavourful as you would like, I highly suggest adding a couple of drops of strawberry extract to this layer.
FOURTH - Although this can not really be considered a "layer" as it is more of a "topping", a thinly sliced and sweetened strawberry is added to each bar. To ensure that the strawberry sweetness really pops, you will take the strawberry slices and gently toss them in a little sweetener before placing them on top of each square.
More Keto Dessert Recipes
If you like these keto strawberry bars, just wait until you try the following:
- Keto Chocolate Fudge Refrigerator Cake
- Keto Cereal S'mores Bars
- Easy Keto Lemon Cookie Bars with Collagen
- Gooey Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie Bars
Easy Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Bars - Sugar-Free
Perfect for spring or summer, these easy keto strawberry cheesecake bars are jam-packed with strawberry flavour! A delicious graham cracker crust topped with cheesecake, a luscious creamy strawberry layer topped with a slice a sweetened strawberry, these keto bars are not only pretty to look at but delicious to eat!
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 slices 1x
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 65 g Catalina Crunch Cereal (or any other keto cinnamon cereal)
- 45 g (¼ cup) sweetener of choice
- 42 g (⅓ cup) almond flour
- 60 g (4 tbsp) butter
- pinch of salt
For the cheesecake layer:
- 240 g cream cheese
- ½ cup sweetener
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the strawberry layer:
- 65 g strawberries (approximately ½ cup)
- 50 g (¼ cup ) sweetener
- 1 cup sour cream
For the strawberry slices:
- 3 strawberries, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sweetener
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Make a foil or parchment paper sling for an 8 x 8-inch baking pan, making sure to have an overhang to help remove bars once baked. Spray with cooking spray.
For the Crust:
- Process the cereal and sweetener in a food processor until finely ground, about 1-2 minutes. Add almond flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Using your hands, press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Using the bottom of a measuring dry cup, firmly pack the crust into the pan. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
For the Filling:
- In the clean and dry processor bowl, process the cream cheese and sweetener until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. With the processor running, add eggs, one at a time until just incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scarp down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and process to combine, about 10 seconds. Pour cream cheese over cooled crust. Bake until center is almond set but still jiggles slightly when pan is shaken, about 25-35 minutes.
For the strawberry layer:
- In the bowl of a clean and dry food processor, add the strawberries and sweetener and puree for approximately 30 seconds. Stir the strawberry puree into the sour cream until combined.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven and pour the strawberry mixture over the cheesecake, making sure that the cheesecake layer is fully covered. Return pan to the oven and bake until strawberry layer is just about set, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool fully, about 2 hours. Refrigerate until cold set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Slice remaining strawberries (you will need 16 slices) thin and toss in 1 teaspoon of sweetener. Using overhang, remove cheesecake bars from the pan and cut into 16 squares. Top each square with one strawberry slice before serving.
Notes
- use any keto graham cracker base such as my Easy Graham Cracker Crust (Gluten-Free, Keto) if you do not have keto cereal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Keto, Low Carb, Sugar-free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 158
- Sugar: 1.7
- Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
Cat says
Thanks!
Sam says
These turned out beautifully!