
Peanut butter and Chocolate No Bake Low Carb Cheesecake!! Clearly that is too long for a title! But this stuff is good! (So good in fact, that I cannot keep my kids/teenagers out of it! They don’t even care that it’s “diet,” which is a bummer for me.) It is made with all natural monk fruit sweetener that does not raise blood sugar (non-glycemic), and a flourless, crushed almond crust!
I have been working on this recipe for about a week now. I have made it several times, tweaking it here and there to get it just how I want it.
The Struggle is Real
Off and on, over the years, I have adopted a low carbohydrate diet- cutting out sugar and simple carbohydrates. I have a difficult time sticking with it, because… well, I just really love carbs! I also have an incurable sweet tooth. Having a delicious dessert that I can eat without guilt and sugar is invaluable to my success! I have recently been inspired to get back on the wagon for these three reasons:
- After our house fire a few weeks back, I have found myself doing quite a bit of what one might call “stress eating”, but I’m gonna call it “faith eating” because I know God’s got this! Ha! I knew I was likely gaining some weight, and then…
- I stepped on the scales and they laughed at me! There is a slight chance that the laughter actually came from the kids in the other room. But I find that wildly unlikely, because the laughter erupted at the exact moment that I stepped on the scales and a number which I hope never to see again appeared on the digital display.
- I have also been struggling with some sort of skin rash on my face, which my incredibly wise friend Jessica tells me will most likely clear up if I lay off the sugar and carbs! So fine!! Here I go.
Anyway, I really, really, really need something I can eat, that feels like an indulgence, without ruining my diet! So this recipe is born of that need!
Now I should mention, if it is not already apparent, that I am NOT a health nut, I mean expert. I am simply a mom who has given birth to 15 babies. And while I am absolutely thrilled about that, I am far less thrilled about LOOKING like a mom who has had 15 babies. (That being said, the moms I know with lots of babies are beautiful! None of them look like they have had lots of babies!)
But enough of my blabbering, let’s talk about Monk Fruit Sweetener!
Monk Fruit Sweetener
Monk Fruit has been used in Chinese Medicine for centuries, but has recently been becoming more popular for the rest of the world. Monk fruit extract is extremely sweet. However, it’s sweetness comes from mogrosides instead of glucose. Mogrosides have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In mice studies, mogrosides have been shown to have anticancer and antidiabetic properties. They inhibit cancer cell growth and increase insulin production. I am in favor of all of that!
Pure monk fruit extract is so sweet, that a tiny pinch sweetens as much as a teaspoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of monk fruit extract equals 2/3 to 3/4 cup of sugar in sweetness. So recipe conversion, it’s a little tricky to replace the bulk or mass of the sugar. The monk fruit sweetener blends are helpful in baking/cooking because they measure much more like sugar.
I used Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener which you can buy below. The monk fruit extract is blended with erythritol, also a natural zero calorie sweetener. For some reason, Amazon only seems to have a two pack available right now. There are other varieties that have a 1:1 sugar replacement, but I used the 2:1, meaning that it is 2 times sweeter than sugar and therefore you use half as much.
Here is a 1:1 version, which would measure cup for cup like confectioners sugar:
This is the classic sugar replacement. So not powdered, it’s more like granulated sugar replacement:
If you are looking for PURE monkfruit extract, not blended with erythritol for baking and recipe replacement, I’ve got a link for that too. Be very careful with this stuff, though. It does NOT measure like sugar. 1/64th of a teaspoon equals 1 teaspoon of sugar for sweetness. You only need a tiny pinch in your coffee or tea! This bag contains about a three hundred servings!
It has zero calories, zero aftertaste, and it is zero glycemic which means it has no impact on blood sugar. It is non GMO.
I also tried Classic granulated variety in this recipe. It tasted fine, but I didn’t care for the grainy texture, and the powdered version solved that problem.
Okay, yes, I am aware… the stuff isn’t cheap. But for me, it’s worth it! It doesn’t taste like other fake sweeteners to me. And If I can’t stay on the straight and narrow, one of these days my kids will have to roll me around the house. I have a sneaking suspicion that diabetes could be in my future. I REFUSE to go there willingly.
Now some of you health nuts, I mean experts, will say… “Just give up sweets altogether! Just teach your body to live without it.” Mmm Hmm… please don’t say that to me. I don’t need that kind of toxic negativity in my life!
The Crust
For me, a cheesecake has got to have a crust! For this crust, grind up 1 cup of almonds in the blender. (Crush an extra 1/3 cup of almonds and reserve for later.) Combine the 1 cup of crushed almonds with 1/4 cup of butter, melted. (Half a stick.) Then press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate or a spring form pan and place in the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.




The Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling
Combine 16 oz. of cream cheese with 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered monkfruit sweetener and 3/4 cup of peanut butter. Yep, just the regular creamy stuff. Beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated and fluffy.


Pull the crust out of the freezer and spread the filling on top. You want a nice even, flat top.

The Chocolate Shell
Next, place two ounces of unsweetened chocolate in a glass microwave safe container, along with 4 teaspoons of olive or canola oil. Microwave for 1 minute. Mix well with a fork. Then stir in 2 Tablespoons of the monkfruit sweetener until well dissolved.

While the mixture is still hot, pour onto the top of the pie. You can use a spoon to carefully spread it around until the whole thing is covered.


Return to the refrigerator for at least a couple hours. As the chocolate cools, it will form a shell on top. Several hours (or over night) is even better, because the colder it gets, the easier it is to slice and serve. It’s just… sometimes I can’t wait that long…

Slice into 8 servings. Top with whipped cream and the reserved crushed almonds on top! I’m telling you, it’s the way to go!

Each serving has approximately 5 to 6 grams of net carbohydrates. The ones listed on the package of the monkfruit sweetener do not count, they are non glycemic! Also, always subtract grams of dietary fiber from grams of carbohydrates to get net carbs. Fiber cancels out the blood sugar impact of carbohydrates.
I hope you like this as much as we do! Enjoy!
Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup Almonds Option: Crush an extra ⅓ c of almonds for garnishment later
- ¼ cup Butter ½ a stick
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling
- 16 oz. Cream Cheese (2 8 oz. packages)
- ¾ cup Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener
Chocolate Shell
- 2 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate (½ of a 4 oz. bar)
- 4 tsp Canola Oil
- 2 T. Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener
Instructions
Crushed Almond Crust
- Crush 1 cup of almonds in a blender, and pour into a pie plate or springform pan.
- Melt ¼ cup of butter and mix into almond crumbs with a fork.
- Press crust into the bottom of pan with the back of a spoon.
- Place crust in the refrigerator to chill while you mix up the filling.
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling
- With a mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered monk fruit sweetener until well incorporated and fluffy.
- Remove crust from refrigerator, and carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on top.
Chocolate shell topping
- Place 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate in a microwaveable container, along with 4 tsp of oil, and microwave about 1 minute.
- Stir chocolate until smooth and completely melted, microwaving a little longer if necessary.
- While still hot, mix in 2 Tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate on top of cheesecake, spreading carefully to cover the whole top.
- Refrigerate at least a couple hours before serving. (Slice into 8 servings)
- Serve with whipped cream and additional almond crumbs if desired.
This looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try it! Does monk fruit powder work in coffee? I am trying to find a sweetener for my coffee that is low or no calorie that tastes good!
Love,
Karen
Yes Karen, our oldest Olivia has to eat keto and Robbie and I have switched to the monk fruit in our coffee and actually prefer it!
Carla this looks fabulous! I’m going to have to try it soon 😋
Oh of course! I bet it works great for Olivia. I hope she is thriving on the new diet! Hugs to you all!
Hi Karen! I am at this moment drinking coffee with monk fruit sweetener! I am using the granulated, not the powdered. There are 3 varieties: white, golden, and powdered. I believe the white is meant to replace white granulated sugar, the golden replaces brown sugar, and the powdered replaces confectioners sugar. However, the golden doesn’t really pack. The golden is what I put in my coffee this morning, and I am enjoying it! Hugs!
I’m peanutbutter and chocolate fan and Guy’s this is wonderful! I know because I got to be a taste tester 😊
Hi there, taste tester 🙂
This looks delicious! I missed the link for the monk fruit sweetener. Would you mind sharing it again or pointing it out to me? I was recently reading about monk fruit and would like to try it. We’ve used stevia for over a decade but I know some people don’t like the taste. I also read that monk fruit is considered all around safer for hormones, not sure if that’s true. Thank you for sharing the recipe! I think I’ll try it with sunflower seed butter.
The monk fruit sweetener that I used in this recipe is:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QHNMGNC/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=AR5C8MNKV1EVD&psc=1
If you would like to try a smaller bag first try this: (This is the 1:1 instead of the 2:1)
https://www.amazon.com/Lakanto-Monkfruit-Sweetener-Powdered-Substitute/dp/B073K24V8B/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=lakanto+powdered+monkfruit&qid=1621941341&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=AVMAALDQF459F&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUFFIU1BOT1k5SkY1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjI3NzEwOVRFUVpBSkFNUEFSJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMTU3MDMyQlVWSjdGRjJBNk1RJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
You motivated me to make a few updates to this post. Thanks!!