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Grandma’s Dream Cheesecake has been a staple in my mom’s family for years at special gatherings. Beaten egg whites give it a uniquely fluffy texture, and the simple crust and crumb topping are very like the original graham cracker version. Now we can enjoy this delicious cheesecake in a healthier way! THM S, low carb
Family cheesecake memories
I don’t know where my grandma came across this recipe, but she entered it into an old faithful church cookbook that I grew up using and this dreamy cheesecake has been an integral part of Yoder family Christmas and birthday celebrations for as long as I can remember. The extended family has a week-long vacation together every year and each of the women is responsible for dinner one night. My mom always makes this cheesecake for her dessert!
How this cheesecake is special
This cheesecake calls for more eggs than is typical. They are separated, then the whites are whipped and folded into the cream cheese, egg yolk, and sour cream mixture right before the cheesecake goes into the oven. This makes for a much fluffier cheesecake than normal.
Pair a luscious, creamy vanilla interior with a simple graham cracker-esque crust and a sprinking of crumbs over the top and you have something truly special!
Perfect for guests and parties
In my experience, cheesecake is one of the best things to feed guests because it doesn’t rely on large amounts of alternative flours, which can take some getting used to. Everyone is impressed with a good cheesecake.
I would for sure serve this to company (as long as they’re not allergic to any of the ingredients). In fact – I have! And they loved it.
I did use xylitol for an extra punch of sweetness in addition to the THM Super Sweet Blend in this recipe. If you’re serving guests who aren’t used to alternative sweeteners you may wish to avoid the risk of universal gastric upset and use something like THM Gentle Sweet in an applicable amount instead. (Check the sweetener conversion chart for help adjusting, or just sweeten to taste, which is the most foolproof method!) I do find that I like a less concentrated sweetener in addition to or in place of the Sweet Blend for the most balanced sweetness.
MY FAVORITE TOPPINGS:
- Sugar free caramel sauce
- Blueberry sauce
- Homemade sweetened whipped cream
- Reddi-wip
- Chopped pecans
- Sugar free chocolate syrup
I used this sugar free caramel sauce recipe from Nana’s Little Kitchen and loved it! It’s so easy to make. I used 1/2 cup of xylitol for the sweetener. Tip: use a large bowl as the caramel bubbles up when cooking in the microwave. I microwaved for four minutes, added the xanthan gum, then microwaved for another two minutes.
Success tips
- To help prevent cheesecakes from cracking, use full fat cream cheese and sour cream and make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing. I don’t mind cracks, so I always use reduced fat cream cheese. Full fat cream cheese will give you a denser cheesecake, whereas reduced fat cream cheese will give you a less stiff result (which I prefer). Sour cream and Greek yogurt can be interchanged in cheesecake recipes, but I think full fat sour cream gives a creamier texture than Greek yogurt does.
- Cheesecake gets even better with age. 2 days after baking is when it peaks, in my opinion. But it stays good in the fridge for even longer than that. You can try freezing cheesecake but it does get a bit more watery when thawed.
- My mom has had success making my grandma’s original recipe in a 9” x 13” pan, and I’m sure that would work for this recipe as well. You may need to make more crust mixture, and if there’s too much cheesecake batter just pour a small amount into another small baking dish. Skip the water bath unless you want to get fancy and just bake until the cheesecake is set. I would check at 30 minutes and then check at 5 minute intervals until done.
EGG WHITE TIPS:
- Eggs are easiest to separate when cold, so if a recipe asks you to separate eggs but wants the eggs to be room temperature, consider separating FIRST, then letting the whites and yolks come up to temp.
- CLICK HERE to see a nifty video of my favorite way to separate eggs.
- Make sure NO yolk contaminates the whites. Fats keep egg whites from whipping properly. For this reason, make sure the bowl for your egg whites is completely clean.
- Cream of tartar helps stabilize whipped egg whites.
- Don’t overbeat egg whites: this will make them too stiff to easily fold into batter later.
- When folding egg whites into a batter, add half the egg whites first to “temper” the batter, then add the other half. Fold in gently by hand with a spatula using a figure 8 motion. Only mix until the mixture is JUST homogeneous. A few little streaks here and there are usually ok.
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for helpful info and answers to frequently asked questions!
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New and improved
You can find an older version of this recipe on page 352 of Necessary Food. The new recipe here on the website has an almond flour crust and topping that are more like the original graham cracker crust. Try the cookbook crust if you need a nut free option! (That one may not be as great for crumbs on top, so I’d just use it all in the crust.) The only other major change here on the website is a change in sweeteners and an increase in vanilla.
This recipe was originally published to the blog in November 2014 under the name “New York Style Cheesecake.” The recipe was updated and republished in December 2021. I changed the name to “Grandma’s Dream Cheesecake” to more accurately reflect its origins – and because it’s really not a New York style cheesecake. Sorry – I’ve learned a few things over the years….
Grandma’s Dream Cheesecake
- Total Time: 1 hour 46 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 servings
Description
Grandma’s Dream Cheesecake has been a staple in my mom’s family for years at special gatherings. Beaten egg whites give it a uniquely fluffy texture, and the simple crust and crumb topping are very like the original graham cracker version. Now we can enjoy this delicious cheesecake in a healthier way! This is one of my favorite desserts to serve to guests or take to a party. THM S, low carb
Make the day before serving and refrigerate overnight for best results. Be sure to leave your ingredients out overnight to warm up to room temperature before making the cheesecake.
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 5 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
- 1 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend
- Pinch of salt
FILLING:
- 6 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 20 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup xylitol (or more, to taste)
- 3 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend (or more, to taste)
- 3 tablespoons oat fiber
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder if you’re feeling fancy)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces full fat sour cream (room temperature)
Instructions
CRUST: Mix the crust ingredients together with a fork (a meat fork works great) or hand mixer. Set aside 1/3 cup of the crust mixture for topping the cheesecake later. Press the remainder into the bottom of a greased 10” springform pan. (I use an olive oil spray to grease pans.) I don’t bother to press the crust up the sides. Prebake the crust at 350*F for 6 minutes or until lightly browning around the edges. Remove the crust from the oven.
Turn the oven down to 325*. Fill a pan wider than your springform pan (like a pizza pan with sides) with about an inch of water. Place it in the oven on the middle rack to start heating for a water bath. (See photo to get an idea of the finished result.)
FILLING: Separate the eggs. This is easier to do when the eggs are cold, so you may want to separate them, then bring them to room temperature.
Beat the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Do not overbeat as this will make the egg whites too stiff to easily fold into the cheesecake later. Transfer the egg whites with a spatula gently into another bowl so you can use the mixing bowl again.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. (Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl between each step.) Add the sweeteners, oat fiber, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth. Add the egg yolks in three batches and beat until emulsified (smooth) between each addition before adding more. Add the sour cream last and beat for 2 minutes to make the mixture smooth and airy.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and add half the egg whites to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in gently by hand with a spatula. Add the rest of the egg whites and fold just until mixed and homogeneous.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the hot crust and spread out smooth with an offset frosting spreader. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top.
Wrap the springform pan in a piece of wide tinfoil or 2 pieces of regular tinfoil overlapped and folded together so water can’t get in. Carefully place the springform pan in the center of the pan of hot water in the oven.
Bake at 325*F for 1 hour + 10 minutes. I don’t like overbaked cheesecakes, so I baked mine until it was lightly browning on top and still wobbled – but not a loose wobble. Turn the oven off, then let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the oven door cracked open for 10 minutes. (The cheesecake will puff up dramatically while baking, then fall as it cools. This is normal.) Let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter, then cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. Cheesecake actually gets better with age: day 2 is perfection. See this blog post for a list of topping ideas. My favorite? Some sugar free whipped cream or Reddi-wip and sugar free caramel sauce.
Notes
My mom has had success making my grandma’s original recipe in a 9” x 13” pan, and I’m sure that would work for this recipe as well. You may need to make more crust mixture, and if there’s too much cheesecake batter just pour a small amount into another small baking dish. Skip the water bath unless you want to get fancy and just bake until the cheesecake is set. I would check at 30 minutes and then check at 5 minute intervals until done.
Sweetener: Feel free to use your favorite low glycemic sweetener to taste in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend and xylitol. Many people like more sweetener than I do, so adjust to taste to make sure you get a result you like. I used xylitol along with my typical THM Super Sweet Blend because I wanted a less concentrated sweetener to give me that extra edge of sweetness. You could use THM Gentle Sweet (to taste, since these sweeteners vary in strengths) in place of both of them and probably get great results.
Oat fiber: This versatile low carb flour can usually only be found online. Not all brands are created equal, but I like LifeSource oat fiber. Use gluten free oat fiber for a gluten free option. Oat fiber and oat flour are different and are not interchangeable. You could probably leave the oat fiber out of this recipe if you must. The cheesecake may not set up as firmly.
If your water bath leaks, it’s not the end of the world. Mine did…. The crust was actually ok, just a little softer than it would have been otherwise.
Allergy info: gluten free (use gluten free oat fiber)
You can find an older version of this recipe on page 352 of Necessary Food. The new recipe here on the website has an almond flour crust and topping that are more like the original graham cracker crust. Try the cookbook crust if you need a nut free option! (That one may not be as great for crumbs on top, so I’d just use it all in the crust.) The only other major change here on the website is a change in sweeteners and an increase in vanilla. Recipe most recently updated December 2021.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 76 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: THM S, low carb, sugar free, gluten free
Keywords: thm, trim healthy mama, low carb cheesecake recipe, thm cheesecake recipe, vanilla bean cheesecake, sugar free cheesecake, low carb graham cracker crust
The last few recipes you’ve posted refuse to print or save as pdf’s for me. Is this something others are having an issue with? I’m able to print from other websites just fine.
I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I haven’t heard of a lot of other issues lately but I’ll keep my ears open. My site is getting some updates right now so when those are done I’ll check into it.
I have gentle sweet and liquid stevia drops. Am not able to get super sweet blend fast enough, and am making this tomorrow night. How should I do the sweeteners I have for the cheesecake? OR I could get another sweetener from the store if needed. Thank you for sharing your family’s recipe. It looks amazing!
I would use the Gentle Sweet and just sweeten to taste. 🙂 You’ll need at least double the amount of the Super Sweet I used. 🙂
I can’t find oat fiber at any store and it’s too late to order (making for an event). Is it possible to make the recipe without the oat fiber?
You could try compensating with more baking mix in the crust and just leave the oat fiber out of the filling. The filling probably won’t set up quite as firmly but it should still work.
I am ready to make this cheesecake as it looks delicious! Has anyone made this cheesecake and froze it? I would like to make it ahead for company and freeze it to save last minute baking. If not good frozen, , how long will it keep in the refrigerator?
Thank You
I would make it and refrigerate it. 🙂 It will freeze OK, but the texture won’t be quite as nice when thawed. Cheesecakes keep great in the fridge for quite a few days…in fact, they get even better as they age!
Thank you Briana, you are always so very helpful and I greatly appreciate your blog. I think it is one of the best I read!!
Thank you so much, Joyce! I’m glad it’s helpful. Thanks for reading!
This looks so delicious! Is there anything i can use in place of oat fiber? I don’t have any on hand.
Oat fiber is a really unique fine, dry flour so there aren’t a lot of great substitutes for it. I know some people use psyllium husks in its place, but I’ve never tried that. If you don’t have it, I recommend leaving it out of the cheesecake part (it’s just meant to help it set up a little firmer) and adding extra baking mix in the crust in its place. The texture won’t be quite as nice, but it should still be good. 🙂
If you want to get some oat fiber, I recommend this brand. Not all brands taste good, but this one has a really light color and taste. (affiliate link) https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/oat-fiber/
Briana,
I have made this cheesecake several times and my family loves it. Ummm…and so do I, very much.
I was wondering can I add lemon to this and some lemon zest to change it up? Or use other extracts to give it other flavors without changing the recipe to much. I love the texture of this cheesecake.
Thanks so much for all you do for us that have no real cooking talents.
★★★★★
Sure! Feel free to experiment with whatever flavors you like!
I made this for Valentines, but was a bit disappointed in the flavor – I can distinctly taste the oat fiber (a somewhat bitter taste) both in the crust and the cheesecake. Am I supposed to taste the oat fiber, or Do I have a bad batch of oat fiber? It is the first I’ve ever bought (NuNaturals brand), so I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste/smell like… If we put enough Fat Free Reddi Whip on it, the flavor of the oat fiber is less noticeable…. Could it be made without the oatfiber?
Other than this problem with the oat fiber, the cheesecake turned out amazing – texture and all was so nice.
I’m afraid it’s the oat fiber! I’ve tried NuNaturals brand too and it tastes like Play-doh to me! The oat fiber I use (LifeSource brand) is very light in color and taste; there’s a huge difference. 🙁 We get ours from Netrition (affiliate link) >> https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/oat-fiber/
I’m sorry the flavor wasn’t good! That’s very disappointing.
Thanks for your help! I will definitely try LifeSource brand oat fiber and see if that makes a difference. I think I’m going to have to try the recipe again! More cheesecake 🙂 Meanwhile, I’m still eating some for breakfast (with reddi whip, and coffee on the side!:)
All of your other recipes I’ve tried have been great. Thanks for the great resources – it’s a help on my THM journey. Also, I so appreciate your clear testimony for the Lord.
Can I get a copy of your original recipe posted in 2014? I liked it and want to make it again. It used more readily available ingredients that I can find at the store.
I’m afraid I don’t have it saved! I’m sorry!
Just wanted to tell you that I made this cheesecake for our family’s Easter lunch. Everyone loved it. I have never baked a cheesecake like this before so I was a bit apprehensive but your directions were easy to follow and i followed your advice in the notes. I will add that I only had THM baking mix so I used 5T (all I had left) and added some chopped pecans in the crust. It had a nice flavor. I made the berry sauce using a bag of mixed frozen berries, 1T of lemon juice and used pyure in the whole baking process. When the sauce had reduced some, I pushed it through a sieve to remove the seeds for my picky eaters. but I was thrilled that it turned out just like your picture! Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Sounds wonderful! I’m so glad you all liked it!
Can I used a 9 inch pan?
Hmm…I’ve never used a 9-inch pan, so I don’t know if this recipe would fit in one or not. If it does, it would be thicker so you’ll probably need to increase the baking time.
This is my project for tomorrow! Briana, anything I can sub for the 3T oat fiber? I can only find the brand locally that tastes like sawdust, and costs an arm and a kidney.
You could try just leaving it out. It’s there for added stability, but I don’t think the results of leaving it out would be too disastrous. 😉 I prefer LifeSource brand oat fiber from Netrition.com.
Hey Briana I just made your cheesecake last night, or shall I say early this morning like 2 am lol. Any who, I didn’t realize I needed 8 eggs and only left out 6 not 8 and forgot to leave the sour cream out as well and the cake this morning is kinda crumbly and sticks to the knife. Could it be because of those other two eggs and sour cream that made it do that? It’s got an awesome taste BTW and I used 1 1/2 tsp Pyure sweetener in the crust and about 1 1/2 – 2 tsp of it in the cake itself.
Did you leave the two eggs and sour cream out, or just add them in cold? I’m assuming you just added them in cold. I’m afraid I’m not sure what to tell you about it being crumbly because it’s never done that for me. The only thing I could guess would be that you maybe baked it too long?
Hi Brianna, This recipe is in my plans to make today. Hoping all goes well!
I thought just 6 eggs – did I miss something?
This recipe was updated since that comment was left. 🙂
Good morning Briana. I would love to make this for a friend’s birthday but I don’t have the Pure Stevia Extract. I will order but it won’t be here in time. Will it make a huge difference if I don’t use it? I have trivia and Gentle Sweet.
Thank you!
Toni
You can substitute either of those sweeteners just fine! Here’s a sweetener conversion chart to help you figure out how much to use: http://www.trimhealthymama.com/main-home/sweetener-conversion-chart/
Can you tell me how much (grams or cups) 1 pint of sour cream is?
A pint is equal to 2 cups.
Thank you!
Have you tried this recipe in the mini cups? I saw your other recipe, but this one sounds better, and I like the pre-measured serving sizes.
I haven’t, but I’m sure you could! Bake until the tops are set.
Hi Briana,
I love your desserts and planned to make the NY style cheesecake today. I am still waiting for my oat fiber to be delivered. Can I substitute something else or omit that ingredient?
Thank you so much for sharing your love and gift of cooking!
Blessings!
Cari
I would substitute protein powder instead, if you have it. If not, just leave it out, but it won’t be quite as firm.
THANK YOU!!! You saved the day!
Do you leave all the ingredients out over night? Sour cream too? Thanks!! And I would LOVE to see an apple strudel cheesecake this fall! 🙂
Yes, all the ingredients need to be at room temperature, including the sour cream. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion!
I fixed your cheesecake for Mother’s Day and it was delicious! I didn’t have oat fiber but substituted whey protein and it turned out great. Thank you 🙂
My oldest DD was be interested in eating more healthy and I get encouragement on my THM journey. She really enjoys reading your blog and trying out new yummy recipes. Thank you for being a blessing and encouragement!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cheesecake; thanks for letting me know that the whey protein worked. 🙂
Thanks for your comment! That answers my question. 🙂 Now I’m off to try it!!
Hi Briana!
I know you don’t seem to be a big fan of making recommendations for things you haven’t tried…but I could use your help with this one. We can’t have almonds in the house (major allergy). Any thoughts on what flour would work well for the crust? Depending on what you suggest, would more/less liquid be needed? I’m hoping to make this for dessert on Sunday!
Thanks,
Joy
Haha…you know me pretty well. 😉 The crust takes half almond flour, half coconut flour. You could use all coconut flour but not use a full cup (because coconut flour soaks up a lot of liquid). I’ve found that things made solely with coconut flour can be crumbly, so personally I would probably replace the almond flour with oat flour. It would add a few carbs per serving but stay well within S limits, and I think oat flour is fairly comparable to almond flour in the amount of liquid it soaks up. Hope it turns out well!
Can I sub anything for the oat fiber?
I’ve heard that psyllium husk is very similar to oat fiber and can often be used interchangeably with it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve also heard that some people use protein powder as a substitute for oat fiber sometimes, but I don’t know if that would work in this recipe or not. If you don’t have psyllium husk, I would probably just omit the oat fiber. The cheesecake just might not set up as firmly. I highly recommend ordering some oat fiber; it has a very fine texture similar to white flour and I like to use it to thicken things.
As always, thank you for making your recipes printable. They look great, too !!!
Cheesecake Factory makes a Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake with a chocolate crust. It is very rich and pure dense chocolate heaven. Pretty please THM a chocolate cheesecake! Ps. I love your ice creams!
Thanks for the suggestion, Penny! I’ll keep that one in mind.
Oh my, I remember I had a favorite cheesecake recipe at Claim Jumper that came into their bakery every Autumn…pumpkin cheesecake. If you could make a healthified (and preferably delicious) version of that, I would personally drive to wherever-it-is-you-live and pat you on the back.
Mmmm…thanks for the idea!
I would love a THM-ified pumpkin cheesecake! I make one every year for my grandson’s birthday (at his request), and it would be great to have one that is healthier. His mom is a THM-er, and he asks her to make a regular cheesecake. I will suggest to her that she use this New York Style Cheesecake recipe. Healthy “birthday cake” for the whole family!!
By the way, how could I get a copy of your church cookbook? I find that they are the best for my style of cooking (Amish/Mennonite background). You could email me the info. Thanks!
I’ll keep that in mind, Norma!
As for the cookbook, most of the ones we use are quite old and I don’t know where you could get any copies. My church doesn’t have a cookbook; these are from the church my mom attended growing up. I’m sure you could find similar Amish/Mennonite style cookbooks on Amazon.
I am just seeing this, came over from Gwens’ Nest. I was going to suggest pumpkin, but I see a lot of others beat me to it. Did you ever do a pumpkin recipe? Pumpkin is my very favorite and yesterday as I was cleaning out my pantry I found five cans of it, so…yeah, pumpkin cheesecake recipe, pleeeeeeze? THANK YOU!
I haven’t worked with the pumpkin cheesecake yet (maybe this fall!), but I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to tweak this recipe with it. I’ll put that one on my list for Thanksgiving recipes.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I wanted to make something special for the DH’s birthday and this was perfect. I’m not to confident yet with using sugar substitutes and I was a little too conservative, but once we put some sweetened berries on top it was perfect. Thank you for making it easy!
★★★★★
Do you know how using a 9in glass pie plate change the ingredient amounts and baking time? I don’t have a springform pan and I’m not a very experienced baker.
Easiest solution: buy a spring-form pan. 😛 A pie plate isn’t really an idea substitute.
This would be way too much batter for a 9-inch pie plate, but I’m not sure exactly how much too much. I’m guessing 1/4-1/3 batch might work? That might even be a little bit much. You’d probably need at least a half batch of the crust. Without the correct pan, this is going to take quite a bit of experimentation which probably isn’t great if you’re not an experienced baker.
you didn’t list the carb count
The healthy eating lifestyle I follow focuses on ingredients rather than counting, so I embrace that freedom. 🙂 If you’re interested, you can find out more about Trim Healthy Mama here: https://www.briana-thomas.com/starting-trim-healthy-mama/
I realize this was posted a long time ago, but thought I would throw out making this into mini cheesecakes, using paper or silicone liners and a muffin tin would probably work better than a pie plate. 🙂
Thank you very much. This will now be my go to recipe since it is most like my mother’s. I loved it.
Just got done with Thanksgiving dinner where I served your cheesecake and it was a hit with everyone! No one believed it was sugar free. Thank you so much!
Wonderful!!! Thank you so much for making it and letting me know how it turned out!
Yum! I experimented recent with the THM cheesecake, added 1 cup of sour cream to the original recipe-it came out sooo good! But I’ll be trying this one soon. I’ve missed a denser feel to the cheesecake.
Natasha
A modest fashion blog:
http://www.natashaatkerson.blogspot.com