Keto Cream Cheese Danish
Published August 12, 2022 • Updated March 11, 2026
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I make this cream cheese danish when I want a real pastry with my morning coffee. Light, airy meringue-based dough with a sweet cheesecake filling, and only 1 gram of net carb per serving.
I spent years testing pastry recipes before I landed on this one. Most low carb versions out there rely on fathead dough, which is mozzarella melted into almond flour, and I’ve never been happy with mozzarella in a sweet pastry. It tastes like pizza, not breakfast. So I built this keto cream cheese danish around a meringue-based dough instead. The texture is completely different. Light, puffy, with that thin crisp edge on the outside that cracks a little when you bite in. No chewiness, no stretchy cheese texture, just a real pastry.
The filling is essentially a no-bake cheesecake. Sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla, and an egg yolk for richness, all mixed until smooth and scooped right into the center before baking. That cheesecake center neutralizes any egginess from the meringue dough, which was one of my main goals when I developed this recipe. I drizzle a lemon icing over the top once they come out, and at that point you’re looking at something that belongs in a bakery case. One gram of net carb per danish.
I like setting up a full spread on weekend mornings. These danishes alongside a jelly danish, some bagels with everything seasoning, and a pot of strong coffee. My family doesn’t even register that any of it is keto. They just see breakfast. If you want something fruity to round it out, my lemon blueberry muffins pair well with the lemon icing on these.
A few readers have started stirring sugar-free jam into the filling before baking, and I’ve tried it myself. Strawberry and raspberry both work. I tested blueberry after a reader suggested it, and the lemon juice already in the filling makes the blueberry pop. That combination is good enough that I almost made a separate recipe for it, but you can just swirl a spoonful of any sugar-free preserve in and skip the extra recipe.
The meringue is what sets this apart from every other version. Whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks and folding gently (I count about 12-15 strokes and stop, even when it looks undermixed) gives you a dough that puffs up in the oven and actually holds. I use almond flour and a zero carb whey protein powder to replace the traditional flour. The protein powder is what makes it work. I’ve tested whey isolate against plant-based options, and whey isolate wins every time for this kind of baking. If you’ve never worked with meringue before, the tips below walk through exactly how I get it right.
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Keto Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
1 egg yolk -
4 oz cream cheese, softened
-
3 tablespoons powdered sugar free sweetener
-
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
-
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Keto Pastry Dough Ingredients
-
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
-
2 tablespoons unflavored zero carb protein powder
-
2 tablespoons almond flour
-
2 oz cream cheese, softened
-
1 tablespoon sugar free sweetener
-
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Sugar Free Icing Ingredients
-
3 tablespoons powdered sugar free sweetener
-
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
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1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make cream cheese filling
To a medium bowl, add one egg yolk, cream cheese, sugar free sweetener, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (sugar-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Separate the eggs
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and place each in a clean, dry small bowl.
- 3 eggs
Yolk mixture
To the bowl with the egg yolks, add in low-carb protein powder, almond flour, softened cream cheese and sugar-free sweetener. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Set aside.
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons protein powder
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 2 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 tablespoon sugar free sweetener
Make meringue
To the bowl with egg whites, mix with a clean and dry electric mixer at a low medium speed until the mixture turns frothy. Add in the cream of tartar and turn the speed of the mixer up to high, continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Fold together
Carefully fold the yolk mixture into the egg meringue until combined.
Scoop, form, fill and bake
Scoop about ¼ cup of batter on a parchment lined baking tray spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. Using the back of a spoon make a well in the center of each danish batter to make room for the filling. Scoop a few tablespoons of cream cheese filling into the center of the well. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
Drizzle icing
To make the icing, combine powdered sweetener, lemon juice and whipping cream. Adjust the amount of whipping cream to create a thin icing capable of drizzling. Drizzle over danishes.
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (sugar-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add fruit to the filling?
I've tested this with sugar-free strawberry and raspberry jam, and both work. Just stir about a tablespoon into the filling before scooping. My favorite so far is blueberry. The lemon juice already in the filling makes the berry flavor brighter, not sweeter. Don't use fresh fruit though. The moisture will make the pastry soggy.
Why did my danish deflate after cooling?
Some deflation is normal as they cool down. If yours went completely flat, the issue is almost always the fold. When I combine the yolk mixture into the meringue, I do about 12-15 slow strokes and stop, even when it still looks undermixed. Overfold and you lose the air that makes the pastry rise. The meringue should still look foamy when you stop.
Can I make these the night before?
I'd make the filling ahead but bake them morning of. The pastry softens overnight in the fridge and the meringue doesn't hold its texture. I've tried it both ways, and fresh-baked wins by a wide margin. The filling keeps in the fridge for 2 days, so prep that whenever you have a spare minute. If you want something you can fully prep the night before, my french toast holds up overnight in the fridge.
What protein powder works best in this recipe?
I use Isopure Zero Carb unflavored whey protein powder. I've tested whey isolate against plant-based options in this dough, and whey isolate gives a better rise and cleaner texture every time. Plant-based left the pastry slightly dense. Whatever brand you pick, make sure it's unflavored and zero carb.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I haven't tested this specific recipe with coconut flour, but my general keto baking rule is that coconut flour absorbs way more liquid than almond flour. You'd need roughly a quarter of the amount (about 1.5 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons). I'd stick with almond flour here since the ratio is already dialed in.
How do I get the pastry off the parchment without tearing?
Let them cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before you try to peel them. They're fragile right out of the oven and will tear if you rush it. After 10 minutes, they firm up enough to lift cleanly. I use a thin spatula underneath to help release the edges first. Icing goes on when they're warm but not hot, around 15 minutes out of the oven.
What can I use instead of cream cheese?
Mascarpone is my go-to substitute. It has the same thick texture and rich flavor, just slightly less tang. I've used it when I ran out and the filling was just as smooth. Avoid flavored or sweetened varieties since they have added sugars that throw off the carb count.
Can I add extracts to the dough?
I haven't tried it in this specific recipe, but almond extract would be a natural fit with the almond flour already in the dough. Start with 1/4 teaspoon. Vanilla works too if you want a warmer, bakery-style flavor. I'd add either one to the yolk mixture, not the meringue.
That little bit of lemon in the filling is what got me (it's exactly how the danish from the bakery near my parents' house tasted) and I thought I'd given that up for good.
One thing I wish someone had told me: pull the cream cheese out at least 30 minutes before you start. My first attempt had tiny lumps in the filling because I tried to shortcut it, and the second batch was completely smooth. I also started adding an extra squeeze of lemon to the filling (basically doubled what the recipe calls for) and it makes the cheesecake layer taste brighter, less one-note sweet. For the meringue, make sure your bowl and beaters are bone dry or the whites just won't cooperate. These are my Sunday morning thing now, especially since they come in at 1 gram of net carbs and still feel like an actual breakfast pastry.
Stirred a spoonful of sugar-free raspberry jam into the filling. With the lemon juice already in there, it works surprisingly well. Didn't mess with the texture either.
Raspberry is one of my go-tos for this. The lemon does exactly what you said, it just lifts the berry flavor. A spoonful is the right amount too, more and it starts to get a little watery in the filling.
I've never separated eggs before and was fully prepared to mess this up, but the meringue came together better than I expected (hand mixer on the lowest setting, took maybe 3 minutes to get stiff peaks). Watched it puff up in the oven and kept checking through the glass like I was waiting for test results. The cream cheese filling set up perfectly and the whole thing actually looked like what I thought it was going to look like, which felt like a real win for a first attempt. One question: mine deflated a bit after cooling, is that normal or did I fold too aggressively when combining the yolk mixture in?
Little bit of deflation is normal, they always come down some as they cool. If yours went pretty flat though, probably the fold. I do maybe 12-15 slow strokes and stop even when it looks like it needs more.
I don't usually bake keto stuff because recipes always seem more complicated than they look, but 1g net carb stopped me mid-scroll. The meringue step had me nervous (I've never separated eggs without accidentally breaking a yolk into the whites), but it came together faster than I expected and actually held. The filling tasted like actual cheesecake filling. Genuinely surprised. Can these be made the night before, or does the pastry texture suffer in the fridge?
Make the filling ahead, bake them morning of. The pastry softens overnight in the fridge, meringue doesn't hold up great. Ten minutes of actual work and they're fresh.
Ok so I stirred a small spoonful of strawberry jam into the cream cheese filling before piping and now I cannot go back. It marbled through the cheesecake center and looked like something you'd pull out of a bakery case, which felt absurd on a random Tuesday snow day. The egg white meringue situation had me nervous before I started (I've collapsed meringue-based things before) but the shell puffed up beautifully and the outside got this thin crisp layer while the inside stayed soft. My husband came into the kitchen and asked what I ordered. We went through the whole batch before noon. I'm going to try blueberry jam next time and honestly I think this is going to be a standing snow day tradition.
Ha, the husband asking what you ordered is the real five stars. Blueberry next, yes. The lemon in the filling plays better with blueberry anyway.
Been making this every Sunday for the last month. The protein powder in the dough gives it the right structure without getting dense.
The protein powder really does help. I've found the whey isolate works better than plant-based if you're experimenting with brands.
Delicious? YES! But such a frustrating recipe to follow. Why not give the ingredients and then the method like other recipes do? I ended up using my three egg yolks in the pastry, then not having one for the filling, so I added a tablespoon of chia seeds. Yes, it worked, but why give the recipe this way? It made it more difficult and time consuming. I added a touch of almond extract as well as the vanilla as well. Very eggy, but delicious and guilt free.
I'm sorry this directions were confusing. I see what you are saying and I'm updating them. Thank you!
This was great but my dough turned out very runny and baked flat. Maybe my meringue wasn’t stiff enough?
Maybe or the meringue lost its air when you folded the yolk mixture in. It should still be foamy like.
I was wondering if you have ever added an extract to the dough? Almond or vanilla?
I haven't but you could! Almond extract would be delicious!
I think this is one of the best keto recipes I've made! Thank you for sharing it with everyone!
Glad it's on the list. Room temp cream cheese for the filling or it'll have lumps.
Which Unflavored Zero Carb Protein Powder do you use? The link to amazon no longer works.
I use isopure zero carb protein powder. https://amzn.to/3Tcrrr8
Is this recipe for one serving or ten?
It's for 10 servings
I meant *cool, not "cook"
Ha, cool makes way more sense. Yeah, let it sit 5 minutes before cutting or the filling runs everywhere.
How do you remove the pastry from the parchment? Mine are sticking. They look and smell Amazing tho. But I don't want to ruin them trying to peel them off the parchment. :(
There was no clear direction for after baking. Such as, how long to cook for before trying to remove, best time to apply icing....etc.
Let them cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before peeling. They're fragile right out of the oven and will tear if you try too soon. Icing goes on when they're warm but not hot, around 15 minutes out.