Caramel apple is one of those flavours that takes over every kitchen once the weather turns. Cinnamon apples, a thick layer of creamy cheesecake and a glossy caramel drizzle do not need much else. These sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars keep all of it and still land at about 4g net carbs a bar.
The difference here is the shape. Instead of a round cheesecake, this recipe is baked in a 5×5-inch square pan and cut into nine bars you can pick up between two fingers, which makes sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars a much better fit for a fall dessert table. If you would rather make the whole cake, my Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake uses the same cinnamon and apple idea in a springform pan.
Hands-on time for sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars is about an hour and a quarter, and then the pan chills for 4 hours before you cut anything.
Why You’ll Love These Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
The crust is baked almond flour and coconut flour, so it holds its shape and stays tender instead of turning hard in the fridge. It is thin and slightly nutty, just sturdy enough to carry a square of filling to your mouth without crumbling, which is what makes sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars easy to eat with one hand.
The filling gets its creaminess from Philadelphia Neufchatel beaten with FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt and a single egg. That combination gives you a tangy, airy cheesecake that sets soft in the middle, and the yogurt is what stops the filling from tasting heavy.
Real diced Granny Smith apple goes in both places. Most of it is folded into the filling, and the rest is held back for the top so every bar has visible pieces of spiced fruit. Cooked down with cinnamon first, the apples stay tender instead of turning to paste in the oven.
The caramel is made from scratch with allulose, butter and a splash of cream, because most bottled caramel sauce is essentially sugar and corn syrup. If you want a bigger batch, my homemade sugar-free caramel sauce scales up without any changes to the method.
Ingredient Notes
Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and coconut flour build the base. Almond flour gives the crust its structure, and the coconut flour keeps the texture tender rather than sandy.
Allulose does the sweetening in all three parts of sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars: the crust, the filling and the drizzle. It is a rare sugar that the FDA allows to be excluded from the total sugars and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts label, and it browns like sugar when you cook it down for the caramel.
The apples are peeled and diced fine, about a quarter inch, so they cook quickly and spread evenly through the filling. Keep them divided: 85g goes into the filling and the remaining 35g is reserved for the topping after chilling, so every layer of sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars has apple in it.
If you would rather bake apples under a crumb topping than fold them into a bar, my sugar-free apple crumble uses the same no-sugar approach in a completely different shape.
When I need per-ingredient nutrition values for anything I cannot weigh out at home, I pull them from USDA FoodData Central rather than estimating from the front of a package.
How to Make Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
There are four stages: bake the crust, cook the apples, mix and bake the filling, then make the caramel drizzle. Sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars are done in one session, and everything after that is just chilling time.
Bake the almond crust
Heat the oven to 325F (165C) and line a 5×5-inch square metal baking pan, 2 inches deep, with parchment. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour, 2 tablespoons of allulose and the melted butter, then press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan so it reaches the corners and comes slightly up the sides.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Let it cool for 10 minutes while you cook the apples, because a warm crust will melt the filling as soon as it goes in.
Cook the cinnamon apples
Dice the peeled Granny Smith apple finely and cook it with the ground cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of water for 5 to 7 minutes, until the pieces are tender and there is liquid in the bottom of the skillet. Cooking them down first is what gives sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars soft, spiced fruit instead of raw apple chunks baked straight into the filling.
Turn off the heat and let the apples cool completely before you go near the filling. Warm apples will loosen the batter, so wait until the pan is no longer warm to the touch.
Set aside 35g of the cooled apples for the topping. The remaining 85g goes into the filling.
Mix the filling and spread it over the crust
Beat the softened Philadelphia Neufchatel with 3 tablespoons of allulose until smooth, then mix in the Greek yogurt. Add the egg last on low speed and stop as soon as the batter comes together.
Fold in the 85g of cooled apples and spread the filling over the baked crust, all the way into the corners of the parchment-lined pan. Tap the pan once on the counter to settle the filling and level the top, because these sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars get cut straight from the pan into equal squares.
Bake and chill
Bake for 30 to 38 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly when you nudge the pan. That bake is deliberately short, so pull the bars while the middle still moves and the filling firms up as it cools.
Cool for 45 minutes, then refrigerate the pan for at least 3 hours. Four hours is better if you can spare it, since a fully chilled cheesecake cuts into clean squares instead of sticking to the knife.
Make the caramel drizzle
Heat 2 tablespoons of allulose with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan until it turns a light amber. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the unsalted butter and the warmed heavy whipping cream until the sauce looks glossy.
Let the caramel cool until it is pourable rather than molten. It thickens as it sits, and poured straight from the heat it will run off sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars and pool on the plate.
Top and cut the bars
Cut the chilled cheesecake into 9 squares with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Spoon the reserved cinnamon apples over the top of sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars and drizzle with the cooled caramel right before serving.
Success Tips for Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Cool the apples fully before they go into the filling.
- Do not overbake. Pull the pan at 30 to 38 minutes while the center still jiggles, or the filling turns dry and crumbly.
- Chill the pan for the full 4 hours. A cold cheesecake cuts into clean squares, and a warm one smears.
- Add the caramel just before serving so it stays glossy rather than sinking into the top.
- Line the pan with parchment and press the crust firmly into the corners. Both are what let sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars lift out cleanly.
Storage
Refrigerate sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars covered and eat them within 3 days.
Keep the caramel drizzle separate until you are ready to serve, because it softens in the fridge and loses its glossy look overnight.
FAQ
How many net carbs are in one bar?
One bar is about 123 calories with 4g net carbs, 5g total carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 6g protein and 8g fat.
How long do these cheesecake bars need to chill?
At least 3 hours in the refrigerator after the 45 minute cool, and the full 4 hours gives the cleanest slices. Sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars should not be cut before they are fully chilled.
Can I make sugar-free caramel apple cheesecake bars ahead of time?
The bars keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so you can bake them earlier in the day. The caramel drizzle goes on just before serving, not before.
What size pan do I need, and how many bars does it make?
A 5×5-inch square metal baking pan, 2 inches deep, lined with parchment. It cuts into 9 squares.
Do the apples go in the filling, on top, or both?
Both. 85g of the diced apple is folded into the filling and the remaining 35g is reserved for the topping, so every bar has apple in every layer.
If you like the square-pan format but want a different fruit, my sugar-free cranberry orange cheesecake bars use the same method with cranberry and orange.
Sugar-Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line pan with parchment.
- Mix almond flour, coconut flour, 24g allulose and 10g butter. Press firmly into pan.
- Bake 10–12 minutes until lightly golden. Cool 10 minutes.
- Cook diced apple with cinnamon and 15g water for 5–7 minutes until tender. Reserve 35g for topping; cool completely.
- Beat Neufchâtel with 35g allulose. Mix in yogurt, then egg on low speed.
- Fold in remaining 85g apples. Spread filling over crust.
- Bake 30–38 minutes until edges are set and center jiggles slightly.
- Cool 45 minutes, then refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Heat 25g allulose with 15g water until light amber. Remove from heat; stir in warm cream and 4g butter.
- Cool caramel until pourable. Cut cheesecake into 9 squares. Add reserved apples and drizzle with caramel.
Notes
- Cool apples before mixing into filling.
- Avoid overbaking to keep the cheesecake creamy.
- Chill fully for clean slices.
- Add caramel just before serving.
- Refrigerate covered up to 3 days.