Sometimes Tuesdays are pretty awesome.
This light lemon cheesecake can be:
low-calorie / low-fat / high-protein / flourless / vegan / & gluten-free!
The cheesecake was adapted from the popular Cappuccino Cloud Cheesecake – the original recipe inspired by an ex-boyfriend who claimed to hate anything healthy.
Accepting the challenge, I had created the recipe and served it to him without first mentioning it was low-calorie, low-sugar, and high in protein. And I definitely didn’t mention the secret ingredient until after he’d demolished one slice and was going in for a second.
In general, it seems to be best not to mention the healthfulness of a recipe until after guests have tried it and formed an opinion. This isn’t to be devious but to avoid any pre-eating bias based on a negative healthy-dessert experience they may have had in the past.
Plus… it’s always really fun to watch their reactions after you reveal the secret!
Lemon Cloud Cheesecake
(Can be crustless if desired)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (120g)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (55g)
- 2 packages mori nu firm tofu (Soy-Free alternative here – just add lemon extract and zest)
- 1/4 cup sugar or coconut sugar OR 1/8 tsp uncut stevia
- 1/3 cup melted coconut butter or raw cashew butter (80g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 350 F and fill an 8.5-in springform pan with a crust (or crumbs from 16 graham cracker squares), or grease the pan well if a crustless cheesecake is preferred. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth – don’t over-blend, as you don’t want to introduce air to the cheesecake, which would cause cracking when it bakes. Pour into the prepared pan, then bake one hour on the middle rack. Remove from the oven—the inside will still be wobbly—and let cool. Refrigerate very loosely covered for at least 8 hours, during which time the texture and taste of this healthy lemon cheesecake will change completely. (If using a different size springform, you’ll have to experiment with baking time.) Once the wait period is over, go around the sides with a knife, then remove the springform. I recommend MoriNu, as people sometimes find other brands of tofu to have an aftertaste in recipes.
View Lemon Cheesecake Nutrition Facts
Link Of The Day:
Flourless Chocolate Chip Brownie Pie
I’ve also been working over the past few months with a digital agency to redesign the entire website so that it will soon be much more reader-friendly: with easier navigation for readers, faster page speed, and a gorgeous new mobile-responsive design. Look out for this new design on the blog soon… I’m really excited about it!
Alexa [fooduzzi.com] says
26th May 2015 at 1:08 pmLove this cheesecake idea, Katie! Lemon is the perfect summer flavor; I’ll definitely give this a try!
Elyse says
26th May 2015 at 2:00 pmI love anything lemon, so I’m definitely going to give this a try for my next party!
Maria says
26th May 2015 at 2:08 pmI am definitely going to make this! And I love the sky blue background for your beautiful cloud slice!
Lisa B says
26th May 2015 at 2:48 pmWhen I made your Deep Dish Cookie Pie, I served it to a bunch of guys & didn’t tell them the secret ingredient or the fact that it was began. Of course they all loved it & were quite shocked!! Am also excited for a more mobile friendly site. Great news!!
Nancy says
26th May 2015 at 2:59 pmPlease, please, please make a new cookbook! I just bought yours and was a bit disappointed that the avocado fudge bites and other recipes that I’ve grown fond of were not in there. I’m sure you have enough new recipes to have a second book by now. I like having the hard copy when the Internet is being slow. Thank you!!!!!
Cassie says
26th May 2015 at 3:04 pmI’d eat that cheesecake with a spoon….without slicing. Ooooops!
Lucy says
26th May 2015 at 4:32 pmI can’t wait for the bottom left recipe!
Alison @ Sweetly Petite says
26th May 2015 at 2:47 pmThis seems too good to be true! This would be a perfect “summer cheesecake”!
Jules @ WolfItDown says
26th May 2015 at 8:07 pmDang girl! First cappuccino cake and now this! I have got to try them both, that texture looks amazing 😀 x
Jay says
26th May 2015 at 8:13 pmHi there! This looks delish! Can you clarify if the nutrition facts include the crust, and if so, which version (store-bought, the crushed graham crackers…)? It looks from the picture like you have a crust there but I wanted to confirm if it is factored into the nutrition info.
Also, if you used the crushed crackers, did you bind them with anything or just pour them in? (and if so, how do you get them to stick to the sides?) Thanks!
Sprinkles of Sweetness says
26th May 2015 at 10:22 pmI love cheesecake! I will definitely try this soon.
Raincakes says
26th May 2015 at 7:33 pmLooks so amazing! I’m excited about trying this.
Medeja says
27th May 2015 at 10:30 amLooks so creamy.. Yummy!
Cora says
27th May 2015 at 1:25 pmHi Katie! Wondering – have you ever used just regular firm tofu in your recipes (vs silken) – or do you guess that it would work okay?
Jennifer Harmon {Peppers and Peaches} says
27th May 2015 at 1:36 pmThis cheesecake looks great! Bonus for minimal ingredients and the fact that I have all of them on hand! It looks so light and fluffy in the pictures! I can’t wait to try this version; I am always down for a new cheesecake recipe to devour!
Bailey P says
27th May 2015 at 2:31 pmThis looks great and I will be making it this weekend for my family! 🙂
Is there a print button?
Kathy says
30th May 2015 at 12:30 pmHi
What size are the packs of tofu? I’m in New Zealand and suspect ours will be different.
Bob says
1st June 2015 at 5:11 pmCould peanut butter work in place of the cashew butter or coconut butter?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
4th June 2015 at 3:02 pmIt could but you’d get a peanut butter flavor.
Bob Miller says
5th June 2015 at 5:11 pmWell, I tried it–it was certainly funky, but strangely good as well. While I wouldn’t make it with peanut butter again, the texture was fantastic, and the lemon and peanut butter combination was a unique experience…
clueless canadian says
2nd June 2015 at 2:57 pmwhat a great idea!!! Pure ingredients you can trust (: great inspiration for my own health and wellness blog thanks so much!
Ginny says
4th June 2015 at 12:35 pmKatie, this was so good! I came over here from instagram, and it’s the first of your recipes that I’ve actually tried, and I’m so glad I did! The pie is already half gone. When it’s gone, I’m excited to try out more recipes from your blog. 🙂
Lindsee says
6th June 2015 at 5:31 amThis recipe looks so delicious! I’m always looking for flourless or paleo-type recipes and your blog has so many of these types of recipes! I’m so glad I came across this!
Kathleen says
6th June 2015 at 11:44 pmThe soy-free alternative link leads to Coconut Greek Yogurt Pie. So is the alternative yogurt with lemon extract and zest added?
Maxine says
4th September 2015 at 10:31 amI love your recipes. I have NEVER seen a blog with so many good for foods to make that were easy! Maybe there have been 2 on here so far that I saw and thought, “I’d never make that.” You’re the best.
Michele says
13th February 2016 at 10:36 pmThis was amazingly easy. Fantastic flavor. Wonderfully deceptive. I always love to feed my friends foods the don’t like and won’t eat but in end are totally won over. Thanks!
5/5
5/5
Jenny says
3rd March 2016 at 5:30 amHi Katie,
How many grams of tofu is needed? I don’t live in the states and am not sure if our tofu is packaged at the same weight/amount.
Jenny
Tricia says
25th March 2016 at 11:58 amI’m wondering about the soy-free alternative, too. Yogurt? How much? And how much zest/essence? Thanks!
Larissa says
11th September 2016 at 5:50 amJust wondering what the tofu is in grams? I can’t buy mori nu tofu where I live. Thanks!
Tom says
12th September 2016 at 1:10 pmI just started trying your blog recipes and this is the first one I made. It was so, so good! I really lilke that your recipes taste healthy but also good and use healthy ingredients, less sweetener, etc. We’re not vegan, so I did sub Greek yogurt for about half of the tofu. This was lemony and refreshing, yummmm!
Christina says
16th March 2017 at 1:20 pmCould you make this in a prepared pie crust, rather than a springform pan?
Julie Dove says
16th March 2017 at 5:08 pmSure, why not?
Jaimie says
7th April 2017 at 1:00 pmTried this with whole foods tofu and I am extremely happy with the results 🙂 For anyone who may not have been able to find mori nu- two packages of mori nu = 24 oz of tofu.
Bonnie Hamilton says
27th April 2017 at 12:47 pmThank you so much for your information!! I was just going to make this recipe and didn’t know how many ounces of tofu to use.
Bonnie
Chess says
15th June 2017 at 6:15 pmI halved the recipe- but forgot to halve the coconut butter!! Its too late to add more of the other ingredients, it’s already baking, so I guess I’ll let you guys know how it turns out!
Sarah says
6th January 2018 at 10:22 pmOld recipe, but might there be a substitute for the maple syrup that’s sugar-free? I’m not sure if I could use coconut oil or a bit of soy milk? Use more stevia/xylitol?
Thanks!