Light and creamy, this healthy cheesecake recipe tastes even better than Cheesecake Factory, with less than a third of the sugar!
My favorite healthy cheesecake recipe
- No heavy cream, no eggs, and no sugar required.
- You could literally eat half of this entire cheesecake and still consume fewer calories than if you ate one slice from the Cheesecake Factory.
- High in calcium, potassium, and iron.
- Plus, each slice packs in over 16 grams of protein!
It’s the ultimate smooth and luxurious cheesecake of dreams. Seriously, do not be surprised if it shows up in your dreams tonight.
I’ve been making this healthy dessert for over a decade, most recently for my birthday earlier this month. If no one told you it was good for you beforehand, you would never guess.
So many cheesecake recipes are not only way too sweet (A cup and a half of sugar?!) but also too firm. The perfect homemade cheesecake should never be overpowered by sugar, and every creamy bite should absolutely melt in your mouth.
When I say this lightened up cheesecake is good, you know it must be really delicious, because I take my cheesecake very seriously.
You will also love this Chocolate Cheesecake
Step by step recipe video
I cannot believe this is healthy cheesecake. It tastes SOOOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it bad to eat the whole thing at once? 😉
What makes this recipe healthy?
High protein: Unsweetened protein powder stands in for cornstarch, giving you much more protein and fewer carbs. If you want to eat a slice for breakfast, I’m not going to judge. (I may have done the same thing…)
No sour cream: Greek yogurt (or dairy free yogurt) replaces the higher fat ingredients typically found in cheesecake, like sour cream or heavy whipping cream. Since cheesecake should have a subtle tang, yogurt is the perfect healthy alternative.
Lower calorie: A slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake contains over 800 calories. And that’s just for the plain original. Other flavors contain up to 1500 calories per slice. In contrast, each slice of this healthy cheesecake is just around 220 calories.
Low carb: With just 3 grams of net carbs, this dessert or healthy snack recipe includes both sugar free and keto diet friendly options.
High in nutrition: In addition to protein, the cheesecake also provides 16% of the RDA for calcium and 3 milligrams of iron. And don’t forget the endorphins!
Sugar free cheesecake
Can we talk about the amount of sugar found in your average slice of restaurant cheesecake?
It’s called cheese cake for a reason.
Many homemade cheesecake recipes and fancy café desserts use such a large quantity of sugar that the savory cheese flavor is completely lost. Sugar is all you taste. If I wanted to eat something that tasted like sugar, I’d skip the cheesecake and eat a bowl of frosting.
Sugar was the first thing I knew I could cut back on when it came to creating a healthier cheesecake recipe. I started by researching traditional cheesecake recipes to get a feel for how much sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and other basic ingredients usually go into cheesecake. And then I played around quite a bit.
A lot goes into my recipe creations.
Ingredients you need
Since there’s nothing more frustrating than visiting multiple health food stores to locate all the ingredients for a recipe, this healthy cheesecake calls for just 5 simple ingredients you should be able to find at one traditional grocery store. Plus, no cottage cheese or ricotta.
Cream Cheese – Use Philadelphia style cream cheese (blocks work better than cream cheese spread) or a dairy free alternative. Note that some brands of vegan cream cheese do not bake well. I like Tofutti or Trader Joe’s.
Yogurt – This can be pretty much any plain or Greek yogurt. Plant based options work well too. As a fun variation, try strawberry, raspberry, lemon, or blueberry yogurt.
Protein Powder – I’ve tested the recipe successfully with both vanilla and unsweetened protein powder. Soy, whey, casein, brown rice, and pea protein powder are all great options.
Sweetener – While the pie does turn out with white sugar, I like to use a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup, honey, or unrefined cane or coconut sugar. No sugar alternatives like granulated monk fruit, allulose, or erythritol are also fine.
Vanilla Extract – A few teaspoons of vanilla balance the tangy cheese flavor in the filling. Go with pure vanilla extract for the most natural tasting pie.
Healthy cheesecake flavors
- Make banana cheesecake by replacing half of the yogurt with an equal amount of ripe, mashed banana. This same idea works for crushed pineapple or mango.
- To create healthy chocolate cheesecake, add 1/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder, use chocolate protein powder, and increase the sweetener to 3/4 cup.
- For a holiday healthy pumpkin cheesecake, swap one cup of yogurt for pumpkin puree. Blend a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice into the filling.
- Or for cappuccino cheesecake, whip a teaspoon of instant coffee into the filling.
How to make healthy cheesecake
Step 1: Soften the cream cheese. If time permits, I let the cream cheese blocks sit out at room temperature for a few hours. This helps them blend more smoothly.
Step 2: Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. I also recommend calibrating your oven if you’ve never done so before.
Step 3: Prepare the pan. The recipe calls for a round 9 inch springform pan. If using a baked or no bake crust, prepare it ahead of time. Set the pan aside.
Step 4: Make the cheesecake filling. Whip the softened cream cheese, yogurt, protein powder, sweetener, and vanilla extract in a large food processor until fluffy with no lumps. (If you only have a smaller model, do this step in batches to achieve smooth results.)
Step 5: Transfer to the pan. Spread the cheesecake into the springform pan. Use a spatula or large spoon to smooth out the top.
Step 6: Make a water bath (optional). Fill any baking pan about two thirds of the way up with water. Place this pan on the lower rack of the oven.
Step 7: Bake the cheesecake. Place the springform pan on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, never opening the oven door.
Step 8: Let cool in the oven. Turn off the heat, but do not open the oven door. Allow the cheesecake to sit in the turned-off oven for an additional 5 minutes.
Step 9: Let cool on the counter. Carefully remove the springform pan from the oven, and let it sit at room temperature until fully cooled.
Step 10: Refrigerate to set. Place the cooled pan in the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight. The texture will firm up considerably during this time.
Step 11: Garnish and serve. Decorate the whole cheesecake with sliced fresh fruit, caramel sauce, whipped cream and cherries, or blueberry pie topping. Enjoy!
Katie’s tips for the best healthy cheesecake
Follow the recipe. Especially with healthy baking, it may be tempting to cut back on sugar or fat. Since this is already a low sugar recipe, cutting back even more may result in disaster. Follow the recipe to a T the first time, before making any changes.
Read the ingredient list and instructions before starting. This ensures you will never discover you’re missing a vital ingredient halfway through preparing the recipe.
Use a water bath. It may sound like a complicated technique, but it’s literally just a pan of water that you place in the oven to add moisture and prevent cracks.
Let the pie cool. Gradually cooling your cheesecake in stages also keeps it from cracking due to sudden temperature shocks.
Keep leftovers cold. If you happen to find yourself with leftover slices of cheesecake (it’s a big IF), refrigerate them in a covered container for up to 5 days. Or freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months and thaw before serving.
Want more cheesecake recipes?
Easy healthy pie crust recipe
Below is a healthier crust alternative to the typical shortbread or graham cracker crust.
If you prefer, you can use any homemade or store bought pie crust or make a entirely crustless cheesecake instead.
This 3 ingredient recipe fits a standard 9 inch baking pan or springform.
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (180g)
- 1/4 cup cashew butter (butter or coconut oil also work) (60g)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until sticky, fine crumbles form. Press into the bottom of your pan. I like to bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius). If short on time, you can technically get away without prebaking the crust.
Healthy Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 24 oz cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese (680g)
- 2 cups Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt (480g)
- 1/2 cup protein powder (50g)
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (12g)
- 2/3 cup sweetener of choice (100g)
- 1 9 inch pie crust (My healthy pie crust is written out above, or you can use your own. Omit for crustless cheesecake)
Instructions
- 1. Let cream cheese come to room temperature, so it will blend more smoothly.
- 2. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius). If using a crust, prepare it ahead of time in a 9 inch springform pan.
- 3. Whip cream cheese, yogurt, protein powder, sweetener, and vanilla in a large food processor until completely smooth and fluffy.
- 4. Spread into the springform pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- 5. Optional but recommended: Fill any baking pan about 2/3 of the way up with water and place it on the lower rack of the oven. (This is called a water bath and adds moisture to prevent cracking.)
- 6. Place the healthy cheesecake on the center rack of the oven. Bake 30 minutes, then turn off the heat but do not open the oven door.
- 7. Allow the pan to sit in the oven for an additional 5 minutes before removing a still under-baked cheesecake to cool on the counter.
- 8. Once cool, transfer uncovered to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. The texture will firm up considerably as it chills.
- 9. Garnish as desired, and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 5 days. Or slice and freeze for up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
More healthy pies and cakes
Healthy Pumpkin Pie or this Crustless Pumpkin Pie
The cheesecake looks interesting, but I have to say ,
Hi, I found your blog on bloglovin and checked out for the first time ,your cheesecake recipe.I can’t tell you how disappointed I felt .I think it’s wrong to show a recipe , incomplete.
I checked out comments, for the raw cookie crust, which ,
by the way , looks great, only to find that it’s not
in your recipe index, and as I don’t have your cook book,
am feeling rather deflated,in so much as,using any other cookie crust , would not compliment the filling,as you , and your followers would wish,
Thanks !
I’m a big fan Katie. It would be helpful if people rated the recipes after they actually make it. Thank you.
I tried this and it was pretty easy and very delicious! My whole family tried this and had no idea that it was better for you than other cheesecakes! It tasted very rich and turned out beautifully. Mine cracked a bit but still so good. I made it with a cookie dough crust and it turned out amazing! I will definitely be using this again! Thank you for the incredible recipe!
The Nutrition facts imagen is missing ? . Please , can you update it please ? Nice recipes btw!
There’s a link to the nutrition facts under the ingredient list and recipe directions in the post 😉
Has anyone tried this with silk tofu instead of cream cheese ?
I’ve subbed it in other things, just wasn’t sure if it would work in this?
Thank you
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/04/11/secretly-healthy-cappuccino-cloud-cheesecake/
Just make this one instead!
Hi, is the nutritional facts with the crust? Can you actually make it with out??
Thank you
Hollie Xx
Sure!
This was our dessert tonight. It was so delicious and creamy. We all loved it.
Wow. I am definitely going share this with a few of my friends. Very cool information.
Okay so I just realized that all these AWESOME recipes I’ve been trying that taste so darn good are all from YOU!! WOW took me 2 months to realize that when I have been making your cheesecake, cream cheese and chocolate peanut butter icecream…woman, you are BLESSED!! I am a new vegan for a month and so happy I found you
Thank you so much for such a sweet comment 🙂
(Katie)
Delicious! One of my fav recipes!
Turned out amazing!! Thanks for an awesome healthier recipe!! I tried using a couple healthy substitutes – egg whites for the eggs, Greek yogurt cream cheese, honey instead of sugar, and coconut oil instead of butter. Consistency was still great!!
Delicious!
Hey, I don’t have a springform pan. Can I use a pie dish?
This is my favorite recipe for cheesecake! I used honey as the sweetener, and I used a graham cracker crust {not sugar free though} It was awesome!
Hi. I gave my springform pan away … but I’d love to make this recipe. Would other pans/pie plates work as well? I just ordered your cookbook for our granddaughter 🙂
Hi, thank you so much! We have honestly never tried it in anything else but if you have a deep dish pie pan or only want to use enough of the filling to comfortably fit in a regular size pie pan (and most likely adjust the baking time down) that should work! You can also make cheesecake bars or Katie’s no bake cheesecake if you prefer: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/?s=cheesecake
Sorry – I didn’t check the box to be notified if anyone responds. I just sent a message asking about substitutions for the springform pan. (Pie plates or round cake pans? Thank you!