Surprise yourself with a Healthy Cheesecake made with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. It’s much higher in protein than a classic cheesecake, but you’ll never be able to taste the difference. Serve it with black currant jam for a beautiful sweet tang.
Sometimes people ask why I like to take something that’s perfectly delicious (like a classic cheesecake) and change it (in this case, to a healthy cheesecake with cottage cheese). Often, I just like to see what I can get away with. Did I say this Beet Muffin was actually red velvet? Oops!
Surprise! A Healthy Cheesecake made with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt
I made this swap to cottage cheese though because I’m trying to find a way to add more cottage cheese into my diet. Cottage cheese is high in protein, vitamins and calcium, all of which are a good thing to include in a breakfast.
It’s much higher in protein than a classic cheesecake, but you’ll never be able to taste the difference
Prior to the 1980s, cottage cheese overshadowed yogurt sales and was tooted as a health food. But halfway through the 1980s, yogurt took off and left cottage cheese sales in the dust. While yogurt consumption has increased 7 fold, cottage cheese consumption has halved (read more about the trend from NPR). I remember eating cottage cheese as a kid every time I went to a self-serve salad bar. I’d always have it with melon and pineapple, and it was really tasty.
At some point, I started eating a lot more yogurt instead of cottage cheese. I seemed to have forgotten about cottage cheese, until I became pregnant and I started scouring the Internet about what health foods I should eat. Cottage cheese appeared on almost every list of ‘best foods for pregnant women’ because it’s high in protein!
After multiple tubs of cottage cheese with fruit and toast, I started craving something new and knew I needed to make a healthy cheesecake with cottage cheese. When I shared this cheesecake, no one even noticed that instead of cream cheese in it, I made it with cottage cheese and greek yogurt.
Make this Healthy Cheesecake even healthier by using a spelt crust and topping it with fresh fruit and granola
It’s much higher in protein than a classic cheesecake, and to me, that’s a thumbs up because our baby (you can read about him on my husband’s blog) is getting nutrients while I’m getting a slice of heavenly cheesecake. If you want to make this even healthier, you can use the spelt crust from this Breakfast Greek Yogurt Cheesecake, and top it with granola and fresh fruit instead of jam. Good morning to cheesecake!
Healthy Cheesecake with Cottage Cheese
Surprise yourself with a Healthy Cheesecake made with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. It’s much higher in protein than a classic cheesecake, but you’ll never be able to taste the difference. Serve it with blackcurrant jam for a beautiful sweet tang.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (140 grams) (also works with digestive crumbs)
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (50 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85 grams) melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cheesecake filling
- 2 1/3 cups cottage cheese (500 grams)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup (75 grams)
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 vanilla pod
For the blackcurrant jam
- 3/4 cup blackcurrants (150 grams)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 3 tablespoons water (50 milliliters)
Instructions
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Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Oil the sides of the pan if it is not non-stick.
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Preheat oven to 350°F / 176°C.
To make the crust
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In a large bowl, mix everything together.
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Gently press the crust into the lined pan. I find it easiest to use a small piece of parchment paper to cover my fingers, and press down on the crust. Set aside.
To make the cheesecake filling
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In a food processor or blender on low speed, blend the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt together until it is smooth.
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In a small bowl, beat the eggs together. Beat the eggs, maple syrup and flour into the cottage cheese mixture. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and mix into the cheesecake.
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Pour everything into the pan. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour, until the cheesecake is set.
To make the blackcurrant jam
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In a medium saucepan, mix everything together. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Allow to cool before topping on the cheesecake.
To serve
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The cheesecake is best chilled, or at room temperature.
Do you think I could use Torani sugar free vanilla instead of maple?
How about the cheese without the base half the sweetner and some salt with a topping of rosted tomatoes garlic and oregano ? Please try ,,,,.,
Since I follow a low carbohydrate way of eating, I’m curious about trying this with sugar free syrup and/or stevia type sweetner.
I’ve made this a few times now…love it! My daughter has a sugar allergy so I’ve made it with Stevia, xylitol and erithrytol , and found it to turn out wonderful. Obviously, it will be a bit different because of the ‘fake’ sugars, but we are used to that and really enjoy it anyway. I have skipped the flour in the batter most times and texture is fine. I also add another egg for extra nutrition and texture. This last one I made with Stevia xylitol erithrytol blend, and I think it got a strange weird ‘crust’ on the top that looks overdone because I had something else in the oven and it got to room temp before I baked it. Not sure? Anyway, it got a bit dry, as I think I slightly overbaked as well as I didn’t factor in the warmer start. I peeled the crust off and it’s fine underneath. I do find this recipe is unpredictable at times. I think you really need to make sure the cheese and yogurt are very well blended and smooth. Overall I make this ALL THE TIME, with many variations, and it takes care of our cheesecake cravings good enough that I don’t need an actual cheesecake. I ate some for breakfast this morning as well
I bought 4 containers of cottage cheese that were on sale, but the only person in the family who eats dairy is tired of the cottage cheese after just one container, so I intend to make this cheesecake with some of the rest.
Would you explain why the yogurt and flour are necessary? He’s supposed to be gluten-free and dairy-free, but cottage cheese is the only okay dairy. I’m willing to buy the yogurt because it’s often sold in individual servings, but we haven’t used flour in 2 years and I don’t want to buy a whole bag just to use 2 T’s of it. thanks!
Hi Kim – Sure, let me try to explain. The flour is to make the cheesecake more firm and give it some structure. Since cottage cheese can be a bit wet, the flour will make the cheesecake sturdier. You could try cornstarch, which might do the same, and is gluten-free. I haven’t done that before personally in this recipe, but that would be my best recommendation for gluten-free. The Greek Yogurt is for making the cheesecake creamier, and also to help the batter be not as wet as if you used 100% cottage cheese. It also bakes better, but I can’t really explain the exact science behind it. I’d have to test it a bit more, but hope that helps give you a guide on how you can tweak the recipe if you want.
To make less wet put the cottage cheese and the yogurt in a lined sieve of coffee filters if large holes. LET DRAIN FOR AN HOUR OVER A POT THAT ALLOW THE LIQUID TO DRIP FREELY. YOU WON’T NEED THE FLOUR OR CORNSTARCH.
Not sure what I did wrong, but my cheesecake did not come out smooth. It blended beautifully and looked smooth as a batter, but after it baked, it took over a wet, lumpy consistency which has always been the trademark of every other cheesecake that I’ve used cottage cheese in. It didn’t have that velvety smooth consistency of one with cream cheese, or even a slightly grittier one made with ricotta. Is this the way it was supposed to be or did I do something wrong? I double checked the recipe, and I didn’t miss an ingredient. I had such high hopes for this. Please help!
Hi Hillary, my initial thought is that perhaps the batter is too wet or not blended well enough, or a combination of both. I’m not sure what ingredients you used, but try to use full fat Greek Yogurt (not greek-style yogurt) and full fat cottage cheese. Different brands also vary, which is why people sometimes end up with different results, even though they follow the same recipe. Lastly, besides blitzing it more if you can, I’d suggest that you can try measuring out the ingredients by weight if you haven’t already since it’s much more accurate that way. Hope this helps!
Can I use oats instead and do I need to grind them and bake them prior to adding the filling?
Hi Ana, I haven’t used oats before for the crust, but I’m sure you can find a recipe for a oatmeal pie crust. You could try to use crushed up granola instead though? That would be a more similar swap for graham cracker crumbs.
Fantastic! I was a little nervous about the recipe as I have a very sweet tooth but the amount of sweetener was perfect. I subbed half the maple syrup for honey as I ran out but I think 100% maple would be better. Thanks for sharing. This will definitely be on my list of go-to recipes.
Thanks for the comment !I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! (sorry for the slow reply!)
Thankyou for this recipie. I made it yesterday and had 2 pieces for dinner!
I changed the following because I had the ingredients in my fridge.
Skim milk ricotta cheers for half of cottage chees,
O fat Greek yoghurt,
3 eggs
Topping, canned low sugar cherries for baking
Delicios!
This is an awesome recipe as I usually have all the ingredients on hand and just perfect for when you want a little something something on the sweet side. I didn’t actually make the full recipe as it was late-ish so I knocked up a single serve style affair, no biscuit base just the filling in a ramekin and nuked it in the microwave for a minute. I used egg white (wanted to keep it as close as possible to the recipe without having to divide whole eggs) a squirt of lemon and stevia powder for sweetness. Turned out swell so looking forward to making the real thing real soon. Yum yum
Instead of Graham crackers, I used PRO-VITAs because I did’nt have Graham crackers & it tasted really nice & I didn’t use Blackcurrants but I used Blueberries instead
Hi,can I use stevia drops in place of the maple syrup?
Hi Colette, I haven’t tried using stevia drops in the recipe before. I would suggest maybe adding a bit more water and Greek yogurt if you will be taking out the maple syrup completely. It might alter the texture of the cheesecake a bit though, but worth a try!
This is an amazing recipe. I used plain yogurt (not greek) and it worked fine. I tasted the batter before cooking and decided to add 1 Tbsp honey. I made a really sweet topping (maple/pecan) and in the end I found it too sweet, although delicious. In future I will make a fruit topping as per the recipe – much healthier. Such an easy recipe with the food processor. I made this for Christmas day but we didn’t use it and it stayed intact in the fridge until New Year’s and it was just fine and delicious.
This cheesecake recipe is the BOMB! It turned out beautiful and of course cutting down the calories is always a plus. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear! It’s definitely a way to sneak in a dessert for breakfast and feel good about it :)
Oh my gosh this is so good . I changed it a little however
I used 3 eggs I also did not use any sugar in the crust at all I just added a little more cinnamon . I added enough raw unfiltered honey to the maple syrup to make half a cup . I added 1 tbls lemon juice to the cottage cheese mixture . I cooked it one hour 15 min perfect .
Cut well after cooking for 6 hours.
The top of mine I used a full jar of all fruit jam and 2 tbls water heated that a little let it cool poured on top
Not real sweet but I am determined to keep getting thinner lol . Maybe next time I will add raw sugar or coconut sugar to the crust but it was ok . It is yummy
That’s cooling for 6 hours not cooking oh my sorry
Hi Shirley, thanks leaving your feedback and changes to the recipe! I’m really happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
How might you change it for a 9-inch pan?
if you use a 9-inch pan, you’ll end up with a thinner crust and a thinner layer of cheesecake filling. Because of that, reduce the baking time a bit, and just bake until the cheesecake is set.
Thank you!
I went with the original recipe and a 9-inch pan, and it worked! The consistency of this cheesecake is just spot-on (and hard to mess up, which suits me). Instead of the blackcurrent jam, I went with sweetened strawberries, and unfortunately, the cake was a bit tart, rather than sweet, all together. The graham cracker crust was wonderful, though! As someone else suggested, I will add sweetener – probably more maple syrup – to the cheesecake filling next time. Thank you for this one – it’s a keeper!
Tina, thank you for the recipe. However when I tasted my cheesecake prior to adding the jam on top my cheesecake was not as sweet as I was hoping. In fact when I tasted the batter prior to placing it in the oven I thought it wasn’t sweet enough so I added another 1/4 cup of maple syrup on top of what the recipe asked for. I made the recipe exactly as suggested but I did use low fat cottage cheese and non-fat Greek yoghurt because I imagined I would be getting enough fat by way of almond meal and the butter. Could any of this have impacted the outcome? Is the cheesecake not supposed to be really much sweet without the jam? How can I change things? Also, I wanted to reduce the fat in the crust even further. Do you think I could substitute almond flour with coconut flour partially or completely and could I substitute the butter with applesauce which I have read works well as a substitute for butter. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi – You are right, the cheesecake filling is not suppose to be very sweet. You can always try to add some sugar into the recipe if you would like to make it sweeter. However, I kept the cheesecake filling recipe with just a touch of maple syrup, so it pairs nicely with the crust and blackcurrant jam. With regards to changing the crust recipe, it is probably best if you find a different pie crust recipe that suits your needs, rather than make all the substitutions. Hope you find something that works for you!
I’m trying this but I halved the receipe and I’m making 6 minis… Can u venture a guess what the cooking time and or temp would be?
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried the recipe with minis, but that sounds like a great idea. I would use the same temperature (350°F / 176°C), and just reduce the baking time. The easiest way would be to check on it regularly to see if the cheesecake has set in the middle. You can make a slit in the middle with a knife and see if it is still wobbly inside. Enjoy!
Hi..I love Ur simple receipe..plannin to make it on fathers day..may I ask what cottage cheese u have used? Can I use 2percent small curd cottage cheese?Thank you..
Hi Daisy, I used full fat small curd cottage cheese, but I think 2% should also work. Enjoy the recipe!
can I substitute sugar for the maple syrup?
I used 3 tbls of brown sugar instead of the maple syrup, tasted great!
I love the fact that you put measures in grams too! I’m Italian and this helps me a lot! P.s. Your recipes are amazing, keep it up! Lots of love! xxx
Is there anything I could substitute for the maple syrup? It’s so expensive here…
You could try honey, but I haven’t done it before with this particular recipe. You would get the sweetness from the honey, but you wouldn’t get the maple syrup flavors though. Maple syrup can be so expensive!
this looks really good, and \I have all the ingredients to hand…3 blackcurrqant bushes in the garden. But – can i freeze it? just the 2 of us home at the moment, and it is too much for us!
Hmm, it looks gorgeous! Can you tell me what I can use instead of greek yoghurt? I live in France and we don’t have real greek yoghurt. Can “crème fraîche” ou simple or double cream can work?
Thank you!
Hi Sabrina, since the Greek Yogurt is such a large part of the recipe, it will be difficult to substitute. Can you find another variety of thick yogurt in France? Perhaps you can find Skyr (Icelandic yogurt)?
Hi! Thanks for your answer. I found some greek yogurt with sheep’s milk at the supermarket. Don’t know if it will work but I’ll give it a try! Thanks again :)
Sabrina
It is an easy yet super delicious recipe! Thanks for this amazing cheesecake magic!
Hi Sally, I’m glad to hear that you liked the cheesecake! Thanks for stopping by to leave the comment :)
Who can turn down cheesecake for breakfast?
Wow, this sounds amazing! I am obsessed with cottage cheese (mainly because of the protein) but was a little bored with just eating it plain. This is a fantastic idea and I am totally going to try this. Thank you.
Thank you also for adding your giveaway to my link up. I’m really happy to have found your lovely blog.
Hi Melissa, Thanks for stopping by! I was in the same position as you – wanting to eat cottage cheese, but also needing a new way to have it. I hope you give this a try and love it – we do here.
Hmm cottage cheese.. that’s an interesting spin on a cheesecake… love it! Thank you for the recipe. Pinned :)
Thanks for the pin! It’s really delicious with cottage cheese – and healthier!
This is so interesting, I’ve never had a cottage cheese, cheesecake! Is the texture quite smooth? As cottage cheese is quite nobbly, do you have to beat it quite a lot?
This looks like such a delicious cheesecake.
Hi Angela – the texture is smooth, just like a classic cheesecake. You put the cottage cheese with the yogurt in a blender, so there are no lumps. Give it a try — it’s delicious :)