Low Calorie High Protein Cheesecake

This low calorie high protein cheesecake is a lighter version of a delicious cheesecake that I often make for holidays. I thought the other day: what if I was to tweak the cheesecake so little that the flavor is close to the original but have half the calories and possibly more protein. And that is exactly how this insane cheesecake was born.

For step by step instructions, visit this Cheesecake video:

Is cheesecake a good source of protein?

Regular cheesecake has barely any protein therefore it is not a good source of protein. That is one of the reason why I decided to change the recipe. Cheesecake’s main ingredient is full fat cream cheese that has 0 grams of protein. The only ingredients that contain protein are eggs.

To increase the amount of protein and reduce the amount of calories, I used less cream cheese and replaced most of it with light farmers cheese. Farmers cheese is one of the highest protein cheese that you can find out there.

What cheese has the most protein?

Farmers cheese (light version) and 2% cottage cheese are two of the highest protein cheeses. To look at the highest amount of protein of any cheese, it is important to compare that with the calories per serving (4 oz/113g):

• Farmers cheese (light) – 160 calories and 13 g protein
• Cottage cheese (2%) – 90 calories and 13 g protein

Compare that to other soft cheeses:

• Ricotta cheese (light) – 150 calories and 7 g protein
• Cream cheese (light) – 220 calories and 11 g protein

What do I need to make low calorie high protein cheesecake?

I am going to use full fat cream cheese to preserve the flavor and pair it with low fat farmers cheese to reduce the calories and add more protein:

• Cream cheese – full fat
• Farmers cheese, light
• Eggs
• Oreo cookies for crust. They are not a health staple but they do add tons of flavor. My motto is: a little bit goes a long way. Just a little bit of these cookies will make the dessert tasty but I do not add so much to add too many unnecessary calories. Just a perfect balance. But if you won’t touch processed food at all (good for you), make a different, healthier crust.
• Greek yogurt for topping. My original cheesecake recipe that I was tweaking, had sour cream topping on it. I took a chance to see if I can replace it with Greek yogurt to reduce the calories and add protein. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked. Not only worked, it tastes very similar to the sour cream topping.
• Sweetener. Use any type you like. Sugar or honey will work as well but you will have to add the extra calories.

How to make low calories high protein cheesecake?

Cheesecake ingredients like cream cheese and eggs need to be at room temperature so remove them from the refrigerator few hours before you make the cheesecake.

Prepare 6 inch springform pan. Line it with parchment paper.

PREPARE CRUST

Prepare the crust by grinding 10 oreo cookies in a food processor. No need to use butter, you won’t see a difference and there is enough calories in the cookies. Just picking my battles here.

Spread it evenly around 6 inch springform pan. Bake at 350F (180C) for 10 minutes.

PREPARE CHEESECAKE BATTER

Process farmers cheese in a food processor it until smooth. You may have to stir it and process it again to make sure all the cheese gets processed well.

To a bowl of a standing mixer add cream cheese and a sweetener. Using a paddle attachment cream the cheese until smooth. While mixing add vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl crack 3 large eggs, make sure they are room temperature.

Transfer the creamed farmers cheese into the cream cheese and mix well.

Continue mixing while adding one egg at a time, until the batter becomes smooth. It will have a runny consistency.

Transfer to a springform pan and prepare for the bath.

Wrap the pan with aluminum foil to prevent any water to get into the pan. This bath process prevents the cheesecake from cracking and helps it cook evenly.

I also lined the walls with parchment paper so it is easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan later.

I need a slightly bigger baking pan to place the cheesecake on it.

The oven is preheated to 325F. Pour boiling water onto the pan. You can use a deeper dish but this size does the trick for me.

Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 250F and bake for 25 minutes longer.

I suspect that this method of baking causes the cheesecake to be light and creamy, cooked to a perfection!

YOGURT TOPPING

Combine Greek yogurt, ¼ cup of a sweetener, vanilla extract and stir.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and carefully spread the yogurt over it. Making sure not to put too much in one spot so it doesn’t sink in. The cheesecake is very light and can easily break at this time. Smooth it evenly, do not press.

BAKE

Put the cheesecake back in the oven and bake for additional 20 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and cool for one to two hours. Once it is cooled, cover it with the foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

In order to remove the cheesecake from the pan without parchment paper on the side, I have to run knife on the sides. It is hard because the cheesecake is creamy and the knife gets resistance. With the parchment paper on the other hand, the process is very smooth and quick.

You can cut it up in 8 slices or 16 smaller slices, I will leave it up to you. I always go for a bigger one.

GUILT FREE DESSERT RECIPES

NO BAKE YOGURT STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

SUGAR FREE BROWNIES

COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP YOGURT ICE CREAM

MORE APPLES THAN DOUGH CAKE

*Links in this blog post are affiliate links, which means at no extra cost to you, I will make a small commission if you click them and make a qualifying purchase*