20 Healthy Cheesecake Recipes That You’ll Love Me For

I don’t have to tell you that cheesecake is delicious.

But it’s also full of fat and sugar (and thus calories), which means it won’t be found on many meal plans or even in many cheat meals.

Well, this article can change that. As you’ll see, with the right recipes, you can indulge in what feels like the full cheesecake experience but is much more “macro friendly.”

For example, try the Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust, a mix of chocolate almond crust with creamy filling, topped with fresh berries, or the High-Protein Tiramisu Cheesecake, featuring a flavorful crust made with espresso and rum extract, a rich filling of cream cheese, eggs, and Greek yogurt, and over 20 grams of protein per serving.

Or mix up some super-simple Mini Apple Cheesecake Parfaits, with a flavorful mixture of fresh apples, walnuts, dates, Greek yogurt, and cinnamon…and all for a paltry 165 calories and 6 grams of fat per serving.

Enjoy!

Lighter No-Bake Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Gimme Some Oven

In the heat of summer, there’s a cheesecake to enjoy that doesn’t even require you to turn on the oven.

Whip together cream cheese, Greek yogurt, honey, and lemon juice. Then divide the mixture between graham cracker crumb-lined jars. Instead of baking, leave the easy cheesecakes in the fridge for a couple hours to set.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp. coconut oil or butter, melted

2 packages (8 oz. each) low-fat cream cheese

1 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt

1/4 cup pure honey

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 429

Protein: 6 grams

Carbs: 32 grams

Fat: 25 grams

 

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Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Amazeball Eats

With chopped peanut butter cups as a topping, this looks like a far cry from a healthy dessert.

However, this PB2 cheesecake is nearly fat-free with Greek yogurt and powdered peanut butter. Since it’s naturally sweetened with stevia, there’s hardly more ingredients to it than that.

The peanut butter cheesecake filling is good with either chocolate or graham cracker crust.

Serves 12

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup crushed chocolate graham crackers

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp. stevia

Filling:

4 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt

3/4 cup PB2

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup stevia

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 130

Protein: 9 grams

Carbs: 17 grams

Fat: 3 grams

 

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Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Tart

Picture courtesy of Recipe Fiction

The real beauty of cheesecake is that is comes in many different forms. Here, it’s served up as a French-style tart. It changes the ratio of filling, so there’s more focus on the bottom layer of buttery crust.

If you prefer a tart crust with less fat and more protein, mix a scoop of WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate with an egg, 1 3/4 cups almond flour, 2 tablespoons of butter or oil, and 1/4 cup sweetener of choice. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes and cool before adding the cherry cheesecake filling.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 prepared pie crust

2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice (or bitter Italian liqueur like Campari)

6 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup yogurt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 232

Protein: 4 grams

Carbs: 29 grams

Fat: 12 grams

 

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Raspberry Cheesecake Truffles

Picture courtesy of OMG Chocolate Desserts

Cheesecake is so rich and decadent that you may not always want a whole slice. When you just need a couple bites of chocolate raspberry cheesecake, enjoy these homemade truffles.

Inside the dark chocolate shell is a mixture of cream cheese, Cool Whip, and fresh raspberries. There are also crushed graham crackers to add a taste of cheesecake crust.

Serves 22

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup Cool Whip

3/4 cup fresh raspberries, washed and well dried

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

15 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 167

Protein: 2 grams

Carbs: 18 grams

Fat: 11 grams

 

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Chestnut & Hazelnut Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of The Healthy Foodie

Cheesecake can be a fairly wholesome dessert since it’s made with lightly sweetened dairy – not just butter, flour, and sugar like a standard cake.

But this one also incorporates spelt flour, wheat germ, and a high-protein chestnut frosting made from Greek yogurt, egg whites, and whey protein powder.

You’ll have to found up quite a few ingredients for this one, but the result is an extremely rich yet low-fat cheesecake.

Serves 12

Ingredients

Crust:

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

1/2 cup chestnuts, roasted and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup date paste

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 tsp. Himalayan sea salt

Filling:

500g (about 2 1/4 cups) low-fat cottage cheese

500g (about 1 3/4 cups) nonfat plain Greek yogurt

500 g (about 2 1/4 cups) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups unsweetened chestnut puree

1/4 cup hazelnut butter

3/4 cup date paste

3 large eggs

1/4 cup egg whites

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tbsp. arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)

Protein Frosting:

1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup hazelnut butter

1/4 cup unsweetened chestnut puree

1/4 cup date paste

2 Tbsp. egg whites

3 scoops WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 427

Protein: 23 grams

Carbs: 39 grams

Fat: 17 grams

 

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Goat Cheese & Berry Greek Yogurt Bars

Picture courtesy of Yummly

Not all cheesecake needs to feature a mild cream cheese. This recipe does use Neufchatel, the French-style cream cheese with 1/3 the fat of regular, but it also calls for an equal amount of goat cheese to add distinctive flavor.

And while many berry cheesecakes simply fold the fruit into the filling, this has a quick berry jam layered in the middle and on top.

Serves 15

Ingredients

Crust:

15 regular Oreos

15 golden Oreos

1/4 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake:

2 packages (8 oz. each) Neufchatel cream cheese, softened

16 oz. goat cheese, room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Berry Swirl:

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch + 4 tsp. water

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 479

Protein: 16 grams

Carbs: 49 grams

Fat: 25 grams

 

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Too-Good Turtle Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Sprinkle Some Sugar

To make a light cheesecake taste indulgent, add an awesome topping like this combo of caramel and chocolate.

This caramel cheesecake starts with a simple base of fat-free Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and egg whites. What makes it special is the three-ingredient topping of crushed chocolate graham crackers, drizzled caramel dip, and chopped pecans.

Serves 8

Ingredients

16 oz. fat-free cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt, room temp.

1/2 cup liquid egg whites, room temp.

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. mini semisweet chocolate chips

4 chocolate graham crackers, crushed

1/4 cup light caramel dip

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 213

Protein: 12 grams

Carbs: 23 grams

Fat: 5 grams

 

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Red Velvet Oreo Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Oh Bite It

This red velvet cheesecake isn’t merely flavored like the cake – it’s actually covered in it. While the combo isn’t the most nutritious pairing, there are ways to tweak the concept.

Using reduced-fat Oreos and cream cheese will save 10 grams of fat, for example. Or, you can test out these assembly instructions with a low-fat Greek yogurt cheesecake, from-scratch red velvet cake batter, and protein-packed cream cheese frosting.

Serves 16

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake:

1 box (16 oz.) red velvet cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups water

Cheesecake:

2 boxes Oreos

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temp.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

Frosting:

1 container (16 oz.) cream cheese frosting, softened

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 610

Protein: 8 grams

Carbs: 69 grams

Fat: 36 grams

 

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Mini Apple Cheesecake Parfaits

Picture courtesy of Skinny Ms.

This deconstructed dessert allows you to enjoy the flavors of a homemade cheesecake – even if you’re a beginning baker. And just because you can make a whole cheesecake from scratch, that doesn’t mean you always want to.

This no-bake cheesecake is the perfect light dessert to end a meal that already requires hours in the kitchen. You can even make it in advance and keep the individual components or assembled cheesecakes in the fridge.

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 large apples, peeled and diced

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 Tbsp. coconut sugar

Pinch of sea salt

2/3 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

4 dates

1/2 cup walnut halves

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 165

Protein: 5 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 6 grams

 

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Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake with Peanut Butter Sauce

Picture courtesy of Protein Treats by Nicolette

This chocolate protein cheesecake has a light and fluffy texture. With that mousse filling and a simple peanut butter drizzle, you’ll never notice this is a healthy cheesecake with gluten-free crust and protein powder.

Baked in a smaller size, this chocolate cheesecake recipe will also stop you from overeating, so you can be satisfied and not feel haunted by leftovers.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Crust:

3 Tbsp. almond meal flour

2 Tbsp. coconut flour

1 1/4 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp. baking stevia or xylitol

Cheesecake:

3/4 scoop WHEY+ chocolate protein isolate

3 Tbsp. baking stevia

1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 egg whites

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Peanut Butter Topping:

2 Tbsp. peanut flour

Water to reach desired consistency

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 298

Protein: 22 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 13 grams

 

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Lemon Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares

Picture courtesy of The Healthy Family and Home

Not every decadent cheesecake is actually made with cheese.

To make a sumptuous vegan cheesecake, the secret is to make the filling with creamy cashews. All it takes to create a cheesecake-like texture is to blend them with maple syrup, coconut oil, and lemon juice.

Tree nuts are also used for the crust; pecans are mixed with a different ratio of syrup and coconut oil. So there’s no doubt this is a rich and satisfying dessert – even if you go without the awesome swirl of fresh blueberries on top.

Serves 16

Ingredients

Filling:

3 cups raw cashews

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 1/4 cups coconut oil

Crust:

2 cups pecans

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract)

Swirl:

1 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 469

Protein: 6 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 41 grams

 

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Key Lime Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Desserts with Benefits

Since key lime pie has such a clean, tart flavor, it can be adapted into a sugar-free cheesecake that’s still an impressive dessert. Greek yogurt and eggs make the filling creamy and thick, while a graham cracker crust adds the right contrast for the bright citrus cheesecake.

Once you fall in love with this recipe, pick up Naughty or Nice: The Ultimate Healthy Dessert Cookbook by Jessica Stier for a classic cheesecake version.

Serves 8

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. butter flavor

30 drops stevia extract

Cheesecake Filling:

2 1/2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt

3 large eggs

3 large egg whites

2 1/2 tsp. stevia extract

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Pinch of key lime zest

3/4 cup key lime juice, strained

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 140

Protein: 12 grams

Carbs: 10 grams

Fat: 8 grams

 

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Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust

Picture courtesy of Jeanette’s Healthy Living

An easy way to make an extra-special cheesecake is to switch out the crushed graham crackers for a chocolate crust. You can use chocolate cookies as a replacement, but this option is more wholesome with just four ingredients: almond flour, cocoa powder, butter, and brown sugar.

Then the cottage cheese filling quickly comes together, so you can get these muffin tin cheesecakes in the oven in about a half hour.

Serves 12

Ingredients

Chocolate Almond Crust:

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Skinny Cheesecake Filling:

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese, strained

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. lemon zest

2 large eggs

Berry Topping:

2 cups strawberries (or raspberries)

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 194

Protein: 8 grams

Carbs: 19 grams

Fat: 11 grams

 

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High-Protein Tiramisu Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Fitocracy

This is two desserts in one, and yet it has over 20 grams of protein per serving. Looking at the macros alone, you’d think this cheesecake was a light lunch or post-workout snack.

However, the crust is actually a modified confetti cake made with espresso and rum extract. The filling is fairly standard with cream cheese, eggs, and Greek yogurt – but there’s also casein for extra protein and a silky texture.

Serves 12

Ingredients

Tiramisu Cheesecake:

2 packages (8 oz. each) fat-free cream cheese

1/2 cup Splenda

1 3/4 cups (14 oz.) nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup nonfat milk

2 scoops vanilla casein powder

1 Tbsp. espresso powder

2 tsp. rum extract

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish

Crust:

1/3 package (about 2/3 cup) Funfetti cake mix

1 large egg

1 Tbsp. espresso powder

1 tsp. rum extract

1/4 cup water (or more for desired thickness)

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 185

Protein: 15 grams

Carbs: 22 grams

Fat: 3 grams

 

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Strawberry Protein Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Protein POW

This healthy cheesecake recipe has a unique idea for adding protein: the crust is replaced with a protein bar. It’s softened up and then blended with peanut butter and chopped nuts to make the base.

And with a filling of whey protein powder, egg whites, and Greek yogurt, this strawberry cheesecake winds up with over 20 grams of protein per slice, yet less than 200 calories.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 Strawberry Cheesecake Quest Bar

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1/2 cup ground almonds (or nuts of choice)

2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt

2 scoops (1/2 cup) WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate

1 cup liquid egg whites

1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 170

Protein: 21 grams

Carbs: 9 grams

Fat: 6 grams

 

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Lighter New York Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Dishmaps

Make this low-fat traditional cheesecake at home, and you’ll never take a gamble on another flavorless, gummy, store-bought slice.

This recipe is from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, which means it’s been baked by food scientists and test cooks in many iterations to nail this perfect New York cheesecake. It goes to show that low-fat doesn’t have to mean lackluster.

Pick up the cookbook for 800 foolproof recipes for lightened up versions of popular recipes like pancakes, meatloaf, and carrot cake.

Serves 8

Ingredients

Crust:

8 whole graham crackers

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Filling:

16 oz. low-fat cottage cheese

8 oz. low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs, room temp.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 363

Protein: 14 grams

Carbs: 55 grams

Fat: 10 grams

 

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Honey Ricotta Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Red Cookbook

You won’t believe how awesome this five-ingredient cheesecake can be. Featuring flavors of ricotta and honey, it’s an ideal way to end a rustic Italian meal.

But then this classic cheesecake is also healthy enough to have for breakfast the next day with a dollop of thick yogurt and a garnish of fresh berries. After all, it’s just ricotta and eggs with about a teaspoon of honey per serving.

Serves 10

Ingredients

600 g (about 2 1/2 cups) ricotta cheese

1/4 cup pure honey (or maple syrup)

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 134

Protein: 9 grams

Carbs: 11 grams

Fat: 6 grams

 

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Boston Cream Cheesecake

Picture courtesy of Low-Carb Yum

This is one cheesecake you have to taste to believe. It’s not just a sour cream cheesecake. Instead of crust, this over-the-top dessert has a whole layer of almond cake.

In this version of Boston cream pie, the cheesecake stands in for pastry cream, so believe it or not the result is even richer than the original. This isn’t an everyday dessert, but a great one to request for a birthday or bake for a special occasion.

Serves 16

Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup xylitol

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Cheesecake:

3 packages (8 oz. each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup xylitol

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

Chocolate Ganache:

6 Tbsp. heavy cream

3 oz. low-carb dark chocolate

1 Tbsp. butter

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 280

Protein: 7 grams

Carbs: 13 grams

Fat: 23 grams

 

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Pumpkin Gingerbread Cheesecake Bars

Picture courtesy of Protein Cakery

Need a healthy treat to stand in for holiday indulgences?

This pumpkin protein cheesecake is perfect because it’s still special for the season with plenty of wintry flavors, and it’s full of rich ingredients like cashew butter and cream cheese.

The gingerbread crust really takes this pumpkin cheesecake to the next level. Yet each square has about 100 calories and delivers more protein than fat or carbs.

Serves 16

Ingredients

Crust:

1/3 cup cashew butter

2 Tbsp. filtered water

1 Tbsp. molasses (or agave nectar)

1/3 cup vanilla rice protein powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. salt

Cheesecake:

1 package (8 oz.) Neufchatel cheese

2 large eggs

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 scoop (1/4 cup) WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate

4 packets stevia

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 113

Protein: 9 grams

Carbs: 5 grams

Fat: 7grams

 

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Protein Cheesecake Bites

Picture courtesy of Fitfluential

Although these desserts look like muffins at first glance, they’re actually individually sized protein cheesecakes.

They’re easy to make too with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, and protein powder. Blend in a bit of sweetener and vanilla extract, or customize with fresh fruit and chocolate chips. Even if you go with full-fat cream cheese, each one comes out to less than 200 calories with about 10 grams of fat.

Serves 12

Ingredients

12 oz. fat-free cream cheese

12 oz. nonfat plain Greek yogurt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 scoops WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Calories: 119

Protein: 13 grams

Carbs: 15 grams

Fat: 1 gram

 

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What did you think of these healthy cheesecake recipes? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!