Cheesecake is such an indulgence. A good cheesecake is hard to beat, especially with fresh berries or a chocolate swirl. For me, a little slice goes along way. It’s definitely rich, but it’s oh so satisfying. I hardly ever make cheesecake, but when I get a craving for it, half the time I turn to Greek Yogurt Cheesecake. Speaking of cravings, I definitely made my husband run out a time or two during my last pregnancy to pick up some cheesecake slices. Baby wants what baby wants!
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake is an amazing spin on the classic because it has the same creaminess, but without the guilt. This recipe from Shine Food popped up in 2013 while I was scrolling the internet and I was instantly intrigued, mostly because the author writes, “A slice of Junior’s classic cheesecake is about 540 calories and 37 grams of fat, for instance. Our version is less than half the calories and contains only 10 grams of fat per serving.”
I whipped it up one afternoon and WOW! It was so incredibly tasty. I loved the lemon flavor, which can be easily interchangeable, and I loved the ease of putting it together. If classic cheesecake seems intimidating to bake, have no fear with this recipe. No water bath is required and graham cracker crust is one of the easiest pie bases to make. If you still feel in a pinch, a store bought graham cracker crust works fine. I felt like this recipe is the perfect jumping off point to get creative. Use different flavors of yogurt, maybe lime zest, or even a chocolate graham crust.
I had to do the ultimate recipe test to confirm this recipe was spot on. I served it to my parents without telling them it’s made with yogurt. They’re food traditionalists who don’t venture out much from their comfort zones. They both told me they enjoyed it and were surprised when I revealed they just ate cheesecake without cream cheese. I make my fair share of desserts, but during the warmer months, I always circle back to this Greek Yogurt Cheesecake.
Enjoy!
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake – From Shine Food
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs (6-8 whole cookies)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups plain Greek Yogurt (whole or 2%)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
To Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 300. Spray a 9" springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Break cookies and place in food processor. Pulse until ground into medium-fine crumbs (you can also make crumbs in blender or place crackers in a heavy duty plastic freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin.) Put into medium mixing bowl and stir in butter and sugar. Turn out into prepared springform pan. Using your fingers, press mixture into an even crust along the bottom. Bake for 10-15 minutes until firm and dry. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack.
To Make the Cheesecake Filling
- With an electric mixer, beat eggs until they are a pale yellow. Mix in sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla, and yogurt until light and slightly bubbly. Add lemon and lemon zest and mix until just incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared crust.
- Place in oven. Start checking cheesecake after 50 minutes and then every 5-10 minutes after that. Shake pan gently, the filling should look creamy but firm at the edges but still be slightly jiggly in the center. It will firm up as it cools. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) before serving.
- Top with fresh berries if desired
Notes
- A store bought graham cracker crust works great.
- Experiment with different yogurt flavors such as lime or raspberry. I have used vanilla Greek yogurt and omitted the vanilla extract.
