Easy No Bake Protein Cheesecake

This high-protein no-bake cheesecake is creamy, delicious, and made with better-for-you ingredients, delivering classic cheesecake flavor with a nutritious twist. Pie yields 6 large slices or 8 small slices. The homemade graham cracker crust is optional, but highly recommended!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Refrigerating time 6

Total Time 6 10

Servings servings

Calories 163kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Mixer or food processor

Ingredients

9" prepared graham cracker pie crust homemade or store-bought (regular or gluten-free)
.25 oz unflavored gelatin (1 packet)
¼ cup water
8 oz block low-fat cream cheese softened to room temp
1 cup low-fat plain skyr or plain Greek yogurt
1 cup Good Culture cottage cheese whipped *I use a stick blender and blend it right in the container
¼ cup Splenda sugar blend or sweetener of choice *see notes
2 tsp good-quality vanilla extract
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest *I use the zest of one whole lemon

Instructions

Prepare the graham cracker pie crust and set aside to cool to room temperature (or use your favorite store-bought crust). You can also make this as a crustless cheesecake or serve it in single-serving parfait dishes.
Bloom the gelatin in ¼ cup of water, let sit for 5 minutes, then warm for 15-20 seconds in the microwave until dissolved. Stir and set aside.
In a large bowl (or food processor), beat the cream cheese, skyr, whipped cottage cheese, sweetener, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest until completely smooth and creamy. *I use the whisk attachment for this on my stand mixer.
Slowly beat in the gelatin mixture until combined.
Pour into a prepared crust, spreading the filling into an even layer, and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm and set.

Notes

- Don’t overheat the gelatin. After blooming the gelatin in cool water, microwaving the mixture for 15-20 seconds is plenty. Just give it a good stir and minute or two to cool off (but don’t let it set!) before mixing it into the filling. If it gets too hot, it can lose some of its gelling power, causing the dairy to curdle.
- Make sure the filling is well-blended. Once the assembled cheesecake is in the fridge, it’s not getting any smoother, so take your time slowly stirring in the gelatin and then whipping it all together until the mixture is lump-free and silky smooth. You can also use a food processor instead of a stand mixer for a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Chill at least 6 hours, but overnight is even better. This gives the gelatin time to set fully and helps the flavors meld. Trust me, you’ll get much cleaner slices if it’s had the whole night to chill.
- Sweetener options. The Splenda sugar blend sweetener conversion is 1/4 cup of the Splenda blend for 1/2 cup of regular sugar. If you make a sweetener swap, you'll need 1/2 cup of another sweetener of choice (if using a granulated sweetener, go with white sugar or a white sugar substitute). I've also made this recipe with 1/3 cup good-quality maple syrup with great results. It will be a softer set before chilling, but it firms up nicely as it chills overnight. Honey can be used instead of maple syrup, if preferred.
- Go crustless – If you’re looking for a more macro-friendly, low-carb take, skip the crust altogether and spread the filling directly in a 9-inch pie pan before chilling it overnight. You can also divide the filling mixture into small ramekins, parfait glasses, or cute little mason jars to make crustless mini cheesecakes.

Nutrition