The best low calorie cheesecake

A cheesecake is probably the only dessert that can perfectly balance a ton of flavors and satisfy every sweet craving you’ve ever had. The only thing that could improve a perfectly velvety, sweet and tangy cheesecake is if it was lower in calories without compromising taste. Well, thats exactly what this low calorie cheesecake recipe is! The perfect cheesecake, just super low in calories 🙂

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If you’ve ever wanted to eat an entire cheesecake that isn’t over 2000 calories then you’re in for a treat. This low calorie cheesecake is not only super easy to make, it is one of the nicest cheesecakes I’ve ever had (and that’s coming from a cheesecake lover who has one for each birthday instead of a regular cake)! If you enjoyed my low calorie mini New York style cheesecakes, you’re going to absolutely love this recipe too!

My least favourite thing about making cheesecake is the water bath situation. I can’t be the only one who absolutely hates when a recipe requires a water bath because it is so faffy. I once had my cheesecake melt into the water bath because the bottom wasn’t sealed properly and what a complete waste of time and ingredients that was. So of course, this recipe requires no water bath for the easiest cheesecake ever!

If I haven’t convinced you enough already that this cheesecake is THE cheesecake recipe for you, then I’m just going to add that you only need 9 ingredients to make it! That’s right, 9 ingredients for the most delicious, silky-smooth low calorie cheesecake you’ll ever have!

Ingredients

Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.

To make this low calorie cheesecake you will need:

Rich tea biscuits / graham crackers – To make the cheesecake crust, you’ll need some rich tea biscuits or graham crackers if you’re based in the US. Rich tea biscuits are very low in calories and work great to make cheesecake bases.

Stevia – Stevia will be used in both the crust and the cheesecake filling. It is a natural sweetener that contains 0 calories! You can use any 0 calorie sweetener but stevia is my personal favorite to bake with.

Reduced fat butter – A little reduced fat butter goes a long way. You only need a small amount to hold together the crust.

Philadelphia lightest – Philadelphia lightest is my absolute favorite cream cheese! It works great not only for cheesecakes, but for so many other recipes like low calorie frosting. You can use low-fat cream cheese if Philadelphia lightest isn’t available to you. It is equivalent to 3% fat cream cheese so if you can find that then great!

Egg – 1 large egg.

Fat-free yogurt – I used 0% fat greek yogurt for this recipe. Not only does it add volume to the cheesecake, but it also creates the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake when mixed with cream cheese. It also adds that classic cheesecake tang which we all love.

Flour – A small amount of flour helps the cheesecake set without the need for a water bath.

Vanilla – No cheesecake is complete without a hint of vanilla!

Lemon juice – For that extra tangy flavor.

How to make low calorie cheesecake

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (356°F).
2. Start by making the crust. In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs, melted butter and stevia until combined. The texture should be crumbly.
3. Transfer the crust to a 6-inch cake tin lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside.
4. Make the cheesecake filling as the crust cools by combining the egg, cream cheese, yogurt, stevia, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth and well combined. Sift in the flour and mix again until well combined.
5. Transfer the batter to the cake tin, I prefer straining it in to ensure there are no lumps. Carefully Place the cheesecake in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge to set for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight is preferred.
7. Once the cheesecake is set, slice and enjoy!

Top tips

Use room temperature ingredients – Ingredients that are all the same temperature incorporate better. That means you’ll be less likely to over-mix the batter to get a smooth, silky cheesecake! Leave the egg, cream cheese and yogurt out to reach room temperature before making the cheesecake.

Don’t over-mix the batter – Over mixing the batter only leads to one thing – cracks! No one wants to see cracks all over their cheesecake so make sure you whisk just until the ingredients are well combined and no more.

Strain the cheesecake batter – If you see any lumps in your batter, it’s better to strain it rather than continuing to whisk which risks over-mixing the batter. By straining the batter, you get all the lumps out without over-mixing!

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