No need to sacrifice when you’re looking for a lightened up dessert. This skinny cheesecake is crave-worthy with way fewer calories!
Cheesecake is one of those desserts people often avoid making, especially when they want to make something lightened up. However, it’s really simple if you follow a few key important steps. Do you think you have what it takes? You do, but first you should check out these simple tips that will help you make the perfect cheesecake even when you want to make it a skinny cheesecake!
You’ll want to bake your skinny cheesecake in a springform pan so you can remove the cheesecake easily by releasing the sides. Trust me, it will make your life that much easier. Here’s one we like.
To make this skinny cheesecake lighter without sacrificing texture and flavor, I use Greek yogurt because it’s nice and creamy while adding a little extra protein. Then I swap cream cheese out for Neufchâtel cream cheese because it’s lower in fat but still gives the cheesecake the proper consistency. Just be sure you don’t start mixing your cheesecake batter until the eggs, Greek yogurt and Neufchâtel cream cheese are all at room temperature so it mixes together smoothly. No one likes lumps in their cheesecake, right?!
The next step you want to remember is to bake your cheesecake in a water bath, as instructed in our tips post mentioned above. I use a roasting pan. This is done to prevent any cracks from forming on the top of the cheesecake. But hey, sometimes cracks still happen. If they do, top your cheesecake with a smear of Greek yogurt and some fresh raspberries and no one will notice.
Lastly, when the cheesecake finishes baking in the oven, don’t put it in the fridge right away to cool. Set it on a baking rack and slowly bring down the temperature of the cheesecake. Be patient, no one will sneak in with a fork without you catching them.
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Skinny Classic Cheesecake
No need to sacrifice when you’re looking for a lightened up dessert. This skinny cheesecake is crave-worthy with way fewer calories!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Crust
- 10 sheets of graham cracker (or 1 and 1/2 cups)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cinnamon
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 (8 oz) pkg. Neufchâtel cream cheese, room temperature so it’s softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs, separated, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a standard 9-inch springform pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper. Then wrap springform pan with foil on bottom and up around the edges.
- In a food processor, pulse breadcrumbs until crumbled. Add in melted butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon and pulse until moistened. Firmly press graham cracker mixture evenly into bottom of springform pan and bake for 5 minutes. Once done, set aside and begin cheesecake filling.
- In a stand mixer, cream together the softened cream cheese and sugar using the paddle attachment. Then add in flour, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Be careful not to overmix. Lastly, beat in the egg yolks one by one.
- In a hand mixer, beat egg whites until they form a soft peak. Fold egg whites into the cream cheese mixture then pour on top of crust.
- Place cheesecake into a water bath by putting springform pan into another larger pan and adding hot water until it is 1-2 inches up the side of the springform pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Do not open oven door when baking. After the 40 minutes, turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in oven for 30 minutes. Then crack the oven door open ever so slightly and let it cool in oven for another 30 minutes. Cool on the counter for another 30 minutes.
- Place in fridge for 8 hours, or overnight. Serve with fresh fruit.
I’ve read the ingredients and I womder how is this a skinny cheesecake?
Here is the info from the post about the swaps that make this a lighter version “I use Greek yogurt because it’s nice and creamy while adding a little extra protein. Then I swap cream cheese out for Neufchâtel cream cheese because it’s lower in fat but still gives the cheesecake the proper consistency.”