Bite-sized cheesecakes that leverage yogurt strained to make cream cheese. Relax and enjoy these low-fat cheesecakes over and over!
Ingredients for yogurt cheesecakes
Yogurt – Yogurt of your choice, whether regular yogurt or Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is somewhat thicker, and may result in denser cupcakes. We use strictly nonfat yogurt and nonfat Greek yogurt, but full fat of either is also perfect.
If using vanilla flavored yogurt skip the addition of vanilla.
Sour cream can also substitute for yogurt, and is a customary for cheesecakes. Fat free sour cream is more of a rare find, but full fat or light sour cream are readily accessible.
Other substitutes for yogurt are a combination of sour cream and heavy cream. For ½ cup yogurt, use ¼ cup sour cream and ¼ cup heavy cream.
Strained cream cheese yogurt – This refers to straining your yogurt of choice, whether regular yogurt or Greek yogurt. By straining the yogurt for several days, we remove the yogurt’s whey, or its residual liquid. Straining the yogurt results in a thick, cream cheese substitute we can use for cheesecakes. The “how to make cream cheese from yogurt” section below covers straining as a preliminary step.
Cream cheese – This recipe uses low-fat cream cheese; full fat is perfectly acceptable. These days fat free cream cheese is non-existent due to its low demand.
Sugar – Granulated sugar of choice. What I use: ½ tsp monk fruit powder and 2 tbsp sugar/sugar substitute.
Crust – Crackers of choice. Graham crackers, animal crackers, digestive biscuits, sugar free cookies, Oreo cookies, etc. are all good options. Or, swap the crackers out for oat flour, ground pita chips or tortilla chips, almond or other nut flour accompanied by some sugar and cinnamon.
Margarine – Can use butter or oil as a substitute, but not yogurt or water for a crisper, crunchier crust.
Flour is unnecessary, as this cheesecake hold up well without flour. Flour can detract from the taste and contribute to a denser cheesecake. Minor bubbles are also minimal and not a concern.
How to make make cream cheese from yogurt
One key pre-work ingredient for this recipe is strained yogurt. Strained yogurt entails removing enough whey liquid so that it resembles thick, cream cheese. Here are the easy steps:
1. Scrape yogurt into a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Take care not to press yogurt through the strainer. Wrap plastic wrap over and around the strainer where exposed to air.
2. Stir the yogurt daily; and remove any collected whey liquid (strained liquid in the bowl). Keep the whey liquid for its nutritional benefits (calcium, B vitamins [1]).
3. Refrigerate for at least 3 days or until yogurt has a cream cheese consistency.
4. The end result should be yogurt with a thick, cream cheese texture. Store any excess yogurt cream cheese in the freezer or refrigerate per the expiry on the yogurt. I like to make a big batch for other uses, such as spreads, or future cheesecakes.
Equipment
- Cupcake/muffin liners
- Muffin tin to hold cupcake/muffin liners
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
Yogurt Cheesecakes
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Loading...Bite-sized cheesecakes that leverage yogurt strained to make cream cheese. Relax and enjoy these low-fat cheesecakes over and over!
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 1 cup crushed crackers
- 2 tbsp. melted margarine
- For the filling:
- ½ cup nonfat yogurt
- ½ cup lowfat cream cheese (8 oz), room temperature
- ½ cup strained nonfat yogurt cream cheese (read blog)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (skip if using vanilla yogurt)
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ¾ cup sugar (or ½ tsp monk fruit powder + 2 tbsp sugar of choice)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs or 6 tbsp. liquid egg whites
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Place crackers in a food safe storage bag and pound until fine. Or, use a food processor to pulse crackers until fine.
Melt margarine over low heat in a saucepan. Add crumbs to saucepan (or margarine to food processor) and thoroughly combine. Lay cupcake liners down in a muffin tin. Press crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake cupcake liners for about 10 minutes until crust is crisp. Remove and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat together yogurt, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract if using, lemon zest and sugar until combined well. Take care not to introduce too much air. Mix in the eggs slowly by hand, being careful not to whip them.
Pour batter into cupcake liners, distributing evenly and filling to either ½ or ¾ full. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 F and the tops have smoothed and puffed, about 15-22 minutes, depending on size. Remove and cool to room temperature. The cheesecakes will deflate after cooling. Refrigerate to firm up, about 2 hours.
Garnish with desired toppings: fruit/fruit sauces, frostings, whipped cream, nuts, cookies, nut butters, melted dark/white chocolate, chocolate chips, toffee, butterscotch, caramel, fudge, pie filling, crackers, candy, pretzels, matcha, sugar, etc.
Serve or store covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
The tops will crack if overbaked.
A toothpick inserted into the center will come out seemingly under-cooked and wet with batter, but that is ok. The cheesecakes will firm up in the refrigerator.
Adding 2 tsp flour to the batter will smooth out cracks and lines, but is unessential for these cheesecakes. They hold up well without flour.
18-20 minutes in the oven work best for me.
Informational References
- [1] Uses for Whey From Strained Yogurt. Weekend.com.
