THE BEST HEALTHY CHEESECAKE RECIPE

So, you’re looking for a healthy cheesecake recipe, but you just can’t believe that greek yogurt in cheesecake can actually taste good. My friends, this recipe is for you! Instead of 59 grams of fat, this healthy cheesecake recipe only has 8 grams of fat! Plus no refined sugar, a dairy-free option, and an easy 2 ingredients crust that can easily be made gluten-free!

Is Cheesecake Healthy?
Oh glorious cheesecake. Why do you have to be so high in fats, carbs, and sugar? Sorry to break it to you, but regular cheesecake is not healthy. It’s loaded with refined sugar, and fats. I mean the name should kind of give it away, right? CHEESEcake.

BUT, I have great news for you! This healthy cheesecake recipe really is healthy! The 2 ingredient graham cracker crust is sweetened with dates (an amazing low sugar, natural sweetener, read more here), and the healthy cheesecake filling is sweetened with pure maple syrup! I love using 100% pure maple syrup to naturally sweeten so many of my healthy recipes here on the blog. From my birthday cake banana bread, to my healthy homemade nutella, I fall in love with maple syrup over and over again for its rich antioxidant properties and low glycemic index.

Best Healthy Cheesecake Recipe
Just like my dairy-free vegan mousse cake, I’m not kidding when I say this cheesecake is extremely healthy, but extremely delicious. This cake was devoured in about 3 days when I had my family members try it. Many of them went back for seconds and they couldn’t believe it was healthy. They all adored the crust and thought the filling tasted even better than unhealthy cheesecake!

Healthy Baked Cheesecake
If you’re looking for a recipe that’s healthy and quick to bake, check out my gluten-free lava cakes, because this cheesecake does take a hot minute (more like hot hour) to bake. First, we prebake the crust a little just to get it slightly golden and fragrant. Then, the cheesecake is baked at a low temperature, 325 F. for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Yes, this healthy cheesecake does require a lot of patience and waiting time, but trust me, it’s BEYOND worth it!
Healthy Cheesecake Recipe No Sugar
I was trying to find a healthy greek yogurt cheesecake without any sugar and it was very hard to find on the internet! A lot of recipes pose to be “healthier” because of the greek yogurt used, but they all have a ton of processed white sugar in them. This is neither helpful or health beneficial in any way. I really wanted to test a cheesecake recipe using 100% pure maple syrup in the filling. So, I tried it, and it worked out perfectly! We only use ½ cup too, which is such a small amount for this large cake. Similar to my healthy fruit pizza recipe, you can totally try using honey or monk fruit sweetener if you want this cheesecake to be completely sugar free.

maple syrup sugar free cheesecake
Healthy Cheesecake Base Alternative That Works!
I wanted this healthy cheesecake to actually taste like cheesecake and NOT like greek yogurt. This is why we use the base alternative of 2 blocks low fat cream cheese and 1 cup plain greek yogurt. This combination works perfectly and yields an extremely creamy and smooth cheesecake texture. Read notes at the bottom of the recipe if you want to make this cheesecake dairy-free too!

healthy cheesecake with strawberries
So, here it is. The moment you’ve been waiting for. You know the healthy ingredient alternatives we use for this cheesecake, and I hope you’re convinced that it tastes like the real deal. Now, to blow your socks off even more, here is the nutrition comparison of my Secretly Healthy Cheesecake and a slice of cheesecake from the cheesecake factory. Check out more of my nutrition comparison charts: Healthy Carrot Cake, Cosmic Brownies, Easy Nutella, Chocolate Mousse Cake

The Best Healthy Cheesecake Recipe

So, you’re looking for a healthy cheesecake recipe, but you just can’t believe that greek yogurt in cheesecake can actually taste good. My friends, this recipe is for you! Instead of 59 grams of fat, this healthy cheesecake recipe only has 8 grams of fat! Plus no refined sugar, a dairy-free option, and an easy 2 ingredients crust that can easily be made gluten-free!

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1½ Cups (11 sheets) Graham Crackers (can use gluten-free)
7 Large Pitted Medjool Dates (or 14 Deglet Noor Dates)
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Filling
2 Blocks (16 oz) Low Fat Cream Cheese Softened (can sub full fat or vegan cream cheese)
1 Cup Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (See Note 2 for dairy-free options)
½ Cup Pure Maple Syrup (See Note 3 for substitutions)
2 Eggs
1 Tbs Lemon Juice (I used fresh)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbs Cornstarch (Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour should also work)
Instructions
1. Soak dates in boiling water about 10 minutes to get them soft.

2. Grease 9 inch springform pan and adjust two oven racks, one in the middle and one on the bottom. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Make the crust: Blend or pulse graham crackers in a high-speed blender or food processor. Drain the water from the soaked dates, add them to the blender. Pulse again until a dough forms. Scraping down the sides when needed. (Dough should be crumbly, but stick together when pressed between fingers.)

4. Transfer crust mixture to springform pan and press down into an even layer and up the sides a little. (The crust may dry out a little if sitting on the counter, so just add a few drops of water to it when pressing into pan).

5. Bake crust for 5-7 minutes at 350 F. until fragrant and slightly golden. After baking, reduce oven temperature to 325 F. Allow crust to cool to room temperature (I popped mine in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to speed this process up).

6. Make the filling: Beat softened cream cheese and yogurt until smooth (make sure your cream cheese is very soft to ensure the smoothest texture). Add in maple syrup, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and cornstarch and mix until just combined (DON’T OVERMIX).

7. Pour cheesecake batter into crust, smooth top, and lightly drop on the counter a couple times to remove any air bubbles.

8. Fill a large baking dish halfway with water (I used my 9×13 Pyrex dish) and place on the lower oven rack (See Note 1 for explanation of this).

9. Place cheesecake on middle rack and bake 50-60 minutes at 325 F. or until the middle is just set and the sides are slightly puffed. The middle should jiggle slightly like jello.

10. Turn off oven and open door. Leave cheesecake in until slightly cooled (about an hour). Then chill cheesecake in the refrigerator 4-6 hours or preferably overnight to allow it to set completely.

11. Serve with berries, whipped cream, or chocolate sauce! Store cheesecake covered in cling wrap in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Notes
Why do you need the extra baking dish with water? Cheesecakes LOVE moisture! Adding the extra water in there is a tip I learned from Sally!
Make This Cheesecake Dairy-Free! You can swap the cream cheese with vegan cream cheese and the greek yogurt for a non-dairy yogurt of choice. (I have not tested this, but I would love to know how it turns out if you try it!)
Maple Syrup Alternatives: You can use honey or monk fruit sweetener in place of the maple syrup. I haven’t tried this, but it should work out well!