This cottage cheese cheesecake is my new favorite healthy cheesecake recipe! It tastes creamy and not overly sweet, with hints of lemon and vanilla. Even better, it is high protein, sugar free and low in saturated fat.
Eating high protein, moderate fat and low carb really agrees with my middle aged self. Which makes this cottage cheese cake the perfect dessert for me. It's secretly healthy, but you'd never guess!
Instead of masses of cream and cream cheese (which can sit in your tummy like a rock), my recipe calls for cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. The result is light and nourishing, yet the taste is surprisingly decadent - like a "proper" cheesecake.
In fact, it reminds me of the traditional German cheesecake, which is made with quark.
Love cottage cheese desserts? Also try my protein fluff and this chocolate protein pudding.
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What's To Love About This Recipe
Awesome Protein Boost. I'm proud to say that one serving of my Cottage cheesecake recipe has over 15 grams of protein! Not bad for a slice of cake, right?
Low in carbs AND low in saturated fats. This is a great sweet treat for anyone working on lowering cholesterol levels. It is also keto friendly, because we're using a sugar free sweetener and making an almond flour crust - our healthy version of a Graham cracker crust.
So easy. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a blender. You prep it in minutes! Also, this is a baked cheesecake, but it turns out perfectly without a water bath. I'd say the hardest thing is the wait until it has fully cooled down and you can eat it 😉
Tasty! 100% cheesecake flavor and texture, without all the fat and sugar.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
CRUST
- Almond flour - Almonds are another great source of protein!
- Olive oil - I used a neutral-tasting light olive oil as an alternative to butter. Olive oil is low in saturated fats.
- Sweetener - Any sweetener works, I chose allulose.
- Vanilla Extract - The vanilla flavor ensures you can't detect the olive oil!
(The crust is optional and I have not included the crust ingredients in the image above.)
FILLING
- Cottage cheese - I recommend 2% cottage cheese, but any cottage cheese will work. I also tested the recipe with fat free cottage cheese. The version with 2% fat tastes a little richer. Either way, make sure the cottage cheese is firm. If it is runny, put it in a colander in the sink and let any liquid drain off first.
- Yogurt - Adds flavor and tanginess. I went for Fage Greek yogurt. This is a firm yogurt with a fat content of 5%.
- Eggs - We want large, room temperature eggs.
- Protein Powder - I added whey protein powder to firm up the cheesecake filling and to add extra protein. This is a replacement for the cornstarch, all purpose flour or instant vanilla pudding that's often used in regular baked cheesecake. The brand I use often is called Bulk.
- Sweetener - I used Allulose, which is a zero carb sugar replacement. Any other sweetener of your choice must be powdered to avoid grittiness. See the FAQ section for more info on sweeteners.
- Flavor: Lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract. The lemon really lifts the flavor! You don't need extra salt because cottage cheese is quite salty.
Instructions
It is simple to make a healthy cottage cheese cheesecake. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
PREPARATIONS
Preheat the oven to 160 C / 325F. Cheesecakes should not bake at higher temperatures than that or they will over-brown or split.
Line the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides liberally with oil.
BASE
STEP 1
Stir together the ingredients for the crust in a small bowl.
STEP 2
Press the mixture firmly it into the lined springform pan and bake until golden.
COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING
STEP 3
Blend the cottage cheese with the yogurt, sweetener, protein powder, vanilla and lemon until smooth. We don't want to see or taste any curds! (Can you see in the image where I dipped my finger to test it?)
I used a food processor, but handheld electric blender will work as well.
STEP 4
Now, add the eggs. We only blend very briefly here until the eggs are just incorporated.
ASSEMBLY & OVEN BAKE
STEP 5
Pour the cottage cheesecake filling onto the crisp base...
STEP 6
... and bake the cheesecake until it is lightly golden on top, with a gentle jiggle in the middle.
STEP 7
Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar to let it cool down slowly. This is another trick to prevent cheesecake from splitting. What we are trying to avoid is any sudden temperature changes.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Don't over-blend the eggs. We don't want tons of air bubbles in the cheesecake filling. This can cause the cake to crack or collapse. Blend only briefly and lightly pound the mixture on the kitchen worktop to release any bubbles.
#2 We want the jiggle. The cake should still have a wobble in the middle (no wetness). This means it's ready. It will set further as it cools. Also, the cheesecake rises as it bakes and then settles back down as it cools.
#3 Let it rest. Cottage Cheesecake needs time to cool down fully. After it reaches room temperature, refrigerate it for at least 2 hours in the springform. I left mine overnight.
#4 Run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake before you release it from the form.
Why Protein Powder Is Important
I made the cake a few times until I got it right. The first time, I did not use any protein powder. The cake looked great, but it released a lot of liquid after it cooled down, which seeped into the crust.
That's why I added the protein powder the next time round. This helped give it the perfect creamy cheesecake texture. In my opinion, it is essential for the success of the cake.
Don't like or have whey protein powder? Use arrowroot flour instead (note this will increase the carbs and you may only need 3 tablespoons). I don't recommend using any other protein powders here. I also wonder if finely ground coconut flour (about 1.5 tablespoons) may be an alternative.
Recipe Notes
Flavor
- Lemon: I love the zinginess of lemon, but if you dislike lemon, just use more vanilla
- Sweetener: The filling is not overly sweet, which is how I prefer it. If you have a sweet tooth, add more to taste. All sweeteners must be powdered.
- Even more richness: Swap out some or all the yogurt for cream cheese.
Eggs
I made the cake with 3 and with 4 eggs. Both versions work. The 3-egg-cake was softer and tasted less rich. I preferred the version with 4 eggs.
Use a Tray
A little liquid seeped out of my springform while baking (my cake pan was on a wire rack). If yours does too, a tray at the bottom of the oven will catch that and makes cleaning up easier.
Toppings
Cheesecake with cottage cheese tastes delicious without toppings. But you know me, I love to decorate all my cakes. Here are a few ideas:
- Make a quick raspberry coulis like I did in the image above - mash raspberries with a fork and add ground chia seeds to thicken, or make a batch of my sugar free raspberry jam
- Dust with powdered sweetener and decorate with blueberries, raspberries or strawberries
- Sugar free strawberry sauce
- Add more citrus with this sugar free orange marmalade or sugar free lemon curd
- Make it festive with keto cranberry sauce
- Drizzle with sugar free chocolate sauce or peanut butter (in this case, omit the lemon zest in the cake and double up on the vanilla).
Recipe FAQs
I recommend it. Prebaking the crust makes it firm and crisp. It also prevents the filling from seeping into the crust and making it soggy.
Yes, you can simply omit it and make a crustless cheesecake. Be sure to line the springform pan with parchment so that it does not stick!
For a sugar free cake, choose xylitol, monk fruit, stevia sweeteners or Bocha Sweet. All must be powdered. I don't recommend liquid sweeteners including honey because you'd add additional moisture that change the texture of the cake. Keep in mind that allulose is less sweet than sugar. If you use 1:1 sugar substitutes (most blends are), start with about 2 tablespoons less and take it from there.
Yes. I tested the cake in an 8-inch (20cm) springform. This yielded a slightly flatter cake. It also bakes quicker, in just over 45 minutes.
Storage
Cottage cheesecake stays fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
It is possible to freeze this cake and I reommend that you slice it into individual slices first. Note that it tastes best while it is still half-frozen, like a semifreddo dessert. Once it has defrosted fully, it becomes softer and a little watery.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
First of all, you HAVE to try my cottage cheese cookies! Here are more must makes:
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Recipe
Cottage Cheese Cheesecake
Equipment
- 7-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Crust (optional)
- 1.5 cups almond flour or ground almonds, 150g
- 2 tablespoon light olive oil or use melted butter, 27g
- 2 tablespoon allulose or sweetener of choice
- 1-2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups cottage cheese 2%, 480g, room temperature, drain liquid if necessary
- 1 cup Greek yogurt I used Fage 5%, 240g, room temperature
- ½ cup allulose 90g, or use a powdered sweetener of choice
- ¼ cup whey protein powder 25g
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon grated finely
- 4 eggs large, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C / 325F electric. Line the bottom of a 7-inch springform with parchment paper. Grease the sides with oil.
Crust
- Stir together all ingredients for the crust (almond flour, sweetener, olive oil, vanilla) in a small bowl with a fork until the mixture resembles crumbles.
- Press the almond flour crust into the base of the springform and compact well.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven.
Filling
- Blend the room temperature cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, whey protein powder, sweetener, lemon juice and zest and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth. Make sure no lumps remain!
- Now add the eggs and blend briefly until they are just incorporated. Don't over-blend! If air bubbles form, gently pound the blender bowl on the counter to release them. Test and adjust sweetness to taste.
Assembly & Bake
- Pour the cottage cheese filling into the springform over the base. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes - 1 hour or until the top is lightly golden, the sides are firm and the centre still has a wobble when you gently tap the form. ***see notes
After Baking
- Turn off the oven and leave the door half open to let the cake cool slowly to room temperature (1 hour).
- Once the cake is at room temperature, transfer it to the fridge to cool for a further 1-2 hours or overnight (leave it in the springform).
- Run a knife along the edges of the springform, then open and remove it. Slide the cake onto a serving plate or cake stand. Decorate with berries or serve with sugar free strawberry sauce or sugar free raspberry jam.
Notes
***After Baking: The cake continues to set as it cools down. It is important that it cools slowly, so it does not split. Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
janni
Could I Double the recipes and use the 9 inch pan?
Katrin Nürnberger
In theory, that could work. You woud have to test the oven timings though. As I mentioned in your earlier comment, I do prefer if you make the recipe as written first because I can guarantee that it will work!
janni
Well, I finally got my whole fat yogurt, but my springform is a 9 inch! I don't plan on making a crust. Is there anything else I could use? If I completely lined 8 inch metal Pan with parchment paper, could that work? I also want to make your new chocolate Cottage cheesecake which calls for a 7 inch also. If you tell me it's really worth it I will try to buy the 7 inch but times are tight. Thank you so much for your help. I love your recipes:)
Katrin Nürnberger
I always recommend to make the recipes first as written and I do think a 7 inch springform is a very useful pan size for low carb baking. Cheesecakes are trickier to lift than regular cakes, which is why I think a springform is the best option. I wouldn't want your cake to break in half when you're removing it from the pan! The only other type of pan that I could imagine working ok is a loose bottom pan so you can support the weight of the cake the bottom centre.