Healthy Protein Cheesecake
Description
Cheesecake for breakfast? I don't make the rules. Actually, I do, and this one says yes.
This High-Protein Cheesecake is stupidly creamy, ridiculously easy (one bowl, no blender, no fancy equipment) and packed with enough protein to make your gym trainer proud. Greek yoghurt and protein powder do the heavy lifting here, so you get that classic rich, dense cheesecake texture without needing half a block of butter to get there. Whip it up, bake it, chill it, and try to convince yourself it's "healthy" while eating a second slice. I won't tell.
Cheesecake
Easy Oat Base
Instructions
Easy Oat Base
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Preheat your oven to 160°C fan-forced, or 170°C conventional. Line the base of a 20 cm cake tin with baking paper.
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Mix the oats, applesauce, salt and 2 tbsp milk in a bowl. Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes so the oats soften up.
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Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the tin. If it's too dry to hold together, add another splash of milk.
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Bake the base for 8 minutes, then pull it out.
Cheesecake
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In the same bowl, soften the cream cheese with a wooden spoon or hand whisk.
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Add the yoghurt, protein powder, sweetener, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until reasonably smooth, don't stress about perfection here.
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Add the eggs and stir just until combined. A few tiny lumps are totally fine.
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Pour the filling over the oat base.
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Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. You're looking for set edges with a slight wobble in the middle, that's exactly what you want.
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Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake cool in there for 20 to 30 minutes.
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Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing. Overnight gives you the best texture if you can wait that long (I usually can't).
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 280kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 11g17%
- Saturated Fat 7g35%
- Total Carbohydrate 11g4%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 2g
- Protein 30g60%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
WANT IT LOW-CARB?
Easy. This version isn't strictly keto, but it'll cut the carbs down nicely:
- Swap the oat base for a thin crushed low-sugar granola base, or skip the base entirely.
- Use a plain Greek yoghurt with no added sugar.
- Go for a low-sugar protein powder.
- Use a zero-calorie sweetener instead of sugar, honey or maple syrup.
- Add lemon zest, vanilla or a few raspberries to switch up the flavour.
- Stick to 8 to 10 servings and check the nutrition panel on whatever brands you're using, they vary more than you'd think.
Honestly, the easiest move is to skip the base altogether and just bake the filling in a lined dish. Less effort, fewer carbs, still delicious.
WANT IT FULL KETO?
Oats are off the table here, so we're rebuilding the base from scratch.
Keto almond base
- 1 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 2 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 to 2 tbsp powdered erythritol or your keto sweetener of choice
- Pinch of salt
Mix it up, press it firmly into your tin, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes before adding your filling.
For the filling:
- Use unsweetened, full-fat or low-carb Greek yoghurt.
- Choose a protein powder with minimal sugar and carbs.
- Sweeten with erythritol, monk fruit or allulose instead of sugar.
- Skip the honey, maple syrup, dates, banana, regular granola and applesauce.
- Double check the total carbs in your yoghurt and protein powder, brands vary a lot more than you'd expect.
MAKE IT YOURS
Stir one of these into the filling before baking:
- Lemon: extra zest plus 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Chocolate: 1 to 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Berry: scatter berries on top before baking
- Peanut butter: 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter
- Coffee: 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
- Coconut: 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
PROTEIN POWDER TIP
If your mixture goes really thick after adding the protein powder, stir through 1 to 2 tbsp milk to loosen it up. Whey protein tends to firm things up and dry the texture slightly, while a whey-casein blend will give you a thicker, denser cheesecake.
Nutrition will shift depending on your exact brands, but split into eight slices, this is a serious protein hit, especially if you're using light cream cheese, Greek yoghurt and a protein powder sitting around 20 to 25 g of protein per scoop.
Note: Carbs shown are net carbs (total carbs minus fibre), as this is the figure most relevant for keto intake.
