Saturday, September 3, 2011

No-Bake Honey Yogurt Cheesecake

honey yogurt cheesecake

Believe it or not, the last place I wanna be this Labor Day weekend is in a hot kitchen.  So I'm giving my oven the day off and I'm making something quick so I can just chillax for the rest of the weekend. What's the magic ingredient of this simple and easy dessert? Greek yogurt.

greek yogurt

One day, I was having breakfast with my sister and she introduced me to Greek yogurt.  At first I wasn't sure if I was gonna like it (too healthy for me, I thought) but once I tried it, I was pretty much hooked ever since.  I love how rich and creamy it tastes, unlike other yogurts I've eaten in the past. And when you top it with some fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey, it's like you're eating dessert for breakfast!  So with that thought swirling in my head, I wondered if I could create a delicious dessert using Greek yogurt. And the answer is yes :-)

Greek yogurt

This light and luscious cheesecake is so deceptively indulgent and it's virtually effortless to make.  Instead of adding whipped cream, which is what most no-bake cheesecakes call for, I used thick and creamy (not to mention healthy) Greek yogurt.  Drizzle a little bit of honey on top and serve with some fresh fruit and voila! You got yourself a decadent cheesecake that's actually good for you :-)

honey yogurt cheesecake

HAVE A WONDERFUL LABOR DAY :-) 

No-Bake Honey Yogurt Cheesecake
Makes 8-12 servings
Allergy Note: contains dairy and wheat ingredients

filling:
two 8-oz. bars of cream cheese
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt, plain
1 Tbs. lemon juice

crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbs. butter, melted
3 Tbs. granulated sugar

honey
fresh fruit to garnish (optional)

For the crust:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until blended. Press onto the bottom of a well-greased 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan and up the sides about an inch (a spring form pan, tart pan or even individual ramekins will work too). Place in the refrigerator to chill.

For the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the honey, sugar and vanilla extract. Add in the Greek yogurt and lemon juice; mix until blended . Pour the filling over the chilled graham cracker crust and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.

Serve with a drizzle of honey and some fresh fruit.


Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post.  I just love them and wanted to share them with you :-)

6 comments:

  1. Just wanted to say and thanks for existing! i think my son and your child may have the same allergies, eggs, tree nuts, and peanuts. as an avid baker myself ( i even took a 16 wk baking certificate class) it's so difficult to find recipes that work without eggs. many vegan recipes use nut flours and i've experimented by altering recipes only to end up with cheesecake textured cakes. love the wacky cake but that can get old quickly. can't wait to go thru your old posts and start baking!

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  2. any suggestions on adding pumpkin to make this a pumpkin cheesecake? :o)

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  3. What a great idea for Thanksgiving! You can try replacing 1/2 cup of the Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree and adding 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice :-)

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  4. Is the honey needed for texture or something? Or is it just for flavor? I'm just wondering if there are substitutes you recommend for the honey (I don't always have honey around) Also, best way to experiment with flavors for this cheesecake? I'm not too experienced with experimenting with my cooking :)

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  5. Made this today. So easy. Wonderful that I get to bring a dessert for everyone else AND my allergy boy. Thanks!

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  6. anonymous...I believe the honey is just for sweetening it is a good flavorful natural sweetener. Substitutes for honey are agave nectar, maple syrup or...you could use corn-syrup(not as healthy) or simple sugar made from a natural sugar might work http://cocktails.about.com/od/mixology/r/simple_syrup.htm
    or
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43nfpIFuMkc
    using simple sugar or corn-syrup. you will want to add some extra flavoring. I would suggest 2 tsp of vanilla or
    1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp lemon(orange,almond ect...) extract depending on the flavor you want.( if you use orange or almond replace or leave out lemon juice) pure vanilla or almond would taste good in a Oreo or chocolate graham cracker crust.
    want to add something soft like pumpkin or jam cut back on yogurt and don't add lemon juice(unless the flavor would be good with what your adding)
    substitute different concentrated juices for the lemon juice or 2 tsp of extract(1tsp might be enough for you I like a bit of flavor)
    change up the crust with flavored gram crackers and different cookies like Oreo, nillas ect...
    drizzle with you favorite syrup or ice cream topping.
    you could have a different cheese cake each time you make it.
    happy experimenting.
    Thank you for this awesome recipe. It is great!! I have been looking for a replacement to heavy cream as it makes me and my baby girl sick. This was perfect.

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