Cheesecake is one of my favorite foods, ever. I always get sick every time I eat it, so here’s a lightened-up cheesecake that I can eat without destroying my entire GI tract. Neufchâtel cheese has a lot less fat than regular cream cheese, but it tastes the same and works just as well in a cheesecake (or any other cream cheese-related application.)

Print Recipe

Ricotta and Yogurt Cheesecake

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Servings: 6

Calories: 251kcal

Equipment

6-inch springform pan

Ingredients

2 whole sheets of graham crackers
2 ounces Neufchâtel cheese
½ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
16 ounces part skim ricotta cheese
½ cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 large egg
2 tablespoon liquid egg whites
2 tablespoon all-purpose white flour
fresh berries of choice (I used blueberries and blackberries)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 °Fand lightly spray a 6" springform pan with nonstick spray.
Crush the graham crackers up and put them in the bottom of the pan. An easy way to do this is to put the graham crackers in a plastic bag and steamroller them with a rolling pin.
With an electric mixer, beat the Neufchâtel cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, egg and egg whites. Beat on medium-low until well combined.
Add flour and continue to beat until well-combined.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the graham cracker crumbs.
Bake at 300 °F for about 45 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set around the edges and still jiggle in the middle. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and let the cheesecake stand in the oven for 30 more minutes — this will help prevent cracking on top.
Transfer the cheesecake pan to a cooling rack and let it cool completely, about 1½ hours. When the cheesecake has cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pan and release the sides of the pan. Then, put it straight into the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it.
Top the cheesecake with berries of your choice.