This light cheesecake recipe is rich, decadent, and a great dessert to enjoy at the end of the night. The creamy cheesecake center goes so well with a tart yet sweet homemade berry chia jam. And it's the perfect treat for Valentine's Day (or really any day)!
Healthier Cheesecake Recipe
This is a healthier cheesecake recipe simply because it uses lower fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt as opposed to full fat. This will lower the total and saturated fat content without compromising too much on taste. However, going completely fat-free will alter the taste and texture (which we probably don't want!).
While this recipe is "lighter" than traditional cheesecake, it's still a dessert! As cliché as it is, you still want to consume it in moderation 🙂 Having the pre-portioned cheesecakes may help with this!
Easy Chia Seed Jam
Berry chia seed jam is super easy to make. All you need to do is cook down berries (fresh or frozen) and mash until they're pulpy. Remove from heat and stir in apple or orange juice, honey, and chia seeds. That's it! It will thicken into jam-like consistency as it cools.
I have a recipe just on easy berry chia seed jam if you're interested! You can sub really any fruit in the recipe to make whatever flavor jam you'd like.
Ingredient Highlights - Light Cheesecake Recipe
- Graham cracker crust - this is a combination of graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and water. These are classic ingredients for a graham cracker crust and it is so good I could eat it plain.
- Low-fat cream cheese - like I said above, using low-fat cream cheese cuts back on fat content without sacrificing taste and texture.
- Vanilla Greek yogurt - you can use fat-free or low-fat, or plain Greek yogurt! I like vanilla in this recipe because it adds some sweetness (this is a dessert after all). Plus Greek yogurt offers protein and probiotics!
- Sweetener - you can use maple syrup or honey here, whichever you prefer.
- Eggs + egg whites - this give bind the cheesecake and give it texture, plus some added protein and vitamin D.
- Chia jam - this is full of berries, which are loaded with nutrients like antioxidants and fiber, plus chia seeds, which are a source of healthy fats like omega 3s. Add a little honey and splash of apple or orange juice, and you have chia jam! Here is the full recipe.
Recipe FAQ
Cheesecakes can crack when they're overbaked or go from hot to cold (or vice versa) temperatures too quickly. My biggest recommendation is to place the muffin tin onto a large baking sheet that is at least 1" deep. Once these are positioned on the center rack in the oven, fill the baking sheet at least halfway with boiling water, then bake. This will keep the oven humid, which prevents the cheesecake from cracking!
You can put whatever toppings you'd like! I use berry chia jam in this recipe but fresh berries, mini chocolate chips, a drizzle of caramel (like this date caramel) would all be good!
The easiest way is to use low-fat dairy products. This recipe calls for low-fat cream cheese, as well as fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt instead of full-fat or full-fat sour cream!
Other Recipes You May Like
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Homemade Pop Tarts with Puff Pastry
- Creamy Date Caramel Dip
- Frozen Yogurt Granola Cups
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Rate & Review
If you made my light cheesecake recipe, please rate and review it below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!
PrintLight Cheesecake Recipe with Berry Chia Jam
This light cheesecake recipe is rich, decadent, and a great dessert to enjoy at the end of the night. The creamy cheesecake center goes so well with a tart yet sweet homemade berry chia jam. And it's the perfect treat for Valentine's Day (or really any day)!
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 18 cheesecakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 ½ cups (172g) graham cracker crumbs (~11 sheets)
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 ½ Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2-3 tsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 2-8oz blocks (447g) low-fat cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese), room temp
- 1 ½ cups (370g) fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (low-fat and/or plain Greek yogurt will work as well), room temp
- ⅓ cup (93g) real maple syrup or honey
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 large egg whites, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Boiling water for water bath
For the berry chia jam topping
- 2 cups (250g) fresh or frozen mixed berries (or any fruit!)
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 2 Tbsp real maple syrup or honey
- 2 Tbsp apple juice (or orange)
Instructions
For the topping
- Cook fruit over medium heat in a small saucepan until mushy (~8-10 minutes).
- Once cooked through, mash with a spatula.
- Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds, maple syrup or honey, and juice.
- Set aside while you make the cheesecakes. The jam will congeal as it cools!
For the crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tin with liners and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place graham crackers into a sealed plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin, measuring cup, etc. to get fine crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, mix crumbs, butter, sugar, 2 tsp water, vanilla, and salt. The texture should resemble wet sand; if it's too crumbly, add another teaspoon of water.
- Scoop ~1 ½ Tbsp of graham cracker mixture into prepared muffin tin sections and press down with the back of the tablespoon to form a crust. There should be enough crust for 18 cheesecakes.
- Bake crust for 7-9 minutes.
- Let cool while you make the filling.
For the filling
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and yogurt until fluffy, ~4-5 minutes.
- Add maple syrup or honey and mix.
- Add eggs and egg whites one a team, mixing after each addition. Scrap the sides and bottom of bowl.
- Add vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until just combined.
- Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop ¼ cup filling into each tin.
- Open the oven and place a large baking sheet (at least 1" thick) on a rack in the center of the oven. Place the filled muffin tin on top of that.
- Carefully pour hot or boiling water onto the baking sheet to create a water bath.
- Bake 20-22 minutes. The centers may be wobbly, which is okay!
- Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven and let cheesecakes cool for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove and place on a cooling rack while you make the second batch.
- Repeat crust process (press crumbs into prepared tin, bake, cool), fill with filling (scoop ¼ cup cheesecake filling into cooled tins), and bake. Let cool.
- Once cooled to room temperature, store in fridge until ready to serve.
- Once ready to serve, dollop 1-2 Tbsp chia seed jam on top of each cheesecake and enjoy!
Notes
- You can make the cheesecakes and jam a day ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- You can use a flavored yogurt to add extra flavor (this may change nutrition content below).
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free graham cracker crumbs!
- You can also use cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers to switch up flavors!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cheesecake
- Calories: 167
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 237
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 14
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 46
Keywords: berry cheesecake, easy berry cheesecake, light cheesecake recipe, low-fat cheesecake recipe, low-fat berry cheesecake, light berry cheesecake, valentines day, valentines day desserts, valentines day recipes, festive desserts, festive recipes
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