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Low Carb Cheesecake - No Bake, Low Fat Recipes - Healthy & Delicious

Everyone loves cheesecakes, both baked and non-baked. But they are laden with calories and fat, basically because the main ingredient is cheese.

Similarly the bases for non-baked cheesecakes are traditionally made from crushed sweet biscuits and butter, once again the base is laden with calories and fat. A thick traditional base can contribute 25-50% of the calories in a slice of cheesecake.

So reducing the calories and fat in cheesecakes is not rocket science.You simply need to lower the calories and fat in the cheese, biscuits and butter.

This article will show you how to reduce the calories in serves of cheesecake by 40-80%, while still being able to create a lovely and delicious cheesecake.

It includes a range of fabulous recipes and tips.

Reducing the Calories and Fat in the Cheesecake Base

Let's start with the base.

The most popular types of cheesecake crusts vary from country to country and can be made from virtually any type of crushed biscuit, cookie, with melted butter used as a binder.

In the United States graham crackers crusts are popular and various other sweet biscuits are used elsewhere.

The crushed crackers are mixed with butter and then pressed evenly around the base and sides of the pan.

The crust can be either thick or thin, and is sometimes baked. 

Replacing the Butter

Butter has a nice taste but it is absolutely packed with fat and calories. Its function is just to bind the biscuit crumbs together.

The base is chilled to solidify the crust.

There is no reason why many of the butter substitutes would work just as well - even cottage or cream cheese.

Some suggestions are: Applesauce, Avocado, Earth Balance, canola oil, Greek yogurt. Reducing the thickness of the base can also work to lower the calories proportionally.

Low Calorie, Low Fat Cheesecake Base Alternatives 

One simple approach is to choose biscuits with lower calories and lower fat levels.

Other options for crusts are to use crushed nuts, toasted rolled oats or nut flour as substitutes for the biscuits.

There are several examples in the recipes below.

The reduction on calories and fat that can be achieved using this methods are shown in the table below.

The table shows that you can reduce the calorie and fat by 25-50% using alternative bases.

The No-Base and Upside Down Cheesecake

You can reduce the contribution of the base to the calories and fat by making a cheesecake without a base and then adding some form of a base when serving the cheesecake.

This works very well with small individual-serve cheesecakes.

The other alternative is to top an bare-base cheesecake or upside-down cheesecake with a low calorie crumble or even some toasted oatmeal granola or muesli.

Nutrients for Various Types of Cheesecake Bases

Once again this is an obvious solution and there are many recipes for these type of cheesecakes in the recipes below.

Most traditional no bake cheesecakes are made with cream cheese, which is a very rich cheese.

A small serving of cream cheese (1 1/2 oz) contains 148 calories, 14.8 g of fat, 1.1 g of carbohydrate and 3.2 g of protein.

In terms of fat and calories it is equivalent to cheddar and Swiss cheese.

The table below shows a list of cheese listed with those the lowest calories and fat at the top and the richest at the bottom. Cream Cheese is 21st on the list. The best low fat and low calorie alternatives are:

• Ricotta Cheese (low fat)
• Ricotta Cheese (part skim milk)
• Low-fat Cheddar Cheese
• Low-fat Cream Cheese
• Cottage Cheese
• Ricotta Cheese
• Feta Cheese
• Goat Cheese

Various low fat cheeses, Cottage, Ricotta, feta and goat cheeses are used as partial or complete substitutes for making low fat and low calorie cheesecakes.

Cottage Cheese (1 1/2 oz) has 102 Calories; 2.2 g fat; 4.1 g of carbohydrate; 15.5 g of protein. Ricotta Cheese (1 1/2 oz) has 81 Calories; 6 g fat; 1.4 g of carbohydrate; 5.2 g of protein.

Using Low Fat and Low Calorie Cream in No Bake Cheesecakes

The table below also shows the benefits of choosing low calories and low fat creams in cheesecakes and as dressings.

Nutrients in Various Types of Cheese and Cream

Low Carb, Low Fat, No Bake Cheesecake Recipes

Almond Cheesecake Base Recipe (Baked for a No Bake filling)

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal, almond flour or almonds pulverised in a blender of food Processor
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• Artificial sweetener equivalent to 3 tablespoons sugar or honey

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Melt the butter, add the other ingredients and mix well. Push the mixture onto the sides and base of a cheesecake pan using your fingertips. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, but check and remove from the oven when the base just starts to brown. Let cool before adding the filling.

Low Calorie, Low Fat Cheesecake made with Cottage Cheese and an Almond Meal Base

• Almond pie crust (see above)
• 1 cup heavy cream (Use low fat version if available, but needs to be thick cream)
• Low-carb sugar substitute or honey equivalent to about 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 10 ounces (285 g) cottage cheese, warmed to room temperature

Prepare and bake the almond pie crust. Combine cottage cheese, lemon juice, vanilla and sugar substitute, using hand mixture or an electric mixture. In a second bowl whip the cream to the 'soft peaks' stage. Combine 30% of the whipped cream with the cottage cheese mixture. Then gently add and combine the rest, one third at a time. Pour and spread the cheese mixture into the prepared and cooled crust. Transfer to the refrigerator for about 2-4 hours or perhaps overnight. Cover with fresh fruit, dust with icing sugar and serve.

No Bake Cheesecake made with Ricotta Cheese

• 1 tablespoon icing sugar, or sugar substitute
• 2 tablespoons creme de cacao liqueur
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied lemon and orange peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar or sugar substitute
• 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups sweet cookies

• 2 (1 ounce) squares dark, low-sugar chocolate, grated
• whipped Heavy cream for the topping

Put the cookies into a heavy plastic bad and crush well with a rolling pin. Combine the crumbs with the melted butter in a small bowl. Press the mixture on the base and side of a medium size springform pan. Put the base in the refrigerate and chill for 30 minutes. In another bowl, beat the sugar, vanilla and ricotta cheese using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently. Spread the filling in the chilled crust and make the top smooth and the depth even. Chill in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped cream an grated chocolate.

Low Calorie Cheesecake made with Cottage Cheese and Gelatin

• 1 (9 inch; 20 cm) prepared graham cracker or almond meal crust
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packs of unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup white sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute)
• 3/4 cup low fat milk
• 2 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 (16 ounce; 500 g) pack of cottage cheese
• 1 pinch salt

Push the cottage cheese through a sieve, or soft it using a blender or food processor.
Using a medium-size saucepan, mix the beaten egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt together while heating over medium heat. Keep cooking the mixture while stirring until mixture is thickens and then remove from heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in a little warm water and stir into the custard mixture. Add the lemon juice and softened and creamed cottage cheese.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold them into the cheese mixture. Pour and spoon the cheese mixture filling into crust. Chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Low Cal Cheesecake made with Low Fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese and a Crushed Walnut Base

For the Filling:

• 3 x 8 oz (750 g) packs of Low Fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 2 packages of plain gelatin
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream (low fat, but thick)
• 1 cup Splenda or alternative
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla

For the base:

• 6 oz (170 g) walnuts
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• 3 tablespoons of Splenda

To make the base, pulse the walnuts in a food processor or blender until they start to become a paste. Add the butter and Splenda and mix well. Push the base mixture onto the base and sides of a 10 inch (24 cm) cheesecake pan. For the filling, boil 1 cup of water and add the gelatin and Splenda and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool. Using an electric mixer or a food processor, blend the cheese, vanilla and cream until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the cooled gelatin and mix. Pour and spoon the mixture into the base and refrigerate for 3-6 hours, or overnight.

Lemon Cheesecake made with Amaretti Biscuit Base

• 2 teaspoons lemon curd
• 50 g (2 oz) golden caster sugar
• 1 lemon, grated rind and juice only
• 125 ml (4 fl oz) double cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 225 g ( 8 oz) cottage cheese
• 75 g (3 oz) butter
• 150 g (6 oz) amaretti biscuits
• Raspberries and blueberries to decorate

Crush the biscuits in a heavy plastic bag with a rolling in and transfer to a mixing bowl. Melt the butter using a saucepan or microwave oven and pour into the biscuit crumbs and mix well. Press the base mixture into a pan let set in the refrigerator. Beat the cottage cheese using an electric mixer until soft, creamy and smooth. Add the lemon juice, sugar, cream, lemon rind and mix well. Transfer the mixture into the pan with the biscuit base and chill for 3-5 hours before serving, decorated with fresh fruit.

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