These light Chocolate Cheesecakes are made with cottage cheese instead of cream cheese, so they are lower in fat and high in protein! Smooth and rich and fudgy!
So I haven’t strayed too far from my goal to eat a little healthier this month, and I’ve been on the hunt for some lighter recipes that sacrifice no flavor.
You should know, though, that I’m not a salad person. I will probably never post a salad recipe, because I would never taste test it for you. I also rarely even have lettuce in my house.
I’m not saying that being anti-salad is a good thing — I’m just setting things straight so you understand where this thing is going.
I want healthier, lower calorie options of the foods I want to eat to begin with. And since I’m the kind of person who has to hide vegetables in her own meals, I’m probably not going to give you a plate full for dinner (though I have plenty of delicious comfort food meals Under 500 calories).
Again, not saying there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not my style.
Chocolate? That’s more my style.
And cheesecake? Yes please.
I’m kind of a cheesecake fanatic. Which you probably don’t know because I so rarely share a cheesecake recipe.
I’m not gonna lie, I totally got this recipe from Martha Stewart. Cause Martha knows what she’s doing.
I changed a few things: I left out the crust (because who really cares about the crust?), I left out the espresso (but you could easily add it back in), and I changed the cooking method and temperature a bit. We were totally blown away by the results.
I had made a cheesecake from cottage cheese a few times before, but it’s been so long I have no idea which recipes I had tried or how it was done. But it was something I knew I wanted to try this month, so that I could have something totally decadent that was still pretty healthy.
Now, you should know that I don’t like cottage cheese. Like, at all. Unless it’s pureed. I use pureed cottage cheese in cheesecakes or other desserts and pastas — I find it’s mostly a texture thing. If you find you’re not sure about this recipe because of the cottage cheese, I promise you would never know the difference.
The cheesecakes are the perfect size for a sweet treat after dinner. You can top them any way you like — the light whipped topping is included in the nutritional information but the rest is up to you. To keep them on the lighter side, fresh fruit is always a great option and pairs so well with chocolate. You can go a little more extravagant and top with caramel or chocolate sauce, crushed candies or cookies or sprinkles or chocolate shavings. The options are really endless!
Light Chocolate Cheesecakes
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 cups nonfat cottage cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups light whipped topping
- Optional garnishes: fresh berries or other
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- To a blender or food processor, add the cottage cheese and puree until completely smooth (it MUST be 100% smooth — be sure to scrape down the sides and puree again until every kernel has been processed).
- Add the eggs, powdered sugar, cocoa, flour and vanilla and process until completely smooth.
- Pour into 12 muffin cups: I used individual silicone muffin cups and they worked marvelously. They are flexible so the cheesecakes pop out so easily. You could also use a regular muffin pan, well-greased, or try paper liners.
- Bake at 325 for 22 minutes, until center is just set. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 3-4 hours. Carefully remove from muffin cups.
- Garnish as desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Judy Ashdown says
omg I would never have believed it, followed recipe to the letter so easy. Did not even have to wait an hour for them to cool , setup so fast and tasted amazing. Sometimes you just want cheesecake and you just don’t have the time What can I say but thanks
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Judy! I’m glad you liked them!
Alex says
I’ll be trying these this weekend! I think I might add a little bit of peanut butter in with some Greek yogurt and drizzle that on top!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great idea!
Samantha says
Where does the whipped topping come in? It’s listed as an ingredient but not used in the recipe
Ashley Fehr says
It is just for adding to the top if you desire it
Karly says
Could I replace the coco powder with a sugar free cheesecake pudding mix for an original flavor?
Ashley Fehr says
I’ve never tried that so I can’t say
Andrea says
Made these today. So easy and delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I have celiac disease so I used gf flour instead of regular flour and it turned out fantastic! So good 😁
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Andrea!
Amber says
These are fantastic! I got them lower in calorie and Noom friendly by switching out the powdered sugar with Swerve complete replacement. I froze some and they defrosted wonderfully. They are the best with fresh sliced strawberries and dollop of whipped cream. I have also since tried them without chocolate (gasp) and added lemon zest this summer when it was hot out. This week I’m trying a pumpkin version as Cheesecake Factory is not waistline friendly. Thanks so much
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Amber! I’m so glad they turned out well!
Tiffany says
What dry ingredient did you use in place of chocolate?
Nadine says
Hi Ashley! What would you recommend as a substitution for the powdered sugar? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Nadine! Unfortunately I haven’t tried this recipe with any other sugars.
Tiffany says
I ran out of powdered and used granular which worked just fine
Rebecca says
These are so delicious!! I would love to make this recipe as a big cake rather than minis. Do you think it would work in a cake pan at the same temperature with some extra baking time? Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I think it would, but I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure!
Amber says
I do like cottage cheese but my friend hates it. I listened and beat the crap outta it until smooth creaminess and didn’t tell her. We both agree it’s amazing so thank you!
Now I can’t leave well enough alone so I want to try a lemon version but am concerned just dropping1/3C cocoa powder, suggestions?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Amber! You would definitely want to add something in its place as 1/3 cup of dry ingredients is a lot to leave out. The only thing that comes to my mind is flour? Or maybe almond flour? I’m really not sure as I haven’t tried!
Julie says
Come back and share how it worked! Just made these and they were great, had me thinking about lemon, key lime and pumpkin too. I love cheesecake, so to have something I feel less guilty about is great!
Hailey says
This recipe sounds lovely! Would I be able to substitute the cottage cheese for traditional cream cheese?
Ashley Fehr says
You likely could, but I haven’t tried so I can’t say how they would turn out
Tiffany H says
I’m soooo glad I found this recipe!! I used low fat cottage cheese, lite cool whip and Swerve in place of real sugar so they come to about 65 calories per cake and let me tell you…. these have SAVED my weight loss progress! Thanks so much for these! I NEVER would have thought to use cottage cheese in place of cream. You’re a genius!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tiffany! I’m so glad you like them!
Sonia. says
Hey Ashley, I was wondering if I could use fat cottage cheese.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! Any will work
Moira says
Hi Ashley! What a yummy treat! Question for you… today’s batch came out of the oven like gorgeous soufflés and then sank in the middle… should I have cooked them longer?
Elise says
Mine sank also. Anyone knwo how to prevent this??
Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
They may sink slightly, but they shouldn’t be indented in the middle or anything. They should be pretty flat across the top. I would try to mix the batter a little less, as sometimes incorporating too much air can cause bubbles that rise and then deflate later.
Kim says
Can they be frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t tried but I think it would work great!
Amanda says
How many do you classify as a serving in your estimation?
Ashley Fehr says
1 cheesecake is 1 serving
Lin says
This is so decadent I don’t forget it’s low calorie. My kids love it my hubby loves it and it is the first low calorie dessert that I don’t think “ it’s good enough…” I eat it and check my calorie balance to be sure I can have another super recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lin! I’m so happy you love them!
Laura says
This is amazing! So delicious and light we loved it. Had it last night and the kids came back for seconds so it’s a win, win at our house. Thanks for sharing:)
Ashley Fehr says
thanks Laura! I’m so happy to hear that!
Monica says
Looks delicious! I don’t see what you did with the light whipped cream. Is that for the garnish?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, just for garnish!
Jess says
Absolutely delicious! What a rich and sweet treat without sacrificing my daily calorie allowance!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad you liked them!
Byenia says
Made half a batch of these last night and they were pretty good. Nice little sweet treat to use up the cottage cheese. I did add a layer of ganache on top. Also, sweetener used was powdered Swerve and went with a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
These look amazing!! They don’t even look light! Cottage cheese sounds interesting in here, but I love the stuff so I’m all for it!!
Ashley says
You should try it! You’d never know it 🙂
Jess @ Sweet Menu says
Oh my! These look wonderful! Just look at that gooey middle!
Ashley says
Thanks Jess!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
That’s hilarious that you don’t like salad and have to hide your own veggies in your food! I love salad, but not right now while I’m pregnant. Lol.
Anyway, I have never tried cottage cheese in cheesecake! These look amazing, so I will have to try it!
Ashley says
Congrats on the pregnancy! You definitely need to try them 🙂