Breakfast cheesecake! That’s right, cheesecake for breakfast. Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt take the place of cream cheese but you’ll hardly be able to tell the difference! You’ll love the swirl of cinnamon.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Classic cheesecake is a very rich dessert but this cottage cheese-based cheesecake only has 165 calories per serving with 10 grams of protein.
How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, 45 minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: blender or food processor, square baking dish, parchment paper
Servings: 9
I get bored with breakfast. Actually, as I type this, I’m at a darling little cafe near my home. I told myself I didn’t have time to eat breakfast before I ran out the door with the kids, but the truth is that I probably just wanted to eat here and not at home.
Maybe it’s the bowl of mixed fruit and berries when all I have at home are bananas. Maybe it’s the fresh flowers on every table. Perhaps it’s the hot coffee, when mine is always cold at home. I also can’t get enough of their crispy toasted multigrain toast. And then there’s the bacon…
Even though I get bored with breakfast, it remains one of my favorite meals. I try to keep breakfast items stocked like egg white casserole, baked oatmeal, and chocolate protein pancakes (I keep those babies in the freezer!). These frittata muffins are popular at breakfast, too.
This breakfast cheesecake is another winner. I would say it tastes like eating dessert for breakfast but it depends on what kind of desserts you like. I don’t like super sweet treats and this cinnamon swirl cheesecake is not overly sweet. If I top my slice of cheesecake with fresh fruit, it is absolutely perfect for me.
About This Healthy Cheesecake Recipe
It isn’t made with cream cheese. Unlike traditional cheesecake, this breakfast cheesecake is made with a combination of cottage cheese and Greek yogurt. After a quick whirl in your blender, you won’t even be able to tell it’s not traditional cream cheese filling.
This cheesecake is healthy. The cottage cheese makes it a protein-packed breakfast that will keep you full all morning. There isn’t a lot of added sugar. The crust is a crunchy combination of good-for-you rolled oats and chia seeds, making a perfect contrast to the smooth filling.
Serve it for a healthy dessert. There’s absolutely no reason why this cheesecake couldn’t be served for dessert as a healthier alternative to classic cheesecake. You may want to increase the sugar a bit (see the tip below).
Easy to enhance. I like to jazz this healthy cheesecake up with a pretty cinnamon swirl which is both decorative and tasty. Feel free to add your own touches with other flavors.
Make It Your Own
- Make it sweeter. If you’re not used to eating things that aren’t sweet, I’d recommend adding 2 to 4 tablespoons of coconut sugar or brown sugar to the filling.
- Shortcut idea: If you don’t want to mess with the cinnamon swirl (we’re all about quick and easy here!), just add the swirl ingredients right to the cheesecake mixture. All the flavor and none of the fuss!
- Add different enhancements. Try adding a dash of nutmeg or ginger. Apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice work well. Add a swirl of your favorite jam.
- Experiment with toppings. I love fresh fruit or fruit sauces. A drizzle of chocolate syrup is amazing, too, and really appeals to kids.
This is the type of recipe that you definitely want to make ahead. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week and can be frozen, too. Simply thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
Breakfast Cheesecake – Cinnamon Swirl
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups rolled oats (or old-fashioned oats)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar, or to taste (brown sugar can be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons milk
Filling:
- 1 container (16-ounce) reduced-fat cottage cheese (I use large curd)
- ⅓ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (full fat or 2% is fine, too)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Swirl:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients: rolled oats, chia seeds, 2 teaspoons coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, melted butter, and milk. Press firmly into prepared baking dish.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 325°F.
- In a blender or food processor, blend cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Pour filling into the baked crust.
- In a small bowl (or zip-top bag), mix swirl ingredients: 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Drizzle over filling and then run a knife or toothpick through it to create a swirl.
- Return cheesecake to oven and bake for 45 minutes or until it's no longer jiggly in center.
- Cool completely before slicing into 9 squares. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to a week. Serve as is, or with fresh fruit or a fruit sauce.
Notes
- If you’d like a sweeter cheesecake, especially if you’re serving this as a dessert, you may want to increase the sugar in the crust and add a few tablespoons of sugar to the filling.
- If you happen to have quick cooking oats in the house, they’ll work fine. Steel cut oats (Irish oats) or instant oatmeal will not work.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Can I reverse the portions for the Greek yogurt and cottage cheese? I only have a bit of cottage cheese left but have plenty of Greek yogurt!
I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it will work. Let me know if you give it a try!
Loved it! All of these ingredients were staples I already had in my kitchen.
I am gluten-free and prefer little to no sugar so I loved the taste of this rich but not too sweet recipe. I thought of it as a bagel with cream cheese for people who can’t have bagels!
That’s such a good comparison! I’m so glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Could you freeze this? Thanks!
I haven’t tried freezing this so I’m not sure, but you could try it! My only concern would be that the filling might get a little watery and make the crust soggy. Let me know if you try it!
Made this almost as written. Added ground flax seeds and left out the cinnamon swirl because my husband doesn’t like cinnamon. Added a strawberry sauce on the side, again, husband doesn’t like strawberry sauce on cheesecake. Everyone loved it! Most definitely keeping this one in rotation!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked this recipe, Jessica! Thanks for taking the time to come abck and leave a comment! It means so much to me. :)
I run the Goldilocks Bed and Breakfast in Kodiak Alaska. I found your recipe and have added it as a regular item on my menu. I usually serve it with fresh fruit and yogurt and sometimes some whip cream. My guests have unanimously loved it. It keeps well except for the fact that I end up eating it. This morning I had what was leftover from yesterday myself with blueberries and whip cream.
I love that! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Breakfast cheesecake? I want to eat breakfast at YOUR house! This is brilliant!
I want you too, too!
What a fun idea, so creative! And thanks for the shout-out!
sounds wonderful
Thanks Denise!
Oh ma goodness, this is GENIUS!!! I love the idea of breakfast cheesecake!! How fun. Also, yolo, get the home fries dude. Your waitress could tell you were worth both ;)
So true about the home fries – I like the way you think! :)
Hello Rachel, your recipe looks awesome and.Cheesecake at breakfast sounds new to me. I will try this recipe and let you know how much delicious it is!
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Hello Rachel, I made it and it was so delicious. My hubby liked it and do you know what he told me? Make it every day!
That’s great news! I’m so happy it was a hit. Thanks for reporting back!
I’m curious — did you end up using more sugar or making it as written?
I ended up as you written!
Awesome!