The perfect Greek yogurt cheesecake is no-bake and doesn’t use gelatin. This recipe is lightened up with Greek yogurt, but you’ll never be able to tell! It’s just as delicious as the original version. Can easily be made gluten-free.
Now I realize I just shared a cheesecake treat, these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles, with you recently, but I really couldn’t wait to share this Greek yogurt cheesecake with you, too.
When I was younger I remember having my mom’s no-bake cheesecake. I believe at one time it was the recipe on the package of a popular cream cheese, and included a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Needless to say, it was incredibly rich. And delicious! You can’t go wrong with cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.
And since it didn’t have gelatin in it, it didn’t have that Jello-like quality about it that some no-bake cheesecakes sometimes do, which I don’t particularly like.
I’d been wanting to try a slightly healthier take on that recipe from my childhood for ages now. I was a little nervous that it would never set properly.
And more importantly, I was afraid you’d be able to tell it was a lower calorie treat. I was sure it would never live up to the cheesecake I remembered.
I was wrong. So very wrong! This Greek yogurt cheesecake exceeded all my expectations! It’s so rich you only need a small piece.
The Greek yogurt was great in it. If you have any leftover yogurt, try my Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Swirl Brownies, Honey Pineapple Greek Froyo or Granola Breakfast Tarts with Yogurt and Berries.
It’s perfectly sweet, so soft and luscious and not unnaturally firm. And while it does have lemon juice in it, it is not a lemon cheesecake, it just adds the right tanginess to the end result and adds to the richness of it.
It is the perfect vehicle for so many types of fresh fruit. So whatever you have available to you this summer, this cheesecake will go beautifully with it.
And I even took a picture after I sliced it to show you how it set up. Perfectly!
You’ll notice that it’s on a piece of parchment paper. I lined my dish with paper so that it would be easy to lift the cheesecake out for these pictures. You can do the same if you want, but it’s not necessary.
The first piece may be difficult to get out but the rest will be just fine with an unlined dish. I chose to use my 8″x8″ square baking dish but a pie plate would be just fine, too (which is what I normally do).
So let’s talk about nutrition information for just a second. This is obviously not a low-calorie treat, but it is considerably better than the original.
My changes shaved close to 700 calories off the entire recipe. You’re definitely not going to eat an entire recipe, but off a small piece (1/12th of the entire recipe) you’re saving over 50 calories (70 calories off 1/9th which is a pretty large piece!), 3g of fat, 6g of sugar and you’re gaining a gram of protein. I’d say that’s a pretty good improvement, especially considering how amazing this tastes!
You can also easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers. There are several brands you can buy (here’s a list).
Please give this Greek yogurt cheesecake a try sometime this summer. You won’t regret it! And it’d be fantastic with this strawberry syrup recipe. Enjoy!
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake (no-bake and without gelatin!)
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (use gluten-free graham crackers for a GF version)
- 1/4 cup sucanat or granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 - 250 gram (8-ounce) package full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup mild flavored liquid honey
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- pinch sea salt
For Topping:
- Fresh fruit such as blueberries, cherries, strawberries, etc
Instructions
- In a bowl stir together the crust ingredients until completely combined. Press firmly into the bottom of an 8x8 square baking dish or a pie plate. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- To make the filling, place the room temperature cream cheese in a food processor along with the lemon juice, vanilla, honey and Greek yogurt. Process until completely combined and smooth. Alternatively you can use a hand or stand mixer, but be sure to beat the cream cheese first before adding all the other ingredients to avoid lumps.
- Pour the filling mixer into the prepared crust, smooth out, cover and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Once the cheesecake has set slice, top as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Comments & Reviews
Debbie Thickett says
Hello I’ve just made your no bake cheesecake and it turned out wonderful.. thanks. Can I freeze it please? x
Erin @ Food Doodles says
Hello! Yes, it freezes great. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Cindy says
Hi,
Thanks for this recipe, i tried it at home this week. I doubled the quantities and also added some whipped double cream. The result was amazing. I have made many cheesecakes before but the addition of greek yoghurt makes this cheesecake delightful! It is so light yet still creamy. I added canned black cherries into the mixture. I will definitely be making it again! 🙂
Cat says
I can confirm this is delicious! Thanks for this 🤗 Easy too!
Erin @ Food Doodles says
Sorry for just now seeing this! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Karly says
I love cheesecake! Looks delicious!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Me too! ? Thank you, it sure is!
Linda A. says
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this one for a while. Unbaked cheesecakes without gelatin are few and far between, but I kept telling myself that one would turn up, and here it is. No only is it rare, but the instructions are detailed enough to give you confidence that it Can Be Done. I can’t wait to get started making it. And the photos are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it.
Durga Gaithri says
how many gram will be 6 tbsp butter and is it ok if we dont have mild flavored liquid honey or what we can replace it with ?
helen chan says
Hi Heidi, i happened to saw this recipe & tried making 2 days ago. The taste was perfect but my cheese doesn’t set as firm as seen in your picture. Should i place in freezer or fridge? Many thanks!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Hi Helen! Usually I keep it in the fridge, I’ve never tried putting it in the freezer. I think it might depend on what kind of Greek yogurt used. The kind I use is very thick, but I can see how a thinner variety might not work as well. If you can, let me know what kind you used 🙂 So sorry it’s not holding up for you!
Tom says
I made this today, but the filling was super runny. I was afraid it wouldn’t set so I mixed in one egg and baked it for an hour at 350, it’s super delicious. Mine did turn out very lemon-y, but I love lemon stuff so no problem with that! I bake with honey all the time, hasn’t killed me yet!
irene says
I realize the recipe is no bake, but could I bake it if I wish? If so at what temperature and for how long? Would you recommend doing it in a water bath? Thanks
Taiwanese in London says
情人節快樂!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I decide to bake a light raspberry yogurt cheesecake for my husband this Year to replace my usual chocolate gift box , thank you for the beautiful recipe, I will make mine based on your formula. Have a great day.
Evon says
Hi! I’ve been interested in this recipe for a long time and finally tried it out last week, but ran into some problems. First of all, the cream cheese layer doesn’t really set well, I had it in the fridge for around 48hrs before we finally took it out to try, the cream is still a little runny.
We left the rest of the cake in the fridge and after 2 days got a shock when wanting to eat again. The cake was soaked in liquid, seems like the honey has separated and ooze out. Wonder if you could advise if it was due to too much yogurt? too much/little whipping of the ingredients and also how long could we keep this cake before consuming it?
I must admit my yogurt wasn’t the freshest tub at the time…
Thanks!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Hi Evon! Thanks for leaving a message! The filling not setting could be due to too much yogurt, or yogurt that isn’t quick thick enough. Not all brands of Greek yogurt are the same, and some are thinner than others. I use a very thick Greek yogurt, so using a thinner yogurt could be the problem for that. If you give it another try, using less of the same yogurt may help. Unfortunately I’ve found that honey and yogurt do separate a bit, but again, I found that there is more when the yogurt isn’t as thick. Instead of using less yogurt, you could try trying to remove some moisture from your yogurt before using it by placing it in a strainer lined with cheesecloth to remove some of the liquid. Despite the liquid that separates from the filling you should be able to still enjoy the cheesecake for up to 5-7 days after you’ve made it. If there is a lot of liquid you can try draining it off or soaking it up with a paper towel, but I find it doesn’t bother anyone in my house, since it’s sweet from the honey.
Evon says
Hi! Thank you for the reply. I’ll try to change to another brand of yogurt the next round and also drain the liquid. 🙂
Meredith says
This looks delicious! 🙂 Does the cream cheese have to be full fat?
Rachana says
the cheesecake looks amazing…can’t wait to try!
Milena says
Gosh this looks good! I’m not a big fan of lemony sweets but it still looks so good I’m willing to try it! Just in case though, is the lemon juice just for flavor? I wonder if I could substitute it for something else 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Hi Milena! Actually there is very little lemon flavor, the lemon just makes this very rich tasting and gives it that cheesecake tanginess(it’s definitely not a lemon cheesecake), so I would not leave it out(or use anything else in it’s place). You’ll have to let me know if you give it a try! 🙂
graham says
hi, if i want to add gelatin to this recipe, how much should i add? If the weather is hot the topping melts, so i would like it to hold.\
thank you
natalie says
Help! I made this today and after 6 hours in the fridge it’s still not setting.. It’s not runny but it definitely won’t hold if I take it out of the springform pan.. Any idea what went wrong/ how to fix it?? I doubled the recipe do you think that might be the culprit? Need this for my boyfriend’s birthday tomorrow 🙁 I’m gonna give leave it in the fridge over night and see how it turns out tomorrow! If not I mightt freeze it and turn it into some sort of ice cream cake..
Sincerely,
Desperate 🙁
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Oh no, I’m sorry Natalie! I found it took quite a while to set like at least overnight so hopefully it turned out alright by the time you wanted to serve it. It’s possible it didn’t work because it was doubled(especially if the filling was much thicker it might not hold up). I hope it turned out OK, frozen or not!
Michele says
Freeze it…or bake it? Maybe add some cornstarch first 1/4 or so (mix it in carefully)…best of luck!
Michele says
Sorry! Yeah, it’s a “no-bake” cheesecake! My brain wasn’t completely screwed on that day! I was actually searching the web for a New York cheesecake recipe when this one came up and caught my eye…so I kind of mixed both recipes in my head. So, for no-bake, yes, honey is fine; the comment still stands as perhaps sanguine advice though, as far as cooking with honey is concerned. Sorry for the error!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Yes, this one is a no-bake but I do occasionally use honey in my baking so thanks for your previous message Michele! 🙂
Michele says
Welcome!
Michele says
Heidi,
Thanks for posting this up for all to see! I also loved the “no bake” cheesecake my mother used to make…but the sugary condensed milk sent me to the moon! I’ve similarly exchanged that for the Greek yogurt with delicious and satisfying results! Only thing is I’ve used 1/2 cup organic dehydrated cane juice (organic sugar) instead of the honey. I’ve read many for years now that honey should never be cooked, as it becomes toxic. That’s why you should only buy and use “raw” honey for any purpose. Here’s a link with the Ayurvedic perspective (from a well-known and respected Ayurvedic healer): http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-healing-remedies-with-honey.html. Just thought you might like to know, since you’re a very careful and concerned mom!
laadam says
Does this have to be a slice or will it keep its shape if it is in a deepish, round, springform cake tin?
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I’m sure as long as it’s a similar sized tin it should work just fine 🙂
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I have the kind with the removable bottom. What you said makes sense but I’m wondering if it’d look pretty! And since I need pictures, maybe I’ll just make it as bars. 🙂 I was going to make this today but then saw those raspberry lemonade bars on the front page and I just happened to buy 6 packages of half off raspberries last night. Which means it’s raspberry bonanza time! Whenever raspberries are on sale, I buy whatever is left at the store and make my raspberry recipes for the year. 😀
Frozen raspberries just aren’t pretty as props. Nope.
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I don’t like gelatin or agar powder. I think the texture freaks me out. What does that mean for you? Well I’m 100% making this in my new mini cheesecake pans! Or not. I think it’d stick to the sides of the mold. Right?
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Hmmm… I think it would stick. But how badly, I don’t know. What kind of mini cheesecake pan do you have? The one with the removable bottom that you can push up to remove the cheesecakes? If so, if you put a piece of plastic wrap under the removable piece and then up the sides and then fill them with the crust and then cheesecake topping and you could pull the whole thing out and then peel back the plastic wrap. I don’t know if that even makes sense to you… It’s just a thought! 🙂
Eat Good 4 Life says
I have never used gelatin. I hate it, instead I use agar powder which is the vegetarian form 🙂 a much better option. Loving your cheesecake combo!!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I actually have some agar agar in my cupboard but I’ve never used it. The stuff I have is in these long strands and I have no idea if I can grind it up to make powder or what. Where do you get your powder from?
Eat Good 4 Life says
I get it on amazon. Here is the link 🙂 http://amzn.to/14YgQlz
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I was hoping you’d say Amazon! Ordering some!! Thank you! 😀
Ari @ Ari's Menu says
Oh my goodness, this looks INCREDIBLE! First of all the pictures are stunning and razor sharp, and the ingredients sound absolutely perfect!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 😀
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
Heidi, this cheesecake looks amazing. SO, so so so good! I love the blueberries on top. Blueberries + cheesecake is such a wonderful combination. Your photos are beautiful!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
These photos are beautiful and so is this cheesecake! My mom used to make a no-bake cheesecake with bananas and Nilla wafers and now I’m curious to see if I can figure out a way to make that one healthier too…
Marta @ What Should I eat for breakfast today says
It looks so amazing and is no bake, just perfect.