Are you ready to learn how to make The Best Protein Cheesecake you’ll ever have!? This healthy bodybuilding dessert recipe is low carb, tastes just like the real thing, and comes with endless variations for any craving!
Start this one by taking out a large mixing bowl, something to mix your ingredients with, and a small cheesecake pan like this.
Add into your mixing bowl 3/4 cup of your choice sweetener, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 12 ounces of plain fat free Greek yogurt, 2 large whole eggs, 12 ounces of fat free cream cheese, 2 scoops of a vanilla or your choice protein powder, and 10-15 drops of some optional liquid sweetener.
Don’t have access to fat free ingredients? Use reduced or full fat, they really won’t add that much fat to a single serving.
Mix all of those ingredients together until your protein cheesecake mix is smooth. I use a hand mixer to speed this step up.
Protein Cheesecakes
Cheesecake flavors? Add more flavor or change the flavor by using various flavored Greek yogurts and protein powders. Some of my favorite combinations?
- Salted caramel Greek yogurt with pumpkin protein powder
- Peanut butter Greek yogurt with banana protein powder
- Key lime Greek yogurt with vanilla protein powder
Let us know what combinations make you the best protein cheesecake EVER in the comments below!
Take out your small 6×2 cheesecake pan and either coat it with some non-stick cooking spray or line it with some parchment paper (my preference).
Pour the best protein cheesecake mix inside of your pan and optionally top it! Chocolate chips, nuts, fruit, sprinkles, and so on. You can factor in the calories for your toppings separately!
Put your cheesecake into the oven on 325F/162C for 30-35 minutes. Keep in mind that your baking times will change if you’re not using a 6×2 cheesecake pan so make sure to keep an eye on it.
Drop your oven down to 200F/93C and let it bake for an additional 50-60 minutes.
Remove your cheesecake from the oven and let it cool for around 2 hours. When it’s cool enough to hand, wrap it up and put it into the fridge for a bit. The longer you let it cool, the better the taste/texture will be.
Once the best protein cheesecake you’ll ever make has cooled you can top it with some High Protein Frosting and fresh fruit!
The Best Protein Cheesecake
What We Used
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Ingredients
- 12 Ounces Cream Cheese - Fat Free
- 12 Ounces Greek Yogurt - Plain Fat Free
- 2 Large Whole Eggs
- ¾ Cup Sweetener
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Scoops Protein Powder - I like vanilla
- 10-15 Drops Liquid Sweetener - *Optional
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl
- Take out and coat a 6’’ pan with non-stick cooking spray or place parchment paper inside it
- Bake it on 325F/162C for 30-35 minutes
- Turn your oven down to 200F/93C for another 50-60 minutes
- Let it cool, wrap it up, and put it in the fridge for a few hours
Video
Notes
- Calories: 787
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Sodium: 2745mg
- Carbs: 37g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 28g
- Protein: 135g
Nutrition
108 Comments
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What is a serving size ?
How many does it serve ?
This would be 1/4 of the Cheesecake (4 Slices).
Sorry I’m so late to the party. I made this yesterday, and it was amazing. I love cheesecake, but was never a big fan of the crust. Even as a kid, I would eat the cheesy part, and leave the crust intact. Dad loved the crust, so it was a win win.
Anyway, this recipe is great. It’s next to impossible to find fat free cream cheese here on the west coast, so I make my own with fat free Greek yogurt. Just drain GY through a filter for the day and it works just fine. I also added some lemon rind and lemon juice per my personal taste.
Anyway, thanks for my new favorite recipe.
Awesome to hear Paul and great tips! Thank you
Doesn’t need a crust, it’s so good thank you. This will be a staple for me.
I agree Justin! Glad you liked it.
Just make it. It’s so good. I can’t believe the taste considering the macros. Thank you! Made with vanilla Pro Jym.
Love to hear it Dan! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
I’ve been making this for a few weeks now during my cut and it has been a LIFE SAVER.
The only confusion I have is the protein amount: is it 60g protein (macros), or 60g powder??
I’ve been using 60g powder so I hope that’s correct; my protein powder is 29g powder for 20g protein, so if I’m supposed to use protein grams instead of powder grams, I’ve been eating less protein than i thought 🙁
Thank you!
Hi there!
I couldn’t seem to find any details in the recipe, but what type of protein powder is used? I drink MRE Light protein (no whey), and wasn’t sure how this would impact the cheesecake. Thank you!
My only issue with that recipe is I cant stop eating it. Its just sooo goood.
Haha! Love it. Thank you for the comment.
Made this yesterday and it tastes really good. Topped with protein frosting. Can’t believe I have a high protein alternative to cheesecake now. Thanks for the recipe. Next time, I am going to try this with a crust.
As i makeing this, it just keeps getting better and better! Definitely kills my sweet tooth and for added protien put a scoop protien in with half a container of cool whip and it will blow your mind!
Hi! I know this is so old haha but I make my own coconut milk whipped topping !
I am not a huge fan of regular cheesecake but this recipe hit all the aspects of it I like with much better macros. Seriously, great recipe! I used unflavored egg white protein powder (just a tip, it can be clumpy so I would sift before to avoid lumps). I added an extra tsp of vanilla and even with the unflavored protein it was sweet enough. I also cooked for 50 minutes and it was perfect. It was great just plain but ate it with strawberries and Walden farms pancake syrup. Thanks for the recipe, looking forward to trying out different variations.
Have you used egg white protein powder? Can you use unsweetened and just add vanilla and sweetener or is sweetened powder best?
Thanks
I have! It sometimes bakes a bit different but should be fine with this recipe. Either or!
Awesome, thanks! I’m looking forward to trying it.
Love this cheesecake recipe. I substitute the fat free cream cheese (because I can’t find it here) with Greek yogurt and the cheesecake always turns out perfect. I eat a slice of this almost everyday.
Love it Meghan!!!
Thank you so much! I’ve been craving chocolate badly and needed a healthy alternative to avoid falling off my plan, and THIS WAS IT! I will definitely make it in the future and will go to your book of recipes first before any others.
Glad you liked it Janelle! Thank you
Hey! I bought the fruity pebble and coco puff protein powder I love it but even if I mix with water I get really bloated afterward I don’t want to toss these 2 huge containers so I’m going to try this tomorrow I’m going to try 1 scoop from the container to test it and cut the recipe in half so I don’t waste the cake if it bloats me and I’ll prob have a slice after dinner I make my own ff cream cheese too so really healthy! Thanks!!
Wow! I just made this and it’s truly one of the best cheesecakes ever! I always steered clear of eating the regular cheesecake due to the high calories and fat, but I will definitely be making these again! I put fresh strawberries on top and I’m going to try blueberries tomorrow.
Glad you liked it Patty!!! 🙂
Damn man made this cheesecake about 1000 times now still but never gave the proper shout out. BEST PROTEIN RECIPE EVER. Thanks Derek!
I made this with 62 g ON Vanilla Cake Batter. I used all of the same ingredients in the same quantities and got a much higher macro count 134 P/ 205 C/ 12F for the entire cheesecake. I am not sure if you accounted for the carbs in the sweetener in your calculation. No worries though because it was absolutely perfect. My husband loved it. Thank you and keep these delicious and simple recipes coming!
Could you replace the cream cheese with cottage cheese?
Whoops just saw someone else already asked that!
Mine turned out really hard, wasn’t light like a cheesecake what so ever what did I do wrong ? ?? Or I’ve only left it in the fridge for 2 hours does it just need to stay in there for longer. ..??
v cool good stuff
Hi Derek,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I baked this for the first time today, and just ate a quarter of a cheesecake. It tasted AMAZING, and the macros were excellent! I can’t wait to eat the remaining three quarters that are in my fridge!
I’m trying to get the fat grams down a little bit more, and I’m afraid we don’t have Philadelphia Fat Free Cream Cheese where I am. (Just a slightly reduced fat one, which account for the relatively high fat.) Could I substitute low fat cottage cheese for cream cheese instead?
Thanks and happy new year!!
Hi Sharon! Thank you and happy new year to you as well! You might be able to sub some of it with cottage cheese but you’ll probably lose the consistency. I’ve never tried it myself so I’m sorry I can’t be that much help!
I commented a year ago on this recipe but I needed to add one more tonight — I’ve made this maybe 10000000 times since finding it on your site. Today I needed to alter it because I did not have the cream cheese (I literally live in the middle of nowhere so ingredients are super hard to come by without driving 3 hours).
I omitted the cream cheese completely and just used 3 full cups of nonfat plain Fage greek yogurt. I also omitted the optional liquid sweetener. I use Cellucor Vanilla for the protein powder. and for the 3/4 c. of sweetener I use 1 TBS of stevia.
It came out PERFECT.
Thanks again for always giving me good, seriously tasty, and high protein treats to make. I have given this cheesecake for bday and xmas gifts to my lifting/workout friends and it’s always one of their favorites 🙂
Jill
That moment when you are getting ready to make the most delicious cheese cake ever and you realize you are almost out of protein powder! :O The Terror! Anyway this is one of our favorite go to desserts of yours. Thank you for all your hard work on making these wonderful recipes. I am planning on making this as one of our Christmas dinner deserts not even going to tell people it is a healthier high protein version 😉 lol…. Have a great Christmas! 🙂
Hi Derek,
I’m new here and this is heaven for me.
I tried this recipe today and it turned out great texture-wise etc.- however, I don’t really like the taste of the yoghurt. Do you think adding more protein powder (I’m using PHD Chocolate Cookie) to the mix would cover the strong taste of yoghurt?
Thanks!
Hi Brandon! Have you by any chance tried other yogurts? Quark is a great alternative too!
I know this is an older post, but was wondering if vanilla greek yogurt would work?
Yes, absolutely!
I am totally going to make this soon. I love baking cheesecake and started baking it from scratch 7 years ago. I just can’t eat anyone else’s cheesecake because nothing is ever rich, dense or creamy enough for me. So far I’ve been experimenting a lot with quest protein powder and plan to use hte salted caramel in your recipe. your cheesecake looks liek it has the same texture as my non-healthy version so I can’t wait! I only have two mini 2×3 and a 9×5 though so I’m thinking a water bath at 350 for 20 mins and let cool down completely in the oven before taking out. I bake mine th eold fashioned way because with a waterbath you have almost a 0 percent chance of over baking a cheesecake so long as you are within a ball park cook time (like 20 mins won’t matter). Also the bonus to letting your oven cool down completely with a water bath is that if you shut the oven off when you think it’s near done the water bath will cook it to perfection and your cake will not crack because it will have gradually cooled. Considering this isn’t exactly the same as a regular cheesecake with the protein powder, it actually sets up more slowly thus enabling it to have more ‘give’ with temperature changes. Or so it would seem. Anywho I digress. do the jiggle test and if the center moves like jello it is done. also using a quest bar or two with some coconut oil will make a lovely crust. bake the quest bar for six mins, or however many you need and bam! mix it with coconut oil and you have a healthy crust. i’ve done that with a few other recipes. do not bake before hand and bake with the cheesecake though. I digress. 9×5, 325 20 mins no water bath? or 350 20 mins with water bath? suggestions?
Can you use liquid egg whites instead of eggs? How much?
Thanks!
Your bottle/jug should have whatever the equivalent of 1 large egg white is on it (mine is 3 tablespoons per 1 large egg white).
I just found out this recipe and I’m gonna try it, but I have a question. I don’t love in the USA, so I can’t have Splenda. I bought another sweetener (Dietor, sucralose) which says that one tablespoon equals six sugar tablespoon. How much of it shoul I use? Thank you!
Hi Dario! I’d say you’d be fine using just 1/4 Cup of Dietor!
Awesome looking cheesecake and I am eager to try it but the sodium content looks awfully high. Is that accurate or am I misreading it? Thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Love this recipe! I noticed that you have been using the Vanilla light and fit in the newer cheesecake recipes. If I wanted to use that in this recipe would you reduce the sweetener, and if so to how much?
I would take it to 1/4 cup or less as long as you like the flavor of your powder!
Apparently the toothpick method isn’t very good at determining if cheesecakes are ready because it’s not like a cake. Some videos on YouTube show that when the center wobbles like jello without damaging it, then it’s ready.
Any suggestions for making this in a toaster oven? It came out kinda runny. I put it in the fridge. I’m hoping overnight it will solidify.
The final step is to keep it in the fridge overnight (or for at least a few hours) before it turns into a cheesecake! How did it turn out after you left it in the fridge?
This is by far the best cheesecake recipe I’ve ever seen! I will make this once I buy more protein powder 🙂
Thanks so much for the great recipe! Made this with Cellucor Peanut Butter Marshmallow whey in a 9×2 inch tin pie plate. Baked at 325F for 25 minutes and then 200F for about 45 minutes. Turned out great– not dry or spongy at all like some protein cheesecake recipes. I could not for the life of me resist having a piece before I put it in the fridge to set… WHOOPS! Was still great! Thanks again. Next piece I’m going to top with strawberry jam for peanut butter and jam cheesecake!
Seriously. best recipe EVER. I am eating this cheesecake while I type 🙂 I used 1.5 TBS of stevia for the part that called for 3/4 sweetener. I used vanilla Cellucor for the protein. Tastes too good to be true. I have already sent this recipe out to all my protein loving friends. I am SO happy!! You know, I have tried so many recipes that “look” delicious. But this one actually lives up to it’s photo. It’s THAT good!!!!
Derek, Do you have a conversion for using the Stevia in the Raw granulated sweetener in lieu of the liquid?
I noticed that you used it in the blueberry cheesecake recipe. Would you suggest the same amount?
Also, if I’m using a different protein, are you suggesting to use enough protein to equal 60g of protein from the powder?
Thanks in advance. Looking to make this along with the chicken muffins & Cheddar bacon ranch chicken this week or weekend!
1 teaspoon liquid per 1 cup bakers bag but really just comes down to how “sweet” you want it! 60g weight, not 60g protein! Hope this helps. Thanks a lot Chris!
Derek, how many grams is 3/4 Cup Sweetener? Thanks!
How do you get the cheesecake out of the pan??!!!
Yup! Should I just follow the cooking directions for the mini blueberry cheesecake recipe (Bake on 350°F/176°C 15:00-20:00)?
That’s what I would try! Just keep an eye on them. Let me know how they turn out!
Ok, sounds good. I’ll definitely come back for an update, will probably try baking them sometime this weekend. I’ll be in touch!
Hey Derek! Made this a few months ago (It was AMAAAZING!) and have been craving it for the past couple of days. If I were to bake them in silicone baking cups, what time and temperature would you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Angi! So you want to make small cheesecake cups instead of one large one?
Whoa! Between this, the tuna Alfredo, and the buffalo popcorn chicken, I can’t decide which is more blissful!! You sir, are making this cut waaaaaay too easy! Got a solid fan right here!
I’ve made this full size before; INCREDIBLE. DEFINITELY beats mug cakes haha. I was wondering if I would have to adjust the baking time if I made half the recipe in 5 inch pan? And by how much? Or should I just keep an eye on it and use my judgement?
I’d just keep an eye on it and you should be fine (the cooking time may drop a little)! Thanks Rager
I’ve been on a baking kick lately and this is the fourth high protein cheesecake recipe I’ve tried this week. I just dug into it and it is BY FAR the best one. I have yet to be disappointed by a recipe from this site!
Thanks Vanessa!
Wow. Tried this for the 1st time this week. I like it better than our local bakery’s normal cheesecake! Thanks for sharing!!
That’s awesome Jason! Thanks for liking it
hey! this looks amazing haha I’m defiantly going to be making this tomorrow!! just one question probably a stupid one but are you talking 325 Celsius or Fahrenheit?!
thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica! Thank you. It’s Fahrenheit!
I don’t think I have ever reviewed much of anything…but this was awesome!
Knowing I would eat it all, I made half the recipe in a 8.5×4.5×2.5in pan (whatever that is) – and it came out perfectly. Also put like 400g of fresh strawberries and a serving of protein frosting on it as well (I layered it). Nice chunk of my fiber and protein for the day while minimally cutting into my calories. Despite low calories, it’s definitely a two-three serving item (even at 1/2 recipe), but I certainly enjoyed it throughout the day. I had a trial bag of strawberries and cream whey powder that I used.
It does taste like cheesecake…really wild stuff, can’t wait to try more recipes. Got me to sign up for the newsletter!
Thanks Paul! I love hearing stuff like this. You’ve also reminded me I need to get back on updating my newsletter! Haha. Let me know what else you try
It’s in the oven right now, thank you so much Derek for sharing all your great recipes:) Btw: Can’t wait for you to make one with a crust!
I was linked to this recipe from a post on the leangains subreddit. This dessert fits my macros any day of the week. Thanks for creating it!! Publish a book and take my money.
Thanks for the support! Much appreciated
Much love from BB Misc! this recipe is genius! do you have any suggestions for a low fat graham cracker crust?
Hey Max! Thank you. I’m actually going to be putting one up soon on here – give me a couple weeks! If you don’t have time to make it and can find them, the reduced fat/fat free pre-made crusts are pretty good too!
This is great! Second time making it, and I’m sure it won’t be the last!
Hello Derek
For giving it even a higher carb notch, instead of the optional flavouring, can regular sugar be used? 🙂
Thanks a lot
Absolutely! You may want to play with how much you put in but you shouldn’t have a problem at all. Thanks Alex!
It’s in the oven right now!! I’m more than a little excited 🙂 Going to save it for after training tomorrow. Licked the spoon and mmmmmmmm. Thanks for sharing the goods! 😉
Awesome! No problem. Thanks for the comment Megan 🙂
All your recipes are glorious. This is just one of the many that I’ve tried.
I’ve done the pumpkin pancakes, the black bean brownies, the oatmeal protein bar, the Sheppard’s pie, the protein souffle, and this one and I legitimately have not been disappointed. Cutting is such a mental strain when you find yourself caught up in eating the same typical “bodybuilding” foods (sweet potatoes, brown rice, tilapia, etc.) to fit your macros, but these recipes are a godsend for me.
Thanks a lot Derek. I hope your channel blows the fuck up within the next year or so; you deserve it.
Oh just watched the Video 😀 the sweetener is stevia 🙂
Lol! 🙂 – Thanks for the comments either way! Let me know how you like it
Hi,
What Kind of sweetener do you use? Do you know how much stevia it would be? I tried it before in a different cheescake recepie but unfortunately the taste was very unpleasing….
Thanks 🙂
This recipe is amazing, my sisters and I grew up in a big italian family but we are all in love with fitness an training. When push comes to shove we struggle when we really want a dessert but can’t find something that tastes good enough to compare. I just made this to a family dinner (one that is usually filled with cookies and cannolis) beyonce wanted more. It was a hit, felt pretty awesome that we were still eating pretty clean in comparison. Thanks so much.!!!!
Just wanted to say thanks to Derek for this amazing recipe! I made it with ON Vanilla Casein and granulated Splenda sweetener–and it turned out fantastic, just fills you up and demolishes your sweet tooth.
This is gonna be a staple in my repetroir for a long time. Love how cheap it is, too.
Thanks for the feedback Michael! Glad you liked it. Definitely one of my favorite “desserts” to staple my sweet tooth shut. Can’t tell you how many times it has saved me!