This pumpkin cheesecake recipe gets its amazingly light as air texture from a combination of Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, non-fat cream cheese and egg whites.
Whether you are looking for Halloween cheesecake recipes, Thanksgiving cheesecake recipes or just a light and tasty cheesecake recipe with the flavors of fall, this recipe for pumpkin cheesecake fits the bill.
It is creamy and light, with just a hint of chocolate to complement the pumpkin flavor. In fact, this pumpkin cheesecake recipe is so light, it tastes almost like a pumpkin mousse cake.
To keep the calorie and fat count low in this pumpkin cheesecake recipe, the sugar is reduced just a bit, and non-fat cream cheese is used. If you prefer a sweeter cheesecake, you may want to increase the sugar to 1-1/4 cups.
Newman's Own makes a nice chocolate cookie without any trans fats. It is the chocolate alphabet cookie, and that is what this recipe was tested with. However, you can use just about any chocolate cookie you like, such as Nabisco Famous Wafers or even chocolate graham crackers.
The Greek yogurt has a thicker texture than regular yogurt. But if you have trouble finding Greek yogurt (Trader Joe's makes one, so does Fage), just use plain yogurt instead. You can drain it in a sieve over a bowl in your fridge for several hours to mimic the consistency of Greek yogurt.
To prevent cracking and over-baking, this cheesecake is baked in a low heat oven (275 degrees F) for one hour, then allowed to stay in the oven another hour to bake slowly from the residual heat. Before transferring the cheesecake to the refrigerator, allow it to cool completely. This will also prevent cracking.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. chocolate cookies (such as Newman's Own chocolate alphabet cookies)
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 cups 2% cottage cheese
- 8 oz. fat-free cream cheese
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 15 oz. pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 2 large eggs
- 4 egg whites
- 4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
- Place cookies in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until cookies resemble fine crumbs.
- Toss cookies with oil and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch spring-form pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat cottage cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and allspice. Beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into cheesecake batter. Pour into prepared crust.
- Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chips are melted. Drizzle over cheesecake.
- Bake 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the closed oven for another hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to cool 3 hours or overnight.
Makes 12 servings.
Per serving: 247 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 40 mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 15 g protein, 114% vitamin A, 3% vitamin C, 12% calcium, 8% iron
For more delicious us pumpkin recipes, see also pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bran muffins, low fat pumpkin bread and frozen pumpkin pie.
