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Did you know that one of my husband’s favorite desserts is cheesecake? He absolutely loves it in any way, shape, form, or flavor. When I saw this recipe from Sally’s Bake Blog, I knew I had to make it for my husband. Besides this being cheesecake, the recipe appealed to me because it didn’t require any baking, didn’t call for any eggs, and seemed to be pretty easy to assemble. Also, who can resist the darling jars they are made into?
Another thing that is awesome about this recipe is that it can be customized to whatever flavors you’d like! Sally has listed a bunch of different flavor ideas in her post from Nutella to peanut butter to berries. For us, we made ours with some coconut extract for flavor, and also topped some with a simple strawberry sauce, toasted coconut, and caramel. We picked and chose whatever toppings we wanted, and the kids loved it! You can do whatever appeals to you and your family. Also, how fun would this be to serve at a dinner party? I’m thinking a cheesecake bar with a wide assortment of toppings would be a hit for everyone!
Of course, when you hear cheesecake, you automatically don’t think of macro friendly foods. For good reason, too. After all, a traditional recipe is made with heavy whipping cream, bricks of cream cheese, and a super buttery graham cracker crust, so you know that it is going to be loaded with fat and calories. Although this isn’t necessarily a super light dessert, it is lighter than the traditional version. This was achieved by using light sour cream and cream cheese. Another swap I did was replacing half the whipping cream with Greek yogurt. This saves a ton of fat grams, but it also gives a nice additional tang to the cheesecake. Macros for one jar are 20.3F/28.1C/3.9P, 311 calories, which I know can seem steep. However, compared to the original at 31.6 fats per serving, I’d say the swaps are worth it. Plus, it is delicious! I don’t think family or friends would ever guess you made a lighter dessert.
Lighter No Bake Cheesecake Jars
Equipment
- Mason Jars. Mine were around 8 ounces, which left plenty of room for toppings.
Ingredients
- 30 g butter, melted
- 100 g finely crushed graham crackers (I always crush them using my blender)
- 8 oz light cream cheese, softened
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 30 g light sour cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 120 ml whipping cream
- 120 g Non Fat Greek Yogurt
- Add-ins for the mixture, if desired, such as coconut extract, peanut butter, Nutella, lime juice, lemon juice, etc.
- Toppings, if desired, such as strawberry sauce, chocolate ganache, chocolate chips, toasted coconut, peanut butter, etc.
Instructions
- Set out 6 mason jars (at least 10 ounces in size).
- Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until evenly coated. Pour graham cracker mixture evenly into jars. For me, it was about 21 g that went into each individual jar. Press down the crust gently with a spoon to even out the crust.
- Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer, whip together the Greek yogurt and the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer, first cream the cream cheese until it is completely smooth. Next, add in sugar, light sour cream, and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth and combined. This is also where you may want to add in extra flavor such as peanut butter, coconut extract, etc.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently pour in the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Stir together carefully until combined. Do not over mix.
- Divide cream cheese filling into the mason jars evenly. For me, about 85 g of filling went into each of the mason jars.
- Cover with lid and refrigerate at least two hours. Just before serving, add desired toppings. Serve, and enjoy!
Notes