Got to love a no-bake recipe. This Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Cheesecake is refrigerator-set, and has a no-bake chocolate chip cookie dough crust. *Sigh* — Can we say the PERFECT dessert to take to a party with lots of women — such as a baby shower? Not my baby shower– not yet. This is for a friend’s baby shower, that I will tell you more about in the coming days.
I’m actually midway through making a 3rd of these– it’s been a winner. It’s my assistant’s birthday at work, and this seems like the perfect crowd pleasing dessert to take in to celebrate. Of course, that’s all I was thinking about. Of course I wouldn’t choose a dessert for a friend based on how quick it is to make, right? I would choose the absolute best choice, always.
 We love our greek yogurt desserts. Alex comes from a family that had dessert every night after dinner. That tradition, that he introduced to our little family, resulted in my pants getting tighter and tighter after we moved in together.
These days, we’ve backed off the desserts. Alex still has one nightly, but it’s usually yogurt and fruit. Occasionally, I make him a dessert with greek yogurt that’s a little more fun– like this Mexican Chocolate Greek Yogurt Tiramisu, or this Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Cheesecake.
This Vanilla Bean version blew me away. No only is it beautiful, creamy, and totally delicious– it was a snap to make. A few minutes to process the ingredients for the crust– press it into the pan– then another few minutes to process the cheesecake filling. Pour it on, put in the fridge. Cheesecake made in 20 minutes. No joke. Of course– then it has to set overnight, or at least 6-8 hours.
And made almost entirely free of processed sugars (the chocolate chips have some!). The “cookie dough” crust is actually similar to an energy bar/ball recipe– oats, dates, cashews, and some flavorings. The greek yogurt cheesecake is packed with high protein yogurt and cream cheese, and sweetened with honey and vanilla bean paste. The result is a seriously delicious AND nutritious dessert.
Contents
Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with a Cookie Dough Crust
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Crust
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1 1/2 cup Medjool dates about 15 dates
- sea salt
- vanilla bean paste
- chocolate chips
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Filling
- 1 tablespoon gelatin +2 tablespoons water
- 2 1/2 cups greek yogurt I used low fat
- 1 8- ounce box cream cheese room temperature, for smoothest results
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- sea salt
Instructions
- Add the cashews and oatmeal to a food processor bowl. Process until a flour forms.
- Add the dates, sea salt, and vanilla, and process until the dates are broken up and it forms a sticky dough.
- Add the chocolate chips, and pulse 7-10 times, until the chocolate chips are mixed in to the dough, but not broken up.
- Spray a 10-inch springform pan with coconut oil spray, or lightly grease with butter or coconut oil.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.
- Add gelatin and water to a pan, and leave for a few minutes to soften.
- In the cleaned food processor (or in a high speed blender, for a smoother result), add softened (room temperature) cream cheese, yogurt, honey, vanilla bean paste, and sea salt.
- Process the cheesecake filling until very smooth.
- Heat up the gelatin and water, until the gelatin is melted and there are no more clumps.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in gelatin, and continue to process for 30 seconds to completely incorporate.
- Pour the cheesecake filling in the pan on top of the prepared crust.
- Refrigerate to set, overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Nutrition
Urgh, Michelle, I’d have a pretend baby shower for one of these- It looks amazing! Hope everythings going well 🙂
I made one for a birthday party yesterday as well 🙂
This looks so amazing and yes I also love a no bake cheese cake. Thanks for sharing – I’ll be trying this one as my 2 young boys have just “discovered” cheesecake!
Great! It’s a pretty healthy option for dessert 🙂 And I love not having to bake anything to make an impressive looking cake.
This is a dessert I can feel good about. I looks lovely and sounds delicious!
Thanks Thao! It was a hit at both parties I took it to.
Michelle I am sure this dessert was a huge hit at your workplace. Creamy and delicious and no bake, I am in. We don’t make desserts very often at home as like you if it was there I would just eat it. However, I think this one might be an exception. Wishing you a super weekend. Sharing, of course!
Thanks Bobbi 🙂 I don’t feel as bad having desserts at home if they are made with clean ingredients and are high in protein– greek yogurt is perfect for that!
Oh, how delicious is this! I’m a big fan of Greek yogurt as well, Michelle, and when I feel like I need a little sweetness I combine a wee bit of honey and fruit. Anything that is this easy is a winner with me. It’s simply beautiful!
This cheesecake looks absolutely mouthwatering – and the fact that you’ve used Greek yogurt and that it’s no bake!?! I’m smitten…
Oh my gosh, Michelle, this cheesecake looks SO GOOD! Can’t believe you made this with Greek yogurt in there!
Amazing. I want to dive head first into this right now it looks so good. My mom and stepdad have a cheesecake competition going – they each think they make the best one. I might have to step into the ring with this beauty. I love how healthy it is too!
OMG, this cake looks perfect Michelle! No bake cake is the best type ever. I must say it’s a pretty healthy option for a dessert. Makes me feel hungry right now 🙂 Great job done!
Thanks Maggie 🙂 Greek yogurt is practically dessert already!