Greek Yogurt Cheesecake is simple, quick, and just a bit healthier than a traditional cheesecake without giving up the creamy cheesecake taste. The crust is made with vanilla wafers and an added lemon extract or lemon paste which pairs nicely with the black cherry topping. I keep several varieties of St. Dalfour fruit spread in my pantry for a super quick cheesecake topping.
Ingredients Notes
- Vanilla Wafers: The wafer crust taste so yummy or you can use a classic graham cracker crust.
- Butter:
- Lemon Extract: If you have lemon paste, use it to add a little extra lemon flavor.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Thick and creamy greek yogurt is perfect for making cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese: I use full-fat cream cheese; however you can use reduced fat with good results. The cream cheese should also be at room temperature for easier mixing.
- Eggs: eggs should be at room temperature.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar
- St. Dalfour Black Cherry fruit spread
Recipe Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle.
Coat a 5 or 6-inch Springform pans with cooking spray and wrap the outside bottom of the Springform pan with aluminum foil, coming up halfway on the sides.
Use a small food processor to crush the wafers into fine crumbs
In a medium bowl add the crushed wafers and butter. Mix until well moistened.
Stir in the lemon extract.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the Springform pan; the crust will be a little less than ½ inch thick. If you want a thicker crust, increase the number of wafers and the amount of butter used.
Bake the crust for 5 minutes and cool while preparing the cheesecake batter.
In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar; using a hand mixer, cream until the sugar is dissolved.
Add in the Greek yogurt and egg and mix until well blended.
Pour the batter into the Springform pan and place it on the baking sheet.
Add around ½ cup of water to the baking sheet ( water bath) and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Tips on how to make the vanilla wafer crust
The old fashion way is to break up the wafers into small pieces and put them into a large plastic bag, then roll a rolling pin over the bag to crush the wafers. Turn the bag over several times to get all the crumbs finely crushed. The quick way is to use a small food processor like the 3.5 cups Kitchenaid, however, this involves a little clean-up afterward. I'll use my processor when making a larger cheesecake crust, and the bag method when making a small 5-6 inch cheesecake.
- Crush 20-22 vanilla wafers in a plastic bag or food processor.
- Add the butter and lemon extract and mix until moist.
- Press this into the bottom of a greased 6 or 7-inch Springform pan.
- Press down gently but firmly until the crust is evenly distributed on the bottom of the pan
- Bake in a 325° oven for 5 minutes; set aside while you make the cheesecake filling.
You use the same process for a graham crackers crust.
How to store cheesecake
Allow the cheesecake to cool completely to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator. Next, cover the cheesecake loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator and store it for up to 3 days.
If you have cut slices of cheesecake, it's a good idea to store each slice individually wrapped to prevent the slices from drying out.
The best type of yogurt to use in a cheesecake is Greek yogurt, which is thicker and has a higher protein content than regular yogurt. Because it's also less sweet, it is a good choice for cheesecakes. Other options include full-fat or reduced-fat plain yogurt or a combination of both. Avoid using flavored yogurts, as they can alter the flavor of the cheesecake. If you can't find Greek yogurt, you can use regular yogurt and strain it through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve to remove some excess liquid. This will give you a texture that is similar to Greek yogurt.
Single Serving and Small Cheesecakes To Love
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Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Black Cherry Topping
Ingredients
- 20-22 Vanilla Wafers crushed fine
- 2 tablespoon Butter melted
- ⅛ teaspoon Lemon Extract
- 7 ounces plain Greek Yogurt
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 large Eggs
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 5 ounces St. Dalfour Black Cherry fruit spread
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle.
- Coat a 5 or 6-inch Springform pans with cooking spray and wrap the outside bottom of the Springform pan with aluminum foil, coming up halfway on the sides.
- Use a small food processor to crush the wafers into fine crumbs
- .In a medium bowl add the crushed wafers and butter. Mix until well moistened.
- Stir in the lemon extract.
- Press the crumbs into the bottom of the Springform pan, the crust will be a little less than ½ inch thick. If you want a thicker crust increase the amount of wafers and butter used.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes and let cool while preparing the cheesecake batter.
- In a medium bowl mix the cream cheese and sugar, using a hand mixer cream until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add in the Greek yogurt and egg and mix until well blended.
- Pour the batter into the Springform pan and place on the baking sheet. Add around a ½ cup of water to the baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
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Jen
A friend of mine made this cheesecake for me and it was amazing. Thank you for sharing your recipe — I look forward to making it in the future.