These healthy patriotic no bake mini cheesecakes are a perfect lightened-up treat for your holiday celebration!
Every holiday celebration deserves a good treat, right? The thing is, sometimes there are too many treats at holiday celebrations. Don’t get me wrong, I believe all foods can fit (uh, this is a dessert recipe post!), however too many desserts in one sitting usually doesn’t sit well with me or my belly. I end up feeling bloated and sick after eating too many sweet treats.
That’s why it’s good to have a lighter dessert option – so I don’t end up so over-sweetened after the meal! These healthy patriotic no bake mini cheesecakes are the perfect portion size for a treat and add just the right amount of sweetness.
To lighten it up I used Neufchâtel cheese, or the 1/3 less fat cream cheese you see at the store. I then mixed in plain Greek yogurt and sweetened it with lemon juice, vanilla extract and honey. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking, adding more or less of each (in particular the honey) until it reaches your desired taste – that’s one of the great things about this recipe!
Looking a layer below – probably my favorite part – is a graham cracker crust. And not just any graham cracker crust, a healthier graham cracker crust! I blended ground flax seed into it (think healthy omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein), added a bit of cinnamon (mmmm!) and bound it together with melted coconut oil. You can use butter if you don’t have any coconut oil. Delish! I could probably eat the crust all by itself.
Top it all off with fresh summer berries and you have yourself some healthy patriotic no bake mini cheesecakes ready to serve to your family and friends! These work great for Memorial Day, Independence Day or Labor Day…or really any day of the year!
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Healthy Patriotic No Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 5 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These healthy patriotic no bake mini cheesecakes are a perfect lightened-up treat for your holiday celebration!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 5-6 sheets graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
For the cheesecake:
- 1 (8 ounce) package Neufchâtel cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping options:
- sliced fresh strawberries
- fresh blueberries
- fresh raspberries
- fresh blackberries
Instructions
For the crust:
- Prepare a muffin tin by inserting paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, ground flax seed and cinnamon. Stir in the coconut oil until mixture begins to bind together. Spoon into prepared muffin cups and press down firmly to form crust.
For the cheesecake:
- Place the Neufchâtel cheese and Greek yogurt in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and blended. Add in the lemon juice, honey and vanilla extract and beat again until everything is well combined. Adjust sweetness by adding more honey, if desired.
- Evenly divide the cheesecake mixture among the each muffin cup, topping the graham cracker crusts and smoothing over until level. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or until fully set up. Alternatively, you can place in the freezer for 1 hour, or until set up.
- Top with desired red and blue berries, such as fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. Serve immediately out of the fridge to prevent them from softening too much. Keep stored, covered, in the fridge when not being served.
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