Lighter Chocolate Cottage Cheese Cheesecake (Printable)

A decadent chocolate dessert made lighter with creamy cottage cheese, offering high protein and rich flavor without the heaviness.

# What You Need:

→ Crust

01 - 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
02 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or melted butter
03 - 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
04 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup

→ Filling

05 - 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
06 - 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar or sweetener of choice
09 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
10 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
12 - 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled

→ Topping

13 - 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
14 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
15 - Dark chocolate shavings for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 340°F. Line the base of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and maple syrup until blended. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
03 - Using a food processor or blender, blend cottage cheese until completely smooth, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Add Greek yogurt, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and melted chocolate. Continue blending until the mixture achieves a silky consistency.
04 - Pour the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top surface with a spatula.
05 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the center is just set but still slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven, crack the door open slightly, and allow the cheesecake to cool inside for 1 hour.
06 - Remove from oven and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until completely set.
07 - Before serving, spread with Greek yogurt topping if desired and sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • You get that decadent chocolate cheesecake experience without the guilt or the heaviness that keeps you awake at night.
  • The protein sneaks in quietly—each slice packs more than a Greek yogurt, making this dessert feel almost virtuous.
  • It comes together faster than traditional cheesecake, and the flavor actually deepens after a day in the fridge.
02 -
  • The wobble is your friend—overbaking turns this into a dense, dry cake that defeats the entire purpose of using cottage cheese for lightness.
  • Cold ingredients matter less here than they do in traditional cheesecake, but blending your cottage cheese until completely smooth is non-negotiable for texture.
03 -
  • Ensure your cottage cheese is the plain, full-fat or low-fat kind, not the whipped variety—texture and blending matter too much to improvise here.
  • If your chocolate chips seize up after melting, add them to the filling unmelted and let them soften slightly during blending instead.
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