This Sugar Cookie Greek Yogurt Cheesecake is an effortless dessert that is perfect for the holidays. It’s so creamy, but still high-protein and sugar-free!
There’ll be no dessert FOMO this Christmas! Loaded with flavor, but still light, low in calories, and completely sugar-free, this is THE dessert to take to your next festive potluck!
Sugar cookies just feel like the ultimate Christmas cookie. They might not be the first to go from the annual cookie tin, but they are just so quintessentially Christmas that we all can’t help but gravitate toward them.
This cheesecake recipe has all the nostalgic flavors of a sugar cookie but with better-for-you ingredients! Sugar is swapped for monk fruit sweetener, and cream cheese is swapped for Greek yogurt, making the most luxuriously creamy and fluffy cheesecake.
Is a Sugar Cookie Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Healthy?
This recipe is fully sugar-free and made from wholesome ingredients that give you a little “wiggle room” for an extra slice. It swaps cream cheese for protein-packed and lower-fat Greek yogurt, and the typical refined sugar is swapped for monk fruit, a natural, zero-calorie sweetener derived from a small, round fruit native to Southern China.
As there are no whole fruits or vegetables in this dish, it is best to enjoy it in moderation, even though it is healthier than traditional cheesecake. You can also make this recipe better for you by adding fresh fruit on top (if you’re allowed the extra sugar in your diet), like halved strawberries or cranberries.
What Are Sugar Cookies?
Christmas sugar cookies have a rich history that traces back to various European traditions, particularly those of German and Dutch settlers in America.
The concept of cookies can be linked back to medieval Europe, where spiced biscuits were popular. They would’ve more closely resembled a spiced cake or hard cookie, and were often made with ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and honey, which became widely available during the Middle Ages.
The earliest examples of what we would recognize as sugar cookies were likely brought to America by Dutch settlers in the early 17th century. They referred to them as koekje, meaning “small cake”.
Then, by the 1930s and 1940s, decorated sugar cookies became widely popular in American households. This period saw the rise of cookie cutters and colorful decorations, and the tradition of leaving cookies for Santa Claus also emerged, likely from the Great Depression’s emphasis on generosity.
How to Make Ahead and Store
You can prepare the entire cheesecake (both the sugar cookie base and cheesecake layer) and chill it overnight before serving.
For leftovers, cover the cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.
To freeze the cheesecake, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. For individual servings, you can slice the cheesecake and wrap the slices individually before freezing. In the freezer, it can last for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to eat it, just let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving Suggestions
While it’s not strictly traditional, I love to serve this cheesecake with a scoop of this Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Rum and “Egg nog”, as nothing beats the flavor combo of sugar cookies and egg nog!
You can always customize this cheesecake to your heart’s desires, too. I love to swap the cookie base for an Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookie base, or a Healthy Ginger Snap base. And then, once the cheesecake has cooled, I love to decorate it with some Vegan Peppermint Bark for a pop of color!
recipe
Ingredients
For the cookie base:
- 3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1/2 cup butter softened at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the cheesecake:
- 16 oz reduced-fat cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener
- 3/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cookie base:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the monk fruit and softened butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Then, stir it into the butter mixture until it forms a dough.
- Line a small plate with parchment paper and press 1/2 cup of the cookie dough onto it, about 1/4 inch thick. It doesn't need to be perfect. Place the plate in the freezer.
- Press the remaining cookie dough flat into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan, and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature for 5 minutes and then refrigerate for 10 minutes to really set the crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
To make the cheesecake:
- While the cookie base sets in the refrigerator, beat together the softened cream cheese and monk fruit until JUST combined. You don't want to add in too much air.
- Add the Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla and beat until just combined and the cream cheese is smooth.
- Once the cookie base has cooled for 10 minutes, pour cheesecake mixture into it and gently smooth the top with a spatula or knife.
- Remove the reserved 1/2 cup of cookie dough from the freezer and crumble it into small pieces all over the top of the cheesecake. You will need to cover the majority of the cheesecake.
- Bake until the cheesecake rises slightly and the outsides are set, and just a small circle in the center of the cheesecake is still jiggly, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes. Then, turn off the oven, crack open the oven door, and leave the cheesecake in there for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and GENTLY run a very sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cheesecake. Then let the cake stand until it reaches room temperature. Once it's at room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight.
- After it's set, slice and serve.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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