Fat Free Cheesecake

This fat-free cheesecake is about as simple as baking gets. Five ingredients: nonfat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites, and a graham cracker crust. Blend, pour, bake for 30 minutes. That’s the whole recipe. No water bath, no complicated technique, no hour-long bake. Just a straightforward, clean-tasting cheesecake that happens to have zero fat.

Using two packages of nonfat cream cheese gives the filling enough body to set properly during baking. Egg whites (or egg substitute) provide the structure that whole eggs or yolks normally handle, keeping the cheesecake firm and sliceable without adding any fat or cholesterol.

Blending until completely smooth is the one step you can’t rush. Nonfat cream cheese can be lumpy and resistant, and any clumps that survive the blending will show up as grainy pockets in the finished cheesecake. Take your time here.

The recipe suggests adding lemon juice and zest for a lemony variation, which would add a bright citrus kick that masks any slight flavor difference between nonfat and regular cream cheese.

Kitchen Tips

• Soften the cream cheese fully at room temperature before blending. Cold nonfat cream cheese is especially stubborn and creates lumps
• Use a prepared graham cracker crust from the store to keep this truly effortless, or make your own with crumbs and a tiny bit of apple juice as a fat-free binder
• The cheesecake is done when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. It firms up completely as it cools
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for the cleanest slices

Variations

• Add lemon juice and zest as suggested for a bright, citrusy cheesecake
• Top with fresh strawberries or a sugar-free fruit topping for color and natural sweetness
• Swirl in a tablespoon of sugar-free jam before baking for a marbled effect