No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake
No-bake pineapple cheesecake: a lightened version using nonfat cream cheese, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt folded with crushed pineapple, set with gelatin on a graham and Grape-Nuts crust. Creamy tropical dessert without the oven.
YIELD
1 cheesecakePREP
30 minCOOK
10 minREADY
8 hrsThis is a clever, lower-fat cheesecake that proves you don’t need a pound of cream cheese and a water bath to get a silky, sliceable slice. It blends nonfat cream cheese with blended cottage cheese and strained yogurt, which together stand in for the richness you’d expect while cutting the fat dramatically.
Straining is the non-negotiable part. The yogurt and cottage cheese both need to be drained hard to remove excess whey, and the cottage cheese gets blended for a full three minutes until it turns completely smooth. Grainy cottage cheese ruins the whole effect, so don’t cut that step short.
Crushed pineapple goes in three ways: folded into the filling for texture, reduced through the gelatin bloom for sweetness, and as reserved juice that hydrates the gelatin itself. The crust combines graham cracker crumbs with Grape-Nuts cereal for extra crunch.
Chef Tips
- Drain the yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer for at least 20 to 30 minutes, the longer the better. You want a thick consistency close to cream cheese.
- Process the cottage cheese for the full 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Anything less and you’ll taste the curds.
- Bloom the gelatin in cold pineapple juice before heating, sprinkling directly into warm liquid creates lumps.
- Never boil the gelatin, high heat destroys its setting power. Warm just until dissolved.
- Refrigerate at least 3 hours, overnight is ideal for full set and flavor blending.
Variations
- Swap pineapple for canned mango, peaches, or apricots for a different tropical angle.
- Stir in toasted shredded coconut with the pineapple for a pina colada vibe.
- Top with fresh strawberries or a passion fruit glaze just before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
To make crust:
Position rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 350’F.
Crumble the graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbs form.
Add the cereal, sugar, oil, butter, egg white and 1 teaspoon juice or water.
Pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Pinch a spoonful of crumbs together, and test whether they are moist enough to hold the print of your finger.
If necessary, add a few more drops of juice or water and pulse once or twice.
Turn the crumbs into an 8 inch springform pan and use your hand or the back of a metal spoon to press an even layer around the sides of the pan.
Spread the remaining crumbs evenly over the pan bottom.
Top with a piece of wax paper, and press to form an even layer, taking care not to build up the crumbs in the corner.
Bake the shell for 7 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
The crust firms and crisps as it cools.
To make filling:
Place the yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and set aside to drain for at least 20 minutes.
Transfer to a small bowl, and discard the whey.
Drain the crushed pineapple in a strainer set over a bowl.
Press the fruit lightly with the back of a large spoon to release all the juice.
Transfer the pineapple to a small bowl, and reserve ½ cup of the juice.
Place the cottage cheese in a strainer set over a bowl.
cover it with a piece of plastic wrap, and press down firmly on the cheese to force excess liquid from the curds.
Place the cottage cheese and cream cheese in a blender or a food processor.
Process for at least 3 minutes, or until absolutely smooth, with no trace of graininess, stopping once to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.
Add the sugar, vanilla, pineapple extract and drained yogurt.
Pulse until well blended.
Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, and pulse several times.
Add 1½ cups of the drained crushed pineapple and pulse just to blend.
In a small saucepan, combine the reserved ½ cup pineapple juice and the lemon juice.
Sprinkle on the gelatin and allow to sit about 3 minutes to soften.
Then stir the mixture over low heat just until the gelatin is dissolved; do not boil.
With the blender or food processor running, add the gelatin mixture and pulse to blend.
Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
Once the top is firm, cover it with plastic wrap.
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