High protein pumpkin cheesecake based on the Cheesecake Factory’s, with a thick, tangy filling loaded with cinnamon, ginger and clove, a buttery graham cracker crust and a big swirl of whipped cream on top. It slices clean and tastes like the real thing, and blended cottage cheese takes every slice to 14g protein and 228 calories without anyone noticing. Twenty minutes of actual work, one overnight chill, and Thanksgiving dessert is sorted.
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Low-fat cottage cheese: the biggest protein source, around 50g across the whole cake. Blended properly, it reads as cream cheese. In the UK, quark is the best swap: similar protein, already smooth.
- Extra light soft cheese (fat-free cream cheese in the US): gives the tang and dense body cottage cheese can’t manage alone. Light cream cheese or Neufchâtel also works, with a few more calories.
- Pumpkin purée: one 15oz (425g) can of plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Libby’s is the easiest to find in the US and UK.
- 0% Greek yogurt: loosens the filling and adds about 12g protein to the cake. Skyr is a straight swap.
- Eggs: set the filling. Room temperature eggs blend in fast, so you don’t overmix.
- Brown sugar replacement: a 1:1 brown sweetener (Sukrin Gold, Swerve Brown) keeps the caramel note the original has. Real brown sugar works and adds roughly 70 calories per slice.
- Cornflour (cornstarch in the US): cottage cheese carries more water than cream cheese, and cornflour stops the filling weeping or cracking.
- Spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice replaces all four. UK mixed spice isn’t the same blend.
- Crust: graham crackers in the US, digestives in the UK (6 of either), bound with melted butter. Use gluten-free biscuits for a gluten-free cake.
How to make a high protein pumpkin cheesecake
- Prep the tin. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan, 340°F) and wrap the outside of a 23cm (9-inch) springform tin in a double layer of foil.
- Make the crust. Stir the crushed biscuits into the melted butter until a pinch holds together. Press it hard into the tin with the bottom of a glass, especially at the edges.
- Bake and chill the base. Give it 8 minutes in the oven, then 10 minutes in the fridge to firm up. Drop the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, 320°F).
- Blend the cottage cheese on its own. This step decides the texture. Blend until there isn’t a visible curd, then another 30 seconds. Rubbed between your fingers, it should feel completely smooth.
- Build the filling. Add the soft cheese, pumpkin and yogurt and blend until smooth. Then add the sweetener, cornflour, vanilla and spices and blend again. Add the eggs last and blend on low only until they disappear. Extra air from the eggs is what causes cracks.
- Pour gently. Pour over the back of a spoon so the crust stays put, then tap the tin on the counter to release bubbles.
- Bake in a water bath. Sit the tin in a roasting tin and pour hot water halfway up the sides. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes. It’s done when the edges are set and the centre still wobbles in a circle about 5 to 7cm (2 to 3 inches) across when you nudge the tin.
- Cool it slowly. Turn the oven off, prop the door open and leave it for 30 minutes. Cool on the counter until barely warm, then refrigerate uncovered overnight, covering once cold.
- Slice and top. Release the tin and cut with a hot, dry knife, wiping it between slices. Finish each slice with light whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
Tips for getting it right
A grainy cottage cheese pumpkin cheesecake is almost always a blender problem: the cottage cheese went in with everything else, or it didn’t get long enough on its own.
- Blend the cottage cheese first and alone. Once the other ingredients go in, any curds left are stuck there.
- Food processor? Give it 2 to 3 full minutes with a scrape-down halfway.
- Pull it while it still wobbles. It firms up a lot overnight. Baking until the centre is set gives you a dry, cracked top.
- Don’t skip the slow cool. Going straight from hot oven to cold kitchen is the other big cause of cracks.
- Chill it overnight. After only 4 hours it’s soft and the spices taste flat.
Variations
- Pumpkin pecan: scatter chopped pecans mixed with a teaspoon of maple syrup over the top before serving.
- Gingernut crust: swap the digestives for ginger nuts (gingersnaps in the US) for a spicier base.
- Extra protein: blend 30g vanilla casein into the filling for about 3g more protein per slice. Use casein, not whey, which dries out baked cheesecake.
Storage
- Fridge: covered, up to 4 days. Add the whipped cream just before serving.
- Freezer: whole or sliced, open-freeze on a tray for an hour, then wrap in cling film and foil. Up to 2 months.
- Thaw: overnight in the fridge. Don’t thaw on the counter or the surface goes wet.
Frequently asked questions
Can you taste the cottage cheese?
No, as long as it’s blended completely smooth. The soft cheese, pumpkin and spices cover it, and the texture is dense like a classic baked cheesecake.
What makes this a healthy pumpkin cheesecake?
Each slice (cut into 8) has 14g protein, 228 calories and 8g sugar. Most of the protein comes from the cottage cheese, the rest from the eggs, soft cheese and yogurt.
Why did my cheesecake crack?
Usually overbaking, overmixing after the eggs go in, or cooling too fast. Pull it while the centre still wobbles and let it cool in the switched-off oven.
Can I skip the water bath?
You can, but expect a drier texture and likely a crack. At minimum, put a tin of hot water on the shelf below for steam.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of purée?
No. It’s already sweetened and spiced, so the cake ends up too sweet and won’t set properly.
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High Protein Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
High protein pumpkin cheesecake made with cottage cheese, a Cheesecake Factory copycat with 14g protein and 228 calories per slice.
Ingredients
Crust
- 6 graham cracker sheets - crushed (or digestives UK)
- 1.5 tbsp butter - melted
- water - as needed
Filling
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- 8 oz fat free cream cheese - UK: extra light soft cheese
- 15 oz can pumpkin purée
- ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sweetener - 1:1 brown sugar replacement
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of ground cloves
- To serve: light whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Wrap the outside of a 23cm springform tin in foil.
- Mix the crushed graham crackers/digestives with the melted butter. Add the water a teaspoon at a time until a pinch holds together when squeezed. Press firmly into the base of the tin with the bottom of a glass, especially at the edges.6 graham cracker sheets, 1.5 tbsp butter, water
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes, then chill it for 10 minutes so it firms up.
- Turn the oven down to 160°C (140°C fan).
- Blend the cottage cheese on its own until completely smooth. Give it longer than you think; this step decides the texture.16 oz low-fat cottage cheese
- Add the cream cheese, pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt, and blend until smooth.8 oz fat free cream cheese, 15 oz can pumpkin purée, ½ cup 0% Greek yogurt
- Add the sweetener, cornflour, vanilla and spices, and blend again.¾ cup brown sweetener, 3 tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp nutmeg, Pinch of ground cloves
- Add the eggs and blend on low just until combined.3 large eggs
- Pour the filling over the back of a spoon onto the crust so the base doesn’t shift.
- Set the tin in a roasting tin and pour in hot water about halfway up the sides.
- Bake for 60–75 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre wobbles in a 5–7cm circle.
- Turn the oven off, prop the door ajar and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes.
- Cool on the counter until barely warm, then refrigerate uncovered overnight. Cover once fully cold.
- Release the tin and slice with a hot, dry knife. Top each slice with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.To serve: light whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon
Notes
- Blend cottage cheese alone first. No visible curds.
- Eggs in last, low speed, just mixed.
- Done = edges set, centre wobbles.
- Cool in the switched-off oven, door ajar.
- Hot dry knife, wipe between slices.
Storage:
- Fridge: covered, 4 days. Cream on just before serving.
- Freezer: wrapped, 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 449mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8608IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 2mg
