High Protein Blueberry Cheesecake Jars
Nutrition Snapshot
If you love high protein cheesecake, you have to try this strawberry cheesecake overnight oats or cherry cheesecake jars.
Why you are going to love this high protein recipe
- Tastes like dessert but high in protein
- 17 grams of protein, no protein powder
- Easy to make
- Rich, creamy and thick
- Gluten free
- Great for meal prep
Ingredients to make protein cheesecake jars
- Cottage cheese –This is the key to making a cheesecake jar without cream cheese. The cottage cheese gets so thick and creamy when blended. I recommend using whole milk cottage cheese for the ultimate texture and taste.
- Greek yogurt – To give the cheesecake jars a tangy taste, I like to add some Greek yogurt. I recommend high fat Greek yogurt for the best texture.
- Lemon zest – I love to add lemon zest to help give the
- Maple syrup – naturally sweetens the mixture. You could also use honey or your favorite low sugar liquid sweetener.
- Graham crackers – this gives that authentic cheesecake crust layer to the jars. I used gluten free graham crackers to keep this recipe gluten free.
- Blueberry fruit spread or preserves – blueberry fruit spread (or blueberry preserves) are the perfect way to add a blueberry layer to these cheesecake jars. I love using a fruit spread or jam because it’s easy to keep on hand and adds so much flavor.
How to make blueberry cheesecake jars
Add the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla extract and lemon zest to the food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Crush up the graham cracker cookies (I like to place them in a ziplock bag and crush with my hands).
Divide the crushed graham crackers between two jars. Add the cheesecake layer over the crushed graham crackers then top with the blueberry fruit spread. Note, if you will be making these to serve later, check the tips.
Tips for making this in advance
Although you can make these no-bake blueberry cheesecake jars right away, the mixture gets really thick after being in the fridge for 3-4 hours. If you have the time, I suggest making them 3-4 hours in advance.
Meal prep tip: The graham cracker crust can get soggy after 24 hours so wait to add the graham cracker cookie crust if you are making these for meal prep. Instead, put it on top right before serving.
Topping ideas
- Whipped cream
- Fresh blueberries
- Toasted coconut flakes
- Slivered almonds, chopped pecans or pistachios
- Granola or crushed cookies or graham crackers
What makes this high in protein
- Cottage cheese – One cup of cottage cheese typically contains 25 to 28 grams of protein (depending on the fat content).
- Greek Yogurt – A 1/2 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt typically contains 9 to 10 grams of protein (depending on the brand).
Common questions
Do you have to use cottage cheese?
To make this high protein, the cottage cheese is key to getting the right texture. You could swap the cottage cheese with Greek yogurt (1.25 cups) and cream cheese (about ¼ cup, softened to room temperature).
Do you have to blend the cottage cheese?
Yes, it’s important that you blend the cottage cheese or the texture of these no-bake cheesecake jars will be off. Blending the cottage cheese will give this the thick, creamy consistency you want.
Does it matter what kind of cottage cheese you use?
Since the cottage cheese is getting blended, you don’t have to worry about the size of the curd of the cottage cheese. However for the best flavor, I recommend using whole milk (4% milkfat).
What if you don’t have graham crackers?
If you don’t have graham crackers, you can use crushed cookies or granola.
High Protein Blueberry Cheesecake Jars
Recommended Equipment
- Food processor or high speed blender
- Microplane grater
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup full fat greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ large lemon, zested
- 4 graham cracker cookies, (about 21 grams)
- 2 tablespoons blueberry fruit spread
Instructions
- Add 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the zest of 1/2 of a lemon into a food processor or high speed blender.
- Blend until smooth, may take 1-2 minutes.
- Crush the graham crackers (I like to place them in a ziplock bag to crush by hand).
- Divide the crushed graham crackers between 2 jars. Add the cheesecake filling and top with 1 tablespoon of blueberry fruit spread.
Notes
- Use cold cottage cheese and greek yogurt if you plan on eating this right away. The cottage cheese and greek yogurt can get warmed up when blending so for the best texture, make sure your ingredients are very cold before blending.
- Wait to add the blueberry fruit spread until right before serving if you need these to look their best for serving.
- If you plan on making a batch of these blueberry cheesecake jars in advance, don’t put the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom (the texture changes). Add the crushed graham crackers on top right before serving.
- If you don’t have blueberry preserves, you can use fresh or frozen (defrosted) blueberries mashed with some maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
