The YOGURT OF LOVE No-Bake Cheesecake
I really love yogurt, and I’ve wanted to learn how to make it for many years. I just never pursued it because I thought it would be too difficult. As I’ve discovered, it is super easy to make yogurt in the oven with just the warmth of the light bulb! Dr. Davis discussed how he started making this Super Gut yogurt for himself in his own oven in one of his talks, so I decided to try it that way since I didn’t have an Instant Pot, yogurt maker, or dehydrator. My friend Jessica also encouraged me to try it, and I trust her kitchen Magic.
How I make yogurt, with love:
I put the covered ceramic crock portion of my crock pot into the oven and got the oven warm using “Keep Warm” for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I mixed up the yogurt mixture as his recipe described. Then I put the yogurt mixture into the crock and then back in the warm oven. Every 4-6 hours I’d turn the oven on for one minute and then turn it off. At first I took the yogurt’s temperature before turning the oven on, but every single time it was almost exactly 100 degrees. I was thrilled to find that this method works very well – NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED!
The yogurt recipe makes about 3+ cups of yogurt after straining off the whey. Be sure to strain the whey off all the way!!! (The whey can be recultured or used in other recipes like water kefir.) The texture should be a lusciously thick, rich Greek yogurt. This is the perfect amount for making one large cheesecake. The sacred “Yogurt of Love” recipe is found here:
A few weeks later, when my birthday rolled around, I really wanted to make a healthy keto version of cheesecake. My favorite dessert! I decided to research ways to use this magical yogurt in my cheesecake. I knew I couldn’t bake it or blend it because it would kill all the little happy microbe friends I lovingly cultured. So I researched (literally.ALL.of.the) No-Bake recipes on the interwebs and eventually concocted my own special version that met all the criteria: creamy cheesecake flavor and texture, sweet but not too sweet, keto-friendly, and with vegan options. Without further ado, here it is!
The Yogurt of Love No-Bake Keto Cheesecake recipe (vegan option included)
Serves 16
Prep time: about an hour or less, less if your ingredients are already at room temperature
Chill time: overnight is best!
Helpful equipment:
Food processor
Stand mixer
Springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom
Crust: (optional!)
1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz or 113g)
1/4-1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1-2 Tbsp of golden sweetener (Lakanto Golden, Swerve Brown Sweetener, etc.)
1 cup blanched superfine almond flour
1 cup pecan pieces (or pecan flour, or any nuts of choice like macadamias or walnuts)
Cake:
3 bricks of cream cheese (8 oz or 226g each), at room temperature
3 cups of Super Gut Yogurt
1 1/2 cups of coconut oil, coconut butter, or coconut manna (or a combination of all 3)*
1/2 cup blanched superfine almond flour
1/2 to 1 cup sugar-free sweetener of choice (powdered Lakanto, Lakanto Maple Syrup, Keto Honey, Swerve, etc.)*
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon
Prep:
PLEASE READ THE NOTES SECTION BELOW FIRST!
Ensure you have all your ingredients on hand prior to beginning…learn from my mistakes!
Set the cream cheese (or liquified cashews) in the stand mixer (or your mixing bowl) to bring them to room temperature so they will blend more easily.
Melt the butter and/or coconut oil/butter/manna of choice – a good way is to place into a glass dish in warm water.
Assemble your equipment and the requisite measuring tools.
Pre-measure the rest of the ingredients to make assembly as smooth and quick as possible.
Crust assembly:
Place pecans in the food processor and chop as fine as you like. (I like the pecans to be slightly chunkier than the almond flour.)
Add the almond flour, butter/coconut oil, salt, and golden sweetener and blend until well combined.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the springform pan using the back of a spatula.
Cake assembly:
In the stand mixer, start mixing the cream cheese (or liquid cashews).
Slowly add in the almond flour, lemon juice, coconut oil/butter/manna, and sweetener.
Once well blended, gently stir in the Super Gut Yogurt. You can use the stand mixer on low or stir it in by hand.
After all the ingredients have been combined, pour the cake batter onto the crust.
Using a clean spatula, smooth the top layer of the cake into whatever design you like as it will firm up in the exact shape as it is when poured.
Place the cake into the refrigerator to chill. It will firm up best overnight.
To serve:
Any way you like! I decorated my cakes with fresh organic strawberries and sprigs of mint from my garden.
To store:
The cheesecake can last almost a week in the refrigerator, but I recommend freezing any leftover portions. Wrap individual portions in wax paper and place into a plastic bag. Place in the freezer. If freezing for long time periods, say more than a month, you can prevent freezer burn by also wrapping the bag in aluminum foil. To thaw, place the frozen portion in the refrigerator to thaw overnight, or place at room temperature for about an hour or two.
Notes:
*The crust is completely optional but highly recommended! The salt and sweetener are also optional, but also highly recommended. (Who doesn’t like sweet and salty nuts?!) The crust recipe as written tastes like a healthy version of crust made with butter and graham cracker crumbs and/or Biscoff Cookies…mmmmm…
*If you decide to use store-bought yogurt, I recommend using Greek yogurt for the thicker texture. If using a regular yogurt, add at least 1/4 cup of extra coconut oil per cup to ensure that the cake portion sets up firmly, and let me know how it turns out!
*Vegan swaps: Use coconut oil instead of butter for the crust. Substitute an equal weight of soaked cashews for the cream cheese. Make your yogurt using coconut milk or use any thick vegan yogurt that you like. If the yogurt isn’t thick, remember to use at least 1/4 cup of coconut oil per cup to ensure that the cake portion sets up firmly, and let me know how it turns out!
*I HIGHLY recommend making a small portion of the cheesecake as a tester in a muffin tin or silicone baking cup to test how well it sets up. You may want to taste test the mixture before pouring it so you can make any adjustments to your taste. It tastes exactly how it’s going to taste once mixed, the texture will be firmer once it sets up. It may not firm up well if the whey is not fully strained from the yogurt. Adding more coconut oil helps it firm up nicely if needed.
Nutrition information:
This is a dessert, so treat it like one! (Or a fat bomb…) I absolutely indulged in a slice with coffee for breakfast for my birthday with glee!
16 servings per cake
Per serving:
Calories: 554
Fat: 55.3 g
Protein: 9.5 g
Carbs: 20.8 g
Fiber: 1.9 g

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