If you need to make a lighter fall dessert, try this Low Fat Pumpkin Cheesecake.
The fall holidays are upon us, and it’s time to start thinking about what fall desserts we want to make! This cheesecake still has 15 grams of fat per serving, but compared with a traditional slice of pumpkin cheesecake at 32 grams of fat per serving, it’s a little bit lower in fat. So we’re calling it a low fat pumpkin cheesecake!
Ingredients needed:
- reduced-fat vanilla wafers
- butter
- low fat cream cheese
- white sugar and brown sugar
- all purpose flour
- ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger
- salt
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
How to make Low Fat Pumpkin Cheesecake:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
PREPARE THE CRUST:
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Preheat oven to 400°F.
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Place the cookies in a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Add the butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. If you don’t have access to a food processor, place the cookies in a large zip bag and bang away at them until they turn into fine crumbs. Scrape them into a bowl and then stir in the melted butter.
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Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack.
MAKE THE FILLING:
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Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
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In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheeses at high speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (through vanilla), beating well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin; beat well.
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For the filling into the prepared crust; bake at 325° for 1½ hours or until almost set. (The cheesecake is done when the center barely jiggles when the pan is touched).
Remove the cheesecake from the oven; run a knife around the outside edge. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Cheesecakes are best when they’re made ahead of time. You can prepare this one up to three days before your event; just cover and chill it until time to serve.
Cheesecake is pretty much my favorite dessert of all time. It might sound a little out-of-sorts, but as food goes… I’m thankful for cheesecake. I like it plain and unadorned, and I often dream about that red velvet type. I wanted to have cheesecake at my wedding, but went the traditional route with wedding cake instead.
You know what’s great about this cheesecake? It’s creamy, it’s rich, and it’s delicious, even though it’s lower in fat! I’m a big cheesecake fan here, and this cheesecake turns out to be some pretty incredible stuff. It’s a nice “alternative” dessert to include at Thanksgiving (because I’m a firm believer that you should have at least a couple of dessert options on Thanksgiving Day!) And if you have to eat gluten free, I’ve included tips on how to (very easily) adapt this recipe to be gluten free too. Enjoy!
Cheesecake Recipes:
Low Fat Pumpkin Cheesecake
This cheesecake is creamy and delicious, and it definitely feels like cheating!
Recipe Details
Services: 16 servings
calories: 283calories
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 56 (about 8 ounces) reduced fat vanilla wafers
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
FILLING:
- Five 8-ounce packages ⅓ less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 dash allspice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 wide eggs
- One 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
Instructions
PREPARE THE CRUST:
-
Preheat oven to 400°F.
-
Place the cookies in a food processor; pulse until finely ground. Add the butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.
-
Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake for 10 minutes; cool on wire rack.
MAKE THE FILLING:
-
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheeses at high speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and next 8 ingredients (through vanilla), beating well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin; beat well.
-
For the filling into the prepared crust; bake at 325° for 1½ hours or until almost set. (The cheesecake is done when the center barely jiggles when the pan is touched).
-
Remove the cheesecake from the oven; run a knife around the outside edge. Cool to room temperature; cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Ratings
- If you don’t have access to a food processor, place the cookies in a large zip bag and bang away at them until they turn into fine crumbs. Scrape them into a bowl and stir in the melted butter.
- If adapting this recipe to be gluten freeuse a gluten-free cookie in place of the vanilla wafers, and use a GF flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. (Adapting to GF will change the nutritional information.)
- *Cheesecakes are best when they’re made ahead of time. You can prepare this one up to three days before your event; just cover and chill it until time to serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, calories: 283calories, Carbohydrates: 30g, protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 360mg, Potassium: 271mg, fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 4618UI, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 127mg, Iron: 1mg
