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WW Recipe of the Day: Light Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Berries
This yummy looking easy light ricotta cheesecake from Ellie Krieger immediately caught my attention when I came across it in her USA Weekend CookSmart column the Sunday before July 4th.
She described it as “Luxuriously creamy and satisfying but with a fraction of the calories and saturated fat of a typical cheesecake, it’s the kind of dessert that lets you have it all.”
Using part-skim ricotta, reduced-fat cream cheese, reduced-fat sour cream and skipping a crumb crust all help to significantly lower the calories and fat.
I like being able to have it all, so I decided to make it to enjoy on the 4th in all it’s red, white and blue glory.
Light Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe Notes
The verdict? This light ricotta cheesecake with fresh berries was definitely easy to make.
You just whizz everything together in a food processor (affiliate link), pour the mixture into a springform pan (affiliate link) and bake for about an hour.
Since it needs to chill for at least 3 hours, it’s best to make this cheesecake ahead. (I baked it on July 3 and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before brushing with jam and topping with berries on the 4th.)
It’s light and creamy, but not as smooth as typical cheesecake. The ricotta makes it slightly grainy with the consistency of a sweet ricotta-filled cannoli.
My version turned out a bit softer than expected. I baked it for the full 55 minutes suggested and it seemed set, but it might have been better with another 5-10 minutes of oven time.
I also used non-fat Greek yogurt instead of reduced-fat sour cream, which could have had an effect on the texture and decreased the SmartPoints by 1.
This light ricotta cheesecake tasted really good, but it’s not going on my “make again” list.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Ricotta Cheesecake Dessert?
According to my calculations, when substituting nonfat Greek yogurt for the reduced fat sour cream, each generous slice has about 300 calories and:
11 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
0 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
I love Ellie, but her recipes have been hit and miss for me. The next time I want a lighter healthier cheesecake I’m going to stick with a recipe from one of my tried and true favorite light dessert books, Enlightened Cakes: More Than 100 Decadently Light Layer Cakes, Bundt Cakes, Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, and More, All with Less Fat and Fewer Calories (affiliate link) by Camilla Saulsbury or Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs, All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving (affiliate link) by Nick Malgieri. They never let me down.
Enjoy!
If you’ve made this Lightened Up Cheesecake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Ellie Krieger's Light Ricotta Cheesecake with Fresh Berries
Ingredients
- 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I used plain nonfat Greek yogurt instead)
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (I used lemon zest)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup all-fruit seedless raspberry jam
- 1 tablespoon orange liqueur or water
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
- Coat a 9-inch springform pan (affiliate link) with cooking spray.
- Place the ricotta in a food processor (affiliate link) and process until smooth, several minutes.
- Add the sour cream, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, orange zest and salt and continue to process until well blended.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center is just set, 50 to 55 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before removing it from the pan. (The cheese cake will only be about 1-1/2 to 2 inches tall.)
- In a small saucepan, bring the jam and liqueur to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Let cool slightly and then brush over the top of the cheesecake.
- Arrange the berries on top of the jam layer, alternating one row of raspberries (flat side down) with 2 rows of blueberries.
- Store the cake in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: USA Weekend CookSmart by Ellie Krieger
A note about WW Points
If you're following Weight Watchers, all the recipes here on Simple Nourished Living have been updated for the new WW program, with points displayed in the recipe card. The Check the WW Points link in the recipe card takes you to the Weight Watchers App where you can edit it using the WW recipe builder or add it to your day.
(Must be logged into WW account on a mobile device, such as smartphone or tablet).
If you like this recipe for lighter ricotta cheesecake with fresh berries, check out these links:
- Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Bars – Easy, creamy and delicious
- Lightened Up Lemon Cream Cheese Bars – easy and delicious with 4 PointsPlus
- Limoncello Cheesecake Squares – creamy and delicious when you want a special indulgence
- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake – rich and creamy with *6 PointsPlus, *11 Freestyle SmartPoints value (Weight Watchers)
- Easy No Bake Cheesecake – with *6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, *13 WW Freestyle SmartPoints (SkinnyTaste)
- Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries – with 1 PointsPlus/SmartPoint per berry (Emily Bites)
- Blackberry Almond Cheesecake tarts – in phyllo shells with *3 Freestyle SmartPoints (Weight Watchers)
- Chocolate Ricotta Mousse – creamy and delicious with *5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, *8 WW Freestyle SmartPoints (SkinnyTaste)
I have an old recipe I found just today.
I filed it away from my old weight watcher meeting
i Cup low fat Ricotta Cheese
one small can of sliced pineapple (yellow can) with its own juice.
2/3 Cup powdered milk
1/2 Cup boiling water
2 packets of Knox Gelatin
1/2 tsp vanilla
or 1/2 stsp of lemon juice (Optional)
place ricotta cheese, pineapple with juice and powdered milk in blender and blend until smooth.
Slowly add the liquid gelatin after disolving it in boiling water. blend thorougly and pour into 8 inch aluminum pie tin and set in refrigerator until set. preferable overnight.
I used this for years and it not only filled me but it solved my sugar craving.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for sharing. I’m off to try this right now as I think I have all the ingredients! – Martha