Free Weekly Meal Plans
Free Weekly Meal Plans
about
work with me
contact
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Peanut Butter and Fitness
    • All Recipes
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Brunch
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Main Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Sauces and Spreads
      • Side dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • High Protein
      • Low Carb
      • Vegetarian
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Grill
      • Stove Top
      • Oven
      • Sous Vide
      • Meal Prepable Recipes
      • No Heat Meals
      • Freezer Friendly
      • One Dish Meals
      • Easy Weeknight Dinners
      • Asian Inspired
      • Italian Inspired
      • Mediterranean
      • Southwestern
      • Fall
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Winter
      • Christmas
      • Pumpkin
      • Thanksgiving
      • Easter
      • Halloween
      • Game Day
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Quest for the Best
  • Meal Prep
  • My Cookbooks
  • Product ReviewsI’ll be posting a series of my “Quest for the Best” health, fitness and meal prep products here, as well as any cool products I find along the way so you can get the goods too.  If you’re interested in seeing any particular product recommendations, comment below!
Search
Recipes Desserts Cheesecake

Salted Caramel Protein Cheesecake with Skinny Chocolate Ganache

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Rate

Author:

Erin

Published:

April 5, 2015

Updated:

May 14, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.

Happy Easter everyone! Soooooo….this just happened 🙂 My very first, real, grown-up, from scratch (protein) cheesecake.  And it’s really good. Look at that ooey, gooey chocolate on top.  And the crumbly pecan crust.  And the creamy, caramel-ey cheesecake.  Yum.
I finally bought myself a springform pan so I could make the leap into the realm of real-ass cheesecakes.  Mine is a 7″ Nordicware and it’s supposed to be “leakproof” – I don’t really believe it so I shoved the whole thing in a slow cooker liner to bake in a water bath.  It worked pretty well, I kind of wish I had a bigger dish for the water bath though.
Anywho…salted caramel is kind of a mystery to me.  But then I saw this Greek yogurt at the store and knew I had to experiment.  Does it taste any different than regular caramel? I honestly couldn’t tell you.  It’s supposed to bring out the sweetness of the caramel even further but I’ll let you be the judge.  I’ll be over here stuffing my face with cheesecake.
Did I mention that you don’t have to feel bad about eating this decadent cheesecake? Only 159 calories per slice which includes 13 grams of protein!

The crust is so simple but healthy and delicious…just some pecans, coconut flour, cinnamon and a little bit of McCormick Vanilla Nut and Butter extract.  Easy peasy.  I wiped down the inside of my pan with coconut oil and then sprinkled it with coconut flour (which is what the manufacturer told me to do) to keep the cheesecake from sticking.  I’d call it about 80% successful.

So step one once it comes out of the oven and cools down…take it out of the pan. I used a knife to help the process.  And then: caramel sauce.  Specifically, the Walden Farms brand which has no fat, no sugar and no calories.  Boom.
Next comes the ganache.  Now, if you actually let this set up over night in the refrigerator (like I tell you to in the recipe), it firms up so it’s nice and creamy and stays on top of the cheesecake slices after you dish it up.  I am just not that patient when it comes to chocolate.  Or cheesecake.  So I was doomed to drippy ganache and I am okay with that.
2.60 from 10 votes

Salted Caramel Protein Cheesecake with Skinny Chocolate Ganache

Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 45 minutes mins
Total: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Servings: 8 slices (1 slice per serving)
Rate Pin Print
Servings: 8 slices (1 slice per serving)

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

  • 7 tbsp pecans
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp McCormick Vanilla Butter and Nut Flavoring, can sub with vanilla extract
  • Pinch cinnamon

Cheesecake Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
  • 1 cup Dannon Light and Fit Salted Caramel Greek Yogurt
  • 2 scoops Cellucor Whipped Vanilla whey protein
  • 1/2 tbsp arrowroot flour
  • 2 egg whites
  • 3 tbsp Walden Farms Caramel Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Truvia
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes

Skinny Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup Ghirardelli 60% Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Instructions

  • In a food processor or nutribullet, process pecan halves with coconut flour and cinnamon until no chunks remain.  Mix in vanilla butter and nut extract.
  • Wipe a 7 inch springform pan with coconut oil and shake coconut flour onto oil.  Press crust evenly into base of pan.
  • Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
  • In a food processor or nutribullet, combine cottage cheese and Truvia until smooth.  Add remaining cheesecake ingredients except caramel sauce and sea salt and pulse until smooth.  Remove food processor container from mixer base and tap the base of the container to remove air bubbles.
  • Pour cheesecake mix over crust and gently tap the base of the pan against a towel-covered counter to remove any remaining air bubbles (pop any that come to the surface with a toothpick).
  • Place pan into a slow cooker liner, then into a larger baking dish and fill dish with water until almost even with the top of the cheesecake filling.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center of cheesecake shows some movement but no longer jiggles like Jello.
  • Allow cheesecake to cool in the water bath until water is room temperature, then remove from water bath.  Refrigerate cheesecake overnight, uncovered.
  • Remove cheesecake from springform pan carefully and plate.  Spread caramel sauce evenly over top of cheesecake and set aside in freezer.
  • Add chocolate chips to a small bowl.  Bring almond milk just to the point of boiling in the microwave, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.  Pour over chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 minute, then mix until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
  • Top cheesecake with ganache and spread evenly.  Refrigerate to allow ganache to firm up (best if refrigerated overnight), then sprinkle sea salt flakes on top before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 159kcal (8%), Carbohydrates: 11g (4%), Protein: 13g (26%), Fat: 8g (12%), Cholesterol: 12mg (4%), Sodium: 208mg (9%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 5g (6%)

Did You Make This?

If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my business thrive & continue providing free recipes. You can also tag me on Instagram at @peanutbutterandfitness so I can see your creations!

Rate Recipe
148 shares
  • Share
  • Email
  • Yummly

About Erin

Erin is the author behind Peanut Butter and Fitness. She started this website in 2013 as a way to keep track of her favorite healthier kitchen creations and meal preps. Today, she still loves playing with her food and camera while helping others strike a balance between indulgence and well-being.

Read More
2.60 from 10 votes (10 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 responses

  1. Kat
    April 8, 2015

    Hi,

    I just made this last night. Your instructions say in #4 to add remaining cheesecake ingredients, however, I believe the carmel sauce and salt flakes should not be listed as part of the cheesecake ingredients because they are mentioned in steps 8&10. Please confirm.

    Reply
    1. peanutbutterandfitness
      April 8, 2015

      Thanks Kat, you're right I just changed it to reflect that the caramel sauce and sea salt shouldn't be mixed into the cheesecake "batter."

      Reply
  2. Selina Arnelund
    April 30, 2015

    Can I substitute the pecans with either almonds, hasselnuts or maybe even a date paste? I hope I will hear from you 🙂

    Reply
    1. peanutbutterandfitness
      May 1, 2015

      Hi Selina! You can definitely substitute the pecans with almonds or hazelnuts. I'm not sure about the date paste – as long as it's not too gooey, I think it would be fine. I like using nuts in the crust because they stick together but are still nice and crumbly when you eat it 🙂

      Reply

WELCOME

Hey, I’m Erin!

I like to describe PBF as a healthy eating blog with a dollop of indulgence. Here you’ll find high protein and veggie-packed meals with a side of cocktails and desserts.

Read more

MEAL PREP GUIDES

Get My Cookbooks!

Read More

Most Popular Recipes

  • Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

    Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

  • Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

    Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

  • Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

    Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

  • 3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

    3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

High Protein Recipes

  • High Protein Hamburger Helper

    High Protein Hamburger Helper

  • Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

    Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

  • Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

    Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

  • Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

    Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Check out my books!

For more full in-depth guides to meal prepping, check out my meal prep books! With over 30 recipes each, these are perfect for starting strong!

Get them here

As Seen On:

Get Meal Plans in Your Inbox!

Subscribe to my email list to receive the latest recipes & free weekly meal plans!

Browse by Category:

Meal Prep
Breakfast
Dinners
Chicken
Drinks
All Recipes
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Contact
Privacy Policy
Disclosure
Accessibility

© 2023 Peanut Butter & Fitness

Back to Top

Design by MRD | Theme by OC

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.