This no-bake Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake is so smooth and refreshing; perfect spring or summer dessert. It is also light on sugar and very nutritious. Enjoy this healthy dessert guilt-free, any time you crave a cheesecake.
Smooth and creamy cheesecake layer, made with unexpected ingredients – farmer’s cheese and vanilla skyr. Easy cookie crust. Fresh blueberries. And a touch of lavender. Are you ready to dig in?
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No-Bake Dessert with Affordable Ingredients
Growing up in a small European country, Belarus, we’d make this no-bake farmer’s cheesecake quite often. It is super easy to make (even a kid can make this), and the ingredients are very affordable.
In the summer, it would get pretty hot where I lived, while we didn’t have an A/C. As you can imagine, baking a dessert in the oven wasn’t a great option. It would simply make the kitchen unbearably hot. Instead, we’d get creative and make delicious no-bake desserts, such as this one.
Traditional Farmer’s Cheesecake with a Twist
Traditionally, this no-bake farmer’s cheesecake is made with a ton of butter and sugar. While is tastes absolutely delicious, I prefer not to have something as high in calories on regular basis.
So I decided to create my healthy version of a favorite childhood dessert. Going light on sugar and using vanilla skyr instead of butter resulted in these delicious healthy cheesecake bars.
I also added dried lavender for some floral notes, and fresh blueberries for additional flavor. Feel free to leave them out for a traditional vanilla flavor.
Healthy Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake
Usually, cheesecake is not considered to be the healthiest dessert. But let’s play with the ingredients and create a cheesecake-like dessert, that is light in calories and high in nutrients.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Let’s take a look at the ingredients we’ll need to make this Healthy no-bake Blueberry Lavender Cheesecake.
I’m also sharing substitution ideas, so you can easily switch ingredients up, depending on what you have on hand. Get creative and use flavor combinations that you enjoy!
Farmer’s cheese
Farmer’s cheese (or tvorog) is a fresh cheese, similar to ricotta. It is very nutritious, and high in protein.
You can find farmer’s cheese at any European market, or online. Or make homemade farmer’s cheese, using this easy recipe.
If you like farmer’s cheese as much as I do, try my Healthy Cheesecake Stuffed Crepes or Classic Syrniki Pancakes.
Skyr
Did you know that skyr is actually different from yogurt? Skyr is a cultured Icelandic dairy product, similar in texture to a thick greek yogurt. However, skyr is usually higher in protein and lower in sugar, than a traditional yogurt.
Instead of skyr, you could try using a thick greek yogurt or even ricotta cheese. If using ricotta cheese or plain greek yogurt, adjust the sugar amount to taste.
Blueberries
Blueberries add a fresh touch to this no-bake cheesecake.
Use a blueberry jam, or homemade berry sauce for a sweet touch instead. You can find a recipe for a healthy chia jam over on my Instagram; use fresh or frozen blueberries as a base.
Feel free to leave out the blueberries completely or use other berries instead, such as raspberries or strawberry slices.
Dried Lavender (powdered)
Dried lavender adds floral notes to the cheesecake.
If you don’t feel comfortable experimenting with lavender flavor, use vanilla extract instead.
Monkfruit Sweetener
I use monkfruit sweetener a lot in baking and even add it to my coffee. It is a 1:1 sugar replacement, that tastes no different than regular sugar. If you haven’t tried it already, I recommend the one by Lakanto.
You could use regular or coconut sugar instead.
Tea Biscuits (or cookies)
Any biscuits or cookies work great in this recipe. Square or rectangular shaped cookies are preferred. I am using traditional Russian tea biscuits this time.
Use chocolate cookies for a chocolate crust.
Milk
We’ll be using milk for dipping cookies to make them softer.
We’ll also need milk or cream for the chocolate glaze. Use any milk you like.
Chocolate
I recommend using good quality dark chocolate to make glaze for our healthy no-bake cheesecake. Check out this amazing sugar-free chocolate by Lily’s Sweets.
If using semi-sweet or milk chocolate, feel free to add a tablespoon of cacao powder to the glaze.
Cacao Powder
Cacao powder is an optional ingredient. It helps to make your glaze thicker if needed. The consistency of the glaze will depend on the chocolate you’re using.
Also, cacao powder provides great health benefits. You can read more about that in my Vanilla Baked Oats recipe blog post.
You can find cacao powder on Thrive Market for a great price. If you are a new user, they also offer a free gift with your purchase.
Tips on making Healthy No-Bake Cheesecake
How to pick farmer’s cheese
Like I’ve mentioned above, you can buy farmer’s cheese at any European (or Russian) market, or online. Or make your own homemade farmer’s cheese.
Farmer’s cheese can be slightly tangy, depending on a brand. Pick cheese according to your taste preferences. Good tasting cheese guarantees a delicious cheesecake.
Use a blender for a smooth cheesecake
Creaming your ingredients with a blender will result in a smooth and creamy cheesecake.
If you don’t have a blender, no worries! Instead, you can easily use a food processor or hand mixer. Or, if your farmer’s cheese is pretty smooth in texture already, just use a spatula to combine all the cheesecake ingredients.
Let your cheesecake bars fully set
Let the cheesecake fully set in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. It makes a huge difference in terms of texture.
For best results, leave it in the fridge overnight.
More recipes with Farmer’s Cheese
Tvorog Zapekanka – Healthy Russian Cheesecake. Serve for breakfast, or as a guilt-free dessert.
Classic Syrniki – Delicious pancakes, made out of farmer’s cheese.
Cherry Vanilla Russian Cheesecake – Super easy “mix’n’bake” recipe.
Homemade Farmer’s Cheese – Cheese from scratch with just a few easy steps
Healthy No-Bake Cheesecake – Blueberry Lavender
Ingredients
- 200 g Farmer's Cheese
- 100 g Vanilla Skyr check blog post for substitutions
- 20 g Monkfruit Sweetener or sugar
- 1/4 tsp Dried Lavender, powdered or 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 Tea Biscuits or any cookies
- 50 g Milk + more for dipping cookies
- 30 g Dark Chocolate or any kind
- 1 tbsp Cacao Powder optional
Instructions
- Using a blender or hand-mixer, cream together the farmer's cheese and vanilla skyr. Add monkfruit sweetener and a pinch of dried lavender powder, combine.
- Dip 4 biscuits in a little bit of milk and place them flat on a serving dish. Top with half of the cheese mixture. Add fresh blueberries and top with the rest of the cheese mixture. Dip the remaining 4 biscuits in milk and place on top.
- In a small sauce pan, heat up the milk with a pinch of dried lavender powder on low for 4-5 minutes. Don't let it come to a boil. This will infuse the milk with lavender flavor.
- To prepare the chocolate glaze, simply add chopped chocolate into a small mixing bowl and add hot (not boiling) milk. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir to combine. If the texture isn't even, mix with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cacao powder to thicken the glaze if needed.
- Pour the chocolate glaze over the cheesecake and spread evenly with a silicone spatula. Decorate as desired.
- Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight, to fully set.