LOW-CALORIE STRAWBERRY MERINGUE CHEESECAKE RECIPE!

I LOOOOVE everything related to the Valentine’s Day! (You can read more about my rocky relationships development with this holiday here! 🙂 ) So, I couldn’t resist making yet another pink & red dessert: this Low-Calorie Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake!

Oh, and to make it even more fun I matched it to this pretty & comfy pink & red outfit!

The Low-Calorie Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake

(And why you should top your Cheesecake with Meringue!)

First of, a perfect V-Day dessert couldn’t be just a plain cheesecake! Because as good as a plain strawberry cheesecake sounds, when I topped it with the marshmallowy piles of meringue, it looked (and tasted!) so much more decadent!

OK, well, seriously, I first thought about making just a strawberry cheesecake (because strawberries are pink & red!) to break my latest no-bake desserts-posting tendency a bit!
But then… I started thinking about my Strawberry Meringue Mousse and how good it was! Oh, and about my favorite part of it: how I could eat as much as I wanted and still get away guilt-free!Another thing that I thought about was also that the a Valentine’s Day dessert has to be as decadent as could be! That’s how the decision was made!

I whipped up the strawberry meringue and topped my cheesecake with it!

And… pop! It looked so luscious and deceptive – you just can’t wait to dig in!And you know what the best part of topping a cheesecake with the meringue is?

…It’s not just the part where the cheesecake looks prettier! The meringue makes the dense cheesecake look Bigger, which, in turn makes every portion of it look mile-high! Yet, while adding all that volume, the meringue topping adds very few calories!The result:

You’re digging into a fluffy and gooey sweet dessert that’ll satisfy both your taste buds, your I-want-lots-of-dessert-craving soul and your health-minded conscious all at the same time!
So what do you say?

Isn’t this a perfect guilt-free yet impressive dessert for your upcoming V-Day’s Breakfast in bed, or your Galentine’s Day Celebration or… a Show-Yourself-Some-Love party? Hm… I say that it’d also be a great thing to share it with your health-conscious beaux!

…Or (as in my case) to start getting your health-unconscious husband used to eating lighter and healthier options of his favorite desserts!

Alright! I certainly hope that my latest Valentine’s Day desserts and outfit ideas have you now all set for the upcoming celebrations! The big question is: which way are you going to choose to celebrate it? 🙂

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Low-Calorie Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake Recipe

The Healthy, Low-Fat & Low-Calorie Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake is also all-natural, high-protein (without any added protein powders), luscious, easy to make and super-delicious!

Course Cheesecake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Russian

Keyword Strawberry cheesecake, Strawberry Meringue Cheesecake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 16 portions

Calories 134 kcal

Author Liza

Ingredients

For The Cheesecake:

• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tbsp oil
• 16 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
• 8 oz fat-free cream cheese
• 5 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Additionally:

• 4 oz fresh strawberries

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Toss the graham cracker crumbs with the oil and press into one 9 inch spring form pan (you can also use four 3-inch mini pans to make mini cheesecakes). Bake for 5 minutes. Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

2. Put the strawberries in the blender and blend until smooth. Take the strawberries out and set aside. 

3. Put the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg whites, sugar, vanilla, corn starch and milk in the blender and blend until the mixture is very smooth.
   

4. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled crust. Take 3 tbsp of the strawberry puree and drizzle on top of the cheesecake. Alternatively you can mix the puree with the cheesecake mixture in step-3. 

   I like the drizzling because it creates an interesting ornament on top. 

5. Place pan in another pan at least one inch wider than the cheesecake pan and add warm water to the outer pan to create a water bath for the cheesecake.

6. Bake for about 1 hour until or until the center of the cheesecake is barely firm to the touch. 

   NOTE: if you are using smaller pans like I did - the cheesecakes will only need 30 minutes to bake.

   Let the cheesecake chill before removing it out of the pan.
   

7. To make the meringue topping whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar. When they froth a bit add the sugar and keep whipping until the meringue is stiff. Add the reserved strawberry puree and whip for a minute more until incorporated. 

8. Top the cheesecake with the meringue topping and serve immediately. 

Recipe Notes

NOTE: The meringue won't stay stiff very long unless you stabilize it. If you're going to eat the cheesecake right away and don't want to fuss much with the topping - use the method above. 

If you want your topping to stay stiff for a day or two - you need to stabilize it with the gelatin. You can then follow this Strawberry Meringue Mousse Recipe to make this kind of a meringue.