An easy, healthy recipe with NO refined sugar!
Every afternoon before the sun sinks too low, I lace up my old raspberry red running shoes and slip my keys into my pocket. I turn left at the end of the driveway, sticking to the sidewalk until it stops at the end of the street, before cutting straight through the park, past the playground, and popping out at another street on the other side. I continue strolling along until the bike path appears, turning right to loop back around and pause at the mailbox to collect the Safeway circular, Comcast bills, and free catalogs addressed to our house’s previous tenants.
Some might say I’m a creature of habit.
I usually dial my mom to talk while I walk. With my only other conversation companion during the day being a 15-pound Chihuahua, my extreme introverted self takes a vacation during those phone calls, and I babble on for nearly 20 minutes straight about the science of instant oats, my “penguin”-perfect date night, and setting aside enough “me” time for a lively sports-watching dinner, all while Mom’s patient ears turn numb.
But on the rare occasion where I feel particularly brave, I break out of my comfortable routine and turn right instead of left, tracing a route towards the other side of town that takes me past one of my favorite family’s houses, where I drop off containers of cookies, cake, and monkey bread. We chat in their kitchen, quickly losing track of time as we laugh, and I always leave feeling like a real person again. Not just one who talks to dogs.
Just like my predictable afternoon walking routine, I established one for breakfast too: I always start my day with a banana. I store my stash on the countertop next to the sink, replenishing it with a trip to TJ’s whenever it dwindles down to 3. (TJ’s normally stocks very green bananas…) As the perfectly tasty nutritious treat, I never thought I’d deviate from it…
Until a crazy idea flashed through my brain during my morning run. What about a banana cheesecake… For breakfast?
Modeled off my other breakfast cheesecakes, these individual-sized Banana Breakfast Cheesecakes are smooth and creamy—and still secretly skinny! Packed with protein and bursting with banana flavor, they’re naturally sweetened and contain NO refined sugar. With less than 200 calories, these luscious treats are the perfect healthy, guilt-free way to start your day!
The easy crust consists of just two ingredients: instant oats and unsweetened applesauce. Do not substitute regular old-fashioned oats; they’re thicker and cannot absorb liquid as quickly, which results in a tough crust. But good news: you can make your own instant oats! Add the same amount of old-fashioned oats (or gluten-free oats, if preferred) to a food processor and pulse 5-8 times until coarse. So simple!
I added ¼ cup of mashed banana to the creamy cheesecake filling. The banana actually plays 3 roles: (a) flavor {obviously!}, (b) binder {instead of an egg—so you can lick the spatula!}, and (c) sweetener. Brown speckly bananas contain more natural sugar than their green or plain yellow counterparts, so pick the spottiest one you can find! To round out the sweetness, I added a touch of honey too.
These low fat cheesecakes also require a little cornstarch. The cornstarch helps the filling thicken and set; without it, the cheesecakes would be too liquidy. Although many recipes call for flour, I opted for cornstarch instead to keep these cheesecakes gluten-free.
Bake the skinny cheesecakes for 19-22 minutes—no more! The centers should still jiggle a bit when you gently wiggle the pan. Because we leave the treats in the muffin cups, the warm pan continues to cook the centers as they cool; baking them longer would result in tough gummy cheesecakes. Nobody likes the taste of those!
Loaded with fruity flavor and a whopping 13.6 grams of protein, these creamy Banana Breakfast Cheesecakes still taste like a sinfully sweet treat. Each smooth bite easily slides down your throat, and their luxurious texture fooled my taste testers. Nobody believed they were a skinny, low fat morning meal!
After licking the fork (and plate) clean, I immediately started reevaluating my precious banana stash… So if you’re anything like me, get out of your breakfast rut and bake these for a healthy treat to start your day!
| Banana Breakfast Cheesecakes | | Print |
- ¼ cup instant (quick-cooking) oats
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 6 oz fat-free cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ cup mashed banana
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat 2 jumbo-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together the oats and applesauce. Divide the mixture in half, and press into the bottoms of the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 300°F for 8 minutes. Cool in the pan.
- In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and honey until smooth. Mix in the banana, cornstarch, and vanilla. Spread the filling on top of the cool crusts. Bake at 300°F for 19-22 minutes, or until the centers still jiggle slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Cool to room temperature in the pan before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.
{gluten-free, low fat, low calorie, high protein}
Cheesecake for breakfast?? Oh Amy, you’re so smart! I love that the crust is only 2 ingredients! When I started reading, I thought for sure there would be graham crackers in the base … but no! Your genius idea of oats and applesauce! I wish I had one of these beauties right now! 🙂
And I’m totally a creature of habit, too! I get on the same treadmill at the gym every time. Unless someone new shows up, then I have to get on one of the other 30 — but it never feels the same! Lol!!
Thanks Gretchen! I actually still have one left in my fridge right now — it’s all yours! 🙂 Your treadmill story cracked me up. When I belonged to a gym, I did the same thing with an elliptical trainer! The other ones had different views, the arms squeaked differently, the little shelf for my iPod would be crooked… So glad I’m not the only one like that!!
Tried the banana ( awesome), If you were to try to make this with pumpkin , not sure what you would use to bind ingredients (No Egg). Plus ?? what spices, any suggestions?
Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cheesecakes Toni! Pumpkin is a much more subtle flavor compared to banana, so it’d take a bit of tweaking to make that work. I’d actually suggesting making these pumpkin cheesecake bars of mine instead! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them!
You just made the world a million times better my dear. LOVE cheesecake for breakfast 🙂 This is genius.
Thanks Kristina! If coffee cake is acceptable for breakfast, why not cheesecake too? 😉
These look so healthy, creamy and delicious! The crust with the oats and applesauce is very creative and nothing fattening about it. 🙂 Also, I love cream cheese and bananas so these look like the perfect treat for me!
Thank you Katy! I had fun dreaming up “breakfast”-appropriate crusts; I like the oats because they taste hearty and healthy without detracting from the luxurious cheesecake flavor. Baking is just so fun, don’t you think? 🙂
Yes, baking is a lot of fun! And I’m really starting to enjoy healthy baking more because of your website. 🙂
Katy, you’re so sweet — your comment made my day! I’m flattered that I’ve influenced your love of healthy baking and even happier that you’re enjoying my blog! 🙂
If I didn’t have so many damn allergies, I would be all over this! What a yummy breakfast! 🙂
What are you allergic to Lauren? I’m really grateful that I have so few food allergies, but of course I’m allergic to one of my favorite fruits (pineapple) and vegetables (red bell pepper)… But not when they’re cooked. Strange!
I love this healthy recipe and considering that I usually have left over bananas I should definitely try it 🙂
Thanks Medeja! I’d love to hear what you think of the cheesecakes if you bake them! 🙂
it looks delish!
Thanks Dina!
Can’t wait to try these!! Thinking of having as an afternoon pick-me-up!! Quick question though, how long do you think they would last in the fridge?
If you wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, they’ll last about a week. I love that about these; I can keep one or two handy for those days that need an extra sweet treat. 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of the cheesecakes if you try them Tash!
Oh my gosh, cheesecake for breakfast!? Never in a million years would I think it would be healthy to boot! This looks excellent – what a nice treat for easing back into the grind on Monday mornings. 🙂
You’re right Alyssa; it’s so nice to have a fun breakfast to look forward to on Monday mornings. Otherwise I dread the entire week and it takes twice as long for the next weekend to arrive!
Any idea how long to cook these in a regular muffin tin? I don’t have the jumbo size. They look great, I’d love to try them!
Thanks Susie! I’d start checking them about 5-8 minutes earlier than the time required for a jumbo muffin tin. They bake pretty quickly, so just keep a watchful eye on them! 🙂