NO BAKE MANGO CHEESECAKE JARS & TARTS – Skinny version

My effort to make a low fat cheesecake recipe did yield delicious results! So happy to share that I managed to pull off a cheesecake recipe that is practically guilt free, texturally perfect and delicious! Else why would it be here! 😀

This version has no cream cheese, no heavy cream, no whipped cream and also, no condensed milk. This healthier version tastes amazing and you can call it the skinny version of cheesecake. Using the sweetest Alphonso mangoes made it a treat to relish. (Next I intend to try it with strawberries since I had frozen some while they were in season) I find Alphonso mangoes to be the best choice for making mango based desserts although Dasheri and Kesari varieties come close. 

Few years back I tried a Gujarati variety called Rajapuri and fell in love with it. I used to buy the raw green / unripe Rajapuri mango to make this no cook Mango Chutney called Aam Chhundo.

But the ripe Rajapuri was a wonderful surprise. It was juicy with intensely sweet and non fibrous tender flesh. Since then, each year, I patiently wait for the Rajapuri mangoes to hit the market; the window is always small and it is not easily available. I wonder if I can use it for making desserts when Alphonso season is over. May be if I can procure it this year, I will give it a shot.

If you ask me which mango variety tastes the best, it is hard to tell coz each one has its own distinct taste and sweetness. I love each and every variety that I have had so far – Badami, Totapari, Kesar, Safeda, Chaunsa (also called Malda), Langra, besides Dasheri, Alphonso and Rajapuri.

You can spot four different varieties in the picture below that I had shot a couple of years back. Safeda is the one that is largest in size, the two slender ones are Dasheri, the green ones are Langra and the sliced one is Alphonso.

Such beauties, right?! 

For Filling

500 gm Yogurt (I used homemade)

75 gm Cottage Cheese, drained weight (I could procure this much amount from ½ litre of toned milk/ low fat milk. To make cottage cheese you will need lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the milk. Also keep a cup of ice and some chilled water ready)

175 gm Mango Puree (I used freshly homemade)

Sweetener of your choice, if required

¼ tsp Cardamom (optional)

1 few strands Saffron (optional)

For Biscuit Base 

5 Digestive Biscuits or any biscuit of your choice (for two jars)

1 tbsp melted Butter (for two jars)

12 Digestive Biscuits or any biscuit of your choice (for two 3 ½ inch tart pans)

2½ tbsp melted Butter (for two 3 ½ inch tart pans)

To Serve & Garnish

1 tbsp finely chopped Pistachios

½ Cup diced Mango

For Hung Curd – Line a large sieve with cheesecloth or muslin cloth and place it over a bowl (to catch the drips) Pour the yogurt over the cloth. Cover the yogurt and refrigerate to drain excess water. I recommend draining it for nearly twenty four hours to attain really thick yogurt. The drained weight of the yogurt was 160 grams. It is essential that the yogurt has nearly no water in it so that we can attain a creamy cheesecake texture.

For Cottage Cheese – Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set aside. For making cottage cheese, heat the milk (not boiling), curdle it using juice of half a lemon or three fourth tablespoon vinegar (use more only if the whey does not separate) and immediately add a cup of ice to it. Stir everything well and then pass through the cheesecloth. Wash the cottage cheese with chilled water and set aside to drain. Drain the cottage cheese really well so that there is nearly no water in it. Let it drain for four to five hours.

For this post, I made two cheesecake jars and two cheesecake tarts. For each, I have mentioned separate ingredients so that you can easily double the recipe.

For making the base of cheesecake jars, crush the digestive biscuits using a grinder or by crushing them in a ziplock bag, using rolling pin. Transfer the crushed biscuits in a small bowl and add melted butter and mix well. Divide the biscuit crumbs equally in two jars and slightly press them in.

For making the base of the tarts, turn the biscuits to a fine crumb (since any large crumbs will break the tart shell) add melted butter and mix well so that there are no dry patches. Divide the mixture between two tart pans and using your fingers or thumb, spread the mixture evenly in the pan, pinching and crimping it against the sides so that the thickness is even on the base and the sides. Refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes.

For making the filling, transfer the yogurt to a mixing bowl and add a few strands of saffron and cardamom powder to it. (using cardamom powder and saffron is optional) Whisk the yogurt to make it light and creamy in consistency. It will take no more than a minute. Set aside.

Next, transfer the cottage cheese to a grinder or liquidiser and pulse it to attain a grain free and smooth consistency. Use a little bit of mango puree in case the mixture is too thick to pulse. Transfer it to the mixing bowl in which we had whisked the yogurt.

Add mango puree and gently fold–in everything together. Check for sweetness and if required, add sweetener of your choice. In case you intend to use sugar, then do not use caster sugar, instead go for icing sugar or powdered sugar since it blends in perfectly. Your cheesecake filling is now ready

FOR CHEESECAKE JARS – Fill the jars with the cheesecake filling and gently tap the jars to smoothen the filling. Cover the jars with cling wrap and chill for a few hours or preferably overnight. To serve, remove the cling wrap and top the jars with a few mango pieces and garnish with some finely chopped pistachio. Serve chilled. Enjoy!

FOR CHEESECAKE TARTS – Take out the tart shells from the fridge. Using a spoon, fill the tart shells with the filling and spread it evenly. Smoothen the top. Fill both the tart shells in this manner. Cover the tart shells with a cling wrap and refrigerate them for a few hours, preferably overnight. To serve, gently remove the tarts from ring, top it with some mango pieces. Garnish with pistachio and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Serves – 4

Note – In case you want to have a gluten free and vegan shell, you can use this recipe for it. 

Note –Since we are using only yogurt and cottage cheese for this recipe, it is very important that both are properly drained i.e. both have no water, whatsoever. Get rid of as much moisture as possible from both, by first draining them well and then squeezing the cheesecloth or muslin cloth to get rid of any residual water. Consider this…the hung yogurt should be akin to Labne (I can’t reiterate enough how important it is for this recipe to have no water in both these ingredients)

Keep the above tip in mind and you are bound to enjoy perfectly made, guilt free, healthy, creamy and super delicious mango cheesecake 😀

Thanks for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe.

18 thoughts on “NO BAKE MANGO CHEESECAKE JARS & TARTS – Skinny version

  1. Good sweet juicy mango makes all the difference. Can’t find the really good one here…hopefully some day I get to taste some Indian mangoes. The dessert looks so beautiful and tempting!

  2. These look delicious! I’d love to try all the mango varieties. We usually have one or two options available. Alphonso is one of them, and they’re so good. Now I’m craving skinny cheesecake!

  3. This dessert looks pretty and elegant – I love these individual servings. I’m enjoying a mango season and no-bake mango desserts as well, and I probably should consider this one. Loving the addition of cardamom, too!

    1. Thanks Ben. Cardamom and saffron are our favourite spices to use in desserts and I couldn’t resists adding it to this cheesecake!

  4. I have to be honest, Taruna – I didn’t realize there were so many varieties of mangos out there! Mangos are just listed as ‘mangos’ in the big grocery stores here, and I truthfully have no idea what variety they are. I’ll have to pay more attention now! Either way, this mango cheesecake sounds fantastic! I love cheesecake, and I really enjoy tropical flavored desserts…especially on hot summer days!

    1. There are huge variety of mangoes that is grown in India! It is really mind boggling 😀

  5. These mango cheesecakes looks so beautiful and indulgent. I love the idea of using yogurt or cottage cheese, and your instructions are so clear and easy to follow. Thanks!

Comments are closed.