Proteins Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Healthy Proteins List – New Food Pyramid

Healthy proteins belong on the new food pyramid. Starting 2026, it’s an inverted triangle funnel shape with a heightened focus on healthy proteins and dairy at the top.

This is a printable protein grocery list you can use for inspiration and good for anyone who is following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet.

One other food category that has been a constant is Vegetables & Fruits (healthy carbs). They’re still a top priority as nature’s produce in a garden.

V&F are also store affordable, and have a lot of value add to the body with all its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (to fight free radicals in cells).

Unlike packaged foods, V&F grocery labels are PLU stickers that need no list of ingredients to dilute. They are whole and healthy.

I remember the original food pyramid that started in the previous century from the New food pyramid. It was a controversial 23+ servings, coming from the 4 basic food groups.

In simpler times, the rectangular 4 basic food groups kept it inside-the-box basic. Dairy was already one of the main food groups. Meat was another that represented healthy proteins.

Plant-based proteins have been around since B.C. times, but hadn’t cropped up on the table scene for the Western diet yet (…and maybe why a food pyramid was built 😊).

But amino acids have been with us for for-EVER, even though it’s more technical…

And amino acid profiles give more protein details… where some surprising foods (besides meats and eggs) have all 9 essential amino acids that the body can’t make: foods such as amaranth, nutritional yeast, and buckwheat.

Those just happen to be a few of my food loves to subtly add-in, and they’re naturally gluten-free (and easier to digest).

A few ideas... you can easily sprinkle in nutritional yeast like a healthy spice. In case you haven’t discovered yet, nutritional yeast is a dairy-free cheesy alternative. It’s a flaky powder that doesn’t melt well, but is as good as a final zhugh topping to pastas (and any foods you want a cheesy umami taste). 🧀

And you can spread some cooked amaranth into the dough of a homemade whole grain roll that rolls fresh out of the oven.

You can also add a little dry buckwheat flour into your healthy baking, like in an easy buckwheat scone or buckwheat ginger cookie. 😋

And many dairy foods have healthy proteins. Like real cheeses, that are mostly made of water, milk fat, proteins (casein and whey), lactose (milk sugar), and minerals. You can easily add into a breakfast meal like with a cottage cheese blueberry peach smoothie.

Below is a list of healthy proteins and dairy (along with tips, ideas, and inspo) on how you can get more food value with more healthy proteins and combining (…2 proteins together?). This helps your body win healthy points, alongside a loose guideline-based diet like in the new food pyramid.

What healthy foods are high in protein for the new food pyramid and a healthy diet?

You can use a printable healthy protein source food list like this one to decide for yourself, or when you’re making choices grocery shopping:

Generally, women can loosely stick to eating about .7 to 1 gram (or slightly less) per pound of body weight. I use 1 gram for easy math. As an example, for a 135 pound woman, that’s 100-135 grams per day.

And to get those points, here are a few point-based healthy protein comparisons. Keep in mind different proteins have different types and amounts of amino acids that’s important. I learned this unconventionally and out of curiosity.

…Because I wondered why on occasion when I ate something that didn’t agree with me, why I always felt better eating beef than other sources of protein, after being on the simple to digest BRAT diet or not eating for a day or two. And it turns out, it’s more than just familiarity and that I grew up eating meals with beef.

It has a lot to do with the different and different amounts of amino acids that describe the differences in protein sources between say chicken, fish, and beef that affect the digestive system.

So like most healthy foods, it’s good to diversify and not put all your eggs in one basket… but starting with an eggs is not a bad idea either.

And a good place to start on here…

Eggs -There is more protein in egg whites, but 6-7 grams for a large egg in liquid form. Keep in mind grams change for wet and dry ingredients (and before or after cooking an egg).

Chicken breast, skinless – If you want to get to your daily protein grams count quicker, chicken is a good healthy proteins answer. It has 30-31 grams per 1/2 cup (100 grams/3.5 ounces). 2 liquid eggs is about 3.5 ounces, so that’s less than half the protein than chicken. Lunch recipe idea: try an easy chicken salad.

Lean beef – This was mentioned already… but f you’ve ever wondered why after you feel sick from something you ate, when you’re recovering and you eat ground beef and feel better, it’s because beef is specifically high in glutamine and glycine (amino acids). It also has more leucine (muscle building benefits). 100 grams or 3.5 cooked ounces that is used for comparison with all the proteins named here (in this article) have about 25-30 grams.

Sardines and anchovies – Using the same 3.5 ounces, a sardine can have about 18-20 grams. Anchovies can be even higher in the 30 grams range, but always check the labels.

Wild salmon – This is the healthy fish protein choice, but more known for the Omega-3 content that’s good on a healthy fat list especially for heart, anti-inflammation, and on a Mediterranean diet. You can also find about 20 grams of protein in salmon filet. A salad recipe to try!: salmon salad

Seafood – Mussels are one of the healthiest seafoods, and are so easy to cook without fail as they open up. They have about 12-24 protein grams in 3.5 ounces. You can double up on proteins with a mussels quinoa recipe. Or try other healthy seafood recipes: shrimp egg white omelet, squid salad, shrimp ceviche, and a scallops quinoa bowl.

Quinoa, btw, and other pseudo grains like amaranth and buckwheat (already mentioned) are complete proteins. Quinoa has about 4 grams per 100 grams, but is high in lysine amino acid, so it can be good to include for those who only eat plant-based proteins. Oh, and get this… black quinoa you don’t hear about as often, has a higher amount of 15-20 protein grams!

Rolling them into your cereal is a good idea along with a rolled oat bowl. Rolled oats is a good balanced protein with 13-17 grams. Sometimes I like to add my daily oats, just shy of a cup, to make a low-sugar oatmeal raisin cookie that’s also got Greek yogurt (with about 10 grams of protein per 100 grams/3.5 ounces).

How’s that’s for double healthy protein inspiration?

And, moving into plant-based protein sources:

Tofu – has about the 7-10 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce, closer to an egg. And like an egg, you can make a tofu scramble. I like to add some nuts and seeds to give some texture, and additional healthy proteins. Some other healthy recipe ideas to try: Tofu pepperoni and tofu chil.

Nuts – Peanuts have about 26 grams per 3.5 ounce/100 grams. And most nuts have about 18-25 grams. These days nuts are deemed healthy and a healthy handful makes a good snack.

Seeds – Seeds have 16-31 grams with pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds/hearts. We only see a few varieties in grocery stores but there are many thousands of seed types in the world. You can find more seeds in spice aisles such as celery, poppy, and sesame seeds.

Beans – Beans are another fascinating protein food with 7-9 grams per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cooked beans. Cooking dry beans is a great way to get into cooking, and make the beans easier to digest (removing the complex sugars – oligosaccharides). Try a turmeric soup with 15 beans or an Italian bean salad.

Lentils – about 9 grams per 100 cooked grams. And of lentils, green lentils win the fiber count. Most lentils cook quicker than beans. You can try an easy mushy green lentils peas.

And one healthy protein may not be familiar with is spirulina powder that’s off the charts, in the 50-70 grams range. You can make a healthy virgin blue curaçao beverage with the spirulina blue-green algae. You just need a smidge to get the ocean blue colors. It’s the wave of the future! 🌊

And finally we can look at healthy foods that have protein and dairy! Meat and plant proteins don’t have dairy, but most dairy have proteins.

On the new food pyramid, 3 servings of dairy are recommended that varies on the food. For yogurt a serving is about 1/2 cup, so that’s still around the 3.5 ounces (we used to compare proteins). Grams change by weight for wet and dry ingredients (or before or after cooked).

Greek yogurt – 7-10 grams of protein per 3.5 ounce (or a dairy serving). I can’t say enough about Greek yogurt as it can be used for desserts, a savory pita bread dip, and for many breakfas-y and even waffle brunch recipes.

Goat or sheep cheese – less processed has 21-22 grams of protein!

With cheeses, you can try a sheep’s cheese cheesecake or a goat cheese cheesecake. And double up with a yogurt based berry cheesecake. No need for cream cheese!

Buffalo mozzarella cheese – True buffalo mozzarella can even be eaten by some people who are dairy sensitive. Because the milk comes from water buffalo, that is lower in lactose than most cow milks. Buffalo mozzarella also has sirtuins (“longevity proteins”). I believe we’ll be hearing more about sirtuins in the future as helpers to cellular health, aging, and metabolism.

Buffalo mozzarella is very meltable and especially delicious on a Neapolitan-style pizza crust you can make from your home oven!

And last but not least…

Cottage cheese – Cottage cheese about 11-13 grams of protein, but check the labels as with all the other labelled foods. Cottage cheese is high in casein, that helps you feel full especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

You can make a no-boring cottage cheese tartar sauce for healthy fish & chips! Or turn it into a sweet treat with a cottage cheese cheesecake.

Looking for some healthy dessert recipes? I got you. Try these low-sugar dessert sweets. Some of them are no-added sugar (Greek yogurt) or could be made delicious with low or no sugar. 🍥

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake – High Protein (and Surprisingly Good)

Cottage cheese in a cheesecake sounds like a lot of cheese, like this oozing over cake you can see below. But it’s actually a healthy way to get protein.

And a way to hide the cottage-y cheese texture (especially if you’re not a natural cottage cheese fan). And in this dish, you’ll get a smooth texture you’ll love!

Use your Magic Bullet or food processor and add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and one egg.

Pulse the blender with cottage cheese and egg a few times to smoothly blend. This will make enough for an individual portion.

You can bake into an oven-safe mug if you don’t have a baking vessel that’s the exact right size.

Anyone can make this! 😊

It’s a quick (quiche?) way to get protein that’s sweet or savory delicious and healthy.

You decide!

And this is where it gets fun because you get to decide if you want a sweeter cheesecake (dessert) or savory cheesecake with healthy veggies or more proteins, like that you would add to a quiche.

Either way, it’s about 14 grams of cottage cheese protein and much lower in calories and fat… in case that’s important to you. And the egg adds another 6 grams, so this one individual portion has 20 grams of protein, plus any other proteins you add.

The Breakstone’s 2% milk fat cottage cheese I used had 13 grams of protein, but was only 100 calories. Some creamy cheese can be more than double or triple those calories.

I went sweet (the blueberries are a hint) and I added 1 tsp of maple syrup and some berries and surprise-inside cherries. That’s it.

The bottom was brushed with coconut oil. And if you go the savory route, you can make this a Mediterranean diet olive oil serving as an option.

Oil helps for a non-stick bottom that’s baking-desirable and improves the overall bake texture.

And since I used an under 2-inch low baking vessel (that’s shorter in height than a drinking mug), I got the anticipated dramatic spillover effect that’s fun and adds a lava effect.

Like an oozing fall “lava” cake or a French Onion soup that’s baked in another baking pan to catch the flow. I used a cake pan and carried over the spill to the plate (that was scrumptious too 😋).

And you can simply cut off the baked lava or leave on for an ahhh…

After exiting the oven, you would think this dish is made with fancy cheese like Gruyere (or other fondue cheeses) that are usually more expensive per ounce and higher fat calories. You’d never think it was easy-to-source cottage cheese.

And you may at first think that using cottage cheese as the main ingredient doesn’t give a delicious bake… but not here in this cottage cheese cheesecake where it’s controversially satisfying.

Give it a try yourself. Your friends will never guess it’s cottage cheese… unless you tell them. 🧀

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake - Healthy and Easy

This is a health conscious cheesecake that is delicious and easy, and can be made into a sweet dessert or savory quiche.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

Magic bullet or similar blender
oven-safe mug or shallow baking vessel

Ingredients

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
coconut oil (liquid) for bottom of baking vessel or mug
1 tsp maple syrup
berries

Instructions

Add a thin layer of liquid coconut oil to bottom of baking vessel.
Blend cottage cheese with egg in Magic Bullet blender.
Pour in mug or small baking vessel. Drizzle in maple syrup and add berries.
Put mug ontop a larger baking pan (or cake pan). Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until cheesecake sides on the top brown.

Pepperoni – Spiced Tofu Protein (Anti-Inflammatory)

Pepperoni made from tofu is plant-based and a healthy protein snack or topping-add to your pizza without guilt. Below, it’s the new pepperoni 🍕

And even further below is how to make this liked (or disliked) food (depending on the taster), a regular part of your healthy food meal prep for grab-and-go protein. Or add to pizza food.

Unlike regular cured meat-based pepperoni that’s hands-down liked, tofu is a healthy topping sub on pizza. Regular pepperoni is high in saturated fat, sodium and acidity.

But tofu is the opposite. It’s lean. low-sodium, and considered an alkaline food.

If you experience heartburn often from certain foods, tofu pepperoni could be one protein substitution answer.

It’s also a one big block full of calcium, iron, and fiber.

…So when it’s put that way, maybe worth a go?

And maybe help sway your tofu decision in your upcoming grocery trip. Or may open your eyes to make you look at tofu in a new light.

Plus, if saving grocery money matters to you, tofu could be a good protein savings.

Tofu disguised as pepperoni could be the idea to give the creamy protein block a needed new identity (for you). If you can get your mind to agree to the tofu look and taste as similar… or at least agreeable with enough salt and spice tastes added, then you get all its benefits.

And if you’re not too familiar with tofu (or never tried the food before)…

Tofu is the Japanese name.

The other common names are bean curd or soybean curd.

It’s a soy food. You can also find soy in edamame and soy milk where you may know other soy ingredients.

But unlike those soybean products, tofu is easy to find. Today you can find it in most mass grocery stores.

It’s usually in a white container that the protein spongy-looking block looks like it would fit in, and what you find when you get inside the no-mistake-it’s-tofu packaging.

But tofu won’t end up looking like a spongy block after you crumble up the tofu protein. That’s also a legume.

Because it’s soy, it’s a legume.

Legumes are the larger plant-based food category.

It’s a broader category of plant-based foods that gives you a healthy food variety to choose from and additional fiber to add to your diet.

But usually you just call out the food name instead of legumes. Like beans, peanuts, and peas.

And if that’s what you’d like to add more of in your diet, maybe try a 15-bean turmeric soup…

With all the variety out there and plant-forward foods growing abundantly outside, it’s easy to see why natural foods is a forward path to food sustainability.

…And is great for those who don’t eat meat, and for those who do.

Plant-based tofu pepperoni can be the first thing you reach for when you’re hangry for a snack or wondering what to eat.

Spiced up, tofu pepperoni can have similar tastes to meat pepperoni.

Easy-to-find spice powders like paprika and chili powder give a closer-to-pepperoni reddish color.

You can add sharp and punchy spices flavors like fresh garlic powder and cumin. Plus, salt balances well with oregano for an herb-y taste.

Oregano is one of the healthiest antioxidant herb spices on our planet. It has a sweet peppery note and goes well with any savory Italian dish or red tomato sauce.

To make the tofu pepperoni:

From a standard 3″x4″tofu block (14 oz) that comes in a common tofu plastic container found in grocery stores, cut the tofu into 3 long rectangle pieces so then you have 3-3″x 4″ rectangles. A regular bread knife works well for this task as tofu is soft and smooth like butter.

From there, you can cut out the round pepperoni shapes. Since the tofu rectangle is about 3″x 4″, a round cookie cutter about 1-1/2″ (4 cm) works well. I didn’t have a round cookie cutter that size (and you probably don’t either), but I found a 1-1/2″ round spice container top worked perfectly. So look around your pantry and kitchen. A small juice glass could even work.

If you have perfect cuttings, then you can cut out 12 pepperoni that you can then cut again each pepperoni round in half (because they’ll be thick). I like to do it this way because it’s easier to cut smaller flimsy tofu pieces. But you do you!

So you’ll end up with 24 pepperoni plus tofu scraps that you can make into a tofu scramble 🥣 or tofu scrap (a new dish?). 💭

Then, make a spice dip. Add in all the spices you’ll be using with a little water (as the glue), and dip each tofu pepperoni in.

Dust with additional red paprika. I find a tea infuser works for this step because the small, even holes lightly dusts just enough for the reddish color effect (without adding too much of the spice).

Do this with all the pepperoni round slices.

In the process, I found I lost a few because tofu is soft and more delicate to work with. I forgot they weren’t hardy like meat.

Those broken ones went to the edible tofu scrap pile that will also get cooked up.

And in your sautée pan, cook tofu pepperoni rounds for about 15 minutes total, gently flipping over once, about halfway through.

Then they’re ready for eat-alone snacks and on pizzas. They will stay good in the fridge for 3-5 days (and you can also freeze them for longer).

On pizzas, since the tofu is already cooked, you can add them as pepperoni toppings during the last 5 minutes in home pizza oven baking.

And if you want to accompany the tofu rounds with more plant-based eating, you could add herbs and microgreens and make a salad. 🌱

Tofu Pepperoni (Protein and Plant-Based)

This is a way to substitute pepperoni on your pizza or for better protein snacking.

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 container tofu
1 Tbsp paprika (plus more for sprinkling)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder (of 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for heat)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin (optional)
1 tsp turmeric (will add a light orange color)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sumac (optional)
1 tsp salt
water

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients in a separate shallow bowl..
Cut wet tofu block into 3 (3"x4") rectangles. Cut round tofu pepperoni shapes using a round cookie cutter (or a round kitchen item like a round spice lid top for the tofu pepperoni round size you desire). Cut tofu rounds if thicker than 1/4".
Mix spices with a small amount of water (about 1/2 the spice amount). Dip each tofu pepperoni round side in the spiced-water.
Evenly sprinkle additional paprika (for red color) on each tofu pepperoni round. Tip: use a tea infuser with small evenly-spaced holes to maximize pepperoni color effect but not adding too much additional paprika.
On the stovetop, cook tofu pepperoni on medium heat in a skillet for a total of 15 minutes, about 7 minutes on each side (flipping tofu pepperoni rounds once)
Use as a topping to pizza that can be baked in near the end or enjoy the tofu pepperoni as eat-alone snacks. They will last for 3-5 days in the cool part of the refrigerator.

Ceviche – Healthy Shrimp Protein Appetizer

Ceviche is a great shrimp and protein appetizer (or shrimp salad). It’s a healthy snack (or meal) that also brightens a table.

Decorating food tables with food is something I know about having planned hundreds of parties at Mediterranean cuisine restaurants.

And my humble start began creating catered events in American hotels, so making food at home brings it all full circle.

I have history with ceviche that was a hip trend in my catering days that went along with tapas (small plates).

I remember the Spanish restaurant I was at had a menu as big as Cheesecake Factory’s menu (without all the ad pages 😊).

And while I didn’t see ceviche on the menu often, Rosa Mexicano at National Harbor in the DC area was my go-to.

They crushed ripe avocados at your table to make fresh guacamole.

And what’s more exciting than fresh foods… that you can make yourself at home for very little cost! Tasty fresh guac is only a few fresh ingredients.

Avocados are the star and waiting for them to ripen faster is the hardest part if there is any. You can leave at warmer room temperatures on those efforts.

And also place next to other ripe fruit and/or a closed brown paper bag to speed up.

The beauty is perfectly fresh soft/ripe avocado has a short shelf-life of a day or two. A lot like cilantro.

For guacamole with a bite and for your ceviche, you want to use fresh cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro as some don’t, you can use fresh dill or parsley.

And for an unforgettable ceviche, you can lean on the trifecta ingredient effect of: red onions, cilantro (or fresh culinary herb), and lime juice.

If you finely chop the onions, they will be a delight in the melange.

Then you can add supporting healthy food ingredients and enhanced flavors. Like radishes, oranges, and tarragon herb spice added.

This is not a wimpy ceviche.

It’s for foodie tastes, and Chipotle healthy food sensibilities.

And saving the best for last: the protein seafood item.

Seafood is healthy lean protein with zinc that impacts immunity and metabolism, and Omega 3s for optimizing the health of vital organs (heart, brain, and eye health).

It’s an anti-inflammatory category of foods.

You can store seafood (and fish) in the freezer until you’re ready to use.

Shrimp can be one of those staple freezer bags.

One you can bring out anytime and cook up to enjoy with homemade shrimp cocktail sauce (no ketchup). Squid and Old Bay scallops are also a favorite you can pair with your ceviche.

I’m biased about the Old Bay seafood spice blend because I’m from that Delmarva area that douses Old Bay (that’s not an Old Spice deodorant) on everything savory. It’s in the water’s air. And I even douse on my ceviche.

To reel in the ocean-y ceviche appetizer to green land, I added asparagus spears and cilantro stalks. It’s now a salad.

And I made additional ceviche salad with oranges so it’s a tropical salad. Notice the salt rim that’s just too martini glass good.

Ready to make this?

Ceviche with shrimp served in a martini glass.

Ceviche - Shrimp Healthy Protein Meal

This is a healthy light protein filled appetizer, meal, or snack you can enjoy year round with your favorite ingredients. You can share this or enjoy this for yourself!

Course Appetizer

Servings 1 person

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 dozen shrimp (or seafood of choice)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
10-12 leaves cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp lime juice (add more as desired)
1 tsp orange juice from a whole orange
1 wedge small orange wedges
2 tsp sweet bell pepper or pimento pepper
2-3 radishes, minced (optional)
1 avocado, small pieces (zhugh on top)
tarragon herb spice (zhugh on shrimp)
salt (for glass rim)

Instructions

Cook the shrimp (or seafoods of choice).
In a bowl, toss onions, cilantros, peppers, radishes, and oranges like a salad with the juices. Let the juice marinade in the salad for a few minutes..
Then add salad to a martini or other presentation glass/bowl/vessel. Add salt to the rim (optional)
Using a spoon, add small avocado pieces on top. Add shrimp. Sprinkle tarragon on top. Share and enjoy!

Sheep’s Cheesecake (Basque-Style) – Protein Healthy and Low-Sugar

Sheep’s cheesecake can be made into a protein-filled dessert that tastes like your favorite cheesecake desserts. I know because that’s what’s in this recipe. And the sheep’s cheese cake is lower fat and sugar, for a healthier cheesecake. It’s easy to find in stores (see below tips).

This sheep’s cheese cake plate has cranberries that are also mixed into the cake batter. Cranberries are high in Vitamin C and are good for an anti-inflammatory diet during the holidays (and year-round).

Cranberries are uniquely good for preventing UTIs and seasonally they add a red pop of festive color – that ranges from the bright fire engine red to burgundy shades.🚒 ♥️

You can buy whole cranberries and freeze them for when you want to use them. So the shiny and red fruit berry jewels are hard to turn down.

As is this protein cheese cake.

What makes this cheese cake protein-rich are the ingredients that include sheep’s cheese.

You can expect to easily find 5 grams of protein per sheep’s cheese ounce. At many stores, you can find packaged grocery sheep’s cheese logs, that come in smaller 4 oz size packaging these days. And that will make this regular size 8″ shareable cheesecake.

Or you can use 2 ounces per individual 4″ cheesecake. Doing the math, that’s 10 grams of protein for an individual cake (or 20 grams per 8″ cake).

If you compare the protein in regular cream cheese (commonly used in cheesecake recipes), sheep’s cheese is more than double the protein.

Regular cream cheese has about 1.7 grams per ounce. That’s about 1/3 of the protein as ordinary sheep’s cheese in national grocery store chains.

I found pre-packaged sheep’s cheese in the cheese section at national grocery store chains like Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s.

So that’s a good start (in case you didn’t think it was easy to source).

…And of course, sheep’s cheese comes in all shapes, sizes, pasteurization types, etc.

We’re not talking Blue Zones’ (100 years) healthy living sheep cheese here… which is where this all began for me when I studied up, researched, and wrote about the superfood cheese.

Since then, the idea has wildly grown in popularity and you can find all kinds with the label. Sheep’s cheese is easy to find like pre-packaged Brie or buffalo mozzarella cheeses in stores.

Because otherwise you’d have to pay a pretty penny (or accepted currency) to source sheep’s milk cheese, and/or fly to rural areas like the Sardinian regions to find high-quality, grass-fed sheep’s pecorino cheese.

But the kind you bring home, you can pair with Greek yogurt to get probiotics added back. And even more protein added.

The healthy idea that works in a sheep’s cheese cheesecake like this, is to find a thicker Greek yogurt that has no additional sugar. You can also find a lower fat content yogurt.

And then when you bake the sheep’s milk cheese and yogurt into your desserts like this holiday cheesecake, this helps support a happy and healthy lifestyle.

In an hour, you can have a nice Greek yogurt healthier cake ready.

Since this cheesecake has no crust (like a graham crust on a New York-style cheesecake) and has no flour baked in, you can get baked Basque-style sides that are more decadently burnished-brown without using high baking temps.

This happens when you use a metal spring form cake pan where you can release the sides after the baked cheesecake is cooled.

If you cover the sides entirely with parchment paper (that you may have learned to do with Basque cheesecakes), the cake will be more easy to pull out, but it won’t be connected directly to the cake pan heat. So you compromise the end result bake.

The better way I suggest is to brush neutral/light olive oil (or butter) on the sides. And after baked, don’t release the cake from the spring form until it’s completely cooled when the cake is more stable, and will more easily stay together in one piece, as it firms up.

For interest (I have a catering background), I also added softened ripe pears to the bottom of the cake pan for additional sweet flavors and textures. It helped release the cake and gave a burnished look to the bottom (similar to poached pears 🍐). But that part is optional, as you’ll get the Basque-inspired cheesecake style either way.

But surprisingly by using regular 350°F/180°C temperatures and not the higher Basque cheesecake temperatures, to save energy (but also low and slow is easier to not burn in the oven).

But if you leave it in these lower oven temps for 55 minutes, I think you’ll be happy with your bake’s doneness.

Your cheesecake will have an Old World charm look.

And when you bite into the sweet and tart cheesecake (made even tart-er with cranberries), it’ll be a delight. With a rustic crumbly feel on the tongue as a satisfying texture that’s distinctly baked (no half-bake here 😊).

But if you prefer a more creamy cheesecake with less small cheese-yogurt chunks, then add more milk (liquid) to your batter, or use a less thick sheep’s cheese and/or yogurt.

You have so many options to make your (maybe?) NEW favorite cheesecake 😋

But no matter what you choose as actual ingredients and final texture intent for your high-protein cheesecake, this is a daily cheesecake you’ll have no regrets making. Ready to try?

If you like this, you may also like a cranberry pumpkin trifle, blueberry-peach cheesecake smoothie, and other low-sugar dessert bites.

Basque-Style (No Crust) Cheesecake - High Protein and Low-Sugar

This is an individual-size 4" protein cheesecake made with healthier cheese and lower fat. To make a shareable 8" cake, double the ingredient amounts.

Course Dessert

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

spring form cake pan

Ingredients

2 oz sheep's cheese
2 oz Greek yogurt (no-fat and no-sugar added)
1 Tbsp milk of choice
1 Tbsp raw honey
1/4 cup seasonal fruit (or jam) of choice or cranberries
cranberry sauce or fruit jam as spread on top (optional)

Instructions

Brush neutral olive oil or baking spray on bottom and sides of (spring form) cake pan.
Combine ingredients in one bowl. Reserve some fruit for the top, so they don't all fall to the bottom of the cake pan. Option: add softened pears to the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for about 55 minutes. This will give a Basque-cheesecake feel as the sides turn a darkened brown (pleasantly burnt-ish) color.