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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Turtle Cheesecake is made with cottage cheese and greek yogurt giving it a higher protein content.
• It’s very easy to make, the hardest part is letting it set up in the fridge.
• It’s topped with caramel, dark chocolate and candied pecans.
• Perfect for any occasion, but especially the holidays!
• This turtle cheesecake is made WITHOUT a water bath.
• You can make a few days in advanced!
• You can also make these bite sized in cupcake tins.
• If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out my Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars!

Ingredients And Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Turtle Cheesecake. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

The crust is made with crushed graham crackers, melted grass-fed butter and some coconut sugar but you can also use cane sugar.

Greek yogurt adds a great tangy flavor but also adds in some protein for a bit more nutrition. You can however sub this out for sour cream.

Melted white chocolate is added to the batter which gives such a yummy flavor for this cheesecake. You may sub this out for dark chocolate, but please note your cheesecake will be brown and not white.

Cream cheese is a must for cheesecake!

Add in cottage cheese which again adds more protein content!

Eggs will help bind all the ingredients together and give this cheesecake a fluffy texture.

Vanilla bean paste adds much more flavor than vanilla extract, but both will work.

This cheesecake is topped off with melted caramel candies that are melted, or you can use my homemade coconut caramel sauce.

It’s drizzled with melted dark chocolate, but milk chocolate works too. Finally, it’s finished off with candied pecans, but regular will be fine as well.

How To Make

ONE: Make the crust by crushed graham crackers in a food processor and adding in the melted butter and coconut sugar. Press crust into a spring form pan and bake.

TWO: While it’s baking, make the filling by whipping the cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy- about 1 minute.

THREE: Next, add in the greek yogurt, cottage cheese, melted white chocolate, coconut sugar, eggs and vanilla bean paste.

FOUR: Pour batter over baked crust and return to the oven for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour before placing in the fridge to cool completely, about 3 hours.

FIVE: When ready, add on caramel, melted dark chocolate and candied pecans. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to set and enjoy!

Tips And Tricks

To prevent your cheesecake from cracking, follow these steps:

Use room temperature ingredients. This will allow your ingredients to combine more easily and prevent over-mixing.

Do not over-mix. Over-mixing can cause your cheesecake to puff up during baking, then shrink (and crack) while it cools.

How To Serve And Store

Serve this Turtle Cheesecake with a drizzle of caramel or my coconut caramel sauce and some melted dark chocolate. Finish it off with some candied pecans and enjoy with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

Store leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy up to 4-5 days.

Taste And Texture

This Turtle Cheesecake is sweet, creamy and full of flavor. It has a rich taste, but isn’t too over-powering.

The texture is smooth and creamy with a crunchy crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Recipes You May Like

• Coconut Caramel Sauce
• Pumpkin Cheesecake In a Jar
• Traditional Cheesecake Jars
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
• No bake Cheesecake Bites

If you make this Turtle Cheesecake, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!