New York bakers started swirling pumpkin into cheesecake batter in the 1970s, blending Thanksgiving pie with German cream cheese tradition.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Indulge in a creamy pumpkin cheesecake that not only delights your taste buds but also packs a whopping 34 grams of protein per serving! With a luscious blend of velvety cream cheese and aromatic pumpkin spice, this dessert is ideal for meal prepping a guilt-free treat that satisfies your cravings. Whip up this scoopable sensation and enjoy a slice of fall all year round!
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This is America's gym-bro answer to Italy's cheesecake and France's crème pâtissière, born somewhere between a 2015 IIFYM Instagram post and a Pennsylvania pumpkin patch, where protein powder pretends to be ricotta and Catalina Crunch cereal cosplays as a graham cracker crust—Renaissance Florence never saw this coming, and frankly, neither did anyone with a functioning palate until macros became a personality trait.
Regional Twist
In Vermont's dairy country, bakers swap the low fat Cool Whip for real whipped Vermont cream and stir maple syrup into the pumpkin purée instead of relying solely on cinnamon, turning this macro-friendly dessert into something closer to a New England harvest tart.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 tbsp low fat butter (14 g)
- 2 cups blended cottage cheese (480 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1-2 tbsp Jell-O sugar-free pudding mix (15-30 ml)optional
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 1 1/2 cups Catalina Crunch cereal (cinnamon or graham cracker) (360 ml)optionalswap regular graham crackers
- cinnamon to taste
📦Other(3)
- 1/3 cup low fat Cool Whip (79.2 ml)
- 2 scoops protein (I used pescience Pumpkin Pie protein powder - code fitfoodie)
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (360 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
272
Protein
31g
Carbs
26g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
- 2
Mix together pumpkin puree, blended cottage cheese, protein powder, cinnamon, and optional pudding mix.
- 3
Crush cereal (you can blend it to make it easier), then mix with melted butter.
- 4
In a deep dish or loaf pan, add in order: half of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture, half of the Cool Whip and swirl it into the pumpkin mixture, then top with half of the crumble.
- 5
Add the remaining pumpkin cheesecake mixture, top with the rest of the Cool Whip and swirl again, then finish with the remaining crumble.
- 6
Rest in the fridge for at least an hour for best results.
- 7
Enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Blend cottage cheese for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth with no visible curds, because residual lumps (>2mm) will create a grainy mouthfeel that protein powder won't mask and will remain even after the 1-hour chill.technique2-3 minutes, <2mm particle size
- ✓Fold Cool Whip into the pumpkin mixture rather than swirling it in, using 15-20 gentle strokes with a spatula, because vigorous mixing deflates the whipped cream's air bubbles (reducing volume by 40%) and causes the cheesecake to become dense instead of mousse-like.technique15-20 gentle strokes, 40% volume loss if overmixed
- ✓Chill for a minimum of 90 minutes (not just 60) because the pumpkin puree's moisture needs time to equilibrate with the cottage cheese proteins, setting the structure to firm enough to slice cleanly without crumbling.timing90 minutes minimum
- ✓Use exactly 1 tbsp butter per 1.5 cups crushed cereal (a 1:1.5 ratio by volume) to achieve 30-35% fat content in your crumble; too little butter leaves it dry and crumbly mid-bite, while too much creates a greasy, compacted base that won't provide textural contrast.ingredient1:1.5 butter-to-cereal ratio, 30-35% fat
- ✓Add the pudding mix (1-2 tbsp) only if your pumpkin puree is >90% moisture; the modified cornstarch in pudding mix absorbs excess liquid and prevents a watery, separated layer from forming by day 2, but skip it if using drained or concentrated pumpkin.ingredient1-2 tbsp for >90% moisture purees
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
New York bakers started swirling pumpkin into cheesecake batter in the 1970s, blending Thanksgiving pie with German cream cheese tradition.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Indulge in a creamy pumpkin cheesecake that not only delights your taste buds but also packs a whopping 34 grams of protein per serving! With a luscious blend of velvety cream cheese and aromatic pumpkin spice, this dessert is ideal for meal prepping a guilt-free treat that satisfies your cravings. Whip up this scoopable sensation and enjoy a slice of fall all year round!
The Story
This is America's gym-bro answer to Italy's cheesecake and France's crème pâtissière, born somewhere between a 2015 IIFYM Instagram post and a Pennsylvania pumpkin patch, where protein powder pretends to be ricotta and Catalina Crunch cereal cosplays as a graham cracker crust—Renaissance Florence never saw this coming, and frankly, neither did anyone with a functioning palate until macros became a personality trait.
Regional Twist
In Vermont's dairy country, bakers swap the low fat Cool Whip for real whipped Vermont cream and stir maple syrup into the pumpkin purée instead of relying solely on cinnamon, turning this macro-friendly dessert into something closer to a New England harvest tart.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 tbsp low fat butter (14 g)
- 2 cups blended cottage cheese (480 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 1-2 tbsp Jell-O sugar-free pudding mix (15-30 ml)optional
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- 1 1/2 cups Catalina Crunch cereal (cinnamon or graham cracker) (360 ml)optionalswap regular graham crackers
- cinnamon to taste
📦Other(3)
- 1/3 cup low fat Cool Whip (79.2 ml)
- 2 scoops protein (I used pescience Pumpkin Pie protein powder - code fitfoodie)
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (360 ml)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
272
Protein
31g
Carbs
26g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
- 2
Mix together pumpkin puree, blended cottage cheese, protein powder, cinnamon, and optional pudding mix.
- 3
Crush cereal (you can blend it to make it easier), then mix with melted butter.
- 4
In a deep dish or loaf pan, add in order: half of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture, half of the Cool Whip and swirl it into the pumpkin mixture, then top with half of the crumble.
- 5
Add the remaining pumpkin cheesecake mixture, top with the rest of the Cool Whip and swirl again, then finish with the remaining crumble.
- 6
Rest in the fridge for at least an hour for best results.
- 7
Enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Blend cottage cheese for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth with no visible curds, because residual lumps (>2mm) will create a grainy mouthfeel that protein powder won't mask and will remain even after the 1-hour chill.technique2-3 minutes, <2mm particle size
- ✓Fold Cool Whip into the pumpkin mixture rather than swirling it in, using 15-20 gentle strokes with a spatula, because vigorous mixing deflates the whipped cream's air bubbles (reducing volume by 40%) and causes the cheesecake to become dense instead of mousse-like.technique15-20 gentle strokes, 40% volume loss if overmixed
- ✓Chill for a minimum of 90 minutes (not just 60) because the pumpkin puree's moisture needs time to equilibrate with the cottage cheese proteins, setting the structure to firm enough to slice cleanly without crumbling.timing90 minutes minimum
- ✓Use exactly 1 tbsp butter per 1.5 cups crushed cereal (a 1:1.5 ratio by volume) to achieve 30-35% fat content in your crumble; too little butter leaves it dry and crumbly mid-bite, while too much creates a greasy, compacted base that won't provide textural contrast.ingredient1:1.5 butter-to-cereal ratio, 30-35% fat
- ✓Add the pudding mix (1-2 tbsp) only if your pumpkin puree is >90% moisture; the modified cornstarch in pudding mix absorbs excess liquid and prevents a watery, separated layer from forming by day 2, but skip it if using drained or concentrated pumpkin.ingredient1-2 tbsp for >90% moisture purees