Pumpkin Cheesecake

A healthy and flavorful pumpkin cheesecake/pudding dessert great for the Fall!

Ingredients (4 large servings or 8 small)

Crust Ingredients

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, low-fat
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar
• pinch salt

Pudding Ingredients

• Cooking oil spray or coconut oil
• 2 cups pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
• 8 oz cream cheese, reduced fat
• 1 cup Greek yogurt 0%, 2%, or whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• 2 tsp stevia or 1 tbsp agave (can add more or less, to your preferred level of sweetness)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

To Make the Crust

• Heat the oven again to 350 degrees F.
• Add the graham cracker crumbs, flaxseed meal, pinch of salt, stevia, and butter cubes to a medium size bowl.
• Using your hands, squeeze the butter into the mixture until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the crumbs.
• Pour mixture equally into 4 ramekins (or 8 if you want small servings), and using a drinking glass with a flat bottom, press the crumbs so that it coats the bottom and sides of each ramekin.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Update: You may want to place the ramekins in a water bath while they bake, as this seems to help keep the crust moist (so it won’t crack).

To Make Pumpkin Pudding

• Add pumpkin puree, cream cheese, yogurt, stevia, vanilla, and spices to a medium size bowl and mix using a hand/stand mixer on medium/high until thoroughly blended.
• Pour into cooled crusts and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the pudding has a chance to set up and the spices can meld together.

Nutritional Info (for 8 small servings)

• Calories: 173
• Fat: 10 g
• Carbs: 14 g
• Protein: 7 g