Don't Wait For Dessert — Eat Cheesecake For Breakfast With This High-Protein Treat

The plight of a sweets lover who wants lots of protein in their breakfast is a sad one indeed, as pancakes, parfaits, and French toast are harder to fit in than eggs, sausage, and cheese. Before you resign yourself to a lifetime of egg white omelettes, try whipping up cheesecake baked oatmeal, a deliciously sweet treat that also meets your nutrition goals.

Baked oats are a low-maintenance version of oatmeal with a deliciously rich, dense texture. You simply mix oats with milk, sweetener, and other mix-ins and bake them in a dish until caramelized on top and soft within. Recipes for cheesecake-inspired versions often add cream cheese, though cottage cheese or Greek yogurt are better ways to add protein to breakfast sweets. You can use either ingredient alone or combine them with cream cheese to deliver both creaminess and plenty of protein. Mix in some fruit, chopped nuts, or chocolate, and you have a morning meal reminiscent of a freshly-baked cheesecake.

The best type of oats for this dish is rolled oats, as they contain 10 grams of protein per cup, and their texture stays hearty after baking. Combine them with milk or a milk alternative at a 2:1 ratio, along with your mix-ins and the cheese or yogurt. If you use cottage cheese, try whipping it in a blender to make it smooth and cream cheese-like. Bake the oats until the top is golden-brown and a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean, and let cool for a few minutes before digging in.

Any ingredients you love in a classic cheesecake will be delicious in your protein-packed breakfast. Fresh berries and cherries can be folded into the oats, and cinnamon apple baked oatmeal would also be delicious with a cheesecake-like twist. Not into fruit? Mix unsweetened cocoa powder into the oats, then fold in dark chocolate chips, which will turn deliciously gooey in the oven. If you love fall flavors, fold a cup of pumpkin puree into your baked oats along with a dash of warm spices, then garnish with high-protein pumpkin seeds. To further elevate the protein content, add protein powder or nuts and nut butters, such as in peanut butter and roasted banana baked oatmeal.

It's also tons of fun to play with the format of this dish. Many recipes dollop or swirl the cheesecake component into the oatmeal instead of fully mixing it in, creating creamy pockets of sweet goodness as well as a beautiful appearance. Simply drop spoonfuls of your cottage cheese or yogurt on top of the oats, and optionally drag a knife through to marble it. You can also bake the oatmeal until it's a lot firmer, then slice it into bars, turning it into a grab-and-go breakfast that beats overnight oats. Take inspiration from our lemon cheesecake bars recipe and top the oats with cottage cheese blended with lemon juice and zest, vanilla protein powder, sugar, and an egg. Bake until the topping is set, let it cool, slice it up, and enjoy.