2-Ingredient Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
If you follow food trends, there's a good chance you've come across a viral Japanese cheesecake made with just two ingredients. Okay, it's not really cheesecake, but it instead involves inserting cookies into Greek yogurt and leaving the whole thing in the fridge overnight. The result is a creamy, rich, sweet, and spoonable dessert that tastes surprisingly like cheesecake (or at least some version of it). Whether you believe it's cheesecake or not, you can't argue that it's not a terrific (and super easy!) breakfast, snack, or dessert on its own merits.
Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for the viral two-ingredient Japanese cheesecake so you can try out this magical trick for yourself. Depending on how accurate you want to be to early iterations of this treat, you may try to source French coconut sablé cookies, which are a kind of shortbread, but they are not available in all areas. Bottalico chose unflavored shortbread cookies for her version, which are easy to source and available in all sorts of flavors and variations. Since they come in different shapes and sizes, use cookies with an appropriate height for your yogurt container.
For something so easy to make, this two-ingredient Japanese cheesecake sure did come out delicious. Plain Greek yogurt provides a thick and creamy base, while the cookies add a sweet, buttery touch that keeps you coming back bite after bite.
Gather your 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake ingredients
The ingredient list for this recipe is quite simple. You will only need full-fat Greek yogurt and shortbread cookies.
Step 1: Spoon yogurt into a container
Spoon the yogurt into a short 12-ounce bowl or similar container.
Step 2: Insert cookies down the center
Insert 5 cookies vertically into the yogurt in a row down the center of the bowl, leaving space between them.
Step 3: Insert cookies on the sides
Insert 2 more cookies into the yogurt on the sides of the bowl, perpendicular to the other cookies.
Step 4: Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight
Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours to allow the cookies to soften.
Step 5: Serve the 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake
Serve cold and enjoy.
Pairs well with 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake
2-Ingredient Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
This take on the viral 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake boasts full-fat Greek yogurt and shortbread cookies for a surprisingly rich, satisfying, and easy snack.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- 7 shortbread cookies
Directions
- Spoon the yogurt into a short 12-ounce bowl or similar container.
- Insert 5 cookies vertically into the yogurt in a row down the center of the bowl, leaving space between them.
- Insert 2 more cookies into the yogurt on the sides of the bowl, perpendicular to the other cookies.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours to allow the cookies to soften.
- Serve cold and enjoy.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 369 |
| Total Fat | 20.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 23.9 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 32.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 14.9 g |
| Sodium | 229.8 mg |
| Protein | 15.4 g |
How can I customize this 2-ingredient Japanese cheesecake recipe?
There are plenty of ways to switch up this Japanese cheesecake and expand beyond its two-ingredient constraint. To start, add a coconutty touch by stirring some coconut flakes into the yogurt before you add the cookies (extra points if they're toasted). Get inspired by gourmet toppings for frozen cheesecake, like fruit (cherries, banana, peaches, mango, or berries would work well), espresso powder, cocoa powder or chocolate chips, or plain or toasted nuts. To mimic a cheesecake berry sauce topping, add berry compote, canned pie filling, or jam.
Bottalico tested a few versions before settling on the ingredient quantities in this recipe: a 12-ounce bowl with 1 ¼ cups of yogurt and seven standard-sized shortbread cookies. But honestly, you can use any bowl, jar, or container you want. Fill it about ⅔ of the way with yogurt and press as many cookies as you like in (make sure to leave spaces so they're surrounded by yogurt). Try small 8-ounce wide-mouthed Mason jars for single-serve treats. Use mini cookies in this case, because you can only fit a couple regular cookies inside. Or insert longer shortbread fingers in the taller 12-ounce wide-mouthed Mason jars. To serve a crowd, make the cheesecake in a large bowl and serve with an ice cream scooper.
What cookies are best for viral Japanese cheesecake?
Many early versions of the viral two-ingredient Japanese cheesecake used French sablé cookies, which are unique for a few reasons. Sablé means sand in French, which doesn't sound too appetizing, but when you consider that they are a kind of shortbread cookie, the name makes sense. Shortbread cookies are dense, buttery, sweet, and crumbly, so they really are a good choice for this recipe. Any shortbread cookies you can get will work fine here (just make sure they're the right size for your container).
If shortbread cookies aren't available or you'd like to use something else, you certainly have options. Biscoff cookies are another good choice, and one type of cookie that many folks started reaching for as the Japanese cheesecake trend grew in popularity. They're not too elaborate, but they taste good and pair well with the yogurt. Graham crackers or Oreos would channel cheesecake crust, and chocolate or vanilla wafers would be a delicate and extra sweet choice. Oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies would add some substance, gingersnaps a bit of spice, and flavored cookies like lemon or almond cookies would give the yogurt a specific flavor.
Unless you're adding flavorful add ins, avoid extra plain cookies like the dry versions of animal crackers or digestive biscuits, which are much less rich and sweet. They won't add enough buttery flavor or substance to mimic cheesecake. Also avoid spherical or extra thick cookies, which won't soften as easily in the yogurt.