Almond Butter-Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Coconut Granola Crust (A No-Bake Filling made with Chobani!)

I've made waffles with beer for breakfast, and I've paired ice cream with grilled fruit for breakfast. Let's just say, I like to make "The Most Important Meal of the Day" a little interesting. So...

Who wants some cheesecake for breakfast???

Yes. Cheesecake. It all starts with one of the ultimate morning foods: granola. I made a crust out of crunchy coconut granola, honey graham crackers, and just a touch of melted butter. Then, for a no-bake and Summer-heat-wave-friendly filling, I used almond butter, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt. Chobani was nice enough to send over samples of their wonderful products for me to play with in the kitchen, and their Greek yogurt was a perfect way to make a rich, thick cheesecake...without turning on a single oven or boiling up a water bath!

Yogurt and granola are a classic pairing for breakfast, but sometimes, having a bowl of it the same way every time can get a little...well...monotonous. Turning them into a cheesecake is a great way to switch things up and to bring some fun to the breakfast table! Everything is also made the day before, so waking up and serving breakfast is extremely easy!

The Coconut Granola is super simple (only 6 ingredients!) and super quick to make. Sometimes, I get a little impatient with homemade granola because either there are 1,834,247 ingredients or it takes awhile to cook. (Go ahead...you know you want to say it...Ain't nobody got time for that!)

Combine the oats, coconut, and macadamia nuts in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together maple syrup (yet another breakfast essential!), sea salt, and coconut oil. Pour this mixture onto the oats.

Stir to completely coat the ingredients. (It already smells heavenly at this point.)

Next, spread the mixture over a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Flip everything around with a spatula every 3-4 minutes to prevent burning and to get an even golden-brown color.

The oats, coconut, and macadamia nuts all caramelize and crisp up, and your entire house will be filled with the aroma of freshly baked granola! That's it...less than 15 minutes later! When the Summer heat reaches triple digits (which is expected to happen this weekend), the last thing that you want to do is have your oven running for a couple of hours.

Once it has cooled to the touch, add the granola to a food processor. Puree for about 60 seconds.

Add a couple of graham crackers, and puree for another 60 seconds until it's a very fine and crumb-like texture.

I used whole-grain honey graham crackers, but you could also use cinnamon graham crackers for a little bit of spice!

Remove the blade, and pour in some melted butter. Stir to combine evenly.

Spread the crust mixture on the bottom of an 8-inch round springform pan, and press down to compact into an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. (Watch it to make sure that your crust doesn't burn!) After baking, set it aside to cool completely.

Finally, to make the filling, you'll need Greek yogurt, heavy whipping cream, cream cheese, almond butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Beat the cream cheese with sugar until it's smooth and fluffy. Add the almond butter and vanilla, and beat until everything is incorporated.

The almond butter adds a nutty flavor that accents the granola nicely, but it also adds something rich and dense to the filling to balance out the lighter, tangy yogurt.

I also love all of the little specks of almond in the filling! If you have vanilla beans on hand, you can use one to replace the teaspoon of extract.

Next, fold in the Greek yogurt. Because Greek yogurt is made by straining out excess whey, it has a thicker consistency. This helps to achieve a dense cheesecake without the need for pounds of cream cheese, any sour cream, or any eggs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Then, add the whipped cream to the filling.

At last, pour it all into the cooled granola crust and spread it into an even layer with a spatula. Cover with foil or plastic wrap, then freeze overnight. This really firms up the filling and gives you something solid to slice into.

This is Jacquelyn licking the bowl and spatulas clean...she loved the filling! Isn't this what 3-year-olds are for??? :)

Now, imagine being able to wake up on one of those scorching Summer mornings...and to not have to do a single thing other than take this cheesecake out of the freezer. Having some people over for brunch or just want to make a special weekend breakfast for the family? You could even make the granola a couple of days earlier, then "assemble" the cheesecake the night before. On the day-of, simply slice and serve! No worries, no hassle :)

What you will have is luscious, melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake!

Other than topping slices with extra granola, you can garnish with berries or fresh sliced fruit. It would go so well with some sliced bananas! You could even make fruit purees and use those as a sauce to drizzle over the top.

Almond Butter-Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Coconut Granola Crust...a frozen sweet treat, for breakfast! :)



Almond Butter Cheesecake with Coconut Granola Crust (serves 8)

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
Coconut Granola:
1 cup Rolled or Old-Fashioned Oats
1/4 cup Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1/4 cup Finely Chopped Raw Macadamia Nuts
1/8 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
Crust:
1 1/2 cups Granola
2 Whole Grain Honey Graham Crackers
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
8 oz Cream Cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup White Granulated Sugar, divided
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Almond Butter
2 cups Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut, and nuts. In a measuring cup or separate bowl, whisk together the salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the oats, and stir to completely coat the ingredients. Spread the mixture into an even layer on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Flip granola around with a spatula every 3-4 minutes to prevent burning and to get an even golden-brown crisp. After baking, set granola aside to cool.
2. Once the granola is cool to the touch, combine the granola and graham crackers in a food processor. Puree for 60-90 seconds, until a very fine and crumb-like texture. Pour in melted butter, and stir to combine evenly. Next, spread the crust mixture into the bottom of an 8-in round springform pan. Press down to compact into an even layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes. (Do not let it burn!) Set aside to cool.
3. To make the filling, add the cream cheese and 3/4 of a cup of sugar to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the cheese and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond butter, and beat until incorporated. Then, remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in the Greek yogurt with a spatula. (Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl!)
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling. Finally, pour the filling into the cooled granola crust, and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Cover with foil or plastic wrap, and freeze overnight.
5. To serve, run a paring knife around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen the sides from the pan. Then, unlatch the springform pan. Transfer the cheesecake to a cake stand or serving platter.
6. Garnish with fresh fruit and/or more coconut granola! Enjoy!