Viral Japanese Cheesecake

This strawberry take on the viral Japanese cheesecake hack is creamy, lightly sweet, and perfectly portioned for a satisfying dessert. Made with Greek yogurt for protein and tang, crushed freeze-dried strawberries for natural sweetness and flavor, and just a few cookies mixed in to create that cheesecake feel, it strikes a balance between indulgent and nourishing.

After chilling overnight, the texture becomes rich and cheesecake-like, without the heaviness of a traditional cheesecake. Finished with fresh strawberries on top, this single-serve dessert feels elevated, festive, and realistic — a simple, feel-good treat you can enjoy any time, including as a fun Valentine’s Day option.

Viral Japanese Cheesecake

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain or zero-sugar vanilla Greek yogurt

  • 1/3 cup freeze dried strawberries, crushed into a rough powder (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 5-7 Siete Foods chocolate chip cookies or Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins or graham crackers chopped into smaller pieces (or get creative with your cookie of choosing — the traditional viral version uses Biscoff cookies)

  • optional: fresh strawberries, chopped, for topping

*if you want this to be more decadent, you can mix in some maple syrup or honey to the Greek yogurt and/or add in more cookies.

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, freeze dried strawberries and vanilla. Pour into whatever type of serving dish you would like (cocktail or wine glasses can be a fun way to serve this)

  2. Push the cookies (standing up) into the Greek yogurt, evenly dispersed. 

  3. Refrigerate overnight. 

  4. Top with a little bit more crushed freeze dried strawberries and fresh strawberries for serving. 

RecipesApril DupeeDessert, Snack