WOW! This is the best way yet I’ve found to use up ripe bananas!
If you’ve never made cheesecake before, you should give it a try, it’s easy! This one is light and rich at the same time and oh so amazing! A couple of key tips for making cheesecakes to make note of:
- Recipes containing cottage cheese, mascarpone, Neufchatel etc will produce a lighter texture of cheesecake
- Do not over mix the batter
- Bake cheesecakes at a low temperature
- Run a knife along the edge immediately after removing from the oven to avoid cracking
- Cool on the counter first and then refrigerate 4hrs. or overnight before serving
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Banana Cheesecake
WOW! This is the best way yet I’ve found to use up ripe bananas!
Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ¼ cup chopped pecans pulsed in a food processor to finely chop
- ½ cup granulated sugar + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 blocks
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 large bananas ripe
Optional Toppings
- caramel sauce store bought or homemade
- toasted pecans
- whipped cream or whipped topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl combine graham crumbs, butter, 3 tablespoons of sugar and pecans. Press into a 9" springform pan. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and turn temperature up to 425°F.
- Meanwhile, blend together bananas, cottage cheese, eggs, sugar and corn starch. Place cream cheese in a mixer on medium speed, beat until fluffy. Add in banana mixture and mix until combined. Pour over prepared crust. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 200°F and bake an additional 60-70 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let cool at room temperature for 45 minutes and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 472 | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1090IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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I just made this recipe but swapped the cottage cheese for full fat sour cream (a thick brand. I know some lesser quality brands are more runny and not sure how those would work with this recipe). It turned out amazing. I should have baked it a bit longer as the middle was a bit creamy vs solid like the outskirts of it was. SO good! Quick to whip together (minus the baking time) & super easy! Will save for another time!! Thanks for sharing this recipe :)
I made this and followed the instructions as directed (even refrigerating overnight). The middle of the cheesecake came out runny, and the taste was somewhat sour – not tart, like a good cheesecake can taste, distinctly sour. I’m not sure where I went wrong. All of my ingredients were fresh, as they were just purchased this week and are in date. I’ve been using the cream cheese and cottage cheese by themselves and in other recipes. The bananas were over-ripe and perfect for baking. I added a delicious chocolate ganache topping, and that helped the flavor some.
I’m not sure what went wrong for you with this recipe, Melanie, I’m sorry it didn’t turn out for you!
I used Oreos for the crust, as graham crackers are not commonly sold in my country. It turned out amazing! Made it for my husband’s birthday and he loved it! It’s the first cheesecake I’ve made that actually turned out like a real cheesecake. Amazing recipe. Thank you!
Yummy substitute Carly! So happy it turned out perfectly for your husband’s birthday!
I misplaced my springform pan so I decided to make a cupcake version. They turned out awesome. I puréed the cottage cheese and that seemed to work out really good. It made 24 cupcakes, I used about a tablespoon of the gram cracker in each and 1/4 of a cup of the batter in each one. I cooked the crust for 5 minutes, then at 425 for 7 minutes and at 200 for about 25 minutes (maybe a little more). They turned out awesome, super happy with the recipe and will definitely be doing it again :).
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for the tips on making this into cupcakes, that’s a great idea!
in your Triple Chocolate Banana Bread recipe in the topping you have
Topping
¼ cup half & half
can you please advise the ingredient to complete this item in the recipe
You can find the ingredients here: Triple Chocolate Banana Bread
Baked it yesterday, and I have to say – definitely the BEST cheesecake I’ve ever tried. It is light, moist and creamy. Easy to make, too. I enjoyed it without any toppings or nuts in the crust. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today after searching for a way to use up my ripe bananas in a way that was not banana bread. I had everything on hand so I decided to try it out. I had a hard time getting the cottage cheese to break up and blend, even with a mixer, however. It looks OK now that it is baked, but I am going to refrigerate it overnight and cut in to it tomorrow, so I am not sure how it tastes or if the middle turned out, etc. I think next time, I will try using ricotta instead of cottage cheese for a smoother texture.
I did make this again – with ricotta – and for me, it turned out much smoother. Both tasted amazing! Thanks for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Amy! I’ll have to give ricotta a try next time!
Holly – I got adventurous! After making the banana version SEVERAL times over the past few months, I decided to sub out the bananas with strawberries, because I had some very ripe ones on hand. Rather than use the graham crackers, I crushed oreos and used those for the crust (eliminated the pecans, obviously!), and I followed the rest of the recipe as written (cottage cheese and all!), except I used about 1 cup of blended berries that I mixed in the blender instead of the bananas. AMAZING! This is such a great recipe and I am so excited that I can adapt it slightly if I don’t happen to have bananas (which is rare). Again, thank you for this! I always keep cream cheese on hand now because everybody in my house is raving about cheesecake! :)
Oh that sounds delicious Amy! I hadn’t thought of using other fruits in place of the bananas… I can’t wait to try a few myself now!
I do not like bananas but this loooks too good,,I will have to try it,,,,,
Another tip for avoiding the cracked top is to turn the oven off and open the door slightly and stick a wooden handle spoon in to hold the door open just a bit. Let the oven and cheesecake cool like that for a couple of hours, then take the cake out and run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen it from the edges. Chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator, then remove the edges of the springform pan and serve. Works like a charm.
what would work as a good substitute for cottage cheese. Would sour cream work?
I have only made this as written. If you do try a variation with sour cream, please let us know how it works out for you!
I like the addition of the cottage cheese to this delicious looking Banana Cheesecake – it would make it just a little bit healthier which is always a bonus when you are having a treat! It really does look mouthwatering. Thank you for sharing it with us at the Hearth and Soul hop.
I have got to make this soon it looks so good. Thanks for the recipe. Thanks for linking up at Tell Me About It Tuesday. We hope you hop over and share with us again next week.
Wow this looks sooo good, I never thought to put bananas and cheesecake together but I think I would love this! Checking it out from Miz Helen’s link party :-) and I pinned this!!
Cathy
I am always looking for ways to use up old bananas but have never thought of cheesecake. This looks amazing!
Bananas? Caramel? Cheesecake? Hold me back, I think I’m going to drool all over my keyboard! This looks scrumptious.
This is one AMAZING cake!!
It looks heavenly
I’m SO glad that my 50th birthday is this Thursday… it’ll give me a reason to splurge on myself and make this cheesecake! YUMMI!
I found you through the Two Cup Tuesday link party!
This looks scrumptious!!! Thank you for sharing at Mix it up Monday :)
Havent tried this yet, but going to soon. Love cheesecake, never saw banana though.