This Greek yogurt cream cheese filling is a great way to slim-down your favorite treat. Use is in place of traditional cream cheese icing to make pumpkin roll, carrot cake or other dessert.
I love when I make things and they turn out tasty the first time! That’s what happened when I made this cream cheese filling. I needed a cream cheese filling for my protein packed pumpkin roll, so I started messing around in the kitchen. It was way easier than I thought it would be to create a healthier version of traditional icing.
Healthy Substitutions In This Cream Cheese Icing
I started with an obvious substitution. I swapped a block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese for the full-fat variety. Since the reduced fat variety holds contains more water, I knew I needed to add an ingredient that would help maintain the thickness of the icing. That’s when I added the plain Greek yogurt. This healthier substiution also takes the place of the butter.
It’s thinner than traditional icing, but I wouldn’t call it thin. It has a fantastic cream cheese flavor and works great when used as a drizzle, dip or filling. It was a great filling for my pumpkin roll, and we ate the leftovers with fresh fruit. The kids loved it and I loved that they were getting some extra nutrition with their sweet treat.
This Greek yogurt cream cheese filling is 70 calories per 2 tablesppon serving, and even contributes some protein. If you’ve been looking for a lightened up version of traditional icing, definitely give this recipe a try. Let me know what you think.
Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients
- 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt, non-fat
- 1 block 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
- 1.25 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Combine Greek yogurt and cream cheese in a bowl and stir together. Transfer to a food processor and process until blended. Slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Recipe makes 2 1/2 cups icing or 18 servings
- Serving Size: 2 Tbsp.
- Nutrition Facts (per serving): 70 calories,, 10 g carbohydrates,, 2 g protein, 2.5 grams fat, 1.5 g saturated fat,, 5 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium.
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Hi, I’m Heather – a registered dietitian, busy mom, consultant, adventure junkie and travel addict who has mastered living healthy on the go. My blog is where I share simple recipes and healthy living tips to help and inspire others to live their best life.
I do not want the sugar can I use just the cream cheese and the yogurt?
Hi Joy, you absolutely can leave the sugar out, but adding it helps to balance the flavor. The texture will work just fine, but it will be quite sour. Let me know what you think if you try it.
How long does this last in the fridge? It’s delicious but I made way too much 🙂 I made it for my school (about 250 people) and though they loved it, I have two leftover jugs. Isn’t sugar a preservative? Online said 3 or 4 days but if the cream cheese and yogurt wouldn’t expire for a while I don’t understand why it would only be safe for 4 days….
Hi Jeannine,
I’m so glad that you liked this easy recipe. From a food safety standpoint, it will last longer – it depends on when the yogurt would expire. But, because it is lower in fat, it won’t hold onto it’s thicker consistency for as long as full fat frosting. The consistency could change if you keep it too long. It should be fine for at least a week, maybe two but I never kept it that long to test it. Hope that helps.
Hi!
I was wondering if you can use this in a tart as the filling? Will it become stiff enough?
Thanks!
Hi Juliana,
Hmm, I never tried this recipe for a tart, but it would likely be too runny since it uses non-fat Greek yogurt. If you want to try it, I suggest using a full-fat Greek yogurt and a full-fat cream cheese. Also, be sure to keep it refrigerated until right before you want to fill the tart.
Used this recipe to fill my crepes and it was great! I had a few replacements to use what was in my fridge. Regular whipped cream cheese, light non-fat plain yogurt, and a little less powdered sugar. Quick and easy – thank you!