TikTok’s latest food obsession is a minimalist dessert known as "Japanese cheesecake," a viral recipe that promises cheesecake-like results using Greek yogurt and a pack of cookies.
The trend originated in Japan before exploding on U.S. For You pages, and has already drawn millions of views (and plenty of debate) as American creators eagerly add sugar, sauces, and toppings back into what was meant to be a healthier alternative.
What is Japanese cheesecake?
Making Japanese cheesecake could hardly be simpler. Any Greek yogurt should do, as long as the container is big enough to fit your biscuit-style cookies. The most common version outside of Japan calls for those Lotus Biscoffs, but you can try it with any crunchy cookie.
You may also need to remove some of the yogurt off the top, because you're gonna shove a bunch of those cookies in rows into the goop. Then you just have to let it sit in the fridge long enough for the biscuits to go soft. Six hours should be enough, or you can leave it overnight.
The result is a dessert or sweet breakfast that you can scoop up with a spoon. It tastes a lot like cheesecake, but without the cream cheese. If you use an unsweetened yogurt and nothing else besides the cookies, it should also contain less sugar and fat than a standard cheesecake, if that's your thing.
Japanese cheesecake videos started blowing up TikTok this week, but originated in Japan at least a couple weeks earlier. Travel TikToker @explorewithtaka revealed the recipe on Jan. 7, calling it a "huge trend in Japan."
He gave the results an "mmm" and "so good," and recommended adding honey or lemon juice for more flavor. Less than two weeks later, @jericafeasts posted her Japanese cheesecake video to the tune of over 10.7 million views.
The hashtag #japanesecheesecake now hosts over 19,600 videos.
"Chowing down on this whole tub"
As the trend spread, folks started putting their own flair on the recipe. This mostly involves adding the things that make cheesecake an even more sugary and decadent dessert.
On Monday, @chanandmari compared the standard version of Japanese cheesecake with one that uses Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake spread and strawberry compote. Both agreed that the American twist tasted better.
Jas and Kam of @jtkravingzz tried something similar, but added some kind of caramel or cookie sauce on top and sprinkled on some cookie crumbles after refrigerating. Plus, they included cherries in compote.
"This is so good I can for sure see myself laying back in bed at night watching Adult Swim, chowing down on this whole tub," said Jas.
While some called them out for obliterating the "healthy" part of the recipe, the couple clearly couldn't care less.
"Yall missed the point of the Viral Japanese 'Cheesecake' lol it’s supposed to be a healthier option," wrote commenter @ChefEbby. "Must use vanilla Greek yogurt."
The OPs simply replied, "we know lol."
Meanwhile, others are experimenting with different cookies. TikToker @treathefoodie tried it with Oreos, but preferred the original.
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