The legendary New York-style cheesecake was famously popularized by Lindy’s Restaurant, an iconic Theater District deli opened in 1921 by German-immigrant Leo "Lindy" Lindemann and his wife Clara.
A NY-style cheesecake has a dense but velvety cream cheese base, citrus zest, and a distinct cookie-dough pastry crust.
For years, I took the bus into NYC to work in amazing restaurant kitchens. On one bus ride I met and became friends with a manager at the legendary Lindy’s Restaurant. One day, he did the ultimate honor: he shared the closely guarded, original cheesecake recipe with me.
This new recipe is directly inspired by that legendary Lindy’s classic, capturing its iconic velvety richness and signature flavor profile, but re-engineered for a modern, protein-packed lifestyle.
Why This Recipe Delivers
- High-protein swap: Cottage cheese provides a clean, protein-packed base that replaces heavy fats without sacrificing richness.
- Silky texture: Blending the batter thoroughly ensures a velvety smooth consistency that rivals any NY-style cake.
- Savory-approved: Simple, foolproof assembly that requires no pastry-chef precision to get a perfect bake every time.
Lemon NY style Cheesecake
Growing up in an Italian household, we never ate traditional NY style cream-cheese-based cheesecake. Our version was always the classic Italian style made with ricotta, which we looked forward to and enjoyed on Easter. It wasn't until my time as a CIA student in baking and pastry classes that I truly learned the science behind different styles of cheesecakes. Those kitchen classes inspired my belief that there is a distinct line between "chef desserts" and "pastry chef desserts." While pastry chefs thrive in precise, multi-layered confections, most of us savory chefs can handle reliable, classics: rustic pies, chocolate mousse, cookies, and, of course, cheesecakes.
This particular recipe bridges that culinary gap beautifully. I originally developed it for a client who was specifically interested in using cottage cheese to boost their daily protein intake. By applying a few classic techniques, the result is amazing—incredibly creamy, rich, and delicious, without any of the graininess people sometimes expect from cottage cheese. It delivers the satisfying, decadent texture of a traditional bake, with a modern nutritional punch
Orange and lemon zest add delicious freshness to this recipe.
Prep Time: 45 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Cooling Time: overnight in refrigerator
Yield: 1 six inch cheesecake (6 portions)
Ingredients
4 oz. Low fat cream cheese
4 oz Cottage cheese
4 oz Ricotta cheese
3 oz Greek yogurt
4 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Lemon zest
1 tsp Orange zest
4 Tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
4 ea Eggs
3/4 C. Zwieback toast crumbs
1 Tbsp. Granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter (melted)
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
How to Prepare Cheesecake
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Collect mise en place.
Step 2-The Cracker Crust:
Crush: Pulse the zwieback toast or graham crackers in a food processor until they look like fine sand.
2. Mix: In a small bowl, thoroughly stir together the crumbs, sugar, melted butter, olive oil and cinnamon until all the crumbs are evenly moistened and look like wet sand.
3. Press: Pour the mixture into the bottom of your parchment-lined or greased 5-inch pan. Press the crumbs firmly into a tight, even layer across the bottom and slightly up the sides. (I use a rubber spatula)
4. Pre-Bake (Crucial for Crispness): Bake the crust at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes until it is fragrant and slightly golden.
I wrap aluminum foil around the cheese cake pan to help avoid leakage of the cheese cake batter.
Step 3
Drain the cottage cheese, ricotta and yogurt: all of these ingredients contain excess liquid and whey. Strain it through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer for 15–30 minutes so your cheesecake doesn't turn out watery.
Step 4
Place the eggs into a large bowl, whisk so that the whites blend homogeneously into the yolks. Reserve.
Step 5-The cheese cake batter
Blend the cottage cheese in a cuisinart first: Cottage cheese is naturally lumpy. You must blend it in a food processor until completely smooth before mixing it with the other ingredients.
Add the cream cheese, ricotta and yogurt, blend until smooth (about 3 minutes). Scrape the sides of the cuisinart.
Add the orange and lemon zest, vanilla, flour and salt together. Blend 3 additional minutes. Add the eggs last and gently blend into the batter. Pour into the cheesecake pan and firm up the aluminum wrapping around the exterior to avoid leaking.
Step 6- Baking
Place the cheese cake into a larger pan and fill the outer pan with an inch of hot water. Place in a pre heated oven at 325°F. for about 1 hour until the filling has set. Turn off the oven and let the pie cool in the oven.
Place into the refrigerator uncovered for about an hour, then cover with plastic. (the plastic will stick if the pie isn't cold) and let the cheese cake firmly set.
Best to enjoy the following day-
