Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Fluff Cups

No-bake pink fluff cups: light cream cheese and Greek yogurt, sugar-free strawberry Jell-O, vanilla protein, a splash of almond milk, then light Cool Whip and fresh strawberries. Chill until it sets.

By Brandon Carroll

Yield: 4 cups

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 0 minutes

Chill: at least 1 hour

Total: about 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened (half an 8-ounce block)
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (about 227 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box (0.3 ounce / 8.5 g) sugar-free strawberry Jell-O
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (about 30 g)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup light Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced (add more for volume)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat the softened light cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and vanilla until smooth. No lumps.
2. Sprinkle in the dry sugar-free strawberry Jell-O and the vanilla protein powder. Stream in the almond milk. Mix again until the powder is fully worked in and the base is even pink. Scrape the bowl.
3. Add the light Cool Whip. Fold it in, then beat with a hand mixer on medium just until the mixture fluffs and holds soft peaks, about 1 minute. Stop there. Overbeating can knock it down.
4. Fold in the diced strawberries by hand. Extra berries are fine. They add volume without much calorie cost.
5. Scoop into 4 cups or small jars. Cover and chill at least 1 hour, better 2, so the gelatin hydrates and the fluff sets. Eat cold. Keeps 3 days covered in the fridge.

Notes

Pulled from a try-it kitchen test of an AI strawberry cheesecake protein fluff. The clip names the ingredients and the order. It does not give amounts. These are the Council amounts that match the bowl he mixed: cream cheese and yogurt first, vanilla, then dry Jell-O and protein with almond milk, then light Cool Whip, strawberries, scoop, chill.

The Jell-O goes in dry, the way the test was done. Do not bloom it in boiling water or the base thins out. The chill is what sets it.

On camera he called the whole thing under 200 calories and about 7 grams of protein. That number does not match cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and a scoop of protein. Estimate for this batch, using light cream cheese, nonfat Greek yogurt, one 30 g vanilla whey scoop, light Cool Whip, and 1 cup strawberries: about 730 calories and 56 grams of protein for the bowl, or about 180 calories and 14 grams of protein per cup. Brands move those numbers.