Protein Cheesecake Fluff, Three Berries

Every version of this starts the same way: a scoop of protein powder stirred into Greek yogurt until it's thick, smooth and tastes a lot like cheesecake filling. After that it forks. Blueberry and strawberry get lightened with whipped topping and layered with fruit. Raspberry gets a warm berry swirl and a short trip to the freezer.

Fluff versus swirl

The fluff versions are about texture. Whipped topping makes the dense yogurt base airy, and a few crushed graham crackers on top stand in for the crust. They're a five-minute job and they don't keep well once assembled, so build and eat.

The raspberry swirl is closer to a frozen mousse. Raspberries are tart enough to need cooking down, and the warm jam swirled into a cold base gives you streaks of fruit through every spoonful. The freezer firms it into something you eat slowly with a spoon.

Tip

Stir the protein powder in before anything else. Powder added to an already-fluffy mix clumps, and you'll deflate the whole thing trying to work the lumps out.

Pick your powder

A vanilla or cheesecake-flavored powder does most of the flavor work here. Chocolate works too, but then it's a chocolate berry cup, which is fine, just not cheesecake.

If you want an actual baked version, the Single-Serve Baked Protein Cheesecake uses almost the same base. The Strawberry Cheesecake Cup adds cream cheese for a richer, denser take, and the Berry Cheesecake Protein Shakes put the same flavors in a blender.