One of the toughest things about a plant based diet over the years has been dessert. Yeah of course apples and oranges are good and all, but what about those traditional desserts that you just love? Cakes, cookies, ice cream and of course cheesecake all tend to have eggs, milk and other non plant based ingredients that take them off the menu for us grass eaters. Well I’m happy to say that this faux cheesecake is both plant based, and as good, if not better tasting than actual cheesecake. It is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Serve this to your family, serve it to friends or just eat the whole damned thing yourself. No matter which route you choose just be sure to treat yourself to lemony no bake vegan cheeseycake this week.
No-Bake Lemon “Cheesecake”
Course: DessertCuisine: Vegan, Gluten FreeDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes7
hoursHa ha, 420 minutes is 7 hours but this recipe card only works in minutes…
Ingredients
- For the Crust
1 cup of dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
2-3 Tbsp of water
Pinch of salt
- For the Filling
1 1/2 of raw cashews, soaked in very hot water for 1 hour or more
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 Tbsp of lemon zest
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 Tbsp of coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup of maple syrup
3/4 of a cup of plain coconut yogurt
1/4 tsp of salt
Berries or your choice of topping.
Directions
- Prepare your pan. A springform pan is your best bet, but if you don’t have one you can use a round cake pan or deep dish pie plate and line it with parchment paper.
- Put the dates in a food processor and blend until they form into one, ball-like blob.
- Remove the dates and add the oats and salt to the food processor and blend into a rough flour. Add the dates back in with the oats and blend again until a dough forms. The dough should be sticky enough to form a ball. If it isn’t you can blend in 2 or 3 Tbsps of water.
- Press the dough firmly and evenly into the bottom of your pan using your fingers and the ball of your palm. Put the crust in the freezer to set.
- Add the soaked cashews, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil, maple syrup, yogurt and salt to the food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides and continue to blend until the mixture becomes somewhat creamy and airy. The more fluffy and voluminous the better.
- Pour the filling into your pan, cover and freeze for 5 or 6 hours, until completely frozen through.
- To serve, let thaw for 15 or 20 minutes, cut into slices, top with blueberries or other berries if you like and voila.
Notes
- If you like you can top each piece with berries or a mint leaf, or whatever you think might be nice. Always fun to experiment a little with your favourite flavours. We used frozen blueberries that we put in the microwave to thaw and they added a nice sweet balance to the dessert.