These no-bake vegan cheesecake bars are as luscious as they look. They’re made with an easy, raw crust of cashews and dates and the cheesecake filling is cashew and coconut cream- based.
This recipe was slightly updated on July 25, 2023.
We’re no-bake dessert girlies over here at Fit Foodie Finds. They’re the perfect treat when you don’t want to use your oven.
These vegan cheesecake bars are lemon-flavored and made with a chewy date and cashew crust (inspired by our cashew cookie Larabar recipe). The filling is next level. Soak cashews so that they become soft and then blend them nice and smooth with coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, and coconut oil.
What is in these vegan cheesecake bars?
- Raw cashews: cashews are in both the crust and the filling. Make sure to purchase raw, unsalted cashews as the filling will turn out much better. We tested these with roasted and much preferred raw.
- Dates: purchasing soft dates is important. Combined with ground cashews, they make up the crust.
- Coconut cream: for this recipe, we used coconut cream which is slightly different than full-fat coconut milk. You can find this at most grocery stores right by the canned coconut milk!
- Coconut oil: the coconut oil will help with the setting process because it solidifies at room temperature!
- Maple syrup: we’re using maple syrup in these as the sweetener.
- Lemon: we’re going big with lemon flavors in this recipe. You’ll use the juice and the zest.
Ingredient Swaps and Variations
This vegan cheesecake is a great base to use and run with. Don’t love lemon? Use a different citrus such as lime or orange or none at all. You can even make this recipe in a spring-form pan and serve it looking more like classic cheesecake. Or, whip it up in a muffin tin like cheesecake bites.
a few tips
- Soak your cashews: soaking your cashews is extremely important in order to get the filling silky smooth. You can either quick soak them with boiling water or let them sit on a bowl of water over night.
- Blend filling until smooth: make sure to blend the filling until smooth. You don’t want any little lumps!
- Let set in freezer: we found that letting your bars sit in. the freezer for at least 2 hours was important because if it’s too soft, your bars will fall apart when sliced.
FAQ
Why do you have to soak cashews for vegan cheesecake?
In order to make vegan cheesecake filling you must use soaked cashews. Soak the cashews to soften them so you can easily blend them into a smooth cheesecake filling.
What is vegan cheesecake made of?
Vegan cheesecake is typically made of a cashew or coconut-based filling and some kind of no-bake crust such as nuts and dates.
Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Pumpkin Almond Butter Freezer Fudge
- Healthy Peanut Butter Cups
- Chocolate Protein Ice Cream
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
- Salted Date Caramel Cups
Storage
We recommend storing these bars in the freezer and letting them thaw a bit before eating. Definitely don’t store them on the countertop as warmer temperatures will make them melt and get too soft.
How to Serve Vegan Cheesecake Bars
These bars are best eaten slightly thawed from frozen. We loved eating thes with whipped coconut cream, but you could also serve them with whipped cream (not vegan). We also highly recommend serving with fresh lemon zest and your berry of choice!
Lemon Vegan Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Raw Crust
- 2 cups pitted Medjool dates packed, ~18-20
- 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt separated
Vegan Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 cup coconut cream just the harder coconut meat/cream*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice ~1 large lemon
- Zest from one large lemon
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
Instructions
- Soften the cashews. Place two cups of cashews into a medium bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them soak for at least an hour or overnight. This step is crucial as it softens the cashews so they turn into a creamy filling.
- Prepare the crust. Add the cashews to a high-speed food processor and blend on low until they turn into a cashew flower. Add the pitted dates and ¼ teaspoon salt. A process on high until the ingredients form a dough that forms a ball.
- Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper. Gently press the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan. Salt the top of the crust with the flakey sea salt. Set aside.
- Once cashews have soaked for the appropriate amount of time (cashews should be soft and squishy), strain the water from the cashews. Transfer them to a high-speed blender.
- Add the coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the blender and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy.
- When the filling is a smooth consistency, add coconut oil and mix one more time to fully combine all ingredients.
- Transfer the cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Spread it out evenly with a spatula and garnish with lemon zest. Transfer the pan into the freezer for 1-2 hours to set.
- When bars are hard and ready to eat. Remove from the freezer and slice them into small squares. Top them with vegan whip and lemon zest.
- Serve immediately or store them in the freezer until ready to serve
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was slightly updated on July 25, 2023.
- When coconut cream comes in a can it is usually separated into a hard coconut cream and coconut water. We only use the coconut cream portion. The only instance this may not be the case is if it is stored in a hot place. Be sure the coconut cream is stored in a cool, dark place. Use the coconut cream and discard the water.
- We do not recommend using coconut milk for this recipe.
- Be sure to use raw cashews that have been soaked for at least an hour in hot water.
- If you end up with a grainy cashew filling, that means you haven’t blended the mixture enough. If you do not have a high-powered blender, this can sometimes be an issue as well.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
These were SO good, we wanted to eat the whole pan in one sitting. My family didn’t believe me that this was simply cashews and coconut cream… with recipes like this, it’s so easy to stay gluten and dairy free!
So glad you loved these!
These look divine!! Can’t wait to try them out. What food processor do you use? I’m just getting into raw recipes (and loving it), but no matter how long I soak the cashews, it seems like the filling always comes out a bit grainy. Right now I’m using a 4 cup Cuisinart food processor, but I heard the Vitamix is good?
I have a Kitchen Ninja, which doubles as a food processor and blender. I am obsessed and LOVE it! Best kitchen investment I’ve ever made. http://bit.ly/2apvvSf
In step 4 of the instructions, do you blend the cashews with the water in which they were soaked, or do you discard the water?
Hey Donna! You discard the water! I will update that in the recipe directions right now!
Lemon is my FAV right now, and these look so creamy and delish!
These sounded great, then I started figuring out how much it’d cost to make them. $20 worth of cashews and $17 for the dates. Also ran the nutrition numbers on My Fitness Pal and got 5000 calories, 300g fat, 216g sugar, and 482g carbs. My health and my wallet can’t afford these.
This is a lovely dessert! I did have one issue through.
Where can I find coconut cream?
I had to make my own coconut cream with creamed coconut and this was not easy to figure out and I believe this also contributed to my dessert being super high in calories. In fact, almost the exact number as Jamie. I had to cut mine into 12 servings and ended with pieces totalling over 400 cal, 47 grams of carbs and 33 grams of sugar…. Ouch… because they tast great! So, since the only difference in my recipe is the coconut cream, can someone tell me where they get it or how they make it to be less calorically dense?
This dessert tastes perfect for me and I would love it to replicate the same nutrition information as the authors.
Thanks!
Hey Chelsey! Coconut cream can be purchased from Trader Joes OR what you can do is just scrape the cream off the top of the coconut milk after it’s refrigerated. I should be more specific to that in the directions! So sorry for the confusion. Unfortunately coconut cream is the fatty part of coconut, which is why it’s so high in calorie…but no fear- it’s healthy fats!
Saw these on FFF and THM and fell in LURVE. So glad I came today! Lemon bars are soooooooooo dreamy, right? And so is coconut! The two paired together? I’m basically in heaven and it’s fantastic up here 😉
Lemon and coconut are amazing together. This recipe is totally awesome.
I have been wanting to try Dana’s vegan cheesecake too so I’m glad to know it’s a win. I don’t usually gravitate toward lemony desserts, but these look AMAZING. Must try!
PS – Glad we’re back in action with the group posts this month. This one is epic!
Seriously Linley and I were talking about how amazing all of these look! The cheesecake is EPIC. You could totally flavor it however you wanted!
No bake treats are life savers! Mmmmm coconut and lemon are a great combo! I’m SWOONING/DROOLING 🙂
AHGREED. I love anything no-bake…hence my obsession with BALLS.
These look delicious!
Any suggestions for an alternative to cashews in the crust and filling?
Hi Alisha! That is a really good question. I have not tried anything other than cashews for this recipe. You could try almonds, but I have no idea how that would turn out!
I am OBSESSED with lemon bars…and that coconut addition? PURE GENIUS. Totally drooling over these. Pinned!
Your paleo lemon bars look EPIC on your site. Linley and I were drooling over them the other day.
Amazing roundup! Lemon and coconut is like peanut butter and jelly for me. SO DANG GOOD.
YAS. Now I want peanut butter.