A tart raspberry layer, a creamy "cheesecake" layer, and a gluten-free walnut crust make this easy vegan cheesecake recipe tangy, rich & delicious.
Happy early Valentine’s day… or Galentines Day… or whatever holiday you like to celebrate with heart-shaped treats and little paper cards. As I’ve written about many times before, Jack and I have this Chocolate Molten Cake Valentine’s tradition. This year I switched things up a bit and made this decadent yet mostly raw raspberry vegan cheesecake. How cute are those layers!?
Vegan Cheesecake Recipe Variations
I have two versions below – one version uses raw cashews for the white “cheesecake” layer and the other version uses vegan cream cheese. I wanted to offer these two options because one requires a fancy high powered blender to really cream the nuts out of those cashews, and the second option will work with any blender.
Both versions also taste different – if you’re used to eating “raw” desserts you will love the cashew version. It has a fresh taste that I really like. Jack preferred option 2, which tastes a little more authentically like cheesecake.
I top both variations with a fresh raspberry layer inspired by the raspberry chia jam I make all the time. This time, instead of jamming it, I blended the raspberries with chia seeds to create that bright pink topping.
How to Make Vegan Cheesecake
A few notes about this recipe – it takes a little time for each layer to freeze before you add the next, so be sure to make this either the morning of, or the day before, you’re going to eat it. Other than the time it takes to freeze, this is a piece of cake to make:
- Start by making the gluten-free crust by pulsing together walnuts, dates, coconut oil, and salt in a food processor. Press the sticky mixture into the bottom of a parchment-lined loaf pan, and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Blend together the ingredients for the creamy “cheesecake” layer. Then, pour them over the frozen crust, and slide the pan back into the freezer for another 2 hours.
- Finally, blend up the vibrant pink raspberry layer. Pour it over the frozen cheesecake and freeze overnight!
- Then, it’s time to eat! Let the vegan cheesecake thaw slightly before slicing and serving.
If you love this vegan cheesecake recipe…
Try more of my favorite vegan desserts:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Vegan Ice Cream
- Cinnamon Apple Crumble
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Easy Peach Cobbler
- Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
Walnut Crust
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 soft Medjool dates, pitted
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake Option 1: with cashews* (see note)
- 1½ cup raw cashews, soak 4 hours, then drain
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon zest
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake option 2: with Daiya cream cheese
- 1 (8 oz.) package plain vegan cream cheese
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Raspberry Layer
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen raspberries, mostly thawed
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, dates, coconut oil and salt together until crumbly. Line an 8x4” loaf pan with parchment paper allowing 1 inch of overhang on each side. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Freeze for at least 15 minutes or as long as it takes to get the next layer ready.
- In a high-powered blender, blend the cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and salt until completely creamy (about 1 minute). Pour the filling over the crust and smooth until even. Freeze until this layer is completely firm, at least 2 hours. (Alternatively, use a regular blender and blend the ingredients from Cheesecake Option 2, above)
- In the blender, combine the raspberries, lemon juice, maple syrup and chia seeds. Blend until smooth. Pour the raspberry mixture on top of the frozen cheesecake layer and smooth until even. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and let it thaw for at least 20 minutes. Using the sides of the parchment paper, carefully lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice it into 8 to 10 slices. Let the individual slices thaw for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until fully thawed so that the middle layer is creamy and the raspberry layer is less icy. Re-freeze any remaining slices.
Notes
This recipe was incredible! I saw the pictures and I HAD to try it. I’ve never made anything with cashews even though I have tried a lot of plant based cooking and baking. I have a soft spot for cheesecake but I hate dairy. THIS HIT THE SPOT. It tasted just like cheesecake and I felt good eating it. Had three pieces I couldn’t help myself. Everything about this is delicious. The crust is spot on, the center came out SO creamy and the top layer gave it the perfect tartness. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I love your blog you are honestly my inspiration. I’ve wanted to make a cooking YouTube/blog for so long but I just don’t have the guts to start. I just ordered your book and hope to cook everything from it. Thanks again! Looking forward to more
Hi Sasha, thank you!! I’m so glad you loved the cheesecake! Thank you for your sweet words 🙂
Excellent! I will definitely make this again.
so, so good. I saw this post on like, a Tuesday and dreamt about it all week until I finally had time to make it Saturday. It was actually pretty easy – I just used regular cream cheese but otherwise followed it exactly. Big hit – my 18 month old loved it! — it didn’t last the day! Also, it looked beautiful too.
Should I put the can of full fat coconut milk in fridge prior to making this, to split the water and cream?
No, I just used it as-is this time! No need to separate the solids and liquids.
Okay, thanks! I can’t wait to make this!
yummy..three layers which is making me to try it out.. Going to enjoy it in this weekend.
I made this for my Husband and Son for Valentines yesterday and it is Delicious! Easy to do, I made the cashew version they wanted thirds!
Yay! I’m so glad this was a hit 🙂
Looks delicious. I’ll try to do it this weekend 😀
I’m so excited to try this cake. I especially love the raspberry layer. The colour is so beautiful.
I love how healthy this recipe is! It’s proof that you don’t have to sacrifice deliciousness to be healthy. I think I might try making this over the weekend so I have something to keep my sweet tooth at bay throughout the week!
thanks Heather, let me know if you give it a go!
I’m doing the cheesecake #2 option, as I’m really low on raw cashews. I hate the taste of Daiya, but in CA there’s an almond cream cheese called Kite Hill that I recommend to anyone. Sooo good.
I do have some raw cashew butter from somewhere…do you think it would be an odd texture combination to mix the two cheesecake types together? I think I have about 6 oz of my Kite Hill left, but I don’t know if the cashew butter mixture will blend well with something that’s already whipped…🤔
Thanks, this was soo delicious!
I made it today with a few changes due to limitations in what my fridge had to offer. I substituted half of the walnuts with oats, instead of lemon juice i went for yuzu juice (my favourite citrus flavor) and instead of raspberies i used blueberries. It all got together so well. My boyfriend devoured it too (at first I did not tell him about the cashew base, he tends to be very biased when it comes to food -.-).
Isa
I’m so glad you and your boyfriend loved it! I bet it was so good with yuzu!
Hi Amalia – I think that would work – you might just want to taste and adjust the flavors/sweetness to your liking as you blend.
Yes! iIt is so good – loved being able to combine and control the flavor a little more. Layers 1 and 2 are in the freezer now, and I definitely licked my spatula a few times (I used to hate cheesecake, so this is really great!)
I ended up making it a little tarter with extra lemon juice in layers 2 and 3, because I have a million lemons right now and I like extra tang. The only other change was the using combination of mostly almond cream cheese and a few tbsp of raw cashew butter.
Can’t wait to cut it up in a few hours, since I’m loving all my un-frozen remnants right now!
Yay, I’m so glad that worked!
Cheesecake is one of those things that always seems so daunting until you actually try it and see how simple it can be! Eager to try this awesome crust.
This one is really simple – no baking required!
Love your recipes but wish you included nutritional information as I am trying to gain weight.
Hmm looks delicious! I’m obsessed with anything cheesecake and these look amazing!
x Annabelle
travelsandtea.com
VEGAN RASPBERRY LEMON CHIA “CHEESECAKE” wow.. thanks for the wonderful recipe really liked this.. such a delicious cheese cake.. loved it. i will try this out.. and good write-up, you had written in such a simple manner..
yumm!!! Look at the red colour! Looks delicious! 🙂
Holy Moly, or more like Holy Jeanine! These look INSANELY good and that raspberry layer just really makes them pop and stand out and dance and sing and whatnot. Just wow *insert heart-eyed emoji*
thanks Pia!
This looks AMAZING! x
Izzy -https://pinchofdelight.wordpress.com
Currently making option one for Christmas/my birthday. It was a bit of a struggle converting the cups ( dutchie over here) but I tried every step before heading to the next, and it already tastes so delicious! Even the cashew filling, really tastes like the normal cheesecake filling, already so excited for the end result! Thank you for this recipe, and merry Christmas!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can you recommend any crust substitutions for someone who doesn’t like walnuts?
Do you like pecans? I think any soft nut would work here instead.
What a fun, healthy option!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/morning-routine-strawberry-pineapple-smoothie-bowls/
This looks amazing! Your creativity never disappoints. Will be making this for sure.
Thanks!
thanks Dominique!
Looking forward to making these for a dinner party this weekend!