Have you ever tried a raw cheesecake recipe?
If you’ve never tried making one, today’s recipe is great for beginners – It only calls for 6 ingredients, and there’s no need for an oven. This raw cheesecake may look super fancy, but it could not be easier to make!
So how does it taste?
With raw cheesecake, it’s almost like you are biting into a slice of cheesecake- flavored fudge. The texture is rich and velvety, and the cheesecake is meant to be savored slowly. Even a small slice is extremely satisfying and will give you a comfortable feeling of fullness without weighing you down.
The best part is that, once you know the basic recipe, customization options are wide open to you! Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake? Mango Vanilla Cheesecake? Raw Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake?
You can mix and match flavors to find your own ultimate raw cheesecake recipe.
When eating a raw cheesecake, it’s best to not expect the cheesecake to taste exactly like your favorite non-raw cheesecake. Instead, enjoy this cheesecake in its own right.
It is absolutely fantastic, and I hope you will love it as much as I do!
Side note: If you’d prefer a baked cheesecake, be sure to try my Healthy Cheesecake Recipe.
Raw Cheesecake Crust
Feel free to use your favorite crust or make a crustless cheesecake.
This is the crust recipe I used: Line a round 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper, and set this pan aside.
Combine 1 cup pitted dates, 2 cups raw almonds, 1/16 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract in a food processor until fine crumbles form. If the mixture is too dry, add up to 1 tbsp water. (I recommend a food processor because I found that using a blender instead yielded a very sticky crust.)
Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan, then cover and freeze until ready to use.
Raw Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews or macadamia nuts (for nut free, try this Vegan Cheesecake)
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raw agave or honey (pure maple syrup also works)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp melted virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water, plus more for soaking cashews
- 1/8 tsp salt
- optional: Blend strawberries with a little sweetener of choice for a sauce
- optional crust of choice (the crust recipe I used is above)
Instructions
- Raw Cheesecake Recipe: In a cereal bowl, cover the cashews with water and let soak 8 hours or overnight. (If using the raw crust recipe listed earlier in this post, you can make that while you wait.) Drain nuts and pat completely dry. Combine all ingredients (including the 1/4 cup water) in a high-quality food processor or Vitamix and process for 6-7 minutes or until completely smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Pour into a prepared crust—either a graham cracker crust or the crust listed earlier. Or keep it crustless if you prefer. Store the raw cheesecake in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, and thaw 15-20 minutes before serving.View Full Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Dessert Recipes
Very nice, I’m definitely going to try this!
Easy raw vegan cheesecake flavored fudge? I’m downnnnnn 🙂
Katie! What a simple and wonderful vegan cheesecake recipe! I’ve made something quite similar in the past!! I love freezing it into chocolate molds and sticking into banana soft serve for a treat (vegan cheesecake icream? yummmy!) Pinned!
Oh! This looks fantastic. Love the idea of the strawberry sauce. I wish I could eat cashews… or macadamia nuts. I think I am going to try a peanut butter version at some point with peanuts.
How about trying blanched almonds? They have a neutral flavor, even though they are hard to blend out completely for a smooth sauce. You could also try walnuts; they are easy to blend out, but they have a slightly bitter taste.
I think Maria’s Suggestion for blanched almonds is a great substitute! You can also soak them overnight, and in a vitamin blender, they will blend smooth as well! I use blanched almonds for the base of a dip that I am in love with and it is very creamy in texture.
Oops! Sorry for the double post and edit, I meant to say vitamix blender!
This is our go-to Cheesecake recipe since I made it for our daughter’s birthday 3 years ago. I was asked to share the recipe many times over since then. It’s easy and absolutely delicious. We top this with fresh strawberries, blueberries and blackberries with ribbons of homemade blueberry coulis on top.
Chef Bug, could we hear more about your dip?
Or try starting with silvered or sliced almonds!
What about Brazil nuts? Wonder if they would work.
I like the sound of oatmeal week! Just got an huge 2kg bag of oats delivered! Single serving, oil-free, sugar-free? That’d be so so so awesome! Can’t wait to see what oatmeal creations you’ll make! 😀
More oatmeal recipes please!
Could the pure maple syrup or raw agave be substituted for another ingredient?
She did list honey as another alternative
I’m a strict vegan, so I won’t use honey. Anything else I could substitute for this ingredient?
Perhaps brown rice syrup or coconut nectar syrup? Those are the only other liquid sweeteners I can think of. Or use sugar and add some extra liquid
Stevia?
Agave?
Rice malt syrup is my alternative, tastes almost like honey too really, barely different
I’ve been trying to incorporate more raw meals into my diet and this looks simply divine! It doesn’t hurt that there’s no need to turn on the oven 🙂 That makes it perfect for a nice summer dessert!
I’ve tried raw vegan cheesecake with cashews, would love to try a macadamia version, too. Macadamias – raw, unsalted macadamias – are ridiculously expensive here, though 🙁
Your pictures are awesome as usual, such a stunning strawberry red 😀
I’d like oatmeal recipes, too. Never can be wrong with oatmeal!
They are indeed same amazingly high priced here in Turkey too.
This looks awesome, Katie! I wish I could eat nuts. Maybe I’ll substitute it with tofu??? I’ll have to try it! Oh, and I absolutely love the idea for oatmeal week! 🙂
I also just want to thank you for the wonderful recipes you bless the world with. My mom has a huge sweet tooth and she would be eating junk all the time if I didn’t make your recipes frequently. Thank you so much!! 😀
Theme weeks sound like a great idea! Oatmeal, ice cream, breads… *daydreaming about food* I’ve never had cheesecake before and this looks like a perfect, easy recipe to try 🙂