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
Could you substitute the 1/2 cup liquid sweetener with 1/2 cup nut milk + stevia?
Thank you,
monika
This looks incredible! It really looks like the real thing! Raw cheesecake is my next thing im gonna make! 🙂
Although this and a lot of your or raw/vegan recipes are considered to be healthy, i find that they contain too much ( of course healthy) fat. I mean healthy fats are also unhealthy if you have too much. i hate to use tons of nuts and cocnut oil stuff. there should be alternative healthy/semi healthy recipes out there
I guess the idea is that, although these are healthy desserts, people should still treat them like desserts and eat them in moderation as part of a balanced diet. The fat content then becomes less of an issue.
I, for one, am thriving on a diet full of “good” fats. I’ve cut down my carbohydrate intake substantially, and protein and fat form most of my meals. My breakfast smoothies get dollops of nut butter added to them, lunch can easily involve half an avocado a day, and all my baking contains coconut oil. I am losing weight, gaining energy and my skin and hair is in great condition!
I’ve been trying to incorporate more raw recipes in my every day meals. I appreciate how you specified this for “beginners” and it’s as simple and easy as I had imagined!
Yum, yum, yum! This looks like the perfect base for some holiday-appropriate berries 😀 Thanks for sharing such an easy recipe.
Katie, this looks amazing! I think theme weeks would be great, too! I love themes, especially oatmeal, chocolate, and delicious themes! 🙂
This looks great Katie! Such a lovely Summer dessert that isn’t too heavy, and with all that healthy fat from the nuts, you’ve got a reason to have a slice of this if anything 😀 x
Theme Weeks sounds like a great idea. I am looking forward to Oatmeal Week. Thanks Katie for the awesome recipes you post.
This looks great, I love your emphasis on real foods (cashews, coconut oil etc) instead of trying to replace with fake, chemical-laden, fat-free ingredients! I will definitely be making this with the date nut crust in the future.
I would be interested in literally anything you post (for example, this cheesecake) so if theme week is what you’re feeling, theme week is what I encourage!