No Bake Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote

I don’t know what got into me, but I specifically felt like experimenting with vegan desserts. Whenever vegan treats come to mind, I think cashews, dates, nuts. All very healthy, rich and flavorful. I have been craving cheesecake ever since national cheesecake day so was set out on a mission. This little tasty treat is dairy and gluten free and no eggs are needed due to the rich binding ability of chashews.

Does it taste like cheesecake? Well…sort of, but not exactly. It’s got the creamy mouthfeel that cheesecake does, but the cashew flavor does shine through a little. Topped with the tart raspberry sauce though, the flavors explode in your mouth. So I guess my answer is it doesn’t really matter. You’re going to want more than one.

Cooking, in general, has to be easy for me to find the time to do it. I always aim to keep ingredients at steps to a reasonable amount there for a decided to make a “compote”, a fancy name for fruit cooked in water and sugar, instead of a sauce which meant I would’ve had to strain the raspberry seeds out. Not necessary in my opinion.

I also wavered on adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce, but again wanted to keep things as simple as possible. I’d recommend making the sauce a day in advance of serving so it has more time to set (the photos were taken without letting the sauce set up). Either way, it’s flipping delicious. Seriously, you can’t skip the sauce. The kids all lined up with spoons after eating their cheesecakes just to have the sauce.

I refrigerated these overnight to make sure the “cheesecake” was nice and firm before unwrapping. You could definitely leave them in the cupcake liners too and just top them with the berry sauce, but I like them better removed.

I plan on experimenting with more raw desserts because who doesn’t love a no-bake treat? Plus the ingredients are typically healthier and they are pretty straight-forward to make. What should I tackle next?

[Tweet “They’re mini so you can eat more! So GOOD>>No Bake Vegan Cheesecakes with Raspberry Compote via @nutritiouseats”]

I popped the cheesecakes back into the wrapper to store them later for dessert, but I would recommend topping them just before serving. And to be honest, when I was photographing these, I was irritated with myself for not cooling the sauce more so that it wouldn’t bleed so much, but I am embracing the rustic look. 😉

My daughter declared she wanted these for her next birthday. I’d consider that a success! Enjoy and let me know if you try them!

4.0 from 1 reviews

No Bake Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

delicious, creamy and healthy, these vegan and gluten free cheesecakes with raspberry sauce are sure to please

Author: Melanie F. | Nutritious Eats

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds
• 1 cup dates, pitted and cut in half
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons water
• For the filling:
• 1½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• ⅓ cup coconut milk (from the can)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• the juice from one lemon ~2 Tablespoons
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 cupcake paper cupcake liners
• For the topping:
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar (can go up to 2 if needed)

Instructions

1. Start with the raspberry sauce: place berries, lemon juice and sugar in a small to medium size saucepan. Turn heat to medium low for ~15 minutes, string occasionally. Set aside to cool. This step can also be made a day or two in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
2. Meanwhile, line a muffin tin with the cupcake liners. To make the crust: place almonds, dates, vanilla extract and water in a food processor. Start pulsing and then blend together on high speed until mixture starts to come together (it will pull away from the sides and form a big hunk). Scoop 1 Tablespoon of the mixture into each paper liner. Press down evenly to form a flat crust. Set aside.
3. To make the filling: add soaked cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla extract to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes on high speed or until smooth and creamy. Scoop ¼ cup of batter and add onto of crust. Will make 12 individual cheesecakes. Refrigerate until overnight if possible or until firm. When ready to serve, top with a dollop of raspberry sauce.

3.2.2925