Vegan dragon fruit cheesecake bars
These vegan dragon fruit cheesecake bars are a perfect healthier option for dessert. They’re completely raw and made with wholesome nutritious ingredients.
Sometimes we all need a little dessert. For me, that occasionally means indulging in some delicious cookies or chocolates. For those times where I just want to nibble on a little something sweet, I love keeping vegan cheesecake bars in my freezer.
My first raw cheesecake I ever created was my vegan raspberry cheesecake bars. This recipe for vegan dragon fruit cheesecake bars is a variation on the original recipe.
The crust of this cheesecake is a raw brownie base made out of walnuts, dates, and cocoa, and the topping is a mix of dragonfruit & raspberry, to give these bars a little more tropical feel! (Not to mention that beautiful fuchsia colour dragonfruit is known for!)
This recipe also features brown rice syrup as the main sweeter, which has less sugar and is lower glycemic than maple syrup.
Vegan dragon fruit cheesecake bars
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 10 large bars, 20 small bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Description
A raw vegan cheesecake that is gluten-free and refined-sugar free!
Ingredients
Brownie base
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 1/4 cup Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, then drained & rinsed
- 3/4 cup coconut cream* (see note)
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Dragonfruit swirl
- 1 cup dragonfruit, chopped
- 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 inch baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add the walnuts, dates, cocoa powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a dough.
- Using your fingers or the back of a large spoon, press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- In a small saucepan, add the dragonfruit, raspberries, and maple syrup on medium heat stirring for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 minutes until the fruit breaks down into a syrup. Set aside.
- Blend the cashews, coconut cream, coconut oil, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in the food processor until smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan, spreading evenly.
- Next, add dollops of the dragonfruit sauce on top of the cheesecake mixture. Using a knife, begin to make “figure eights” or swirls through the cheesecake layer until you achieve your desired marble look.
- Place in the freezer for 2-4 hours to firm up.
- Serve frozen, or allow to thaw for 10-15 minutes for a softer texture.
Notes
*Scoop the creamy part from the top of the can of coconut milk
If you cant find dragonfruit you can substitute raspberries
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 small bar
- Calories: 272
- Sugar: 23g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
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Also, witch would be a better substitute for brown rice syrup; honey, or maple syrup? thanks
You can use any liquid sweetener in these! Honey or maple syrup both work 🙂
This looks amazing can’t wait to try this. Was that an edible flower or just decoration ?
They’re edible flowers!
Do you use white or red dragon fruit?
Red!
Thank you. Also is there a substitute for the brown rice syrup? I want to make it this weekend but online is to late delivery dates.
Thank you
Any suggestions where to find red dragon fruit?
Hi, id like to try this recipe but Im not a very big fan of coconut so I was wondering if you can taste the coconut in it?
Hi Stephanie, they don’t taste too coconutty to me (the flavour definitely isn’t the “star” of the bars, though I can’t really say it may depend on your personal taste
Just made this w star berries and raspberries can’t waiy have a bite in four hours !
Hi Brittney, I hope you liked the recipe!
I made these yesterday and although they looked intimidating, I was pleased to discover how easy they were to put together . Theses are super light , refreshing , and delicious, and I love that I can just take them out of the freezer when I need a treat! I couldn’t find fresh dragonfruit so I used a frozen purée that I had for smoothies and mixed it with some amazing fresh raspberries and it worked great! The tart/sweet balance of the topping pairs perfectly with the mellow cashew base and the nutty crust. I want to try tho with other fruits!
I’m so happy to hear you loved the recipe! These would be great with a variety of different fruits. I have some similar recipes on the blog for other types of bars as well!
Hi,
These cheesecake bars looks amazing and I would like to give it a try. However, I’m bringing them to a party and was wondering how they would hold up out of the fridge for a couple of hours or so? Would it be better to make a baked cheesecake and cut it in bar sizes? I’m struggling in finding a dairy free recipe that would look and taste delicious as well as stay outside for a couple of hours or so without falling apart.
Hi Leonora,
I’d definitely recommend keeping these bars in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving them. If you are taking them out directly from the freezer to serve at a party on a dessert table they should hold up alright for an hour or two. I wouldn’t recommend leaving them out of the fridge or freezer all day though!
These are the most amazing bars I’ve ever seen. The color is incredible. And they look delicious. Their perfection actually looks a bit intimidating but nevertheless I’m going to try making them this weekend. Wish me luck!
Hi Helena, thank you so much! I hope you love them as much as I do! If you don’t have dragonfruit you can just use raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or even puree mango!
Amazing blog full of useful information!
These cheesecakes look so good! 🙂
Thank you Laura! They’re a great little treat!