These vegan raspberry cheesecake bars will make all you dreams come true! They’re creamy, delicious, and loaded with swirls of raspberry goodness!
So a lot of people have been asking me to post a healthy version of a cheesecake. Well, here it is! I present to you my completely raw vegan raspberry cheesecake bars complete with a scrumptious cinnamon pecan crust. These bars can be eaten frozen for a more “ice cream” type of texture, or thawed for a softer texture.
The trick to these vegan raspberry cheesecake bars to achieve that cheesy texture is soaked cashews! I’ve been seeing so many recipes using soaked cashews and finally I decided to give it a try, and I do not regret it! It’s best to prepare your cashews soaked overnight, but if you forgot, don’t worry! You can do a “quicky” soak by placing your cashews in boiling water for 1-2 hours.
I recommend you use a powerful Food Processor
- Crust:
- ½ cup pecans
- ¾ cup oats
- 1 cup medjool dates
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- Filling:
- 1 cup cashews, soaked
- 1 large can full-fat coconut cream
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Raspberry swirl:
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, blend the pecans, oats, dates, and salt until it forms a dough. You should be able to press the dough together with your fingertips. If it is too dry, add a small spoon of water.
- Press the dough down into your pan, until it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Place the cashews in a food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Place your coconut cream in a mixer, and blend until it forms a fluffy whip cream texture. Make sure to just scrape the cream off the top of the can, and not the remaining liquid on the bottom. It should be a thick texture.
- Add the maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue to whip until incorporated.
- Pour your blended cashews into the coconut whip and gently mix together with a spatula or spoon.
- Pour the mixture into your pan.
- Place your raspberries and maple syrup in a food processor and blend. Spoon the mixture into the pan on top of the cheesecake layer.
- Using a sharp knife, begin to make swirls, or "figure eights" into the raspberry layer to achieve that swirly look.
- Place your vegan raspberry cheesecake bars into the freezer to firm up for 2-3 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove from pan, cut into squares, and serve!
*Remember to use FULL FAT coconut cream for this recipe. The cream from the can of coconut milk should be very thick and no liquid. I recommend Thai kitchen brand.
Here is some of the gear I used to prepare this recipe!
Craving more? Here are 4 more vegan cheesecake bars for you to try!
1. Vegan dragonfruit cheesecake bars
2. Vegan strawberry vanilla cheesecake bars
3. Vegan mango cheesecake bars
4. Vegan pumpkin spice cheesecake bars
What’s the best brand/kind of canned coconut milk to use to make the cream?
Hi there! I usually buy the “thai kitchen” brand. you want a brand that has a thick layer of the cream in it, it should not be all liquid. And make sure to use full fat coconut milk!
I use the Thai Kitchen stuff for a lot of things, especially for alfredo sauce. You can buy either the milk cans and scoop the cream off the top, or for a little more just cans of the cream.
Hi, How many milliliters are coconut cream?
Hi Andrea, I believe a can would be about 400ml!
Honey in the recipe?
Maple syrup or honey if your as strictly vegan, it’s your choice!
What can I use instead of honey to make it vegan? Maple syrup?
Hi Patricia!
Yes exactly! The recipe states maple syrup or honey,so it’s as you wish. Alternatively if you are not a fan of maple syrup, you can also use brown rice syrup. That would work well too!
When you say one large can of coconut milk what exactly do you mean in measurements?
This isn’t my recipe but I’ve made plenty of vegan desserts before that require this ingredient. You just buy a can of full fat coconut milk, stick it in the fridge overnight or longer and then open it carefully when you’re ready to use it. The cream will have solidified and it’s this solid that you need. Just be careful when you scoop it out as there will be the liquid underneath and you want to minimize any clear liquid otherwise the cream won’t whip up nicely.
Don’t buy the light coconut cream. Although it was all night in the fridge, still was watery when opened. I still used it, but added a few tabslespoons of coconut oil. Hope it will set in the fridge.
Yes it is important to use full-fat coconut cream! It is a treat afterall and some in moderation isn’t bad for you! Light coconut cream will not give a thick enough consistency!
how long does this cheesecake hold? I’m just wondering how long in advance I can make this
Hi Katheryn!
You’ll want to make this a day in advance if you have the time! Or you can make it 3 hours in advance minimum and keep it in the freezer!
It can be frozen so you could make it days or possibly weeks in advance and then transfer it to the refrigerator before serving.
I made this yesterday and today I ate some for my breakfast and I couldn’t believe how incredibly tasty they were without using any regular sugar. I don’t have a food processor but I used my blender and it worked very well too, just took sometime to make the soaked cashews becoming a very smooth kind of paste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
they look absolutely wonderful! It’s not nice to discover treats without sugar that are healthy and delicious!
I made this recipe twice and the second time I doubled the amount of filling. This made the proportions more like a traditional cheesecake and it was easier to apply the raspberry swirl.
I accidentally burnt-out one of my blenders while trying to make the crust. Due to the amount of blended nuts required for this recipe, it pays to follow the directions and use a food processor.
Hi Andre,
That sounds delicious how you made it! I’ve made these before with and without cinnamon, they are delicious both ways!
My husband can’t eat cashews is there another non-nut ingredient I could sub with. Doesn’t have to be vegan. Help much appreciated as would love to make these. Tia
Hi Georgina!
You can try using buckwheat groats and soaking them for a few hours in place of the cashews. I haven’t tried using them yet however I’ve been meaning to do a nut-free vegan cheesecake recipe using those and I am confident they will work! alternatively if you wish to you dairy you can use 2 sticks of cream cheese.
do i use the water that the cashews were soaked in when i blend the cashews, or just drain it.
Could I make this without the lemon juice as I’m not a fan of really lemony things?
You absolutely can! It will just not have that “tart” cheesecake taste, but if you don’t like it it will be great without it!
I’m so impatient and I don’t want to wait for my cashews to soak, soooooooooo my question is: the “quick” soak? Do you straight boil them for like 2 hours? Or bring to a boil and then let soak? I just don’t want to ruin all my cashews if I do it wrong!
Hi Taylor! I totally understand, I can be impatient too! I usually boil water in my kettle and pour it over the bowl of cashews and let them soak for 1-2 hours. You can alternatively boil a pot of water, take the pot off the heat, and soak your cashews in the pot for 1 hour!
For the coconut milk I am unclear do you need coconut milk or cream? I have coconut milk. Should I just refrigerate it? Unsure.
You need to use full-fat coconut cream!It should be the thick cream off the top of the can!
Trader Joe’s has a terrific, thick canned coconut cream.
Great tip! There’s some good brands out there for coconut cream, it’s just a matter of finding them!
I made this and set it in the freezer for 3 hours. The cashew/coconut cream part was not solid and it just kinda spilled everywhere. The flavors were good but I have no idea how you make it stay solid. Should it be completely frozen? I left it in the freezer overnight and I’ll check on it later to see if that’s better.
Hi Carrie,
I’m sorry to hear that, make sure you are using FULL FAT coconut cream, and JUST the cream, not the liquid on the bottom. That and the cashews firm up nicely together. Hope this helps!!
This post is really cool. I have bookmarked it. Do you allow guest post on your website ?
I can write hi quality posts for you. Let me know.
Hi Savannah! I do guest posts sometimes yes! For more information you can e-mail me at [email protected]
Hi, I’ve just made this and it’s sitting in the freezer as I type. Did anyone else’s coconut & cashew mix come out looking grey? Is there a trick to getting the pretty creamy yellow in the photo or has the photo been touched up?
Thanks
Hi Sara, That’s very bizarre that your mixture is grey…Were your cashews raw or roasted? Raw cashews and coconut cream from a can should end up white. Or perhaps some darker varieties of vanilla extract can darken the colour slightly.
Hi! What can be used as a nut substitute for the filling instead of cashews?
Thanks
Hi Alice! You can try using macadiamia nuts or if your allergic or don’t like nuts you can try buckwheat groats soaked overnight!
Hello, does it need to be served from the freezer or can it be left out for a while? I was hoping to take it to a picnic!
Hi Helene,
This could be served at a picnic but I would definitely keep it in a cooler with some ice packs. Its good out of the fridge however if left in the sun it will melt.