I’m not vegan, but many of my friends are. And I do love vegan desserts. My favorite desserts aren’t overly sweet and have contrasting flavors like savory or acidic. This recipe has a little bit of all of that! In addition to being vegan, this cheesecake is gluten-free and refined-sugar-free.
Adapted from the Unconventional Baker’s “Raw Lemon Ginger Chia Cheesecake”.
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Ingredients:
Crust
- 1 ½ Cups Raw Almonds
- 2 Medjool Dates
(pitted)
- 2 TBSP Coconut Oil
- 2 TBSP Chia Seeds
- 2 TBSP Maple Syrup
Cheesecake
- 1 Cup Raw Cashews
- 1/2 Cup Marcona Almonds
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 10 TBSP Citrus Juice (my orange made 6 TBSP and I added 4 TBSP lemon juice)
- 6 TBSP Maple Syrup
- 4 TBSP Coconut Oil
- 1″ Ginger (grated)
- OR 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- OR 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 2 TBSP Chia Seeds
Instructions
- Finely chop crust ingredients – except maple syrup – in a food processor until crumbly. Add syrup and pulse to combine. Remove a small amount and roll into ½ inch balls for garnish (I put mine in a bowl in the freezer to help them set).
- Press the rest of the crust into a greased 9″ springform pan. Cover the bottom and ½-1″ up the sides. Put pan in the freezer.
- Blend all filling ingredients – except chia seeds – in a high power blender until creamy. Stir in chia seeds.
- Pour filling into crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Freeze 5 hours (minimum). Once set, top with reserved balls of frozen crust and other pretty decorations (citrus slices, rosemary).
To Cut: fill a glass with warm water and dip chef’s knife into it before making each cut.
Enjoy!
By Rebeccah Landerholm
Chef’s Notes:
- You can substitute in any nut for the crust, and you can also substitute other dried fruits like 2 apricots or ⅛ cup raisins.
- You can sub in any nuts you prefer for the filling, however cashews are ideal for a cheese-like creaminess.
- If you want to be extra-sure no lumps or grittiness remains from the nuts, use a sieve in Step 4.
Please comment below if you have additional questions or to let us know if you’ve tried this recipe and what you think of it! We love hearing from you.