This smooth, creamy, no-bake vegan chocolate cheesecake is the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. This no-bake brownie base is easy to turn into bars top with the fudgiest chocolate cheesecake entirely made of wholesome ingredients.
I love making dairy-free versions of the classic cheesecakes such as my Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake or Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake because replacing the main ingredient is such an interesting challenge! A cheese cake without cheese is a bit of a contradictions that can also turn into one of the most delicious desserts you’ll ever try.
Why a Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake?
Vegan chocolate cheesecake is an egg-free and dairy-free cheesecake. The crust doesn’t use graham crackers or butter, unlike traditional cheesecake recipes. Instead, vegan cheesecake use nuts, dates, and cocoa powder for the biscuit.
The filling can be made of tofu, vegan cream cheese, or healthy vegan cheesecake using soaked nuts like cashews or almonds. This vegan chocolate cheesecake bar recipe is a healthy version of your favorite chocolate cheesecake recipe. Therefore, it is made with nourishing nuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, and refined sugar-free sweeteners.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients you need to make these vegan chocolate cheesecake bars are:
- Almonds – the base and filling are made of almonds. However, for the filling, make sure you soak the almonds in boiling water for 30 minutes to make the cheesecake layer smooth and creamy. If you have a powerful blender, like a Vitamix or professional KitchenAid, you can skip the soaking step and well on high speed around 8-9.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or cacao powder for a stronger chocolate flavor.
- Coconut Oil – You must use coconut oil in raw desserts. In fact, coconut oil is solid at room temperature, below 73°F (23°C), and it is the key ingredient that gives texture to no-bake vegan desserts. Other oils won’t work in this recipe. Same, you can’t make oil-free raw dessert, so don’t be tempted to replace the oil with applesauce.
- Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut – Or shredded coconut.
- Dates – Any variety of dates works fine. Some varieties are drier, so it is recommended to pre-soak them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain then use them in the recipe.
- Vanilla – for even more flavor.
- Maple Syrup – or any liquid sweetener you like, agave syrup or rice syrup works too. You cannot use a crystal sweetener like coconut sugar in this recipe. It needs to be liquid.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – or non-dairy plant-based milk of choice, like oat milk or soy milk.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
This is a healthy vegan cheesecake recipe or no-bake vegan cheesecake using raw, wholesome ingredients, no refined sugar, and is gluten-free.
It is a pretty easy recipe to make, even if you are new to no-bake dessert recipes.
- First, make the no-bake cheesecake biscuit using your food processor. Add almonds and coconut into your food processor and pulse them into coarse ground.
- Then, add the rest of the ingredients and blend again until it forms a sticky no-bake brownie batter, similar to no-bake brownie energy bites.
- Press this batter evenly into the pan covered with parchment paper and refrigerate while making the cheesecake layer.
- Next, add the soaked raw almonds into the jug of your blender or food processor. As mentioned before, you do not have to soak the almonds if you are using a high-speed blender like Vitamix.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high speed, speed 7-9 for about 1-2 minutes, depending on the power of your blender, or until it forms a thick, shiny chocolate cream.
- Pour the creamy chocolate cheesecake layer on top of the brownie base and refrigerate for 3 hours to set.
Step-By-Step Video
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these vegan chocolate cheese bars with:
- A dollop of coconut yogurt or Vegan Whipped Cream
- Fresh berries like raspberries or strawberries
- A few vegan chocolate chips
- A drizzle of melted dark chocolate
Frequently Asked Questions
No-bake cheesecake uses coconut oil as the main ingredient. It is the key to setting the cheesecake filling without using eggs or dairy.
However, coconut has a strong coconut flavor. To avoid coconut flavor in your raw cheesecake, use refined coconut oil.
Refined coconut has no flavor, but it has the same properties as unrefined coconut oil.
Unfortunately, you cannot make any no-bake vegan desserts without oil. As mentioned above, coconut oil is the secret ingredient that holds no-bake goods together and creates texture.
Raw baking uses soaked nuts to form creamy smooth cheesecakes or cream.
However, nuts are hard to blend and turn into a smooth cream. To do so, you must soak them for at least 24 hours in cold water or 30 minutes in boiling water.
Then, you must blend them into a high-speed blender. A food processor does not work to make cashew cream or the almond cheesecake filling in this recipe.
You need a narrow jug with enough liquid to cover the soaked nut and a powerful blade.
Vegan cheesecakes made of nuts can be frozen, in slices or entirely, in an airtight cake box. Bring the cheesecake into the fridge the day before serving. Otherwise, your fresh cheesecake will last up to 5 days in the fridge, in an airtight cake box.
More No-Bake Vegan Desserts
If you love vegan desserts, you may also like my raw dessert recipes below.
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Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake (No-Bake Bars)
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 1 cup Almonds
- ½ cup Desiccated Coconut
- 1 cup Soft Pitted Dates - soaked in lukewarm water, drained
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil - melted, or cocoa butter
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
Chocolate Filling
- ¾ cup Almonds - or cashews, soaked 30 minutes in boiling water, drained
- ½ cup Almond Milk
- ¾ cup Maple Syrup
- ¾ cup Coconut Oil - melted, refined to avoid coconut flavor
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Serving Suggestion
- 1 dollop Coconut Yogurt
- ½ tablespoon Melted Vegan Dark Chocolate
Instructions
- Using a pastry brush, brush some melted coconut oil all over a 9-inch square pan and place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom. This makes it easier to unmold the bar.
- In a food processor, with the S-blade attachment, add all the almonds and coconut. Process on high speed until it forms a coarse mixture – about 1 minute.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients: soft pitted dates, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Process again until it forms a sticky dough that you can easily press into the pan to make a raw biscuit base. If it is too dry (this can happen if you used dry dates), add 1 tablespoon of water, process for 20 seconds until the batter is sticky.
- Transfer the mixture onto the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.
- Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
Chocolate cheesecake filling
- Add all the cheesecake layer ingredients into a high-speed blender starting with soaked, drained almonds, unsweetened almond milk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Blend on high speed until it forms a creamy, thick chocolate batter with no lump.
- Pour the chocolate filling onto the prepared crust.
- Slightly tap the pan on the bench to remove any air bubbles.
- Freeze 30 minutes until the filling is set or place in the fridge overnight, making sure you cover the top of the pan with a silicone lid to prevent it from drying.
- Cut into 16 slices and serve with a dollop of coconut yogurt and melted dark chocolate pieces (most 70% dark chocolate bars are vegan).
What could be the substitute for coconut oil? I am ok to use dairy products, no eggs though
You can use melted cocoa butter but it’s expensive. You do need one of the other to firm up the no-bake cheesecake. I can’t recommend on dairy option because I don’t use dairy in my kitchen.
I would like to try this recipe, however, I am not a fan of dates.
What can I replace them with, for the crust?
Maybe try other dried fruits like apricot, dried figs or maybe maple syrup would work but I am unsure how much you need as I didn’t try this option yet.
I made this for the 1st time today. I was not a fan of the crust. I replaced the almonds with walnuts / and I had forgotten to soak. The chocolate layer had taste but I have to get a better blender to completely break down the cashews. I added cut strawberries to the chocolate layer which was great.
I wouldn’t recommend walnuts it’s a very bitter nut for dessert that’s why I am using almonds in the recipe. Maybe you can try that next time! Enjoy
Can this no-bake chocolate cheesecake be made with Crisco instead of coconut oil?
Coconut oil firm up at room temperature and hold the cheesecake batter together. I am not familiar with Crisco so I am not sure it’s an option here.
Is there anyway I can make this without almonds because I’m allergic to them
Sure, you can use hazelnuts of cashews. Enjoy!