Honey Ghee and Me

Real Food. Real Simple.

Raw Cheesecake {Dairy & Grain Free}

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Would you believe me if I told you that a cheesecake without any cream cheese is delicious?  Skeptic?  I was too, until I tried this… all the goodness without all the guilt.  Get your belly ready 😉

When I’ve told others about this raw cheese-less cheesecake, the first thing they’ve asked is, “Then what it is it made out of?!”  You can imagine the crooked faces I get when I say it’s all fresh raw natural ingredients- nuts, lemon, vanilla beans, honey, and berries.  But yep, it’s true… all natural, all in their raw form, all absolutely delicious.  How could those ingredients end up tasting like cheesecake you ask?  It’s rather surprising, but all it takes it the combo. of fresh lemon juice and vanilla to create that delicious cheesecake flavor.  Those two ingredients along with the creaminess of cashews does the trick.  Who would’ve thought?!

I’ve heard of raw cheesecakes, and I have definitely tried raw treats and been surprised by their deliciousness, but I honestly didn’t think a cream-based dessert could be this good… not without dairy anyway.  That all changed a few weeks back when I was cruising through my neighborhood market and a girl offered me a sample of raw cheesecake.  I tried it, gasped, and was hooked.  Just like that.

I use a springform pan for this… it allows the cheesecake to stay together while freezing, but then be easily cut and served with its removable bottom.  (They are the pans that have the detachable bottom.)  If you don’t have one, you can make this in a standard pie pan and then scoop it out as you would any pie.  Having one helps though, I think!  (You can buy them at stores like Marshall’s & Ross for fairly cheap!)

The beauty of this recipe, beyond the taste and guilt-free aspects of course, is the ease.  No baking required, no water-baths, no worrying about timing.  You just blend the ingredients, place them all in the freezer, and enjoy.  The toughest part is planning to soak the nuts overnight before making it… and that’s just a matter of placing some nuts in a bowl of water.  Can’t get much simpler really 🙂  What I will say though, if I have to choose a con, is its cost.  Buying these ingredients, if you don’t already have them lying around, can add up… so definitely visit that bulk section if your store has one!  The market around here has coconut oil, cacao, honey, cashews, agave, almonds, dates, etc. all in bulk, so one can just buy what they need… it can help the wallet a wee.  Never bad to save money…

INGREDIENTS

for the crust…

2 cups almonds (whole & raw), soaked overnight

7 dates, whole with pits

1/4 cup raw coconut flakes (not sweetened)

for the filling…

3 cups cashews (raw, halved or whole), soaked overnight

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3 large lemons)

1/4 cup honey, raw preferably

1/4 cup raw coconut oil

1 vanilla bean (about 6-7 inches in length)

for the topping…

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp cacao powder

3/4 cup frozen cherries

3/4 cup frozen raspberries

*if you live near a grocery store with a good bulk section, you can buy

many of these ingredients in small amounts to help with the cost…

**if you are in need, you can purchase a Springform Pan

for a good price through Amazon (click the link) or at most stores


DIRECTIONS

The day before you make the cheesecake, soak almonds and cashews in water

overnight- you want them completely immersed

They will absorb the water and expand- heads up 🙂  (you can see the expansion below)

The next morning, you’ll be ready to concoct and create your masterpiece!

Start with the crust…

Using your fingers, open up dates and remove seeds

Place the soaked almonds (pour out any excess water from the soaking),

dates, and coconut in a food processor

Blend until smooth

Empty “dough” into a springform pan (nonstick)

Press the almond crust down, creating an even smooth crust along the bottom of the pan

Now make the filling…

To get the vanilla out, cut down the center of the vanilla bean (lengthwise),

but don’t cut all the way through- you just want to open the bean up

Scrape the vanilla out using the flat/dull side of a knife

You’ll get roughly a tsp vanilla from one bean

Juice the lemons…

Place the soaked cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in the food processor (if using the same processor used to make the almond crust, clean it out before making the filling)

Blend until smooth and creamy

Pour the filling over the almond crust

Place the cheesecake in the freezer, uncovered, for about 5-6 hours

About 15 minutes before eating, make the topping…

Add cacao powder to honey

Stir until blended and all cacao lumps are smoothed out

Remove the cheesecake from the freezer

Top with frozen berries and cherries

Then drizzle the cacao sauce over the berries and cheesecake

Remove the springform pan

Let the cheesecake and berries soften a bit, about 10-15 minutes, cut, and serve!

To store, place remaining cheesecake back in the freezer- it will keep well for days,

being eaten and refrozen again over and over… if it lasts that long that is!!

Enjoy!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!!

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Raw Cheesecake {Dairy & Gluten Free}
Author: 
 
Raw Cheesecake {Dairy & Gluten Free}Author: Honey, Ghee, & Me A raw cheesecake made from nuts, coconut oil, vanilla bean, and fresh lemon juice! (Nuts need soaking overnight, so plan ahead!!)
Ingredients
  • for the crust...
  • 2 cups almonds (whole, raw), soaked overnight
  • 7 dates, whole with pits
  • ¼ cup raw coconut flakes (not sweetened)
  • for the filling...
  • 3 cups cashews (raw, halved or whole), soaked overnight
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (3 large lemons)
  • ¼ cup honey, raw preferably
  • ¼ cup raw coconut oil
  • 1 vanilla bean (about 6-7 inches in length)
  • for the topping...
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 tsp cacao powder
  • ¾ cup frozen cherries
  • ¾ cup frozen raspberries
  • .*if you live near a grocery store with a good bulk section,
  • you can buy many of these ingredients in small amounts to help with the cost...
Instructions
  1. The day before you make the cheesecake, soak the almonds and cashews in water overnight (in separate bowls)
  2. The following morning, they'll be ready to go!
  3. To make the crust... remove pits from dates
  4. Place the soaked almonds, dates, and coconut in a food processor and blend until smooth
  5. Empty the "dough" onto a nonstick springform pan... press it down to make a smooth firm crust
  6. For the filling... remove the vanilla from the bean pod by slicing it open lengthwise, making sure not to cut all the way through the bean- you just want access to the paste in the center. Using the flat side of a knife, scrape the vanilla out (you should get about 1 tsp)
  7. Place the soaked cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in the food processor
  8. Blend until smooth and creamy
  9. Pour the filling over the almond crust
  10. Place the cheesecake in the freezer, uncovered, for about 5-6 hours
  11. About 15 minutes prior to eating, make the topping... stir the cacao powder and honey together until clumps are smoothed out
  12. Top the cheesecake with the frozen berries and cherries
  13. Drizzle the cacao sauce over the berries and cheesecake
  14. Remove the cake from the pan and allow it to soften for about 10-15 minutes
  15. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
  16. (Keeps well in the freezer for up to a few days)
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Comments

    • Hi there! Great question!! I am actually in the process of adding a print-friendly button to my blog as we speak (as well as many other new upgrades… yay can’t wait!). Until then, since there is no easy button yet, I would be happy to email you the recipe! Just fill out the email information in the sidebar and I will send it over if you’d like!! Hope that helps 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!

    • Hi again!
      So since writing the above response, I’ve had quite a few new subscribers… and I don’t know which one, if any, are you! So if you’d like, you can leave your name (or email address) here as a reply and I will write you back personally with the recipe 🙂

    • Hi Deena,
      Thank you so much for the feedback… it is so appreciated! It does take a while, you’re right, but for people like me who sometimes need a step-by-step {I’m a super visual learner}, I like to think it helps! 🙂 And yay, so glad to hear it is!!
      Thank you for popping by- hope that you find a few recipes you enjoy!

  3. This looks so good. I actually have all these ingredients and must try it. But as for now I am still a skeptic, hard to believe the cashews will taste like cheesecake.

    • Haha skeptic for good reason! But for me, this really surprised me. Of course it’s not the EXACT same as a cream cheese cheesecake, but it’s pretty darn delicious and very similar for something made without dairy! I hope that you enjoy if you should try it!! Thanks for popping by! 🙂

  4. I’m literally trying this recipe right now- so excited for it! I just noticed in your directions, though, for the filling section that it never says to add the coconut oil. Since it’s in the ingredients list for the filling, I’m going to add it anyway with the cashews, etc., but just wanted to let you know! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! Do you have any tips/ideas on finding slightly cheaper cashews? Mine ended up being almost $15 a pound (in the bulk section of my grocery store) and 3 cups of cashews is about a pound! It’s one expensive “cake”, but I’m sure it will be delish!

    • Wow, that is a lot! I recall mine being expensive, but not quite that much! (I believe the cashews I used were about 8-9 dollars a pound- maybe see if another place has them less expensive?) It is a fairly expensive cake though… especially for those who don’t have some of the ingredients just lying around (cacao, coconut oil, etc). For me, I decided it was worth it to try something so unusual, new and tasty, but I probably should have warned people further about the costs… thank you for that reminder! 😉 As far as the coconut oil goes- so sorry! I thought I had included it, but my mind goes berserk sometimes haha. You are correct- it goes in with the filling in the food processor!! I so hope that your cake turns out good for you… please let me know! 🙂

    • Hi Natalie! I keep forgetting to reply! The cake turned out well! I don’t think that there was quite enough lemon in there (one of my lemons was practically dry!) to get the sourness that I think that cream cheese does, but it tasted great, nonetheless! Yes, $15/pound is the bulk pricing at the grocery store. Could be that food prices are generally higher in Oregon. Ended up being about a $30 cake since I didn’t have most of the ingredients on hand except for the coconut oil. I think it was still super tasty, but it will be for VERY special occasions 🙂

    • Hi again!
      Thank you so much for the comment…. I love hearing others’ feedback! You’re right, it’s one for special occasions indeed. I’m so sorry to hear it cost so much for you… hopefully in the future it’ll be a simpler feat 🙂 Thanks again fro your input- much appreciated!! 🙂

    • Hi Cindy! I am sure blueberries will be delicious! Nearly any berry would I think {though there’s something about black cherries in particular that add great flavor to this}, so I imagine the combo. of blueberries and cherries together will be super delish! Please do let me know how it goes… I love hearing others’ thoughts on the recipes!! Thank you for your comments 🙂

  7. Natalie – I purchase the ingredients needed today and wondered HOW MUCH WATER TO SOAK THE NUTS IN OVERNIGHT and do you just leave them on the counter to soak, covered or uncovered? I’ve never done that before thus so many questions. Don’t want to mess up my precious ingredients.

    • Hi Cindy,
      I’m sorry I didn’t explain that in more detail. Just fill the nuts with enough water to cover them, so that they are completely immersed. The exact amount doesn’t matter- you can always pour out excess water in the morning. 🙂 Then leave them out over night. They will expand quite a bit, so choose bowls that are bigger than the amount of nuts you have {I tried to show it in the pictures- hopefully that part made sense!} Good luck & enjoy!

  8. Hi. Sounds wonderful! Please send me a copy of the recipe too. I can’t wait to try this recipe and several others. 🙂

    • Hi Jennifer! If you’re in a hurry, it works well to copy and paste the recipe from here (I’ve done that a few times for others)… but happy to email it over if that’s easier! Let me know! If you want me to send it, just leave me your email here 🙂

  9. If I’m making this for Thanksgiving, can I make it all in advace, re-freaze, and then take out before serving? Or do I need to still do the topping 15min before we eat it? Thank you!

    • I’d say your safest best would be to freeze it ahead of time- with the berries on top is fine, but to make the sauce right before serving. Hope that helps!! Let me know how it goes! 🙂

    • Hi Jaimie,
      It’s very easy to copy and paste into email or word format, but I am happy to send it if you’d like, too. 🙂 Let me know!!

  12. just curious if you can replace the vanilla bean with vanilla bean paste? whole beans are tough to come by where I live 🙂 thanks!

    • Hi Sara,
      You sure can! The rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of paste for every one whole vanilla bean. Also, if you’re interested, Amazon sells vanilla beans at a low price (prices range depending on brand, size, etc, but here’s one, for example, that’s pretty inexpensive http://amzn.to/1eArYrV). Hope that helps! 🙂

  13. This was truly delicious! Because of almond allergies, I used raw pecans for the crust. It was still pretty frozen after sitting out for 20 minutes. After that I refrigerated the leftovers and the `cheesecake’ was firm, creamy and even more delicious as the flavors seemed to meld together. I would venture to say this is probably one of my favorite recipes of all times! Thank you!!

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