Feeling like having a cheesecake without all the dairy in it? This is the one that you are looking for. A dairy free, grain free and gluten free creamy Caramel Cheesecake. 3 delicious layers starting from a crust made with mainly nuts and dates, a filling made from raw cashew and a salted caramel topping made with coconut cream and coconut/palm sugar. All delicious simple ingredients in every bite but with less fat and calories of a traditional cheesecake. Sometimes we just want to indulge and not suffer the consequences of eating a slice or 2.

I was always curious of the idea of a dairy free cheese cake. What’s a cheese cake without the delicious dairy stuff? Is it really possible to make a dairy free version that is good enough to make me forget what a real cheesecake?

I am not really a huge fan of anything cheesecake. I find it too heavy and dense, and just too overwhelming. I only have 1 cheese cake recipe in my website and that I made for my Mom’s birthday. She just love Blueberry Cheesecake so much. That was the first and last time I made one, up until recently when I made this dairy free cheesecake, probably not a real cheesecake but a healthier version of a traditional cheesecake made without dairy.

How Different is this from Traditional Cheesecake?

Just to set our expectations here. Dairy free cheesecake is very different in every way, but in a good way. So don’t run away until you try it. Texture wise, this is less smooth than traditional cheesecake, but still turned out great. The smoothness also depends on the blender you are using. High powered blender produces smoother consistency.

Another different thing is that this Is less dense and heavy too which makes it not so overwhelming to finish. That good, right? Which means you could another serving and still enjoy it.

last but not the least, dairy free cheesecake soften faster than regular cheesecake because it has less fat that harden when you freeze. I highly recommend to take it out only when ready to serve. Do not leave it on a cake stand for hours.

It may not be 100% real cheesecake but, it does taste good. I made this and shared with my friends and they all loved it. The key when trying new food is being open to the idea, and just enjoy it. You have to let go of the expectation of getting exactly the same taste as the original. In reality, there’s really nothing that will be 100% the same as the original, substitution is more like a work around to creating different variation of an original version. Anyway, I personally like this dairy free cheesecake. It is a different way of enjoying cheesecake but it works.

What Nut is Suitable for Making Dairy Free Cheese Cake

Cashew is so far the best option for the nuts when making vegan cheese cake. Cashew has a high fat content and creamy consistency when blended. Not 100% like cream cheese but good enough as replacement to have that cream cheese like texture. I would not recommend any other type of nuts, stick to raw cashew for best success.

I find making this dairy free cheesecake quite easy, most of the process just involve mixing, blending and freezing. There’s not even a baking required for this recipe, it’s that easy. Let’s take a closer look at the process.

How to Make Dairy Free Coconut Cheese Cake

Making this dairy free cheesecake involves 3 main process, but they are all easy. Make sure to plan ahead to make the process faster. The only thing is that this will require a high powered blender and food processor. If you have them, yehey! Let’s make this cheesecake then.

Make the Caramel Sauce

The first process is to make the Dairy Free Salted Caramel Sauce. I like making this in advance, at least 1 day ahead as this is probably the most of the time that will take to make. Once you have this out of the way, the crust and filling are super easy and quick and can be done the same day. If you do not feel like caramel topping, you can also use Berries compote, I have a recipe in my website for that. Just the same, pour it when you are ready to serve it.

Make the Crust

The crust used pitted dates and soaked raw cashew. Processed together, these two makes a great nut based crust that work well with any dairy free cheesecake or bars. I made a similar crust before for my No Bake Fruit Tart and it was great. Make sure to soak the cashew before using. The soaking process will soften the cashew thus producing a creamier texture when blended.

Make the Filling

You will need a high powered blender to make the filling. All you need to do is to blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Just that and it is ready for use. Simply pour it on the crust and freeze for 5 hours or leave it overnight. Freezing is very important because it doesn’t harden as much as when using cream cheese. Remember, this is a no bake cheesecake, with less fat than the cream cheese, the shape holding depends on the length of time you freeze it and also with the addition of oil.

Serve

The moment that you had been waiting for, time to serve it! Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and transfer it in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes. You can also leave it in the counter as long as the temperature in your kitchen is not too hot to immediately soften it. Remove the cake while it is still hard. Transfer it immediately on a cake stand or serving plate before pouring the Salted Caramel. The firmer the cake, the easier it will be to spread the sauce on top. I recommend to take it out only when you are ready to serve it. This soften faster than regular cheese as this relies mostly on oil to hold it’s shape.

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1/4 cup raw Almonds
• 1/4 cup raw Pecans
• 6 pieces Medjool Dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoon Shredded Coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Filling

• 1 cup Raw Cashew, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup Coconut Cream
• 2 tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup (Honey is not Vegan so if you want to keep it purely vegan, use maple syrup instead)
• 3 tablespoon liquid Coconut Oil
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Caramel Sauce

• 13.5 oz (1 Can) Coconut Cream
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Coconut/Palm Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions:

1. Make the Caramel Sauce: I highly recommend that you make the caramel sauce at least a day in advance. This will save you a lot of time and will make the process easier. Leave at room temperature, do not refrigerate. Get the FULL RECIPE HERE
2. Prepare the Pan: Line a 6-inch spring form pan with parchment paper. If you do not have spring form pan, you can use regular pan just make sure to line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
3. Make the Crust: Transfer the raw Almonds, Pecans, dates. shredded coconut and salt in a food processor and process until it’s the texture of coarse sand.
4. Transfer the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Press and level using your fingers or a back of a spoon. Make sure to have it as compact as possible.
5. Make the Cream Cheese Mixture: Drain the cashew and remove the water. Transfer in a high powered blender along with coconut cream, maple syrup, coconut oil and pure vanilla extract.
6. Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the crust and gently tap to flatten and remove any air bubbles. Freeze the cheesecake for at least 5 hours before serving, overnight recommended.
7. Remove from the freezer at least 30 minutes before serving to thaw. It should still be cold and hard to the touch. remove from the pan as soon as you take it out from the freezer. The cheese cake should still be firm when you pour the caramel sauce. This makes the spreading of the sauce easier in case you need to manually spread it out. Transfer the cake in a cake stand or serving plate
8. Pour the caramel sauce: If the caramel sauce has harden a bit (which is normal), microwave it for 20 – 30 seconds until smooth. Pour the salted caramel sauce on top, pouring on the center to allow it to spread on top. Use an spatula to completely cover the top and push a little bit over the edges. You can use more or less caramel sauce as you like.
9. Serve: It is highly recommended that you pour the caramel sauce just before serving it. You need to keep the cheese cake refrigerated as this gets soft faster especially on a hot day.

Serves 8

Storage

This cheese cake can be kept in the freezer for 2 weeks. Make sure to wrap it completely first with plastic wrap then aluminum foil. This will help prevent freezer burn. I like to freeze mine overnight, then I remove it from the pan and wrap it witl plastic wrap and aluminum foil. This way, I can have the pan if I need it for other recipe.

Simply move it in the refrigerator few hours before eating it. You can keep it up to 3 days. keep it at the top so it gets all the cold it needs to keep the shape in place. Do NOT leave outside for a long time as this soften easily. Again, remove only from the refrigerator when ready to serve.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

My Latest Video

Featured Posts:

Click the item to get the full recipe

• [VIDEO] Pumpkin Cake
• [VIDEO] Apple Cake
• Mix Berries Almond Ricotta Cake
• [VIDEO] Ube Macapuno Chiffon Cake
• Boston Cream Cake
• [VIDEO] Coffee Chiffon Cake
• Coconut Butter Cake
• Chocolate Cake
• Small Batch Blueberry Cheesecake
• Small Batch Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake

Thank You for visiting my website. Please don’t forget to click the “Like” button below if you like this recipe. Lastly, did you know that I have a YouTube Channel? Please support my channel by clicking on the “Subscribe” button in my video and the “Bell” icon to get notification of new videos.

FOLLOW SWEETNSPICYLIVING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube