I'd say I'm obsessed with making the best creamy dairy-free treats from cashews, like these mini cheesecakes and my homemade ice cream bars. These have a strawberry sauce and a chocolate drizzle, they are extra delicious!
I've loved making 'raw cheesecakes' over the last 10 years, once I discovered how simple and wholesome these were. I believe the secret is to use a good-quality blender to make them super creamy and luxurious.
Friends are shocked that these are dairy-free when they try them. Cashew cheesecake are one of my favorite treats to make, just like my mini pumpkin cheesecakes!
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Ingredients needed for cashew cheesecakes
Ingredient Notes
Here's an overview of anything that should be noted about the ingredients shown in the photo above. This is a gluten-free and dairy-free cashew cheesecake, but I make this for all my friends without dietary needs all the time and they love it too!
- Cashews: These white nuts need to be soaked for 3-6 hours before making this recipe. This is important to create the creamy texture.
- Strawberries: The strawberries can be fresh or frozen!
- Dates: I like to use big gooey medjool dates, they are my favorite with a caramel-like flavour. However, any dates can be used as long as they are soaked in hot water first to soften.
- Oats: I used rolled oats for this recipe; however, quick oats would be fine too.
- Milk: Any milk can be used to make this recipe. I like to use almond milk to make these cheesecakes dairy-free.
- Coconut oil and honey: Both ingredients need to be liquid to help blend everything well. Melt the honey and the coconut oil slowly before adding them to the blender. Using honey makes this a naturally sweetened cheesecake; no sugar is used in this cheesecake recipe.
- Chocolate chips: To make this recipe truly vegan or dairy-free, use dairy free chocolate chips.
See recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities.
Danika's quick nutrition tip
I like to share simple insights from my schooling in Holistic Nutrition. Here are some key insights about our main ingredients.
Cashews are lower in fat than other nuts; they are a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron. Whole cashews are more expensive but generally fresher than cashew pieces.
Strawberries are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, some B-complex vitamins, and fiber. Non-organic strawberries are known to have quite high pesticide levels, if possible look for organic strawberries or grow your own.
This information comes from Prescription for Dietary Wellness by Phyllis A. Balch and The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood.
For another delicious cashew recipe, try these creamy apple popsicles!
Step-by-step instructions
The next best thing to being in the kitchen together is sharing photos from my kitchen! Here's how to make this recipe with photos. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient details.
Soak cashews: Cover cashews with lots of water and let them sit on the counter for 3 to 6 hours. Then use a sieve to remove all the water.
Soak dates: The dates need to be soaked so they become soft and gooey. Just before making the recipe, pour boiling water over them and let the dates sit for 10 minutes before draining the water.
Chocolate crust: In a food processor or a high-power blender, place the oats, flax seeds, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Pulse until the flax seeds are ground up, 30 seconds to 1 minute on high.
Add the gooey dates and pulse until a thick dough forms. Knead with hands if needed.
*If you don't have a high-power machine, use ground flax seeds (instead of the whole seed) or more oats instead for the best texture.
Make the base: In a 12-cup muffin pan, place cupcake liners. Add 1 tablespoon of chocolate crust into each cup, and press the dough into the edges of the liners.
*There is enough mixture to make 14 cheesecakes. I made the last two in small custard bowls.
Make the strawberry sauce: Place the strawberries, water, and honey in a small pot over medium-high heat. Let it bubble, while stirring on and off for 5-10 minutes until it's thick! There will be strawberry chunks that is good! Boil longer if there is still lots of water, it needs to be like the texture of applesauce.
Make the filling: Place the cashews, melted coconut oil, melted honey, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and sea salt into the food processor or high-power blender.
Start the machine on low and turn to high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth. Scrap down the side every few minutes between blending as needed.
Dairy-free cashew cream: This is what the mixture will look like after 5-7 minutes of blending. I use a vitamix blender and always have great results, especially if I soak the cashews for a couple hours.
Fill the cheesecakes: Pour cheesecake batter over the chocolate crusts, and shake them slightly to become even on top.
Add strawberry & chocolate: Place a teaspoon of strawberry sauce on top of each cheesecake and swirl it in using a fork.
Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle the chocolate over the individual cheesecakes.
Place cheesecakes in the freezer to set for 2 hours. Store them in the freezer in a sealed container. Remove them from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Top tip for dairy-free cheesecakes
Give yourself time, once you have made a raw cheesecake with cashews, you will see how simple it is; however, the first time making the recipe can take time because it is a totally different method than a classic cheesecake.
Use a high-power blender. This is key to having the best cashew cream. If you don't own a powerful machine (food processor or blender), I recommend borrowing one from a friend for this recipe.
Soaking the cashews is an important step! If you are in a rush, you can boil them for 10-20 minutes (however, I wouldn't recommend doing this if you don't have a powerful blender to use, as the texture will not be the same).
Use gooey dates for the crust to stick together! The dates need to be sticky. Don't skip soaking them! I like to use medjool dates as they are so gooey and flavorful.
Other no-bake recipes to try
Love strawberries? Try these strawberry rhubarb popsicles! Next, try my healthy pumpkin cheesecakes, also made with cashews!!
🍓 I want to hear if you made these healthy strawberry cheesecakes! Please share below and give this recipe a star rating. I read every comment! 🙂
Strawberry Mini Cashew Cheesecakes
Equipment
- 1 muffin pan or small bowls
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup dates pitted
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup flax seeds*
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
- 2 cups cashews soaked 3-6 hours
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup honey liquid or melted
- ¼ cup milk almond, soy, cow, or oat
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Topping:
- 1 cup strawberries chopped (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Soak Cashews: Cover the cashews in water and let them soak for 3-6 hours so they become very soft. Then drain. Soak dates: After the cashews have soaked, place the dates in boiling hot water for 5 to 10 minutes to become soft. Once they are soft, drain the water in a sieve.
- Make chocolate base: In a high-power blender (or a food processor), place oats, flax seeds, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Pulse until there are no whole seeds and the mixture resembles sand, about 30-45 seconds. Add the drained dates to the blender and process for about 20-30 seconds until a thick chocolate dough forms. If the mixture needs to be more thoroughly mixed, dump out the dough and use your hands to knead it. Place 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough in the bottom of each muffin cup (lined with muffin liners) or into small bowls and press into the edges. Set aside.
- Strawberry sauce: Place the strawberries, water, and honey into a small pot over medium heat boil, for 10 minutes, whisking on and off until everything thick and bubbly. Let this mixture cool slightly.
- To make the filling: Place the drained cashews, coconut oil, sea salt, vanilla, lemon juice, honey, and milk into a high-power blender (or a food processor) and blend for about 5-7 minutes - scraping down the sides as needed, until it is completely smooth and silky.
- Assemble: Pour cashew cream over the chocolate crust. Add a little strawberry sauce over every cheesecake and swirl it in. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle it over the cheesecakes. Place the pan in the freezer for 2 hours to set. Keep cheesecakes stored in the freezer. Remove the cheesecakes from the freezer 10 minutes before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
Justine Yliruusi says
My husband hasn’t been able to enjoy dairy for a few years now. One of his favourite desserts has always been cheesecake. I made these mini vegan cheesecakes for his birthday and they were a hit! Super easy to make and they tasted delicious. Will be making these again!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Thank you for sharing this Justine! So glad you were able to make his birthday special with these dairy free cheesecakes!!
Jay says
Hi, I love the look of your recipes - can you confirm are the nutrition figures per portion or per recipe? Thanks 🙂
Danika Vanderpyl says
Hi Jay, The nutritional information is calculated below the recipe. I use an app where all the ingredients nutrient facts and measurements and do the calculation for 14 mini cheesecakes, then 1 mini cheesecake is one servings which would be the results you see.
Bron says
Hi Danika,
I'm always on the look out for great vegan dessert recipes and was excited to find these. They look delicious, but they are NOT vegan! Maybe rename them "Dairy-Free Cheesecakes"?... OR, better still, keep the name as is (so people like me still find it!), but do what I am going to do when I have a go at making them - swap out the honey, which is NOT VEGAN, for rice syrup, or maple syrup, or whatever alternative you think would work best
Another way would be to call them "Dairy Free Cheesecakes (with vegan option)" - and just note in the recipe that to make a vegan version, leave out the honey and offer some alternative options (or stick with your strawberry jam option!)
I hope this doesn't come across as nasty or whatever, it is definitely not meant to. It is a pretty common, and innocent, mistake for people outside the vegan community to assume the absence of meat, eggs or dairy makes a recipe vegan (I had a poor family member make a "vegan" tofu and veg stir fry once especially because I was coming for dinner, which I really appreciated and felt terrible when I couldn't eat it because she'd used a honey-soy marinade 😔).
I just thought you would rather know so you can make whatever changes to the recipe or the title (Before one of those militant "angry vegans" sees it and gets on here 😜).
I'm looking forward to giving them a try though! Thanks for the recipe 🤗.
Bron
Danika Vanderpyl says
Hi Bron, Thank you for taking the time to expand and share where you are coming from. You are right honey is not vegan. I added a note that if you want to make this vegan to use maple syrup instead of honey. Another thing you can do it just use strawberry jam instead of making it with honey. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Danika Vanderpyl says