No-Bake Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

I wanted to share another sweet treat before Valentine’s day so you could have a couple of options for desserts on your special day or any day you want to incorporate these into. I say sweets daily! This recipe comes together fairly quickly if you prep everything the night before. You can also have fun and use extracts or other flavorings in the cheesecake and/or puree on top! Next up, I’m using blueberries 😀 Enjoy!

No-Bake Vanilla Bean Cheesecake w/ Cacao crust & Strawberry purée
(Yields 4 [1 cup] or 8 [1/2 cup] servings)

1 1/2 cups Raw Cashews (soaked overnight, drained & rinsed)
1/4 cup Organic Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1/8 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
2 tbsp Non-Dairy Milk (or water)
1/4 tsp Vanilla Bean Powder
1/2 a Banana
Pinch of Pink Salt

Cacao Crust:
3/4 cup Raw Almond Meal (almond pulp/almond flour or soaked almonds)
2 tsp Cacao Powder (optional)
1/8 cup Maple syrup
Pinch of Pink Salt & Cinnamon

Strawberry Purée:
1 cup Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp Organic Maple syrup

Before diving into this recipe you’ll need to slice and freeze the banana for at least a few hours and you’ll also need to soak the cashews (and/or almonds) overnight, 8-12 hours.

In a high-speed blender or food processor, add all your crust ingredients and pulse till combined – it should be firm/malleable
Evenly portion out the mixture and press into molds
Places your molds into the freezer till needed
DO NOT PUT GLASS IN THE FREEZER! If you’re using glass use your refrigerator instead.

Add all your cheesecake filling ingredients (minus the banana) into your blender/food processor (starting with the liquid at the bottom and adding solids on top) and blend till very smooth (2-4 minutes) making sure to scrape down the sides
Add in the frozen banana slices and any extra non-dairy milk or water (1 tbsp at a time) if needed to help blend smoothly
Evenly portion out your filling into each mold and chill overnight in the fridge, if using glass. You can use the freezer (1-2 hours) if you’re NOT using glass. The freezer will yield a firmer consistency and will increase longevity – so decide beforehand which way you want to prepare this.

Mash your strawberries with a fork or use a food processor to pulse, add in maple syrup to desired taste/sweetness
Serve chilled with fresh puree, enjoy!