These dairy-free cheesecake bars feature a buttery biscuit base and a creamy cashew-based filling swirled with homemade strawberry sauce.
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Chilling Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour45 minutesminutes
Servings 8bars
Calories 436kcal
Author Shivani Raja
Ingredients
For the cheesecake base:
12Digestive Biscuits(180 grams) can sub Graham crackers or any cookie of your choice!
3tbspVegan Buttermelted; can sub coconut oil
For the cheesecake filling:
1 ⅓ cup/ 200 gramsRaw Cashews
2tbspCoconut Oil
3tbspAgave Syrup
1tspVanilla Extract
1tspLemon Juice
⅓ cup/ 75 mlDairy-Free Milkof choice
For the strawberry sauce:
¼ cup/ 30 gramsStrawberriesfresh or frozen; can sub any berry of your choice!
1tspAgave Syrupcan sub maple syrup
½tspCornstarchaka cornflour in the UK
Instructions
Add the cashews to a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
Prepare the cheesecake base: Process the digestive biscuits into a sandy powder by either blending them or placing in a sealed sandwich bag and bashing with a rolling pin. Transfer the crushed biscuits to a bowl and stir in the melted vegan butter. You want the base to have the consistency of wet sand - if it feels too dry, add an additional 1-2 tbsp of melted vegan butter.
Press the biscuit base into a loaf tin lined with grease-proof paper, making sure to press all the way to the edges. Transfer the base to the freezer to firm up whilst you prepare the filling.
Prepare the strawberry sauce by adding the strawberries, agave syrup and cornstarch to a small saucepan. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick. Optional: strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any seeds.
Prepare the cheesecake filling: Drain the cashews and add to a high-speed blender or food processor along with the coconut oil, agave syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice and dairy-free milk. (Tip: measure the coconut oil before the agave syrup so the syrup glides off the measuring spoon!) Begin blending on low and gradually increase the speed until the filling is thick and creamy. Taste the filling and adjust the sweetness by blending in an additional 1-2 tbsp agave syrup if desired.
Remove the biscuit base from the freezer and spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the base. Dot the sauce on top and use a toothpick to swirl the sauce through the cheesecake filling. Transfer the cheesecake to the freezer for 1-2 hours to firm up before slicing into 8 bars. Enjoy!
Notes
After freezing the dairy-free cheesecake, you can slice it into bars and store in the fridge to maintain the creamy texture.
I like to make this vegan cheesecake in a loaf tin and slice it into 8 individual bars. You can easily double the recipe to use in a square traybake tin or a round cake tin if you wish.