This bright and refreshing paleo strawberry cheesecake is the ultimate creamy dessert! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also raw, vegan, gluten and refined-sugar free!
I made this delish cheesecake and served it at my husbands birthday party. Plates were clean. First off, I mean – just look at it? Isn’t it pretty?? I followed this awesome tutorial for strawberry roses that I found over at Ash and Crafts to decorate the top, and it turned out awesome! This cheesecake is the perfect combination of fresh, sweet, juicy strawberries and just the right amount of zesty lemon juice that will make you want to pucker up. Plus, did I mention that this raw cheesecake is super easy to make AND vegan, gluten and refined-sugar free? I know – MIND BLOWN!
My favorite part of this cheesecake is the crust. It’s nut based using only dates as the sweetener and has a yummy graham cracker-like texture. The contrast between this crunchy crust and the creamy filling is spot on. Plus, it’s SO easy to make. Just blend up the dates in the food processor to create a paste, and then add in the nuts and other crust ingredients and continue to pulse until a soft, chunky dough forms. Press the crust into a spring form pan (for easy removal once frozen) and you’re done!
The lush, creamy filling for this strawberry cheesecake is perfectly textured and oh so delicious! Raw cashews make up the base of this cheesecake, but if you don’t tell anyone, I promise they won’t ever know! Cashews have a wonderful balance of sweet and savory flavors, and create the perfect silky texture in raw desserts. Soaking them is key. Preferred method for the ultimate creamy texture: throw them in a bowl, cover with water and toss them in the fridge to soak the night before. Not to worry though – if you are a procrastinator like me you can soak them in very hot (but not boiling) water for about 30 minutes. To do this boil the water, remove it from heat for a minute or two and then pour over your cashews. After soaking drain the water and rinse cashews thoroughly.
Interesting fact: Cashews are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (such as vitamins E, K, and B6 along with magnesium, copper, and zinc among others) that help aid in increasing bone strength and joint flexibility, discouraging migraines, improving memory (LOVE this one), lowering blood pressure, and protecting against UV damage, heart disease and cancer. Wow that’s a lot of stuff. While they are pretty high in fat, just like coconuts, this fat is actually beneficial for your health. As with all things though – moderation is key. So please don’t make this cheesecake, as delicious as it is, every day.
The real stars of the show today are the strawberries. My son is of the age where he is starting to get jokes (or at least thinks he does) and always is asking me to tell him new ones. The other day we went berry picking – a weekly occurrence for us during the summer – and while we were picking some strawberries I asked him: “What do you call a sad strawberry?” He looked at me really confused for a while until I said: “a blueberry!” Now this isn’t the most original joke (although I was pretty proud of myself) however my son thought it was hilarious and busted up laughing. This is why I have children people, to boost my self esteem through their approval of my sad attempts at humor. For your enjoyment, here are some more strawberry jokes that I looked up with the kids and husband later that night:
Q: Why were the little strawberries upset? A: Because their parents were in a jam.
Q: Why did the strawberry go out with the fig? A: Because he couldn’t find a date.
Q: What do you call strawberries playing the guitar? A: A jam session.
Okay, enough blah blah blahing on my part. Go make this cheesecake.
Raw Strawberry Cheesecake
This bright and refreshing paleo strawberry cheesecake is the ultimate creamy dessert! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also raw, vegan, gluten and refined-sugar free!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups almonds
- 3 ounces date paste (blend up dates in food processor – add water if too dry to form thick paste)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 3 cups soaked cashews
- 4 cups strawberries (18 ounces weight)
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 3/4 cup agave syrup
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons lecithin
- 1 cup coconut oil
Instructions
Cheesecake Crust:
- Blend pitted dates thoroughly in the food processor to form date paste. If the dates are dry, soak in water before blending or add a small amount of water to the dates as you are blending. Paste should be thick and sticky. Remove half of the date paste from the food processor and set aside.
- Add all of the crust ingredients to the food processor with the remaining half of the date paste. Process until the nuts are well broken down and the mixture starts to rise on the sides of the processor bowl. Add in the rest of the date paste and continue to process until the texture has small crumbs, and will hold together when pressed with your fingers
- Assemble cheesecake pan with the bottom up, lip facing down (opposite how you normally use). This helps with removing from pan once frozen. Lightly grease entire inside with coconut oil.
- Distribute the crust evenly inside the bottom of the pan, and press the mixture firmly down.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Add all filling ingredients to the blender except the coconut oil and lecithin.
- Blend until completely smooth (3-5 mins).
- Stop blending and add in the lecithin and melted coconut oil.
- Continue blending until they are well incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan with the crust.
- Freeze for 1-2 hours or until the middle of the cheesecake is firm to the touch.
Notes
- Garnish with fresh strawberry slices, mint leaves, edible flowers, coconut flakes, or whatever else your heart desires.
- Preparation time does not include chilling time in freezer.
Keywords: raw, strawberry, cheesecake, dessert, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, vegan
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