Name: Cashew Butter & Jelly Vegan Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: ½ cup cassava flour; ¼ cup raw cashews; ¼ cup coconut flakes; 2 tbsp coconut sugar; 2 tbsp cashew butter; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked overnight); ½ cup coconut cream (solid part of a chilled can of full fat coconut milk); ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (~2 lemons); ½ cup maple syrup; ⅓ cup cashew butter; ¼ cup coconut oil (melted); 1 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 tbsp preferred jelly; Optional: additional cashew butter & preferred jelly for topping

Vegan Cheesecake bars with a crisp grain free crust and creamy cashew layer swirled with sweet jelly. These cheesecake bars are frozen to have true melt-in-your-mouth texture with each and every bite. I love how the cashew flavor pairs with the lemon juice and coconut to create the tang of traditional cheesecake. Then the swirls of sweet jelly really finish these bars off.

One bite and you’ll be coming back for more! Make these as your new easy + healthy dessert and your freezer will always be stocked with the perfect sweet treat. And while the crust is baked, the no-bake cheesecake layer is in fact raw. So grab your cashews and get started!

For more delicious vegan no bake sweets, be sure to check out my No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars that are the chocolate lovers dream. Soft and crumbly, these pair perfectly with morning coffee or a cold glass of milk. And my Vegan Chocolate Turtle Truffles have the most amazing chewy texture with sweet and salty chocolate pecan flavor. Another great freezer dessert!

Three vegan cheesecake bars are stacked in a tower. The crust is crisp and grain free. The cheesecake layer is no bake with swirl of jelly throughout. There are more cheesecake bars scattered to the left of the tower.

Ingredients

Cassava flour – A great grain + gluten free flour that creates the perfect crisp texture for these cheesecake bars. My go-to brand for cassava flour is Otto’s but find a blend that works for you.

Cashews – These are needed for both the crust and the cheesecake layer. Be sure to use raw and unsalted cashews though, buying in bulk will save you money on this!

Coconut Flakes – Give structure and a chewy texture to the cheesecake crust. I used very fine coconut shreds for this.

Coconut Sugar – A refined-sugar free sweetener that’s an easy swap for regular sugar in all your dessert recipes!

Cashew Butter – Rich and creamy, this gives the crust and cheesecake layer extra structure.

Coconut Oil – The healthy fats of coconut oil help the crust bake and hold it ‘s shape. Also helps to firm the crust once chilled in the freezer.

Vanilla Extract – Elevates the natural flavors of these vegan cheesecake bars.

Coconut Cream – This is the solid part of a chilled can of full fat coconut milk. Helps to thicken and then firm up the raw vegan cheesecake layer.

Lemon Juice – Adds a slight tang to this cashew cheesecake making it more like a traditional cheesecake in flavor.

Maple Syrup – A refined-sugar free sweetener that also adds moisture.

Nutritional Yeast – An odd ingredient but it actually helps give this vegan cheesecake a slight “cheesy” flavor like traditional cheesecake!

Jelly – Use any flavor and variety that you’d like, the sweet swirls pair perfectly with the rich and creamy cheesecake flavor.

A cashew based no bake cheesecake layer tops a grain free crust. The cheesecake bar has more cashew butter drizzled overtop as well as one raspberry.

How to Make Vegan Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line an 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.⁠
2. Start by making your base/crust – add all ingredients to a food processor and process for ~1 minute, or until no large pieces remain and mixture is crumbly/sticks together when pressed between your fingers.⁠
3. Spread crust in a single even layer in the parchment-lined 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350F, or until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.⁠
4. Filling: Add soaked cashews, coconut cream, lemon juice, maple syrup, cashew butter, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, + vanilla extract to a high-powered blender. Blend on medium high for 2-3 minutes, or until mixture is a smooth consistency (you should not be able to see any small pieces of cashews).⁠
5. Add half of the filling from the blender to the loaf pan (on top of the cooled crust), and spread in a single even layer.
6. Swirl 3 tbsp of your fav jelly into the batter and pour remaining filling on top. Again, spread in an even layer. (Optional: top with an additional 1-2 tbsp of both cashew butter and jelly and swirl).
8. Move pan to the freezer and let harden overnight. Remove and cut into slices. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Three vegan cheesecake bars sit in a line on white parchment paper. The bars have a grain free crust layered with raw cashew cheesecake. There are swirls of jelly in the cheesecake and more cashew butter drizzled overtop the middle bar. In the background are more cheesecake bars slightly faded.

Soaking Cashews

If you’ve never soaked cashews or wondered why soaking them is so important, let me explain. Raw cashews are best for this because they still contain all natural fats, oils, etc versus pre-roasted cashews. Soaking the raw cashews does have some claimed health benefits but the reason in this case is to soften them. The softened then blended cashews become a thick and creamy base for sauces, frostings, or in this case, cheesecake!

There are three ways to soak and soften your cashews, all depending on how much time you have. My preferred method and what works best for me is to soak them overnight in room temperature water in a glass jar. This could also just be 5 -8 hours throughout the day as well. It’s easy enough, makes them extra soft, and just requires a bit of forethought.

The other two options are a bit quicker but may yield different levels of soft depending on how you do it. The first is to soak the cashews in a pot of boiling hot water, covered, for 30 minutes. And then the last option is to actually boil the cashews by adding them to a pot with enough water to cover, then bringing them to a rapid boil for 15 minutes. I haven’t tried this last method so try at your own risk!

A bite shot of vegan cheesecake to show the thick and creamy texture. The crust is crisp while the cashew cheesecake layer is cream colored and swirled with pretty pink jelly.

Customize this Vegan Cheesecake

While this cashew butter & jelly vegan cheesecake is absolutely delicious as is, there are so many ways to change things up. While I haven’t personally tested these options I can almost guarantee that they would work just fine. If you do test one out, be sure to comment it below! I’d love to see what works for you and what you think of it.

Cashew butter can be swapped for any nut butter that you’d like. I think a classic peanut butter and jelly cheesecake would be amazing. But for something fun try using hazlenut or pecan butter, maybe even tahini? You may need to adjust sweetness depending on the nut/seed butter though.

The jelly can be any flavor you’d like from strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, or raspberry to something more unique like apricot, fig, or cranberry. Another alternative for jelly swirls could be to use a caramel or chocolate sauce. Just imagine, thick and creamy cheesecake with swirls of sweet caramel or chocolate … now I’m hungry!

Something else to try is mixing add-ins to the cheesecake. Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chopped nuts, and dried fruit are just a few examples. I’d suggest mixing them in before spreading on the crust or sprinkling them in between the layers when you’d typically be swirling in the jelly. I think the flavor + textures would be amazing!

Can You Freeze Cheesecake?

Yes you most certainly can! Freezing the cheesecake is actually part of the recipe and how I suggest storing it. Because this vegan cheesecake is made with a cashew and coconut base, it’s not quite as structured as traditional cheesecake. That’s why you let it set and then store it in the freezer so that it stays extra thick and creamy.

I love how the freezer keeps the cheesecake so luscious and makes for a true melt-in-your-mouth texture with every bite. Plus who doesn’t want a freezer stash of dessert to dive into?!

A vegan cheesecake bar with a bite taken out of it sits on crinkled parchment paper. The crust is crisp and golden brown while the cheesecake layer is creamy and slightly melty. There's extra jelly and cashew butter drizzled overtop the cheesecake bar. A blob of jelly and some crumbs are faded in the photo as well.

Cashew Cream Recipes

Now that you know how to soak cashews you can make so many tasty recipes vegan by swapping for a cashew cream. I’ll share a few of my favorite recipes using it below, let me know if you give them a try!

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup – This tasty soup is a much healthier version than the canned mushroom soup so many of us grew up with. The cashew cream makes it extra creamy and replaces the typical condensed milk or canned soup full of not-so-great ingredients.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake – Everyone needs a good chocolate cake in their life! This gluten free chocolate cake is moist and fluffy topped with a luscious cashew cream cheese frosting.

6 Ingredient Vegan Alfredo – The power duo of pasta + cheese gets a healthy makeover in this vegan alfredo. A cashew cream sauce made with nutritional yeast is “cheesy” and creamy while remaining entirely dairy-free.

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Vegan Cheesecake 🙂