This Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe is very similar to the Raw Berry Creamy “Cheesecake” Delight that I make. One day I was just thinking that I wanted to come up with a chocolate version. Ooo chocolate! I want to say, who doesn’t love chocolate? But I can actually think of only one crazy person who doesn’t like chocolate.
Anyway, it was near Father’s Day and my piano students’ recital, and I wanted to make some good healthy treats for all these people. My dad LOVES pecans and all nuts (I am sure he is the reason I am a nut for nuts), so I wanted to make the crust with pecans.
We are not dairy-free, gluten-free or vegan, but so many of these recipes are nutrient dense. Creating food this way is such a great way to get vitamin-packed food without compromising flavor. If you need a dairy-free, gluten-free, raw or vegan dessert for company, this is a great recipe to make!!
The Verdict: We love the Berry “Cheesecake”, but we ADORE the Chocolate “Cheesecake”. It’s so creamy and smooth.
Chocolate “Cheesecake”, Raw, Vegan, Dairy-free, Egg-Free, Gluten Free
Servings 1 cheesecake
Ingredients
The Crust Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw pecans other nuts will work
- 1/2 cup dates soaked in water for 2 hours will make them easier to work with, but not necessary
The Filling Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked in water for at least 2 hours
- juice of 2 lemons 4-5 T
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/3 cup honey warmed (agave for vegan)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup water
- optional garnish with chocolate chips, and grated chocolate
Instructions
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Process the pecans and dates. The longer they process, the finer the crust, so it’s up to you. Add more dates if the pecans and dates don’t stick together.
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Fill a pie plate or muffin liners with your crust, and press it down well. I use a bottom of a glass to smash the crust into the pie plate and my fingers to press it into the muffins liners.
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Melt the coconut oil (30-60 seconds in the microwave).
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Put all filling ingredients in a high powered blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. If the filling is too thick, add more water tablespoon by tablespoon to thin if desired.
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Pour filling mixture into the pie crust(s-if you are making mini “cheesecakes”).
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Smooth out the filling with a spatula.
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Optional, garnish with chocolate chips, and grated chocolate. FYI, chocolate chips will "sweat" in the refrigerator.
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Freeze to solidify, take out of the freezer about 15 minutes before serving, and enjoy!
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Keep refrigerated 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
Honestly, making the mini “cheesecakes” take a lot more time because you have to individually press the crust into these small cupcake liners, but I really like sharing them this way because they are so portable. **Updated 1/14.
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Need a dairy-free Alfredo sauce recipe?
Lovely recipe..tried it with almonds instead of pecans and brown sugar instead of honey. It still worked quite nicely.
Hi Scinia. Thank you for sharing. That’s great to know about the substitutions!
Thanks for sharing this magical recipe. I love it! Next time I will use less lemon, maybe 2 Tbs.
You are welcome! So glad you like it. If you need more liquid to get the blender going, just use a few T of water to replace the lemon juice. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for linking up to HVF! The pie looks great 🙂
Thanks, Suzanne! And thank you for visiting!
Chocolate AND cheesecake? Love! Please come share at Raw Foods Thursdays! (Gorgeous pictures too!)
Are cashews the only nut that works with this recipe? Just curious, since I don’t have any on hand.
Hi Rachel, I am really not sure. I don’t think almonds or walnuts soaked would work the same. I may be wrong, but I haven’t tried. My best guess is macadamia nuts. I have made a frosting out of macadamia nuts before https://practical-stewardship.com/2012/08/08/healthified-crazy-fast-cake-macadamia-nut-frosting/. If you try something else, I’d love to know how it works! Thanks for visiting!
I am allergic to cashews. I’ve been told I can sub raw sunflower seeds, but I have not tried it yet. This idea, though, might just be the one to try.
Hi Linda, That’s a great idea and I am curious to see how it would taste. Thank you for sharing!
Made it and it was dee-lish! Thanks so much for sharing!
Another one I need to try. I will have to sub the coconut oil with something else. Thanks for taking the time to share!
This looks so delicious! And really not that much sugar involved, either. Thanks for the idea!
will have to give this a go
would love it if you could share them on my link party – http://serenityyou.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/serenity-saturday-48.html
Natasha xx
Love this recipe, I have 2 in my house who are lactose intolerant and this would be a perfect dessert. Thanks for linking up at Heavenly Treats Sunday!
Hi Pamela, It really is great for the lactose and gluten intolerant. Thanks for visiting!
I’m impressed that you were able to make a cheesecake that is gluten free and lactose free. Thank you for sharing at Saturday Show and Tell! I hope you’ll be back this week. -Mackenzie http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com
For the cheesecake I used walnuts instead of Pecans.. works fabulously. : )
Whoa, spectacular. I found you via Whole Food Wednesday. I linked in a post about spicy mince lettuce cups. Have a great week.