We've created a No Bake Vegan Lime Cheesecake that is luxuriously silky and delicious. It's also really easy to make, and so bright and beautiful if you garnish it with orange and lime zest and lime slices. It's the perfect cheesecake for Easter, Mother's Day, brunch, or any time you're in the mood for vegan cheesecake.
Published March 6, 2014 and updated April 11, 2019. This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
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NO BAKE LIME CHEESECAKE THAT'S EASY TO MAKE AND DELICIOUS!
This is the third time that I’ve tried making vegan cheesecake. Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it would seem.
My first attempt was a baked version. Gross. My house smelled like rotten cheese and it looked worse. Next.
The second attempt wasn’t any better, that one was runny, the texture wasn’t anywhere close to cheesecake.
The only positive about that failure was that I decided to try a raw version instead of a baked, so at least my house didn’t smell bad.
The third times a charm, so they say, and in this case, “they” were correct.
This no bake cheesecake recipe turned out firm and creamy. The texture was perfect.
WE CREATED THIS RECIPE BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW MUCH Y'ALL LOVE CHEESECAKE
Is there anything that says comfort food more than cheesecake?
It's so rich and creamy and decadent. Every time we see it on a menu in a non-vegan restaurant it makes us cry, because we can't partake.
This is why we created this vegan lime cheesecake recipe with cream cheese. It's for all of you awesome peeps who want to join in on the cheesecake party and expect that it actually tastes like it's namesake.
We're not about faking it, don't give us something that's too runny or soft, or heaven forbid, doesn't have the tanginess of cream cheese.
Furthermore, don't give us a fat free low calorie anemic version. PUHLEEEZE, if you're going to eat cheesecake, or any dessert, then do it right. Don't waste calories on something that leaves you less than satisfied.
WHY THIS VEGAN LIME CHEESECAKE RECIPE WORKS
It's not trying to be something it shouldn't be.
We're not going to pretend this is low-calorie and "healthy" just because it's vegan.
I mean, yes, it is dairy-free cheesecake, and that is a big plus, however, it is made out of vegan cream cheese, sugar, coconut milk, and a bit of coconut oil. 😉
That's why this recipe works, it's made with ingredients that give it a gorgeous creamy texture and a luscious flavor.
- It's made with fresh squeezed limes and an orange. This gives it a bright and bold flavor.
- We use vegan cream cheese to ensure that it tastes like real cheesecake. It also helps it to firm up nicely.
- Boiled cashews also aids in giving the cheesecake a firm texture.
- The crust is made with vegan graham crackers so it's authentic.
HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE
The first thing you'll want to do is make the crust.
HOW TO MAKE CRUST FOR VEGAN CHEESECAKE
- Put 4 ounces of vegan graham crackers, whole unsalted almonds, and coconut oil in a food processor and pulse until the crackers and almonds are ground down into a course texture.
- Carefully remove the blade from the processor and evenly press the mixture into the bottom of a prepared 8-inch spring form pan.
- Freeze the crust while you make the filling.
Nabisco's Original Grahams are accidentally vegan. Click on the photos to learn more.
8 Inch Spring Form Pan
SUBSTITUTIONS
If you can't find vegan graham crackers, you can use this recipe:
- ¾ cup roasted/salted almonds
- ¾ cup dates –pit removed and soaked in warm water for 2o minutes
- ⅛ cup dried, toasted coconut
- Pulse the ingredients in a food processor until it forms a ball. Press the mixture into one large spring form pan or 4 small pans. Freeze in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
NOTE; We prefer to make the crust in a food processor. It's easier to control the consistency of the texture. We use this food processor. Click the image to learn more.
HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Boil the cashews in water for 15 to 20 minutes until they double in size and are soft and puffy. Drain the water and put in a blender.
- Add the vegan cream cheese, coconut milk, lime and orange juice, coconut oil, lime and orange zest, and maple or agave syrup to the blender.
- Blend on a high speed for approximately 2 minutes, or until the filling is velvety and completely smooth. You don't want to see or taste any solid pieces of the cashews.
- Pour the filling over the crust and gently tap the pan on a hard surface until it's spread evenly in the pan. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
- Garnish with lime slices, orange slices, and zest.
This is our preferred high powered blender. Click the photo to learn more.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT FIRM NO BAKE VEGAN CHEESECAKE WITH LIME
- Line the bottom of the spring form pan with parchment paper for easy removal from the pan.
- Make sure that the cashews are really soft and puffy so they break down in the blender to a smooth and velvety texture.
- Zest the limes and the orange before you cut them in half to juice.
- You'll need approximately 4 to 5 large limes to get a ½ cup of juice. We use the juicer below to make it easy to juice the limes and the orange.
- Use a high quality vegan cream cheese. We recommend Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese.
TOP TIP
Add full fat coconut milk slowly to the filling mixture. If the coconut milk is really watery you'll need less. You want the filling to be thick,not runny, so you may not need to use the total amount called for.
Refrigerate for at least 12 hours for the best results. We like to make this early in the morning if we're serving it for dessert the same day, or the day before. There's no need to freeze it before serving if you let it firm up in the refrigerator for the correct amount of time.
Take it out of the refrigerator just before serving.
HOW DO YOU STORE VEGAN CHEESECAKE AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
It will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. If it sits out too long and goes to room temperature, it's best to eat it within the day.
Store it in a freezer safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Make our no bake citrus cheesecake and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
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No Bake Vegan Lime Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 Blender
- 1 spring form pan
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 4 ounce vegan graham crackers Nabisco original is vegan or see the substitution recipe below.
- ¼ cup raw almonds
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil
For a Graham Cracker-free crust
- 1 cup pecans
- 3 tablespoon rolled oats not steel cut
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 3 large dates pits removed
- ¼ teaspoon ground sea salt
For the Filling
- 2 cups raw cashews boiled in water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they’re twice their size and puffy and soft.
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoon lime zest see note
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice approximately 4 to 5 large limes
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
- 8 ounce vegan cream cheese
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk see note
Toppings
- Lime slices
- Lime and orange zest
Instructions
For the crust
- Line the bottom of the spring form pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the cake.
- Pulse the 4 oz graham crackers, ¼ cup raw almonds, and ¼ cup melted coconut oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processer until it resembles course sand.
- Safely remove the blade from the food processor and evenly press the crust mixture in the bottom of the pan. Use the bottom of a small round measuring cup to press it down and to get an even crust.
- Freeze for 15 minutes. It will seem like it will fall apart when you’re pressing it into the pan, it won’t once it sets.
For the Graham Cracker-Free Crust
- Put the 1 cup pecans, 3 tablespoon rolled oats, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, 3 large pitted dates, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor and blend until it looks like course sand. It will be slightly oily because the pecans will release their oil. Follow the instructions for the crust above.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- Cover the 2 cups of cashews in water and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cashews are twice the size of dry ones and soft and puffy.
- Drain the water and place in a high-powered blender.
- Add the tablespoon of melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon orange zest, ½ cup lime juice, 2 tablespoon orange juice, 2 to 3 tablespoon maple syrup or agave (it depends on how sweet you want this to be), 8 oz vegan cream cheese, and ¼ cup of the coconut milk and begin to blend on a high speed. Slowly add more coconut milk. You may not need all of the coconut milk if the milk is really watery. The filling mixture should be thick and completely smooth. You shouldn’t be able to detect any solid pieces of cashews. If you do, keep blending and add more coconut milk if the filling is too thick to blend well. and continue blending.
- Total blend time will be approximately 2 minutes.
- Evenly pour the mixture into the spring form pan and gently tap on a hard surface to even it out and remove air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 12 hours.
- Once it sets it should be firm to the touch, and easy to slice.Top with lime slices and zest.
Notes
- Grate the lime and orange zest before cutting the oranges to juice them. It will be much easier to grate them.
- Feel free to use maple syrup or agave, you won’t taste the maple in this unless you add more than 3 tbsp. If you want a really sweet cheesecake, we suggest using agave.
- The amount of water in full fat coconut milk varies, so go slow when you add it to the filling mixture. We recommend starting with ¼ cup and then adding more as necessary. The filling should be really thick and smooth. We use the Whole Foods-Soup setting on our Blendtec blender to get the ultra-smooth filling. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, scrape and blend on the highest setting for as long as it takes to break down the cashews.
- Remove from the refrigerator just before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If it sits out at room temperature for more than 60 minutes, we recommend consuming it within a day.
- Freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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