Best Vegan Lemon Cheesecake (No-Bake)
This Vegan Lemon Cheesecake is as rich and decadent as the real deal. The light and flaky walnut crust is complimented with a creamy lemon filling and topped with tart lemon rind and fresh blueberries. This is a perfect marriage of sweet and savory. A no-bake vegan cheesecake recipe that’s easy to make, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.

When times are uncertain and change is hanging in the air, thick as fog, I tend to nurture myself and those I love by creating tasty recipes that are also most pleasurable to look at. Ta da! Introducing my newest blog recipe, this no-bake Vegan Lemon Cheesecake. Sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar, this vegan cheesecake recipe is bursting with citrus flavor that screams summer.
This recipe pairs well with my Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte or my Spiced Orange Gin Spritz. And if you love the flavor of lemons, try my decadent Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cake. or my Lemon Blueberry Loaf, great for breakfast, brunch and dessert.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You may already have many of the ingredients needed for this recipe in your home pantry. Most are very common and can be found at your local supermarket. The image above represents what you’ll need, starting from top left corner and going clockwise. Here’s a list:
- coconut oil
- sea salt
- pure maple syrup
- raw cashews
- cinnamon
- raw walnuts
- vanilla extract
- fresh apple
- pitted dates
- soy lecithin granules
- nutritional yeast (gotta get your B-12 on)
- lemon juice (the lemon was an oops from a senior moment and is not pictured, my bad) 🙁
Steps for Making this Recipe
I found this recipe super easy to make. Because it’s raw, no worries about getting sick from bad eggs or other dairy products. Check out the easy steps below:
- First make your walnut crust by adding walnuts to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times just to break the walnuts into small pieces, then add chopped dates, cinnamon and sea salt. Pulse again until the mixture is well-combined and begins to stick together.
- Line a 9-inch pan with plastic wrap, then add the walnut mixture to the pan.
- Using your fingers, press walnut mixture firmly over the entire pan, even up the sides (or you can apply to bottom only like Rachel does).
- Next, make the lemon cheesecake filling by adding soaked cashews, chopped apple, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, nutritional yeast, soy lecithin and sea salt. Pulse on high for several minutes until you get a lovely, creamy texture. Pour over crust and place in refrigerator overnight to chill thoroughly. That’s it!
Pro Tips
Please note these helpful tips:
- I used a food processor when making this recipe. You can also use a high-speed blender, but I’m not certain if it will give you the same consistency for the lemon cheesecake filling.
- For best results, chill raw vegan cheesecake overnight in your refrigerator.
- The recipe calls for coconut oil. If you prefer a not-so-coconut flavor, you may try using raw cacao butter.
- You can purchase soy lecithin granules online or at a local health food store.
- If you desire a deeper yellow for your cheesecake, try adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp turmeric to the filling mixture.
- For the most accurate results and to replicate my recipe exactly, use grams when measuring ingredients.
- If you don’t have time to soak cashews overnight, place them in a pot of water, bring to boil then remove from heat. Allow about 2 hours and they should be soft enough to use the same day.
- Top with a dollop of Vegan Mascarpone Cheese for an extra special treat.
Still Hungry?
If you love vegan dessert recipes as much as I do, check out some of my favorites:
- Vegan Shortbread Cookies.
- Vegan Cranberry Muffins
- Apricot Chamomile Cream Popsicles
- Best Ever Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
- Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make this Lemon Raw Vegan Cheesecake, don’t forget to take a photo and tag it #veganvigilanteblog on Instagram. Please also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. As always, comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. But don’t be a meanie!
Vegan Lemon Cheesecake (No-Bake)
Ingredients
Walnut Date Crust
- 2 cups 250 g raw walnuts
- 6 large medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups 274 g cashews soaked overnight in water, then drained and rinsed
- 1.5 cups 120 g fresh apple peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 cup 236 ml melted coconut oil
- 1 cup 236 ml pure maple syrup grade A
- 1/2 cup 118 ml fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp 11 g nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp soy lecithin granules
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Make your walnut crust by adding walnuts to a food processor. Pulse a couple of times just to break the walnuts into small pieces, then add chopped dates, cinnamon and sea salt. Pulse again until the mixture is well-combined and begins to stick together.
- Line a 9-inch pan with plastic wrap, then add the walnut mixture to the crust.
- Using your fingers, press walnut mixture firmly over the entire bottom of pan and up sides.
- Next, make the lemon cheesecake filling by adding soaked cashews, chopped apple, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, nutritional yeast, soy lecithin and sea salt to a food processor. Pulse on high for several minutes until you get a lovely, creamy texture. Pour over crust and place in refrigerator overnight to chill thoroughly.
Notes
- I used a food processor to make this recipe. You can also use a high-speed blender, but I’m not certain if it will give you the same consistency for the lemon cheesecake filling.
- For best results, chill raw vegan cheesecake overnight in your refrigerator.
- The recipe calls for coconut oil. If you prefer a not-so-coconut flavor, you may try using raw cacao butter.
- You can purchase soy lecithin granules online or at a local health food store.
- If you desire a deeper yellow for your cheesecake, try adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp turmeric to the filling mixture.
- For the most accurate results and to replicate my recipe exactly, use grams when measuring ingredients.
- If you don’t have time to soak cashews overnight, place them in a pot of water, bring to boil then remove from heat. Allow about 2 hours and they should be soft enough to use the same day.
I tried it at home it is so yummy
You tried my recipe? Oh Simon thank you! That makes my day!!!