Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Simple, yet impressive, these vegan No-Bake Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars are so delicious! Made completely dairy-free, they are such a fun treat to make and eat! They start with a true cookie dough flavored almond flour crust, then a creamy cashew cheesecake layer, and finally a good drizzle of melted chocolate to finish it off. These raw treats are freezer-friendly as well, so make some for now and put away the rest for later!
Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake
I’m not sure you’d believe me if I tell you this, but these impressive-looking vegan cheesecake bars are so simple to make! And more than that, they also really taste like cookie dough cheesecake! The cookie dough crust is made from a few simple ingredients that are totally safe to eat because the dough doesn’t contain any eggs or flour, and it’s made in just one bowl. The cheesecake filling is made with blended cashews, which lends to a super silky and creamy feel without any dairy at all! And finally, it’s decorated with a little drizzle of chocolate and coconut oil. The whole thing needs to chill for a few hours before it’s ready to eat, but it’s so worth the wait. Plus, these vegan cheesecake bars freeze so well, so you can have a few treats now and some later!
Ingredients Needed
- Almond Flour
- Raw Unsalted Cashews
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Oil + Coconut Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Juice
- Sea Salt
- Chocolate Chips
How to Make a Raw and Vegan Cheesecake
So there are three main steps to making this recipe:
- Mixing together the cookie dough base
- Soaking the cashews and blending together the cheesecake filling
- Drizzling chocolate over the chilled cheesecake
Truly there is nothing here to do that is tricky or time-consuming, except the soaking of the cashews! And even that, we give you some tips for fast-tracking that step if you didn’t plan ahead in making this recipe!
The cookie dough is simply mixed together in a bowl, and then patted into an 8″ baking container. Next, you need to blend up all of the cheesecake filling ingredients until silky smooth. After you pour the cheesecake into the baking container, the cheesecake needs to chill for at least 4 hours. You can fast-track this by setting it in the freezer, but it will still take 1-2 hours to set.
And finally, it’s time to drizzle that chocolate! The chocolate can be melted using your preferred method, whether that be over a double-boiler or in the microwave. The chocolate is melted with coconut oil so it doesn’t harden too much, which makes the bars easier to eat.
Tips for Success with this Recipe
- If you don’t have time to soak cashews overnight, you can quickly “soak” them. To do so:
- Place cashews in a small pot and add enough water to cover by 2″.
- Bring cashews to a boil, and let cook for 5 minutes, making sure the water does not evaporate.
- Drain, rinse and let cool for a few minutes before use.
- Make sure you the cashew mixture is smooth! The recipe calls for a high-powered blender or food processor, but I’ve successfully made it with just a standard blender. This is the most important step in the cheesecake: to blend, blend, blend until you have a creamy and smooth cashew mixture!
- Instead of making these into cheesecake bars, you can make them into individual cheesecakes by using a muffin tin lined with silicone or parchment paper liners.
How to Serve and Store Vegan Cheesecake
This cheesecake gets soft when left at room temperature for too long. It is meant to be served chilled. It can be stored covered, in either the refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve the cheesecake from the freezer, let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes until soft enough to cut.
Watch the video here:
If you like this no-bake dessert recipe, check out these others:
- Chia Honey Lime Fruit Salad
- Chocolate Dessert Cups
- Healthy Nice Cream
- 2-Ingredient Strawberry Fruit Leather
Vegan Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Simple, yet impressive, these No-Bake Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars are so delicious! Made completely dairy-free, vegan and Paleo-friendly, they are such a fun treat to make and eat! They start with a true cookie dough flavored almond flour crust, then a creamy cashew cheesecake layer and finally a good drizzle of melted chocolate to finish it off. These raw treats are freezer-friendly as well, so make some for now and put away the rest for later!
Ingredients
For Cookie Dough Crust:
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
- Pinch Salt
For No-Bake Cheesecake:
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water overnight (see note)
- ½ cup warm water
- ⅓ cup coconut cream
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided (see note)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Pinch fine sea salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Directions
- Prepare an 8x8 baking dish with a parchment paper sling.
- Add almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extra, chocolate chips and salt to a medium bowl and mix together. Transfer mixture to the baking dish and pat down into an even thickness. Transfer dish to the freezer to sit while the filling is made.
- Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Add to the cashews to the basin of a high speed blender, along with the warm water, coconut cream, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon juice and salt. Blend until completely smooth, about 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour the filling on top of the crust and smooth it down. Transfer to the refrigerator for 4 hours, or the freezer for 2, to set.
- When ready to serve, melt chocolate chips and remaining coconut oil over a double-boiler (or using your preferred method). Drizzle over the cheesecakes, and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- If you don't have time to soak cashews overnight, you can quickly "soak" them. To do so: Place cashews in a small pot and add enough water to cover by 2". Bring cashews to a boil, and let cook for 5 minutes, making sure the water does not evaporate. Drain, rinse and let cool for a few minutes before use.
- This cheesecake gets soft when left at room temperature for too long. It is meant to be served chilled.
- It can be stored covered, in either the refrigerator (for up to 3 days) or the freezer for up to 1 month. To serve the cheesecake from the freezer, let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes until soft enough to cut.
- Recipe originally published in 2014, but updated with a new recipe and photos in 2020.
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46 Responses
These look SO amazing, I seriously could not believe the ingredients when I read them. You’re like a genius 🙂 I’m definitely pinning this for the next time I have a party or something to bring treats for!
Cannot wait to hear how you like them Kim!
Hi Lexi! Is the coconut oil in the recipe suppose to be melted before blended or left room temp? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Ali! Melted! Enjoy 🙂
Oh wow, and healthy also?
Was searching for some healthy recipe ideas when I came across your site.
Gosh, you’ve taken all the work and even have “meal plans”.
Gotta link to this site, from my “Eating healthy without the all the fuss” article.
Good stuff here – thanks for the awesome work!
Bradly
So…this is happening…REAL soon.
These look sensational! A recipe worth trying and keeping! Thanks for sharing
WOW. I don’t even have to taste these to know I’d eat the entire pan in one day and love every second of it haha.
Hahaha 🙂
Oh my can’t wait to try this, I’ve been experimenting with lactose-free cheesecakes recipes the last one I tried was made with Tofu and tasted amazing. Looking forward to this delicious cookie dough option.
P.S Visiting from the Northeast Bloggers link up, stop by and say hello:http://www.lush-fab-glam.com/2014/04/everyday-is-lingerie-day.html
Not sure how I feel about moderation…especially with these!
Hahaha =X
these look UNBELIEVABLE…I need to get on your photography level!
These look good enough to fool my husband into thinking they’re made with unhealthy ingredients! Ha!
Can I substitute agave for the maple syrup?
Yes!
Oh Lexi….I definitely love you for these. I saw these on IG and just about died. Healified cheesecake?! Sign me up!
These look delicious! I any wait to try making them!
Totally drooling right now! I can’t wait to give these ago, I can’t make any promises though on the not eating all of them at once! 🙂
These look absolutely fabulous. I LOVE cheesecake, but rarely eat it, so to make it healthified is right up my alley.
xx,
Elizabeth
http://www.adrian-james.com
I pinned this! It’s just genius! We are huge cookie dough fans in my house. Can’t wait to try these!
Wow! I need a batch of these asap, they look heavenly!
WOW you may have just changed my life!
The bars are adorable and they look to die for! I love that the crust is made with sunflower seeds and coconut oil, brilliant! Two of my favorite healthy things in such a yummy dessert treat 🙂
OMG! These sound (and look) awesome.
This recipe blows my mind. Cookie dough and healthy? I think I <3 you!
These cookie dough bars look amazing! Chances are I would totally be eating the “cookie dough” from the bowl before it could even turn into bars. haha.
Pinning!
Perfect experiment for “old guy tries to bake”!! I will replace some of the maple syrup with sugar free vanilla syrup and maple extract to reduce the carbs. I have sugar free chocolate I’ve made to sub for further carb reduction…Type 2 diabetes ya know…brilliant recipe!!
I am a huge cookie dough love and these look awesome! I am also cooking for a woman who recently went vegan, I think she might appreciate these!
I have coconut allergy and looking For desserts that are healthy and no sugar is very challenging. this may it! What can I substitute for coco. oil? And how would I do 1/8th of a batch as Im pretty likely gonna eat it all! ahah
These cookie dough cheesecake bars are amazing! They are so easy to make and even better to eat! I made these for a group of friends and they were all gone with in a few minutes — even my friends who are picky eaters loved them! I can’t wait to make this recipe again (maybe I won’t share next time!)
I made these last week and they were a huge hit for my Fiance’s colleagues at work and mine as well!! They taste exactly like what the title suggests, but without the bitter taste of guilt at the end!! I loved them so much I’m making them again tomorrow!! Thank you for your amazing recipes!!
Hi Lexi. Quick question on this one. I have some cashew cream cheese in my fridge (ingredients are cashew, acv, water, and lemon juice). I would like to use it up and these sound awesome. How would you suggest I go about incorporating that into this recipe? Are their any of the filling ingredients I can just add it to see how it comes out? I don’t want to have it all go to waste……hate when that happens.
What is the minimum amount of time you can get away with soaking the cashews? I am hoping to make these tonight if I can get away with soaking the cashews for just a few hours.
I’d say 4-6 hours, 4 might be pushing it but it may still be okay!
Hi Lexi. Made these today. They were, well, not really the cheesecake euphoria I was hoping for. You called for two cups cashews soaked. Maybe that was the problem. Is it two cups raw cashews, then soaked or two cups soaked cashews (I had over three cups post soak from two cups dry).
It is still is a good healthy snack, especially for little kids. I’m curious to read other reviewers results.
I appreciate the work you’ve put into your site.
Hi Janine,
They won’t taste like a cream-cheese based dessert, of course. Moreso a similar texture. I’m sorry you were hoping for more cheese-cake like flavor. It is two cups soaked for the recipe.
Lexi
Could you use macadamia nuts (or some other nut) instead of cashews? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it with any other nut, so I can’t be sure. Cashews get super creamy, but another may work. Good luck!
These goodies were absolutely delicious and so decadent-tasting, it was hard to believe they were super-healthy too! You are truly a clean-eating kitchen genius!
Can you substitute something for the coconut oil?
Hey! What kind of flour are you using in this recipe? Almond? Coconut? Other?
Hey there Lexi,
First I would like to compliment you with your wonderfull blog! I really enjoy going trough your recipes and you write very enjoyable!
I am a foodie from the Netherlands and I made these amazing delicious bars today… Really… They are Ge-Wel-Dig as we dutch people say 🙂
I added a bit of fresh (home made) almond flour in to the crust and a bit of vanilla protein powder to the filling to make them a perfect post workout desert!
I really love ‘m!
Thank you so much for sharing and you have fans all over the world 😛
I assume you can sub honey for maple syrup?
Yes.
I’m allergic to cashews. Any substitues?