Raw graham cracker crust + rich, creamy, and decadent cheesecake filling + jammy berry swirls = this no-bake vegan strawberry & blueberry swirl cheesecake.
With just 10 days separating us from the 4th of July, I wanted to whip up a festive red, white, and blue treat to share with you. After a Sunday evening recipe planning session, I landed on the idea of a no-bake cheesecake with a crisp pecan crust + blueberry and strawberry swirls. Sounded absolutely perfect on paper and in my mind.
Only problem?
Blueberries take on a purple hue when blended, and strawberries take on a pink hue when blended.
For a hot June minute, I considered reworking this dessert concept into something entirely different, but then a bit of magic came out of my food processor...
...the cheesecake filling.
It's creamy, rich, and has the perfect cheese-like tang from the addition of fresh lemon juice and tahini. The tahini offers that extra something special in this no-bake, raw (if you use raw tahini), and vegan dessert; it takes it from cheesecake-like to knock-your-socks-off, I-can't-believe-there's-no-cheese-in-there cheesecake. What a mouthful.
So, rather than working against nature, I rolled with the pastel punches. I did greet a thought or two about Care Bears while gently folding in those pinkish and purplish swirls, but that just made it all the more fun. I think Tenderheart Bear and maybe even Grumpy Bear would approve of this cheesecake.
The crust is made with just four raw ingredients: dried mulberries, pecans, coconut sugar, and buckwheat groats. After processing them into a crumbly, stick-together mixture in a food processor, you'll press the crust into a springform pan before chilling it to set. As the crust sets, it takes on a crisp texture that resembles a baked graham cracker crust in look, taste, and feel. It's absolutely delicious and something I wouldn't mind eating all on its own.
While the crust is setting, you'll make the blueberry and strawberry sauce by blending both berries (separately) with dates, water, and chia seeds. The chia seeds help thicken and stabilize the sauce so that it can be swirled into the filling. Speaking of that filling...
The cheesecake filling is made by blending or processing coconut cream, soaked cashews, dates, lemon juice, tahini, and sea salt until super smooth and creamy. I know I already mentioned it, but this filling is just like the "real" thing. The tahini adds a rich, cheese-like tang and the fresh lemon juice brightens everything up. The coconut cream and cashews offer a decadent texture and flavor, while the medjool dates lend sweetness and a fluffy quality to the filling. Once your filling is made, you'll pour it over the crust. Then, you'll dot the top of it with teaspoons of the strawberry and blueberry sauce before taking a toothpick and swirling to your heart's content.
After two hours of chill time in the freezer, you'll have a richly-decadent cheesecake with bright pops of (pastel) red, white, and blue. Once it's set, store it in the refrigerator to maintain a perfect cheesecake texture. I recommend serving each slice with an extra drizzle or two of the blueberry and strawberry sauces + fresh or thawed frozen berries.
📖 Recipe
No-Bake Vegan Strawberry & Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake with Crisp Pecan Crust
Ingredients
Crisp Pecan Crust
- 1 ¼ cups dried mulberries
- ¾ cup raw pecans
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup raw buckwheat groats
Blueberry Swirl
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or thawed frozen bluberries
- 3 medjool dates, pitted and soaked for at least 8 hours
- ½ cup filtered water
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
Strawberry Swirl
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, pitted or thawed frozen cherries
- 2 medjool dates, pitted and soaked for at least 8 hours
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat coconut milk, chilled (see notes)*
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 8 hours
- ¾ cup pitted and packed medjool dates, soaked in water for at least 8 hours
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini**
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Crisp Pecan Crust
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. I like to pop out the bottom of the pan, place a piece of parchment paper over it, and use kitchen shears to cut out a circle. Then, lightly grease the sides of the pan with coconut oil.
- In a food processor, combine the mulberries, pecans, and coconut sugar and process until the mixture begins to clump together. Add in the buckwheat groats and process another minute or until the groats are coarsely chopped and the mixture begins to clump together again. You want it to be crumbly yet sticky so that when pressed together between your fingers it clumps but is able to crumble back to its original form. If your crust mixture isn't sticking together, add in more dried mulberries, ¼ cup at a time, until it holds together. Scoop the mixture into the springform pan and use your hands to press the mixture evenly into the bottom. To smooth out the edges, you can use the back of a tablespoon to press the crust firmly into the pan. Freeze for 20 minutes to set.
Blueberry and Strawberry Swirl
- Meanwhile, make the blueberry swirl by adding all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blending until smooth. Pour the blueberry swirl into a small bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes to thicken. Repeat with the strawberries. (note: you'll notice that the blueberry swirl requires more dates, water, and chia seeds than the strawberry swirl. This is necessary to achieve the correct texture).
Cheesecake Filling
- Meanwhile, make the filling by combining all ingredients in a food processor and processing until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes, so be patient as it processes.
- Once the crust has set, pour the filling into it and gently drop the pan on a firm surface several times to smooth out the surface of the filling.
- To make the swirl, use a teaspoon to dot the the blueberry and strawberry on top of the cheesecake (note: you'll only need to use a few tablespoons of each, and you'll reserve the remainder for serving). Use the pointy end of a chopstick or a toothpick to swirl the sauce into the cheesecake. If you want bold swirls like pictured, go easy on your swirling; however, if you want fine, thread-like swirls, swirl to your heart's content. Clear out a flat space in your freezer and place the pan on a baking sheet to make for easy transport. Freeze for 2 hours or until the cheesecake layer has set.
- Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- When serving, top with the strawberry and blueberry sauce and fresh strawberries and blueberries, if desired.
Notes
**To make this cheesecake raw, use raw tahini.
***To simplify the soaking, I like combine the cashews and dates for the filling in one airtight container, cover with water, and soak for 8 hours or overnight. You can also add 5 additional dates into the container for the blueberry and strawberry swirl and remove them to blend with each fruit.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I've never liked cheesecake (but then again, that was years ago before I was vegan) so...I should try this loveliness!
lynsey | lynseylovesfood says
omg you blew my mind with tahini... but then dried mulberries in the crust. LOVE!! so beautiful too. I feel like celebrating the fourth just to make this!! xo
Rosanna says
WOW!!!.. I haven't read your entire post because I just wanted to let you know my mind has been blown away!!! The pictures of this dessert are so spectacular I am speechless!!! Can't talk right now!
Joelle says
I have everything except mulberries and live in the middle of nowhere so no real chance to get any. Any other suggestions? I have dried cherries, cranberries, dates, apricots and apples.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Cut me a slice now! This cheesecake looks amazing. So patriotic too - perfect for the upcoming 4th!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Wow what a pretty cheesecake! I love the swirls, and the natural colors too :)
Tracy says
This looks AMAZING! I don't think I can wait until the 4th to make it, will be going on my 'to-make' list for this weekend! :-)
Sarah | Well and Full says
I LOVE the swirl on this cheesecake!! I might make this for 4th of July... my dad's not vegan, and he's never really interested in trying new foods (bummer, I know), but this is so patriotic it might just win him over ;)
Jennifer {Peppers and Peaches} says
I am definitely trying the tahini addition to this cheesecake! I don't know why I have never thought to do that! Yum!
Celeste Jackson says
This looks beautiful and delicious...I'll be making this soon!
Joelle says
I made this today. Sort of. I don't like strawberries, so I used raspberries. And I couldn't get mulberries, so I used dried apricots. It's in the freezer now. Individually, each element tasted great so I think it will be good all together. I'll give you a final report. I do want to say it's easier to make than it looks, and also mine turned out almost as nice looking as yours, which I didn't think would happen!
Joelle says
Tasted fantastic. I was afraid it'd be too sweet because I don't love dates (too sweet), but it was perfect. And my husband, who gave up sugar 2 months ago, had his first dessert in all that time and is in love with it! Thanks.
Brittany says
That looks amazing! I can't wait to try this!
Ashley says
Thanks so much, Brittany! I hope you enjoy it!
Benny says
The recipe looks AMAZING, but I don't use tahini. What do you think I should do as a replacer?
Ashley says
Thanks, Benny! I would probably just omit the tahini if you don't use it as other seed butters/nut butters won't offer the same cheese-like tang.
Bethany says
I experimented and made this for a friend hoping that maybe it would be good enough to pass on to my in-laws. We loved it, and the crust is delicious however, it's not quiet cheesecake. The tahini flavor was a bit stronger that I thought but the texture was perfect. I think I'm still going to make it again but when I serve it to my in-laws I'm going to have to change the name because I know 'vegan cheesecake' will get nothing but turned up noses and total refusals, so they will be getting a 'Berry Tart with Mulberry Pecan Crust and Blueberry Puree'. Wala! Good enough to eat!
Efi says
Thanks for the recipe.
Something is not 100% clear to me
You wrote "*You'll want to chill a can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream overnight. Then, open the can and scoop off the thick cream at the top of the can and measure only that, excluding the watery liquid."
For the cheesecake filling I need 1 1/4 cups of that. So I should buy a few cans?
Thank you :)
Ashley says
Hi, Efi! It depends on the brand of coconut milk you use. I often use Trader Joe's coconut cream, and one can contains more than 1 1/4 cups; however, other brands contain less and will likely require two cans to get the full amount. Hope this helps and enjoy!
Efi says
Do you blend it so it will become liquid so you can actully measure it?
Ashley says
Hi, Efi! You'll want to scoop it into a measuring cup rather than pouring it. It's important to get just the thick cream off the top!
Efi says
I understand. just saying its not really accurate as its not liquid... Hope you understand :)
Ashley says
Do you mind me asking where you live? Think that might be where the confusion is coming in (if you're outside the U.S., that is), because we have liquid cup measurements and also cup measurements for "solids" (e.g., flours, sugars, butter, etc.).
Christina Muscat says
Hi, I'd like to make this cheesecake as I have all ingredients at hand. Will the tahini s taste be overpowering?
Ashley says
Hi, Christina! Not at all! The tahini adds a very subtle taste that contributes to the overall flavor but doesn’t stand out on its own.
Tom says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I have tried several other plant based cheesecake recipes and didn't like any of them. But I also hated using processed Tofutti cream cheese, even though it makes a good cheesecake. Your plant based cheesecake is a winner! I didn't have access to dried mulberries, so I made a crust of ground almonds, dates and applesauce, it worked just fine. I would agree with other commentors that it isn't quite cheesecake, but it IS a super tasty dessert! I think maybe adding a bit more lemon juice and some lemon zest to the filling might give it more of that cheesecake flavor. I'm curious as to why my filling is more brown than yours. Nevertheless, this is a terrific dessert and I'm eager to try more of your recipes!
Ashley says
Hi, Tom! I'm so glad you're enjoying the cheesecake. The filling can become a bit beige in color if left in the freezer much longer than two hours. I'm sure there are other reasons, too, but this is one I've definitely noticed. Thanks for taking time out of your day to comment with your thoughts and adjustments. Means so much.