Pink vegan cheesecake recipe made creamy with cashews, and pink by fresh beet juice. Add in lemon for extra zing. Dairy free, easy to make, gluten free and delicious anytime, but especially for holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. And easy to slice really, just heat the knife!
Pink Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
Have you heard of pink vegan cheesecake? It’s delicious, yes, rivaling conventional dairy-based cheesecake, but it is also healthy, full of the nutrition from cashews and beets.
And this recipe is so beautiful, it is perfect for holidays such as birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or a festive Sunday brunch. Or, just because you want a pink cake.
They are pretty easy to make and are a lovely addition to any brunch or dinner table, whether for a pink holiday or not.
No bake desserts like this are a great way to introduce the wholesome goodness of vegan recipes. This particular recipe is extra creamy because of a touch of coconut milk, a bonus superfood that adds nutrients that support digestion, battle disease and slow aging.
How to Make This Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
The night before, soak dates and cashews.
On baking day, grease the two inside ends of your loaf pan. I use a 8-12-inch loaf pan. Insert a parchment paper into your loaf pan so it overhangs each side. I use the 8×12-inch size to have the best overhang. If your loaf pan is bigger, be sure to grease the inside sides as well.
Add walnuts, soaked dates and shredded coconut to a food process and just combine into a sticky dough.
Pour the mixture into the pan, and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Freeze and make filling.
Drain and rinse cashews and dates. Pit the dates. Add both and other filling ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour on crust, tap pan to even surface, and freeze for 6 hours. Slice and serve.
Questions About This Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
- Can I replace the walnuts in the crust?
- Yes, you can use macadamias, or even more soaked cashews, but the crust will be creamier.
- Can I remove the coconut from the crust and filling?
- You can completely just leave it off the crust. If you don’t want a coconut flavor to the filling, you could try to use oat milk or hemp milk, the kind sold off the shelf in a box. The mixture might be a bit more icy though, and less creamy.
- Can I make this recipe in cupcake cups?
- Yes! Just use paper liners. This is wonderfully easy because you won’t have to slice the cake.
Is This Vegan Cheesecake Recipe Easy to Make?
What do I love best about this particular recipe is that it works. Every. Single. Time.
Haha, I know that is a pretty bold statement and recipes are often hard to replicate because of differences in temperature, equipment and ingredient brands and condition, but stilllll…. I can replicate it and I think you can too!
And the ingredient list is not too intimidating, and the only equipment you need is a loaf pan, a high-speed blender or processor, and a sharp knife that you dip in boiling hot water before slicing.
Now, I really recommend serving these sliced, and I provide a detailed slicing-how-to so you can get the texture you see in my photography.
BUT. I realize slicing is hard, it depends on the temperature of the cake at the time, and the heat and sharpness of the knife. So you can always use a mold. I think this one might work well. Or this one.
Either way, let me know if you do re-create, I’d love to see it.
Interested in more pink recipes?
Buzzfeed “Pretty In Pink” Mornings
Vegan White Chocolate
2-ingredient Strawberry Protein Pre-Workout Bites
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Pink Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp lemon rind
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups cashews (raw, soaked overnight and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk (Use a can, BPA-free, room-temperature, shake before using)
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
Healthy Pink Food Dye
- 1 beet 1-2 slices
- 1/4 cup boiling water
Useful Equipment
- Half-sheet parchment paper
- High Speed Blender
- OR
- 7-cup Food processor
Instructions
Prep
- Soak overnight in water the cashews, rinse, drain and set aside.
Soak overnight in water the Medjool dates, rinse, drain, pit and set aside.Make the healthy pink food coloring by boiling water, and adding the beet slices to the water. Turn off the stove and let the beets steep for 10 minutes. Drain, keep the pink water refrigerated for one week. Use 1 tbsp for this recipe, perhaps a bit more if you want a deeper pink.Line an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper so two sides overhang.
Make the Base
- Add base ingredients to a food processor (or high speed blender) and process until blended roughly - don't blend until creamy, you want a shredded texture.
- Press the mixture into the parchment-lined loaf pan. I use the bottom of a glass greased with melted coconut oil to carefully flatten the surface, making the crust layer even. Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
Make the Filling
- Blend cashews and all filling ingredients until very, very smooth. Add 1-2 tbsp of beet coloring liquid.
- Once the mixture is smooth and pink as you like it. You might want to taste-test for sweetness. Then pour mixture over crust, cover the pan loosely with a cloth (not touching the wet surface) to avoid freezer burn, and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Slicing How-To
- To cut the slices, take the cake out of the pan and set it on a flat surface. Heat a very sharp smooth knife in a large pot of boiling water. Have a cloth nearby to wipe the knife between cuttings and between dips in water.
- To cut slices, dip the knife in the boiling water until hot. Quickly wipe off the water and slice one slice. Wipe the knife off of cake residue, and dip back in the water to heat it again. Repeat the process. You can get 16 (2-inch) square slices.To serve formally for special occasions, first cut the sides cleanly, reserving the leftover edges in the freezer to eat as a secret treat, haha. This formal method leaves you with 4 perfect rectangular slices each 3 1/2 inches wide by 2 inches. That is the slice you see in the photograph above.
Store slices
- Refrigerate after slicing and eat with in 3 days OR freeze them, but be sure to keep them in an air-tight container to prevent them from drying out and cracking. If you freeze, let them thaw at least 20 minutes before eating to allow the texture to resemble cheese cake! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients . On this blog you’ll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in biology, immunology and journalism. More about Dee Dine here.
nicole (thespicetrain.com)
These look SO delicious!
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Nicole, thank you so very much! Have a great new year, Dee xx
Debbie
Thank you so much Kelli!! Dee xx.
sibel
I think these would be gone in no time at my house!Looks so colorful and yummy! Thank you for the post!!
Debbie
They did go fast here too! Thank you for stopping by, Sibel! Have a great day! Dee xx.