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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - August 17, 2018 By Rhian Williams 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake is seriously indulgent yet secretly healthy. It's rich and creamy, tangy and perfectly sweet.

    Photo of a sliced chocolate cheesecake topped with dark chocolate shavings against a grey background

    Why you'll love this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake:

    • it's rich and creamy
    • it's sweet and tangy
    • it's seriously chocolatey
    • it's oil-free 
    • it's grain-free and gluten-free
    • it's refined sugar free
    • it's paleo
    • it's easy to make
    • all you'll need to make it is one food processor
    • it comes together in 20 minutes 
    • it's no-bake and doesn't require any cooking 
    • its taste and texture remains unchanged for up to a few days
    • it's perfect for entertaining!

    How to make this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

    You'll need to use a food processor to make both the crust and the filling - don't worry, there's no need to wash it out in between.

    To make the crust, just pulse together dates, walnuts and a pinch of salt, and press it into a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin using your fingertips. Using a springform baking tin will make your job so much better later on, as it'll make the cheesecake easier to remove.

    Tip: Placing a circle of baking paper on the bottom of the baking tin before you add the crust will prevent the crust from sticking, also making it much easier to remove.

    Photo of a brown cheesecake crust in a silver baking tin against a marble background taken from above

    You can make the filling in the same food processor - the base is soaked cashew nuts, which create a luxuriously creamy, velvety texture, as well as a pleasantly neutral flavour.

    Coconut yogurt adds extra creaminess, as well as a fermented taste reminiscent of cream cheese, whilst lemon juice adds extra tanginess.

    A tiny amount of cacao butter helps the cheesecake to firm up, as well as adding extra richness and chocolate flavour.

    Photo of chocolate cheesecake filling in a food processor taken from above

    Once the filling is done, just pour it into the baking tin and place in the fridge for at least a few hours until it's firmed up.

    Photo of a bare chocolate cheesecake in a silver baking tin against a marble background

    Then you can decorate it with cacao nibs or dark chocolate shavings!

    Photo of a round chocolate cheesecake topped with dark chocolate shavings on a pink plate taken from above

    Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

    • the dates in the crust can be substituted with dried figs or dried apricots (although the flavour will be affected slightly)
    • the walnuts in the crust can be substituted with almonds, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds or desiccated coconut
    • the coconut yogurt in the filling can be substituted with any other type of plant-based yogurt
    • the cacao butter in the filling can be omitted or substituted with coconut oil

    Photo of a slice of chocolate cheesecake topped with dark chocolate shavings on a white plate covered in small pink flowers

    HOW LONG DOES THIS CHOCOLATE Cheesecake KEEP FOR?

    This Chocolate Cheesecake keeps well covered in the fridge for a good few days and its taste and texture will remain unchanged, which means it’s a great dessert for entertaining as it’s perfect for preparing in advance.

    Photo of a sliced chocolate cheesecake topped with dark chocolate shavings against a grey background

    MORE GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN NO-BAKE DESSERTS:

    • Blueberry Cheesecake
    • Chocolate Silk Pie
    • Peanut Butter Pie
    • Healthy Snickers Ice Cream Bites
    • Key Lime Pie
    • Chocolate Pudding Pots

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

    This Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake is seriously indulgent yet secretly healthy. It's rich and creamy, tangy and perfectly sweet.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: paleo cheesecake, vegan cheesecake, vegan chocolate cheesecake
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 206kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the crust:

    • 65 g (½ cup) walnuts (or sub almonds, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds or desiccated coconut)
    • 90 g (½ cup) pitted dates
    • Pinch salt

    For the filling:

    • 150 g (1 cup) raw cashew nuts (soaked overnight in cold water or in boiling water for 10 minutes)
    • 150 g (¾ cup) coconut yogurt (or any other plant-based yogurt)
    • 10 g (0.35 oz) cacao butter *
    • 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • Pinch salt

    To decorate (optional):

    • Dark chocolate shavings or cacao nibs

    Instructions

    For the crust:

    • Grease a springform tin (I used a 18 cm/7 inch springform tin) and line with a circle of baking paper on the bottom
    • Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and blitz until you get a crust that easily sticks together but that still has some texture
    • Place the crust along the bottom of the springform tin, pressing down with your fingers, the back of a spoon or the bottom of a small cup or glass to make it as compact as possible
    • Place in the fridge while you make the rest

    For the filling:

    • In the same food processor (no need to wash it out), add all the ingredients for the cheesecake and whizz until completely smooth
    • Taste and adjust amount of maple syrup or lemon juice if necessary
    • Place the filling on top of and place back in fridge until completely set (will take up to a few hours)
    • Sprinkle over chocolate shavings or cacao nibs, if desired
    • Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

    Notes

    *If you’re blender isn’t very powerful, you’ll need to melt the cacao butter first before adding it
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 206 Calories from Fat 108
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 12g18%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Sodium 5mg0%
    Potassium 236mg7%
    Carbohydrates 22g7%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 14g16%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin C 3.2mg4%
    Calcium 50mg5%
    Iron 1.5mg8%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

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    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Becky

      August 18, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      Love it love it love it

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        August 18, 2018 at 7:29 pm

        Thank you so much!

    2. Tracey

      August 18, 2018 at 9:09 pm

      Hi,

      Looking forward to trying this recipe but i don't like cashew nuts, is there anything else i could use instead please?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        August 18, 2018 at 11:23 pm

        Hi, thank you! To make it without cashews you could use the filling for my Chocolate Silk Pie recipe instead: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/vegan-chocolate-silk-pie-gluten-free/ hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

    3. Rhian L

      August 19, 2018 at 6:28 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not vegan, but this was suggested on my homepage, and your link caught my eye. My name is Rhian (pronounced Ryan). I've never randomly encountered someone with it spelled that way lol. That's all! Made my day, lol.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        August 19, 2018 at 7:56 pm

        Haha that's funny! It's always nice to meet another Rhian, thanks for stopping by! 🙂

    4. Leslie

      August 21, 2018 at 12:24 pm

      I’m wondering if there’s a quick way to convert to US measurements. Grams to Cups? Is there an option on your site?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        August 21, 2018 at 1:54 pm

        Yes - please click the 'US customary' button underneath the ingredients and you can switch between metric and US measurements!

    5. Vanesa

      January 01, 2019 at 4:04 pm

      5 stars
      Hello there !

      This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful!

      Would it be alright to leave the cake inside of the freezer and eat it next day ?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        January 02, 2019 at 5:43 am

        Thank you so much! Yes you can keep it in the freezer then let it thaw for around 30 minutes before cutting into it and serving. It also keeps covered in the fridge for a good few days!

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    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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