No-Bake Vegan Chai Cheesecake
Incredibly creamy, rich vegan cheesecake with a 2-ingredient date-walnut crust and creamy cashew-coconut filling with black tea and chai spices. The perfect comforting, naturally sweetened dessert for fall and beyond.
Servings 12 (Slices)
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup medjool dates (packed, pitted // pitted before measuring)
- 1 ½ cups raw walnuts (or sub raw almonds or rolled oats)
- 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
FILLING
- 1 ¾ cups raw cashews
- 2/3 cup boiling hot water
- 3 black tea bags or chai tea bags (we opted for 2 black tea bags for strong tea flavor + 1 tsp loose-leaf chai tea)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or cream (the higher the fat content, the creamier the cheesecake // we used Aroy-D coconut milk)
- 5 Tbsp maple syrup (plus more as needed to taste)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp chai spice mix (or see individual spices below* // plus more to taste)
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or melted refined coconut oil // adds more creaminess — if avoiding oil, omit)
- 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
FOR SERVING optional
Instructions
- Soak your cashews in very hot water for 30 minutes (or in cool water overnight or for at least 4-6 hours). Then rinse with cool water, drain well, and set aside.
- While cashews are soaking, bring a pot of water to a boil, then measure out 2/3 cup or 158 ml (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Add tea bags or loose leaf tea to 2/3 cup boiling water, cover, and steep for at least 30 minutes. This should result in a very strong tea infusion. Add more tea if the color is not deep and the flavor is not intense. When removing tea bags, be sure to squeeze/press out all the excess tea.
- While the tea and cashews are soaking, prepare a cheesecake pan (I prefer this 7-inch springform one, but round cake pans or loaf pans work as well) by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare crust by adding dates to a food processor and blending until small bits remain and it forms into a ball. Remove and set aside.
- To the food processor, add walnuts and salt (optional) and process into a meal. Then add dates back in and blend until a loose dough forms — it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing.
- Add crust to pan and press with fingers to distribute. To pack it down, use a small glass wrapped in parchment paper. Really press it down, and ensure the crust comes up the sides. Set in freezer to firm up.
- Add tea, soaked drained cashews, and all remaining filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until very creamy and smooth — about 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust sweetness/flavors as needed, adding more chai spice mix for spice/warmth, ginger for kick/zing, maple syrup for sweetness, or vanilla to taste.
- Transfer the filling into the crust and tap to remove air bubbles. Optional: Drizzle on a small amount of Vegan Caramel and swirl with a chopstick or knife to make a fun pattern.
- Transfer to freezer and freeze until firm — at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The day of serving, you can transfer to the refrigerator. If serving from freezer, set out at room temperature for at least 1 hour to thaw for easy slicing.
- Serve as is, or top with a generous amount of coconut whipped cream, drizzle of vegan caramel, and pinch of pumpkin pie spice (optional).
- Store leftover cheesecake in the freezer up to 1 month (well covered/sealed for freshness). Once it has been frozen, it can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 days. But that initial freeze is important for texture / firmness, so don’t skip.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*If you don’t have chai spice mix, sub 1 tsp ground cinnamon (cassia is best), 1 tsp ground ginger, heaping 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper (reduce by half for less spice), 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 healthy pinch ground clove (plus more to taste). (Measurements calculated as recipe is written / adjust as needed if altering serving size).
*Adapted from my Vegan Chai Ice Cream.
*If you don’t have chai spice mix, sub 1 tsp ground cinnamon (cassia is best), 1 tsp ground ginger, heaping 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper (reduce by half for less spice), 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 healthy pinch ground clove (plus more to taste). (Measurements calculated as recipe is written / adjust as needed if altering serving size).
*Adapted from my Vegan Chai Ice Cream.
Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)
Serving: 1 slice Calories: 323 Carbohydrates: 30.8 g Protein: 6 g Fat: 21.6 g Saturated Fat: 5 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.69 g Monounsaturated Fat: 7.2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 7 mg Potassium: 369 mg Fiber: 3.2 g Sugar: 21.5 g Vitamin A: 50 IU Vitamin C: 0.8 mg Calcium: 50 mg Iron: 2 mg