No-Bake Chocolate Gluten-Free Cheesecake {vegan}

No-Bake Chocolate Gluten-Free Cheesecake is made with coconut yogurt, cocoa powder, gluten-free oats, Medjool dates, coconut shreds, and dairy-free chocolate.  A silky and smooth cheesecake texture minus the dairy and the crust has the most perfect texture chilled and unchilled.  There will be no leftovers.

This No-bake Chocolate Gluten-Free Cheesecake is probably the most decadent dessert I’ve ever eaten in my life!  And it happens to be dairy, nut-free & vegan. While it might be the ugliest cake you have ever seen, the taste makes it oh so worth it.

Trust me!  Your family, your friends, your friends – friends, your family’s friends and so on will all DIE from this amazing cake!  It’s like a cross between an “ice-cream” cake and a cheesecake!

It’s hard to choose between the crust and the filling because both elements are beyond to die for!  That one slice you say you will only have will turn into you eating the whole thing or at least half – and not half of the piece…HALF OF THE CAKE!

I can’t take full credit for this delicious raw cheesecake of amazingness!  I adapted this recipe from (at) Lilsipper ‘s Instagram recipe.  Her’s used a pita bread crust, and if you’re as gluten-free savvy as I am, you’d know that it’s hard to find a good flexible gluten-free pita.  And it’s harder to find one in my case because of all my OTHER food limitations.  So I dipped into my blog archives remembering I had once made a raw gluten-free & nut-free crust and decided to use that, which personally I’m super glad about how it came out – it was honestly to die for. Like To. Die. For. (at) Lilsipper also made her version with dairy/Greek Yogurt to be exact, and since dairy & I are are still not friends I made this version with Coconut yogurt.  I personally love Anita’s Coconut Yogurt (grab that at Whole Foods).  So I made some alterations to this delicious no-bake cake, and it was still out of this freaking world!!

Let’s just say my mom’s tiny sliver turned into the remainder of the cake.  It went something like this – Mom was stopping by so it was perfect because she could be the last person to taste test this dessert.  So she arrives saying she’ll only take a bit as I’m handing her about 1/2 of a mini 4-inch cake.  She’s like “Oh Julie this is too much, I won’t eat this all”.  I’m like “okay”.  (fully knowing since eating the cakes (yes cakes) that, that was total B.S.)  So I say it’s not an issue, that I can give the leftovers to my friends.  Then about 15 minutes go by and she’s like “Wow Julie this cake is so good, I don’t think you can give the leftovers to your friends, it’s just so good”.  Duh, mom.  Duh.  I say.

There were NO leftovers any of the times these cakes were made, and I made about 9!  And every person that tasted it was blown away and wanted more.  I think we should call this cake magical!!

NO-BAKE CAKE BENEFITS 

Something like this that is so healthy can taste oh so good and have nutritional and body benefits for your health.  That’s the kind of food you should be looking to eat.  The ones that will fuel you.

Removing dairy from this cake was #1 because dairy is super inflammatory and terrible for people with a poor immune system, anyone with tummy issues, a person who is healing their gut, anyone with an allergy, and any person on an elimination diet through functional medicine and those with certain chronic conditions and autoimmune diseases.  The benefit of removing dairy is great for those who want to reduce body inflammation, acne breakouts, stomach issues, puffiness, getting sick.  Some people thrive off dairy and get sick less, fewer sinus infections, fewer skin conditions, fewer ear infections, less sore throats.  Less.

It’s No-Bake.  I never knew the hype behind raw desserts, until I made one.  I had once eaten raw desserts many years ago and thought they were gross, so it all depends who’s making it before you judge it.  No-bake is great because you can eat the batter and not worry about salmonella.  Heck, you can even eat the whole batter.  Not cooking any of the components and eating them raw keeps their highest and purest amount of minerals and nutrition intact in the food.  It keeps the food alive, allowing the nutrients to get directly into your body.

It’s Refined Sugar Free! BOOM.  Now, I know so many people don’t know what the difference is between refined sugar and refined sugar-free, and most don’t think there is a difference.  Sugar is sugar.  Yes, but not really.  Pure maple syrup or Medjool Dates are going to react differently in your body than consuming white cane sugar.  Artificial sugars, dyes, artificial flavors all contain sugar but they also all contain chemicals.  Sugar is also highly addictive so it’s best to treat your body with sugar on the occasion, like dessert!  And since this crust only uses dates, and this filling uses a small amount of maple syrup, I’m here to tell you that THIS is right up your alley if you’re looking for low sugar but still want a cake.

So, Are you ready to make beautiful music together?

Print Recipe

No-Bake Gluten-Free Cheesecake {Vegan}

No-Bake Chocolate Gluten-Free Cheesecake is made with coconut yogurt, cocoa powder, gluten-free oats, Medjool dates, coconut shreds, and dairy-free chocolate.  A silky and smooth cheesecake texture minus the dairy and the crust has the most perfect texture chilled and unchilled.  There will be no leftovers.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Total Time8 hrs 40 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, healthy, Nut-Free, Vegan

Keyword: alternative milk, cheesecake, crust, dark chocolate, no-bake, oat crust

Servings: 10

Author: Julie Rosenthal

Equipment

• double boiler or microwave
• spring foam pans, size varies
• food processor

Ingredients

CRUST

• 16 whole Medjool dates, soaked
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup certified gluten-free oats
• 2 pinches pink mineral salt or sea salt

CHEESECAKE FILLING

• 1/2 cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp coconut oil solid
• 3 cups dairy-free unsweetened yogurt I like Anita's and Coyo

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp solid coconut oil

Instructions

CRUST

• Soak 16 pitted Medjool Dates in warm/hot water for 4-8 hours. Then drain and discard the water. Set aside.
• Add 1 cup of gluten-free oats to a food processor and process until the consistency is almost flour-like and flaky. Then transfer the oats to a bowl and set aside.
• Drain dates and add them to the food processor and blend until the texture is smooth and creamy and the color looks more golden or caramel-like.  You will know when the color changes.
• Slowly feed the oats, shredded coconut, and salt into the food processor and process till well blended.
• Grease a 3 inch – 7-inch round spring foam pan or pans and press the crust mixture into the pan. Then freeze the crust for 2-3 hours.

CHEESECAKE

• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave, then stir in coconut oil and mix well.
• Pour dairy-free yogurt & chocolate sauce into a blender and blend till the color is even.  DO NOT ADD WATER!  If you do, your cake will be rock hard!
• Pour filling in the pan over the hardened crust and freeze overnight.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

• Remove from freezer 1/2 hour before you are ready to serve and unlatch the spring foam pan and drizzle melted chocolate on top by melting the chocolate and coconut oil together. Once you pour it on the cake it will harden.
• Let the cake defrost either in the fridge or on the countertop.  The crust is the first to soften while the top takes a long time to defrost.  Use a very sharp knife to cut. If you can’t wait for the defrost period, simply grab it with both hands and go at it Flintstone style.  

Notes

The first time I made this I used a 9 inch pan, the second and third times I used 3 pans each time, two that were 3 inch and one that was 4 inch. // If you cannot use coconut oil you can use Ghee. //  If you cannot use coconut yogurt you can use dairy-yogurt or any other plant based yogurt of choice, unsweetened. // My only caveat to this recipe is that it take a long time to defrost, and I’m usually eating the crust with a fork before the filling even enters my mouth, but it’s so good I don’t mind.  I’m letting you know that the defrost time is key for this cake. // 

Love & No-Bake cakes!