These no-bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars are perfect for your summer-time sweet tooth. Not only are they easy to make, with no heat required, but are also naturally sweetened, making them guilt-free as well.
I had a lemon dessert recipe that I’d wanted to make for a while, but I try not to make sweets all that often and usually wait for a holiday. When Father’s Day rolled around, I saw it as a perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, when I read over the recipe I’d saved, I realized it actually used the oven, and that just wasn’t going to work for me. There’s a time, and there’s a day, but this wasn’t it. So instead, I went to my drawing board and starting creating a recipe of my own.
I woke up early on Father’s Day and before starting brunch, whipped up these cool, sweet bars of deliciousness. My husband wouldn’t have known about them either if I hadn’t posted on Instagram. Oops! Lol! Silly of me to assume he wouldn’t check. Regardless, it was still a pleasant surprise, just came a little bit early.
I used a standard no-bake cheesecake crust with almonds and dates made into a dough in the food processor. I then blended pre-soaked cashews and coconut cream with some more standard no-bake cheesecake ingredients: coconut oil, a little vanilla, maple syrup as the sweetener, and a lot more lemon than you’d use for another flavor cheesecake.
After the filling is poured above the crust and some lemon zest is shaved on, these then go in the freezer a few hours to firm up, get removed to defrost some and slice, then put into the refrigerator to finish defrosting. Like I said, simple and delicious!
A friend of mine saw the picture I posted on Instagram, which I took just before putting these in the freezer. She got really excited! Loves cheesecake, isn’t supposed to have dairy, and is a huge fan of everything lemon. Once finding out her birthday was only a couple days later, I took the last two bars and cut them into six bite-sized squares, then boxed them up for a little birthday treat.
The result? Not only did she refuse to share, but she was also super excited that they were both delicious and didn’t make her tummy hurt afterward like she was used to from cheesecakes. Win!
When you make these delicious bars, remember to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @veggiesattiffanis.
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw almonds
- 3/4 cup pitted dates
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked in water overnight, or at least 4 hours
- 1/2 cup coconut cream put a can of coconut milk in refrigerator overnight and scoop out the firm part, this is the cream (I save the liquid and use it for smoothies!)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup lemon juice ~3 lemons
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest from one lemon
Instructions
- Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray (or rub) the sides not covered with oil. Make sure to leave enough parchment paper sticking out on each end to be able to grab and lift out the cheesecake later.
- Put the first three ingredients in the food processor and pulse until a dough can be formed. If too dry add more dates and if too moist add more almonds. Press the dough into the bottom of your loaf pan to create a crust. Place in refrigerator.
- Set aside the lemon zest, and place all other remaining ingredients to your high-speed blender. If you do not have a high-speed blender, so long as you've soaked the cashews overnight, a regular blender, or even your food processor should work. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
- Remove your crust from the refrigerator and pour the cheesecake mixture on top. Smooth top with a silicone spatula to make as flat and even as possible. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Place in freezer for about 3 hours, or until firm.
- Pull cheesecake from freezer and let sit at room temperature until you are able to easily remove from loaf pan by lifting up the sides of the parchment paper, about 1 hour. Using a sharp knife, slice into 6 bars. Now place back into refrigerator (I'd put them on a plate or in a larger container pan at this point), and allow to continue defrosting, if needed. If in a hurry you can leave them at room temperature, but if left for too long they with get too soft, so keep an eye on them. They're now ready to enjoy!