Rich, creamy vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! An easy no-bake recipe sweetened only with Medjool dates. You’ll want some stashed in your freezer all season long!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS®
When it comes to pumpkin desserts, there is not much I love more than pie. But then these No-Bake Pumpkin Medjool Cheesecake Bars happened. And now I am rethinking everything – what is the best pumpkin dessert? can cheesecake be a breakfast food? my life as a whole?
Reasons these bars might be better than pumpkin pie:
- No bake, which saves electricity and saves time until eating.
- Ultra rich creamy texture. Pie just can’t compete with the lusciousness of yogurt and cashews combined.
- Sweet, spiced, and a little tangy from the yogurt. Lots going on here.
- The easiest crust EVER (one ingredient!)
I mean jury’s still out, but things are looking pretty promising for cheesecake.
These pumpkin cheesecake bars were eaten demolished alarmingly fast from my freezer, and to help cope with that loss I’m going to tell you all about them…
The crust. Okay this part is very exciting, because like I said ONE INGREDIENT PEOPLE. And that single special ingredient is Natural Delights® Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date Rolls.
Sweet sticky Medjool dates in lincoln log shape infused with fall spices and coated with pecans? Um hi, hello, good luck not eating them all before you even get a chance to cheesecake. But think about it, Medjool dates, nuts, spices – it’s all the makings of a perfect no-bake crust packaged up into one little nugget for us. To eat, and to (almost) effortlessly blend into the base for our pumpkin cheesecake bars.
The cheesecake filling. This does take a teensy bit of forethought since the cashews need to soak overnight (maybe pause and do that now?), but other than that EASY. The creamy lineup includes: pumpkin puree (obviously), raw cashews, non-dairy yogurt, pumpkin pie spice, and Medjool dates for sweetness.
So if you were following closely – date roll crust and date sweetened filling, yup this entire cheesecake is made without refined sugar.
Oh happy (healthier dessert) day!
Since we aren’t using coconut oil like most raw vegan cheesecakes, these bars do need to be frozen to set properly. They won’t freeze rock solid, but I do like to let them soften for 10 minutes or so before eating for the perfect firm but creamy texture.
And they will last quite a while in there too. But they are really ridiculously tasty soooooo…then again maybe not.
No-Bake Medjool Date Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (chilling time)
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
Description
Rich, creamy vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! An easy no-bake recipe sweetened only with Medjool dates. You’ll want some stashed in your freezer all season long!
Ingredients
- 20 Natural Delights® Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date Rolls (400g)
- 2 cups (240g) raw cashews
- 1 cup (240g) non-dairy yogurt (I used cashew yogurt)
- 6–8 (120g) Natural Delights® Pitted Medjool Dates
- 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/4 cup non-dairy milk if needed to blend
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in warm water overnight. Drain and rinse.
- Blend the date rolls in a blender or food processor into small crumbles/chunks.
- Press into an pan (I used this 9×6″ dish, but an 8×8″ square works too) that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Blend all the remaining ingredients in a high speed blender until very smooth and creamy. Add up to 1/4 cup non-dairy milk or if needed and use the tamper to help it blend.
- Pour on top of the crust.
- Freeze overnight.
- Slice into bars. Enjoy!
- Keep in the freezer for 1-2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 44g
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 7g
Keywords: vegan, paleo, sugar free, healthy, easy, dessert, fall, pumpkin, gluten-free
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These bars look so yummy! Dates are the perfect sweetener for everything and so healthy too. My family has a tradition of eating cheesecake during the holidays so I might have to make this recipe for them. Much healthier than the regular kind.
Why isn’t that a tradition in my house, I feel like I’ve been missing out!? Well if you give this version a try, let me know how they compare😊
I was thinking about you yesterday, hoping you were safe from the hurricane.
Aw Trena you are the absolute sweetest❤️❤️❤️ Yes all good where I am, thank you for thinking of me!
Pumpkin cheesecake is mandatory for me every October and I love the sound of a date-sweetened, no oven required version! The creaminess and tanginess from yogurt is brilliant! I imagine some toasted pepitas or grain-free granola would be the perfect crunchy topping! Oh, and can’t forget the coconut cream 😉
Okay what have I been doing with my life not having pumpkin cheesecake every October all this time??😳 Oooh yes, I thought about adding chopped pecans on top for some crunch too. Guess I’ll just have to make more to “test” it out😉
If I can’t find the pumpkin spiced date rolls, what can I substitute for the crust?
A mix of dates and nuts or coconut would work! I’d try like 1 to 1.5 cups dates (packed pretty tight) and 1 cup nuts or seeds or shredded coconut 🙂
Can this be done without the yogurt?
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Hmm yes you could substitute it with full fat coconut milk. Or you could try using regular non-dairy milk but less of it, try 1/2 cup. It won’t be as rich though and won’t have that cheesecake tang 🙂
I also need to leave out the yogurt due to my grandson’s dietary issues, and was thinking of coconut milk instead. Do you think adding some lemon juice to the coconut milk would give it that “tang?”
Thanks so much for this recipe! We have been enjoying the pumpkin pie spiced dates, and I was looking for recipes that include them.
Yep, that’s what I would recommend! Full fat coconut milk and 1-2 tbsp lemon juice for the tang. Aren’t hose date rolls crazy good? I’m so happy you like them, and I hope you love these bars too!
What exact yogurt do you use (brand and flavor), and what kind of milk (brand and flavor) do you use?
Thank you!
I used the Forager Project unsweetened plain cashew yogurt and Trader Joe’s unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Hope that helps!
Hi, I can’t eat cashews but do u think I could use walnuts?
Thanks!
You could definitely try it! They will have a stronger flavor, but should still blend okay. Macadamias might work well too 🙂
Thankyou…macadamia’s also a no no so I am stuck with walnuts…lol. I love your blog, I only just started looking and will spend some time scoping out receipes:-). It’s so hard as so much I can’t have for 3mths.
Now this is one beautiful pumpkin cheesecake Natalie! I mean, what could be a more perfect dessert for the upcoming holidays?! I could never get sick of pumpkin desserts either. And of course I love yogurt, I love to use it for cheesecake and cream cheese too and it’s the best for tanginess!! I use to always make my pre-vegan cheesecakes with sour cream for tanginess and yogurt does such a similar wonderful thing too. I’m loving those pumpkin spice dates too, what a fantastic idea! And the pecans in them too, oh my, my favorite nut. Those sound sooooo good. That last super up close creamy bite shot looks fantastic!! I almost want to eat my screen!
YES! Finally a fruit we agree on wholeheartedly haha🎃🎃 If this wasn’t pumpkin spiced I might have added some lemon juice too to up the tang, but when it comes to pumpkin treats i’m okay with just the subtle yogurt tang. Ha I think of you and your pecan love every time I use them😂 They really are the perfect nut with pumpkin though🤗 The up close is my favorite shot too, so thanks for the sweet feedback🧡
These cheesecake bars look INCREDIBLE!! I’m such a huge fan of pumpkin anything 😉
I mean how did we even bake/cook before it was pumpkin season and we could put that stuff in EVERYTHING??😳😂
Girl I don’t even know 😂
I made this right after your posted it! I loved it. I made it without the crust because I don’t have access to those dates and I was lazy and don’t really care about crust, anyway. So easy! I took a bite every time I opened the fridge. 😀 Thanks! Oh. And at first I thought it wasn’t nearly sweet enough and that I’d have to play with the spices, too. But after a few hours of sitting, it was perfect!
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I retested this filling a second time before posting and made it without the crust too–so good that way!! Like pudding meets fudge sort of, and oh I did the exact same with the bite every time I went to the freezer ha😆 Thanks for all the amazing feedback Erin❤️
These were delicious and so easy to make! I used almond date rolls and it was perfect. However I need to get better at pressing down the crust cause I made it too thick. I think these would be great even without a crust! Thanks for a yummy dessert!
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I completely agree and actually make my second test batch without crust–so good! Almost like fudge if you eat it straight from the freezer😋 I am so happy you liked them, thanks for the feedback Kenzie!
Hello! Thanks for the fantastic recipes although I have a question regarding to one of the ingredients
What can I use to replace the 20 Natural Delights® Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date Rolls? unfortunately I do not live in US.
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Hi Jorge! You can use a mixture of medjool dates and nuts or coconut or seeds even instead of the date rolls. Try about a 1:1 ratio, or 1 cup of each blended in the food processor until sticky and clumpy. Hope that helps!
Where can I find the Natural Delights® Pecan Pumpkin Pie Spiced Date Rolls?
They are a seasonal flavor and only out in the fall, sorry! But they have regular date rolls which are super yummy too, here’s a store locator: https://naturaldelights.com/store-locator
My husband ran all over to different stores looking for these date rolls. No one had them not even Albertsons who the company said had them. So I made up my own recipe for the cross, One Cup dates chopped small and 1 and 1/2 cups pecans, I sprinkled them around in my food processor and added 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and 1/8 teaspoon salt and Blended to small pieces. When making the feeling I discovered that it would be easier to add the quarter cup liquid right off the bat and the eight dates because it was not sweet enough, I had to add 1/4 cup maple syrup. I also sprinkled some more pumpkin spice and vanilla in. The cup and weight measurements for the cashews was off, I decided to go with the cup measurements. So maybe that’s why mine seems very nut buttery and taste as such. I’m not sure if she went with the weight that would have made it less nuts. I have not tried this yet after the freezer. I’m hoping it will taste better after it’s frozen.
Aw I’m sorry you couldn’t find the date rolls, they are seasonal and tricky to find😬 But I am glad you improvised, and hope the bars still came out delicious!