A rich, dairy-free baked cheesecake with a gluten-free “graham cracker” crust and creamy coconut yogurt filling. Tangy, decadent, and vegan!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS®
I receive recipe requests constantly (love em!), for all sorts of sweet things. But one that kept coming up again and again, smacking me in the face, begging to be made, saying “I AM A GOOD IDEA”, was a Baked Cheesecake.
I see you, I hear you, I apologize for the wait, but it’s here!
And it’s good. Luscious and tangy and rich and good. We are swapping sugar for Medjool dates, so the vanilla-caramel vibes are strong. We are using a combination of dairy-free yogurt and coconut (no cashew soaking, HURRAH), so the texture is ultra creamy. We are baking it inside the best cookie-free-but-tastes-like-graham crackers crust you’ll ever experience.
I think you are going to love it. And by think I mean know.
The crust. I didn’t even mean to discover something new and magnificent here, it was a happy accident. We all know date/nut crusts can be quite chewy in a not ideal way. And oat flour crusts often fall prey to the same problem. So the odds were really against me on creating a tender, crumbly (but not too straight up crumbs), actually GOOD Medjool date + oat crust.
But I mixed up the method and discovered something amazing. This is not just the best fruit-sweetened crust you’ll ever try, but honestly it’s the BEST vegan gluten-free crust I’ve ever created. For two key reasons:
- Coconut oil so it’s crispy and tender and browns beautifully.
- Blending the Medjool dates and oats separately so the texture is crumbly like cookies not chunky like a granola bar.
If you are really opposed to oil in the crust, you can swap it for a very runny nut or seed butter. But I recommend sticking to the recipe here, you will be rewarded.
The filling. Raw cashews get plenty of attention in the dairy-free cheesecake world, both baked and raw. So I wanted to NOT do that. Instead I went with yogurt (hello natural cheesecake-y tang) and coconut for extra creaminess. This is not an un-rich dessert, all the creaminess is key.
Just like the crust, the usual sugar in a cheesecake filling has been swapped for Medjool dates in this recipe. Because healthier but still so delicious cake is my favorite kind of cake. I always use my very favorite ones from Natural Delights, in this case their pitted variety. Already pitted = one step closer to cheesecake = YES.
Medjool dates don’t just make the filling sweet, they make it extra thick and creamy too – squishy little multitaskers, how can we not love them?
The much requested, better than I even expected, BAKED cheesecake is finally here. Make it, pile on those summer berries, and enjoy all the NOT no-bake creamy cake indulgence.
Medjool Date Baked Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: cakes
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
A rich, dairy-free baked cheesecake with a gluten-free “graham cracker” crust and creamy coconut yogurt filling. Tangy, decadent, and sweetened naturally!
Ingredients
Crust
- 6 (100g) pitted Natural Delights Medjool Dates
- 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) oat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Filling
- 1 cup (200g or about 12) pitted Natural Delights Medjool Dates
- 1 1/2 (360g) cups non-dairy yogurt*
- 1 cup (200g) coconut cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp (22g) arrowroot**
- 1/4 cup (60g) lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Combine the Medjool dates and coconut oil in a food processor. Process into small chunks.
- Add the oat flour, salt, and cinnamon. Process to a wet sandy consistency.
- Press into a greased springform pan (mine was 7-inch), covering the bottom and sides.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF, or until golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool. Reduce oven temp to 325ºF.
- Blend all the filling ingredients until smooth.
- Pour on top of the crust and bake at 325ºF for 45-50 minutes until golden on the top and the center is no longer jiggly.
- Cool, then chill overnight.
- Top with fruit of choice (I used a combination of strawberries and chopped Medjool dates) and serve. Keep leftovers in the fridge well covered for up to a week.
Notes
*I used almond milk greek yogurt.
***Corn starch or tapioca starch would work too.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 341
- Sugar: 26g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: vegan, gluten-free, dessert, dairy free, sugar free, healthy, baking
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OMGosh, printed and shopping. SOOOOO making this!
YAY! I hope you love it Jenni😋
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to make for my hubs who loves cheesecake Natalie.
Aw that’s perfect then!! Can’t wait to hear what you guys think🤗❤️
This is gorgeous, Natalie!
★★★★★
Thanks lady❤️
Yay for happy accidents!!!!! That crust sounds divine…like the filling is just an added bonus 😉😍 I’m pretty sure I haven’t had a baked cheesecake since I was a kid, but you’re taking me back to some fond memories of a buttery crust and creamy bad-for-you filling!! 😂 I am so excited to give this a try! I loved reading about your findings – like breaking down the oats and dates separately – looks like that method sure paid off 😍😍😍 I got a good laugh at the “squishy little multitaskers” comment!! Such a good idea to use yogurt instead of soaked cashews – nothing beats that tanginess! I saw the note that you used almond milk greek yogurt….Kite Hill??? I only ask because on a whim I picked one up yesterday to try! I’m printing this recipe off and adding it to my stack to make…might have to bump it up to priority 😂😍😍 Happy Friday, my friend! Hope you have a beautiful weekend! 😘 xo
Not gonna lie I was munching little crumbs of crust during the photoshoot and thinking the same thing…like hmm this should be a cookie all it’s own🤔 I don’t think I’ve had a baked cheesecake outside of a restaurant ever, so it was all new for me too! I knew I wanted yogurt in there but didn’t want to over coconut the recipe (as I have my own personal diet😂), and the kite hill greek is the thickest non-coconut one I’ve found. I think you will really like it for eating and cheesecake-ing😊 Happy weekend to you too! I hope being home and back to your quiet oregon peace has been refreshing❤️❤️ xo
Awesome date sweetened dessert. Does this become solid at all? Thanks
For sure! As long as you let it chill completely (I recommend overnight) after baking and cooling 🙂
Hi! I love your channel, and this dessert looks amazing! I was wondering if I could use dairy Greek yogurt in the recipe in place of almond milk Greek yogurt? If so, what percent fat? Do you think fat free or 2% would work best? Lastly, could I use ground flaxseed instead of arrowroot? Thank you so much!
For sure, regular greek yogurt works too! Honestly I think you could even get away with 0% here, the coconut cream makes it really rich already, but 2% would be fine too! But flaxseed will not work here unfortunately, it’s not heat-activated the same way arrowroot/corn/tapioca starches are so it won’t set right without one of those😬
I’m cooking this right now and it smells delicious. I’m worried though. It’s been 50 minutes and still hasn’t set. I’m using a 9” springform too. I’ll give it another 10 minutes and hope it sets up when it cools. Does this seem right to you?
Hmm 9 inch is actually bigger than mine (7 inch) so if anything it should cook faster. It will not set totally until it is cool and chilled, but shouldn’t seem soupy when you take it out of the oven😕
Wow!!
I can’t wait to try this recipe !
I’ve been searching (for what seems like eternity) for a free-cashew cheese cake recipe (I love them, but not that much in sweet recipes)
And I just discovered your website, so I’m going to binge-read everything 😀
Though I’ve got one question : do you think it would be possible to use – for instance – rice cream instead of coconut cream? I’m afraid my room mate (who litterally hates the taste of coconut) would be inexorably repelled by this ingredient…
YAY! I am so happy you found me and finally a cashew-free cake🤗 Hmm I’ve never used rice cream (or seen it here to be honest), but I am worried since rice is naturally much lower in fat than coconut it might mess up the texture of the cheesecake. What about cashew cream instead of coconut? That would be better!
Hi Natalie!
What a delicious recipe!
How can I make the iogurt?
Sorry about my English, but I really want to make this dessert but I don’t know how to make this cream iogurt..
Please?
I buy the yogurt, not make it, but here’s a recipe if you want to try: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-2-ingredient-coconut-yogurt/
Let me tell you something – this cheesecake is made to impress! My body hasn’t tolerated dairy well for the last few years, but it remembers the taste of a good cheesecake, and this one blew me out of the water! It even has a little tang and is just excellent; I can’t rave about this enough. I used a coconut yogurt for the filling and sauced some fresh plums for on top and it was a delight! Thank you so much for this delightful recipe, it’s my new go-to!
★★★★★
YAY!! Omg that is such amazing feedback Rebecca🤗 It’s been a long time since I’ve had the really dairy kind, so the fact that this version could measure up make me so happy! I love the sound of your toppings too😋😋
Thank you for this recipe, haven’t tried it yet but it sounds and looks amazing. I could probably replace the yoghurt and coconut cream with simple coconut yoghurt, couldn’t I?
You can try it, that might work! You will need to use the full fat coconut yogurt (like the coyo brand) otherwise it won’t be as creamy as coconut cream. Many coconut yogurts are thickened with starches, you need to real coconut fat content to make it work 🙂 Good luck!
What an amazing recipe and cake! Thank you very much. My all in vegan family meme beds loved it and couldn’t believe that it’s a vegan cake and still so delicious! 😉
I just had some trouble with the dough, it became to dry and didn’t taste that good. Maybe I baked it for too long? The cake will definitely be baked again! 🙂 thank you for Marena
Ups, auto correct did change a lot! Sorry! My non vegan family liked it!
I am so happy you guys liked it! SO the crust is supposed to be kind of crumbly like a graham cracker crust, but if you don’t like that texture/taste maybe try this one instead next time: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/almond-medjool-date-tart/
This was brilliant; very creamy texture and very tangy too, nothing like the sickly shop brought cheesecake. It was firm and easy to slice, the crust was very good (I used spelt flour), and my non vegan mum liked it too. I love how healthy this is and it tastes like a real cheesecake: I ate it all in 4 days. Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
I am so very happy to hear it!! Thank you for the lovely feedback❤️
Such an incredible cheesecake! Who needs sugar and gluten?!?!? I’d like to use the crust with a no bake pie filling. How long would you bake it before filli
Yes exactly, so much you can do without those ingredients! And to use with a no-bake filling I’d recommend 20-25 minutes, you want it to be golden brown when it’s done and dry to the touch
Thank you for your expertise and very quick reply! 😊
very innovative, cant wait to try. BUT why is it called cheese cake when there is no cheese?
Because it is most similar to a cheesecake in texture and format, just vegan. Cream cake may be more apropos, but no one would know what I mean 🙂
Quick question: I’d love to bake mini versions of this cheesecake, maybe in a muffin tin. How long would you recommend baking the crusts and cheesecakes in that case? I was thinking around 20 minutes for muffin tins.
I’d recommend about 10 mins for the crust and then probably 25-30 for the cheesecakes!
Awesome, thanks so much! I’ll give it a try 🙂
Quick question: for a flavor twist on this recipe, do you think I could substitute peanut butter for the coconut cream (since they’re both fat sources?)
That should be fine! It may be tricky to blend since PB is a bit thicker, so add an extra few tbsp of yogurt if necessary 🙂
Thanks for your help (and quick response time!) on both of these–if I try either of these out I’ll report back!