I had about a cup of raw almond pulp and I soaked another cup of cashews earlier in the morning, but if you don't have pulp you could just use 2 cups of soaked cashews (macadamia nuts would work well too). This recipe makes a pretty large cheesecake so you could always cut this recipe in half and make a smaller one instead. Or use a smaller pan and make a thicker cheesecake. Work with what you have in the kitchen and have fun.
Crust
1 cup of nuts (I used raw almonds, but you can use anything that you like)
1/4 cup agave or coconut nectar
5-6 dates (can substitute 1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries/cranberries, if desired)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut (optional)
Cheesecake Filling
2 cups of nut pulp or soaked cashews (can substitute macadamia nuts)
1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil or coconut butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
- Start by preparing the crust. In a food processor (I use a Ninja), blend your nuts until they are finely ground. Add in the remaining ingredients (except the coconut) and pulse until thoroughly mixed and the crust sticks together when pressed with a spoon.
- Use your coconut to dust the bottom of your pan. This will help prevent the crust from sticking to the pan in the next step. You could use parchment paper instead, if you prefer.
- Spread your crust mixture into the pan and press down using a spoon or spatula until it forms an even, solid crust base. Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- For your filling, start by draining the water from the nuts you were soaking and give them a quick rinse with fresh water. Place the rinsed nuts in a food processor with the nut pulp and pulse until relatively smooth (it doesn't need to be perfectly smooth yet).
- Add in the remaining ingredients and continue to blend/pulse until the mixture is smooth. You may need to stop blending and scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times, but it will eventually be really smooth.
- Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust and place back in the fridge to firm up a little. Leave it in for at least 10-15 minutes, but it's best after an hour or so.
- (Optional) To give your cheesecake an extra kick, you can add toppings. Since I used a fairly large pan, I had a lot of surface area to work with and decided to try out a few different toppings. I had a jar of low sugar blueberry preserves so I simply spread that on top of the cheesecake for one section. For another section, I made a raw chocolate and let it harden on top. And of course, I left one section plain to just enjoy the cheesecake. Be creative - there are so many yummy toppings you could add to this recipe.