Oh yes! If you are lucky enough to have strawberries growing in your garden, then this will really excite you. If you don’t, then pop down to your local shop and buy a punnet or two. You are in for a real treat today. This is my vegan no-bake strawberry cheesecake recipe page.
It’s gluten-free, vegan (as always), no-bake and naturally brimming with healthful goodness.
I served this particular vegan ‘cheescake’ the other day, to a group of delightful Australian guests who’d travelled all the way to Somerset, England on retreat. I knew they’d be doing lots of energy work, diving deep and keeping active touring the local sites in and around Glastonbury. So I was keen to sustain them with lots of delicious goodness all week long. I have been getting amazing feedback on this dessert, so I decided it was time to share my no-bake strawberry cheesecake recipe with you guys here!
It’s easier to make vegan no-bake strawberry cheesecake than you might think!
I must admit, no-bake and raw desserts are usually my favourites to make. It is where my culinary alchemy first began many years ago when I discovered how raw ingredients can make the most delectable creations.
Deliciousness seems to weave itself so magically when playing with simple, raw ingredients.
This type of no-bake cheesecake with strawberries is pretty simple to make. Essentially it involves a base made with almonds, dates and vanilla. Yep, that’s it! You just need a simple food processor to blend it all together. The topping is pretty easy too, using fresh strawberries, cashews, creamed coconut, coconut sugar, vanilla and fresh lemon rind.
It couldn’t get much easier really.
Strawberries are an excellent ingredient for no-bake cheesecake
The first thing about strawberries in a no-bake cheesecake is the colour. It excites and delights people to enjoy something so beautiful.
The next thing is the way that strawberries have a gentle, fragrant taste of summer. They are so refreshing, juicy and delicious.
If you are a home grower, then strawberries grow readily in most gardens. They spread like crazy if you have space, which means you can harvest a whole lot of these delicious strawberries for making your no-bake cheesecake with.
And finally, I think we all know by now that strawberries are jam-packed with vitamin C and antioxidants. And there is nothing like freshly picked strawberries for amazing nutritional content.
No-bake strawberry cheesecake keeps in the freezer
This is a frozen dessert, designed to be kept in the freezer. This means you can make it up in advance and serve it when ready at a later date if needed. No-bake strawberry cheesecake is ideal for batch-making.
It’s best to take your cheesecake out of the freezer and allow it to adjust to room temperature for at least 10 minutes before eating. Alternatively, you can take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
It can be enjoyed as a very cold ‘firm’ no-bake cheesecake or a softer one.
The choice is yours.
The simple no-bake strawberry cheesecake main part
The main strawberry part of this no-bake cheesecake is pretty simple. I use fresh strawberries. You can use frozen if that’s what you have though. Please note if you use frozen strawberries, you will need to let them defrost first to get them to blend properly.
I also use soaked cashew nuts, creamed coconut block, coconut sugar, vanilla and finely grated organic lemon rind.
The lemon rind gives it that whole ‘cheesecake’ vibe.
Everything else just dances together, to perfection.
The chocolate drizzle is totally optional. I just can’t help myself!

Vegan no-bake Strawberry Cheesecake - gluten-free and super healthy
Raw vegan strawberry cheesecake recipe. Gluten-free, dairy-free and made with super healthy, simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Base for strawberry cheesecake
- 150g almonds (1 cup)
- 100g pitted dates (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Main part of the strawberry cheesecake
- 125g cashew nuts (just under 1 cup)
- 100g creamed coconut block
- 300g fresh strawberries (frozen is fine too) (1½ cups)
- 1 heaped tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaped teaspoon lemon rind (finely grated)
Optional chocolate drizzle
- 1 tablespoon of chocolate (melted to drizzle)
Instructions
Ahead of time
- Soak the cashew nuts overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
Make the base
- Grind the almonds in a food processor until you get a rough meal (some powdered and some a little rustic and chunky is fine).
- Add the dates and vanilla and blend until everything evenly combines.
- Pack into a parchment lined tin firmly ( a tin sized 21cm/ 8 inches in diameter works well) and then put into the fridge or freezer whilst you prepare the topping.
Make the main part
- Grate your lemon rind with a super fine grater.
- Drain the soaked cashews thoroughly.
- Please note that we are using CREAMED COCONUT in this recipe or coconut butter. Not coconut cream (which is different). For more info please check out my page here: What is creamed coconut versus coconut cream?
- Blend all the main part ingredients together. If you are using frozen strawberries you will probably need to let them defrost first if you want a smooth blend.
- Pour onto the base and spread evenly.
- Pop it into the freezer for a few hours to firm up fully.
- When frozen, drizzle some melted chocolate on top if you want to.
How to serve
- This serves right out of the freezer as a frozen dessert (very firm), although it works best if you allow it to acclimatise to room temperature and soften for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The longer you leave it out, the more it softens (although soft can also be incredibly delicious and welcomed too, so explore and find out what you prefer).
More recipes made with creamed coconut here…
This is Sooo perfect! Thank you Trinity!
Happy to know you like the sound of it. I am so delighted with this 🙂
Looks scrummy! I have a women’s group collecting on Saturday – I will make this for them 🙂 x
Awesome – what a delightful treat to serve – they’ll be thrilled for sure.
x
Is cashew raw?
Not usually – you can get it raw though (although it’s much more difficult to find).
If you want all raw, try swapping out with a raw nut instead and using raw coconut butter 🙂
Can’t wait to try it Trinity thankyou.
Nikki
You are welcome – enjoy!
x
Hi. This looks yummy but I was wondering if the topping would turn out OK if I substituted almonds for the cashews. I know cashews are “creamier” but I can’t have them :-(. Thanks Trinity.
Hi Karla,
I’ve not tried – I do imagine it wouldn’t work so well with almond, although if you can’t have cashews, it’s definitely worth a try. I imagine it might still be nice (but I’ve never tried and know almonds don’t creamy up as easily). If you try let me know how it goes 🙂 Trinity x
Is there anything other than almonds that could be used in the crust? Seeds? Pistachios? Cashews?
Thanks!
Hi Laura, you can certainly swap out the almonds for pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, pistachios, walnuts, cashews 🙂 Let me know how you get on.
Love the sound of this recipe. You mentioned subbing coconut butter for the block. Do I use the same amount?
Hi Maureen, it swaps directly as it is practically identical. So yes use the same amount.
Warm wishes Anastasia
Thank you for your prompt response, Anastasia. Have you tried it with a different fruit? I’m going to be brave and substitute mangoes for the strawberries and lime for the lemon–wish me luck! Maureen
Mangoes can work and is worth a try, although I often make a mango version with dried mangoes 😊✨ which is soooo good. Lime is a nice swap for lemon too. I’ve used blueberries but end up tweaking the recipe as it’s not quite as tasty (looks gorgeous tho). Let me know how you get on. Good luck 🌻
Thanks for the dried mango tip, Anastasia. I added some to the fresh and it really perked up the flavor. Delicious!
Hi! I just made this and found the ingredients simple and easy to find and put together. Love the use of fresh ingredients and no fake things like vegan cream cheese etc. I’ve been into making vegan cashew cheesecakes lately so this is only the third I’ve made, excited to try it. It’s cooling now…One thing I changed when I tasted the filling before adding it to the pan to cool was that is was a little bland on flavor even with more strawberries than you suggest. I added like two pinches of salt and another tablespoon or two of sugar. For me i think it brings out the strawberry flavor a little more. Anyway, just a suggestion to include a little salt!
Thank you for your fab comment Jennifer.
I love your adaptation. It definitely depends on the batch of strawberries for flavour. Some varieties are super sweet and rich and others less so. I originally developed this with the strawberries from my garden, which were like nectar.
Enjoy
Anastasia