No-Bake Vegan Chai Cheesecake

This may be the vegan cheesecake of our dreams:

Date-walnut crust with a pinch of sea salt
Creamy cashew-coconut filling infused with black tea, chai spices, and fresh ginger
Naturally sweetened with maple syrup
Topped with Coconut Whip and Vegan Caramel Sauce for the ultimate dairy-free, gluten-free dessert.
Let us show you how it’s do!

This recipe is simple, requiring just 10 ingredients you likely have on hand right now!

It starts with a crust made of raw walnuts and fresh medjool dates and just a hint of sea salt.

Press into a spring-form pan (or small baking dish) and freeze.

PREP TIME
7 hours
TOTAL TIME
7 hours
Servings
12 Slices

Freezer Friendly1 month
Does it keep?3-4 Days
Ingredients

• 1 cup medjool dates (packed, pitted // pitted before measuring)
• 1 ½ cups raw walnuts (or sub raw almonds or rolled oats)
• 1 pinch sea salt (optional)

FILLING

• 1 ¾ cups raw cashews
• 2/3 cup boiling hot water
• 3 tbsp.Chia  
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or cream (the higher the fat content, the creamier the cheesecake // we used Aroy-D coconut milk)
• 5 Tbsp maple syrup (plus more as needed to taste)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp chai spice mix (or see individual spices below* // plus more to taste)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or melted refined coconut oil // adds more creaminess — if avoiding oil, omit)
• 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

Instructions

• Soak your cashews in very hot water for 30 minutes (or in cool water overnight or for at least 4-6 hours). Then rinse with cool water, drain well, and set aside.
• While cashews are soaking, bring a pot of water to a boil, then measure out 2/3 cup or 158 ml (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Add tea bags or loose leaf tea to 2/3 cup boiling water, cover, and steep for at least 30 minutes. This should result in a very strong tea infusion. Add more tea if the color is not deep and the flavor is not intense. When removing tea bags, be sure to squeeze/press out all the excess tea.
• While the tea and cashews are soaking, prepare a cheesecake pan (I prefer this 7-inch springform one, but round cake pans or loaf pans work as well) by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Prepare crust by adding dates to a food processor and blending until small bits remain and it forms into a ball. Remove and set aside.
• To the food processor, add walnuts and salt (optional) and process into a meal. Then add dates back in and blend until a loose dough forms — it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing.
• Add crust to pan and press with fingers to distribute. To pack it down, use a small glass wrapped in parchment paper. Really press it down, and ensure the crust comes up the sides. Set in freezer to firm up.
• Add tea, soaked drained cashews, and all remaining filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until very creamy and smooth — about 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust sweetness/flavors as needed, adding more chai spice mix for spice/warmth, ginger for kick/zing, maple syrup for sweetness, or vanilla to taste.
• Transfer the filling into the crust and tap to remove air bubbles. Optional: Drizzle on a small amount of Vegan Caramel and swirl with a chopstick or knife to make a fun pattern.
• Transfer to freezer and freeze until firm — at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The day of serving, you can transfer to the refrigerator. If serving from freezer, set out at room temperature for at least 1 hour to thaw for easy slicing.
• Serve as is, or top with a generous amount of coconut whipped cream, drizzle of vegan caramel, and pinch of pumpkin pie spice (optional).
• Store leftover cheesecake in the freezer up to 1 month (well covered/sealed for freshness). Once it has been frozen, it can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 days. But that initial freeze is important for texture / firmness, so don’t skip.