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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    No Bake Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake

    Published: Nov 20, 2022 · Modified: Apr 25, 2023 by Dianne · This post may contain affiliate links

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    No Bake Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake is a delicious dessert. The lush, creamy texture comes from cashews, without a lick of dairy in sight. Mini raw vegan cheesecakes are dairy-free and gluten-free, but they're loaded with zesty lime flavor! This easy recipe is perfect for holidays, parties, potlucks, or any time you're craving a little something sweet. 

    Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake with text overlay

    No Bake Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake

    Key lime pie—or vegan key lime cheesecake in this case—might not be the first dessert that comes to mind when you think of Christmas, but it’s a tradition in our house to have it for the holidays. Dennis’s birthday is December 24th, and while I love chocolate cake, he’s more of fruit pie person. Key Lime Pie is his favorite, so every year I make a birthday pie for him. There are always leftovers, so we usually have it for dessert on Christmas Day, as well as on his birthday. 

    plate of cheesecakes with berries, limes, and mint leaves

    These little cheesecakes are easy to make, and they can be made in advance. I like to make them ahead of time and and freeze them. It makes preparing for the holidays much easier!

    Their small size makes these No-Bake Mini Vegan Key Lime Cheesecakes perfect for gatherings. They're great for Christmas or New Year's Eve festivities.

    coconut milk, vanilla extract, limes, coconut, coconut oil, dates, cashews, macadamias, agave

    What You Need

    • Macadamias
    • Medjool dates
    • Shredded coconut
    • Sea salt
    • Raw cashews
    • Key lime juice
    • Coconut milk
    • Agave
    • Coconut oil
    • Vanilla extract
    • Key lime zest, optional
    • Berries or pomegranate seeds, optional

    See the recipe card for exact amounts.

    making crusts
    spooning cheesecake filling onto crusts

    How To Make Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake

    Don't let this recipe fool you, it's really easy to make! I used a mini tart pan, but you can use a muffin pan if you like.

    • First you mix together the crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles crumbs.
    • Then you take a bit of the crumb mixture and press it into the bottom and sides of your pan. You then repeat with the other 11 sections of the pan. Set the pan aside.
    • Next you mix all of the filling ingredients together in a high-powered blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.If it seems too dry, add a few teaspoons of water. Once the filling is smooth and creamy, pour it into the prepared crusts.
    • Finally, you place the pan in your refrigerator or freezer for a least two hours to let the cheesecakes set. Carefully remove the mini cheesecakes from the pan to serve them.
    taking a cheesecake

    Recipe Notes

    If you can't find key lime juice, you can use regular lime juice.

    Almonds, walnuts, or pecans can be used in the place of macadamias. 

    The amount of cheesecakes you end up will depend on the size of your pan. I like to make these in a mini tart pan, and I end up with 18. If you use a muffin pan, you will have 12.

    overhead of Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake with limes, berries, and pomegranate seeds

    Raw Cashews

    Cashews are truly magical. Raw cashews can be mixed together with water and used to replace dairy in everything from salad dressing to cheese. Because I use them so often, I buy them in bulk. I store them in the freezer so that the natural oils they don't contain won't cause them to go rancid.

    While creamy cashew recipes can be made with any type of cashews, the raw type is idea. Raw cashews are soft, and they have a mild flavor. Roasted cashews aren’t as soft, and they will give your recipe a roasted, almost burnt flavor.

    For this recipe, you should soak your cashews for about 2 hours to soften them a little. They should then be drained and rinsed. High-speed blenders can sometimes mix up unsoaked cashews smoothly, but I sometimes find a few leftover chunks in my Blendtec if I don’t soak them.

    plate of cheesecakes with a fork, berries and limes in the background

    Medjool Dates

    There are two popular kinds of dates that you have probably seen at the grocery store – medjool and deglet noor.  Deglet noor dates are small and firm with a sweet flavor. Medjool dates are larger and chewier, with more of a caramel flavor. They’re softer, so they lend themselves well to raw dessert recipes.

    This recipe calls for medjools. If, you can use deglet noors, but I would recommend soaking them to soften them up. Since deglets are smaller, you may need two or three more to get your crusts to stick together.

    close up of small plate of cheesecakes with a larger pate in the background

    Storing Your Key Lime Cheesecakes

    Store your mini cheesecakes in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. They'll last for 5 to 6 days in the fridge, and about 6 to 8 months in the freezer.

    cutting into a cheesecake with a fork
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    Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake square

    Mini No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecakes

    Dianne
    No-Bake Mini Vegan Key Lime Cheesecakes are a terrific dessert for parties and potlucks. I like to make them for the holidays!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Refrigeration time 2 hours hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 mini cheesecakes
    Calories 326 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Crust

    • 1 ½ cups raw macadamias
    • 6 medjool dates pitted
    • ¼ cup shredded coconut
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt

    Filling

    • 1 ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least two hours, drained and rinsed
    • ½ cup key lime juice
    • ½ cup full-fat coconut milk more, if needed
    • ¼ cup agave
    • ¼ cup coconut oil melted
    • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt

    Toppings, optional

    • zest from one key lime
    • sliced berries or pomegranate seeds

    Instructions
     

    • Lightly brush melted coconut oil on the sides of a mini tart pan or muffin tin. You can also use cupcake liners in a muffin tin, if you’d like.
    • Mix together the crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles crumbs.
    • Take a bit of the crumb mixture and press it firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Repeat with the other 11 sections of the pan. Set the pan aside.
    • Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a high powered blender or food processer until smooth and creamy. Start with ½ cup of the coconut milk and add more later if you need it. If you’re using a high-speed blender and you’re worried about the mixture getting “stuck”, start on a low speed and gradually increase it. Turn it up the highest speed, and let it blend until completely smooth. It may struggle for a few seconds at the beginning, but once it gets going it should blend smoothly. If it seems too dry, add more coconut milk, a tablespoon at at time. Once the filling is smooth and creamy, pour it into the prepared crusts.
    • Place the pan in your fridge or freezer for an hour or two to let it set.
    • Garnish with zest and berries or pomegranate seeds, if using, right before serving.
    Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!
    Vegan Key Lime Cheesecake with berries, limes, pomegranate seeds and forks

    More no-bake desserts include

    • Chocolate-Peanut Butter Truffle Mini Tarts
    • Vegan Nanaimo Bars from Dreena's Kind Kitchen by Dreena Burton
    • Mini Chocolate Marble Cheesecakes
    • No-Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
    slice of cheesecake with pumpkins and pomegranate seeds
    « Vegan Apple and Cheese Tarts
    Vegan Paella »

    About Dianne

    Dianne Wenz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Diet Nutrition Specialist, and Plant-Based Chef, as well as the author of Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

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    1. Vegan News You Can Use (1/3/16) - JL Goes Vegan says:
      January 3, 2016 at 12:08 PM

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    Hi! I'm Dianne Wenz, a Board-Certified Health Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coach. I empower my clients to build new habits so they can reach their healthy living goals. I love to show others how easy it is to live a vegan lifestyle as well as how to cook deliciously easy plant-based meals. Contact me today to learn more and to schedule a complimentary breakthrough session!

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