This Paleo Nut Free Chocolate Cheesecake is dairy free, but still creamy and delicious! A no-bake treat that doubles up on the chocolate and sure to satisfy that sweet craving. It's gluten free, vegan, and naturally sweetened.
This post is sponsored on behalf of SunButter. All opinions are 100% my own, of course! Thank you for supporting brands that help make Real Food with Jessica possible!
When I asked on Instagram what kind of cheesecakes you all want to see, many people said nut free which is hard since most paleo cheesecakes are cashew based. I tested it out a couple times until I got it just right. I think you will love this simple dessert that is incredibly delicious!
No-Bake Cheesecake
Like most paleo cheesecake, this is no-bake. The crust is a simple mixture of dates, sunflower seeds and cacao powder that gets blended together. Then the filling is made and you can make that in the blender or stir it by hand. That is poured on top and it's placed in the fridge. It can be eaten straight from the fridge or kept in the freezer for a firmer texture or to keep longer. No-bake means it's perfect for summer when you don't want to turn the oven on.
Nut-Free and Vegan
I decided to try it with SunButter, my favorite, and it worked so well! It's creamy and rich and has the classic tang thanks to some lemon juice. If you've been around a while, you know I love SunButter and they are my go-to for so many desserts. It definitely worked perfectly for this cheesecake and I'm happy I tried it. The crust also needed to be nut free so I used sunflower seeds there as well. It makes a sticky, sweet crust that pairs great with the cheesecake filling.
I tried to keep this as simple as possible, so I made this is a square pan instead of a small springform pan. I figured a square pan is more common and means there's a better chance you'll try it. Just line it with parchment paper so it removes easily for cutting.
One more note about the lemon juice. It may seem like a weird ingredient to add to a chocolate dessert, but it really needs that tang that usually comes from the cream cheese. Without it, it's just a flat chocolate dessert. Delicious? Yes. But cheesecake? No. Just trust me and add that lemon juice. It doesn't taste lemony, just tangy.
Here are other cheesecake recipes: Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake and Paleo Blueberry Cheesecake Jars.
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Paleo Nut Free Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup No Sugar Added SunButter
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup cacao powder
Instructions
- Line a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a food processor or high powdered blender, combine the sunflower seeds, dates, cacao powder and salt. Blend until it's well combined and forms a "dough". If needed, add 1-3 tablespoons of water, but only if you can't get the mixture to hold together. Press it into the bottom of the prepared pan and place it in the fridge while you make the filling.
- In the blender or a large bowl, combine the SunButter, melted chocolate chips, maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice and cacao powder. Blend or stir well until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour over the chocolate crust and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set. Keep in the fridge or freezer.
Nutrition Information
Sara says
I'm not sure what went wrong, but my cheesecake filling turned out horribly. I used a blender for the filling. Instead of a nice, creamy cheesecake-like filling, I got an extremely dense, doughy, chocolate lump sitting in a pool of melted coconut oil/maple syrup/sunflower oil after only about thirty seconds of blending. It was about the consistency of half-baked brownies. I ended up just pouring off the oil, soaking up as much as I could with paper towels, and pressing my quasi-brownie dough on top of the crust. Is there anything I should have done differently to get the creamy consistency?
Jessica DeMay says
Hi Sara- I'm so sorry about that! Did you sub any ingredients? It should definitely be smooth.