Lemon lovers, these are for you. A creamy, lemony, bar with a nutty crust. These bars are sweet but not overly sweet and they really highlight that fresh lemon flavor. A cashew and coconut cream base creates a perfectly dense and neutral filling which allows the lemon juice and zest to come through in taste.
I originally made these bars for the blog back in 2013 which sounds totally crazy to me. I loved them back then but the recipe needed just a little updating and the pictures needed well, more than that. Anyway, our lemon tree was going off and I remembered this recipe so I figured it was the perfect time to make all the updates. So here we are with a slightly updated recipe for no bake lemon cheesecake bars. So good, such a treat.
Back then I was full vegan, young, and single so I had all the time and more to experiment with recipes. Like get really creative trying to veganize (is that even a word) everything. There were plenty of flops but during all this time experimenting I learned some great things like cheesecakes using nuts and coconut cream, cheeses using nuts too, and baking without eggs. There are more than enough recipes out there now to find substitutions, but back then it was fun to experiment, finding what works and what definitely does not.
Anyway, that’s how these bars came about. The process and ingredients themselves are fairly simple. But these do involve a lot of time. You need at least 10 minutes to soak the cashews in hot water if you don’t soak overnight. Then you will need about three to four hours for the filling itself to set. After that you will need about 20 minutes for them to sit at room temperature. So the time does add up but it’s just moving things to and from. You’re not actually baking or cooking during this time.
I use full fat coconut cream that is chilled overnight. You want the cream to be nice and thick and firm. You also want to make sure you use full fat and not a low fat version. The cream combined with blended cashews creates such a nice, thick, creamy filling. Soaked cashews blended actually make a nice sauce or filling for a lot of vegan foods. Cheesecake being one of them. Just a few other ingredients, like fresh lemon juice, bring this all together. It’s spread over a base of nuts and shredded coconut. So good!
Then you freeze it all to solidify it. It get really firm but then needs to sit at room temperature for a little. Once they are ready, they have the perfect texture that is firm but so creamy. They are such a treat!
No Bake Lemon Coconut Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Baking dish
- high speed blender
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup unsalted nuts * I use walnuts
- 3/4 cup unsalted cashews
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Filling
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 can full fat coconut milk thick part only
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by pouring some boiling water over the cashews needed for the filling and let sit for 10 minutes. Alternatively you could use cashews that were soaked over night.
- In a dry skillet, lightly toast the nuts ans cashews for the crust. About 3 minutes, careful not to burn. Place the nuts and the rest of the crust ingredients in the high speed blender. Pulse until crumbly. Press into a large baking dish.
- Place all the ingredients for the filling, except the zest, in a high speed blender like a Vitamix. Blend until completely smooth. About 3 -5 minutes. Pour filling over crust and place in freezer for 3-4 hours, until solid.
- Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving so they can soften up. Store any leftovers in the fridge or freeze for longer storage. Don't keep out, after they've softened up, you will want to put them in the fridge.
If you are a lemon lover like me, here’s another lemon recipe I love. A lemon poppy seed loaf. Just like these bars, it highlights the lemon flavor without being too tart or too sweet. It’s great for breakfast, dessert, or a light snack.
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