This healthy Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheesecake is an easy holiday inspired no-bake dessert that can be prepared in about 15 minutes! It's naturally sweetened and made with clean, real food ingredients.
My Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheesecake will be a hit at your next holiday gathering!
Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheesecake
Here is why this recipe works - my top 3 reasons:
- Three unique + delicious layers
- Can be prepared in about 15 minutes
- Made with clean, real food ingredients
Three Unique + Delicious Layers
My no-bake dessert recipe is a holiday-inspired cheesecake that has three unique layers of goodness!
- Bottom Layer: is a raw chocolate pecan crust that's naturally sweetened with Medjool dates
- Middle Layer: is a vegan no-bake cheesecake filled with mini chocolate chips
- Top Layer: is a frozen version of my Clean Eating No-Cook Cranberry Sauce
Now you can eat your cranberry sauce this holiday season in a delicious dessert!
Can Be Prepared In About 15 Minutes
Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list - it only takes about 15 minutes to make all three layers and then you just put it in the freezer for about an hour or so until it hardens.
Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients
This unique take on a holiday dessert is organic, plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, no-bake, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and can be made Medical Medium compliant with some substitutions.
Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions For Cranberry and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Cashews. To get your cheesecake filling as creamy and smooth as possible, take the extra time to soak the cashews before adding them to your Vitamix. If you're short on time, you can skip this step, but if you do have the time, the results are well worth the effort.
Coconut Oil. If you don't like the taste and smell of coconut oil, use organic refined coconut oil which has zero coconut taste or flavor.
Chocolate Chips. I recommend using mini chocolate chips in this recipe, however, you can substitute with standard-size chocolate chips in the same amount.
How To Make This Recipe Medical Medium Compliant
My recipe can easily be adapted to be 100% Medical Medium Compliant by making a plain Cranberry Cheesecake and here's how:
- Crust. Omit the raw cacao powder in the crust instructions.
- Filling. Omit the chocolate chips in the cheesecake filling.
- Topping. No substitutions required.
You will still be able to enjoy a healthy no-bake cheesecake with a regular (non-chocolate) crust and regular cheesecake filling (without chocolate chips) and it will still taste delicious!
Want More Healthy Vegan No-Bake Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- Banana Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
- Lemon Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake desserts made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cheesecake
{ Plant-Based | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Egg-Free | Soy-Free | No-Bake | Paleo-Friendly | No Refined Sugar }
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups organic pecans
- ¼ cup organic maple syrup
- ¼ cup organic raw cacao powder*
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
- ⅛ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
For the cheesecake filling:
- 2 cups organic raw cashews (soaked)
- ½ cup organic maple syrup
- ¼ cup organic lemon juice
- ¼ cup organic coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
For the add-in:
- 1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chocolate chips*
For the cranberry topping:
- 2 cups organic cranberries
- 1 organic green apple (cubed)
- 1 cup organic Medjool dates (pitted)
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean powder
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground clove
Instructions
- Set aside a 6-inch springform cheesecake pan.
- Soak the cashews in a bowl of filtered/purified water for at least 30-60 minutes, then rinse and drain them prior to using. This will make the cashews soft and the cheesecake mixture extra smooth and creamy.
Prepare the crust:
- Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and process until it is well combined and has a wet, sticky texture.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-inch springform cheesecake pan and press it evenly and firmly on the bottom of the pan.
- Place the cheesecake pan in the freezer to firm while you make the rest of the recipe.
Prepare the cheesecake filling:
- Add all ingredients for the cheesecake to a Vitamix and blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Use your tamper, if needed.
- IMPORTANT: Remove the blender container from the base and make sure the contents are not warm and have completely cooled before going to the next step. If the cheesecake mixture is warm from blending when the chocolate chips are added, they will melt.
Add the add-in:
- After the cheesecake mixture is cooled, add the chocolate chips to the blender container and gently stir them in until they are evenly distributed.
- Remove the cheesecake pan from the freezer and pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust.
- Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the crust and tap the cheesecake pan on the countertop to make sure it settles.
- Rinse out the blender container to use for the next step.
Prepare the cranberry topping:
- Add all ingredients for the topping to a Vitamix, or high-speed blender, and blend until everything is well blended. Use your tamper, if needed.
- Transfer the topping mixture on top of the cheesecake mixture and spread it evenly.
- Optional: Garnish with extra cranberries in the center of the cheesecake.
- Place the cheesecake pan in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until it hardens.
- Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw on the countertop 10-15 minutes, or until it is soft enough to slice.
- Store in the freezer until ready to serve because it will get soft and lose its shape if left out at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The instructions, notes, and photographs for this recipe by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are copyrighted material. This copyrighted work is protected and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) and cannot be legally used without my written permission.
Serena says
Show-stoppingly beautiful. Those cranberries on top make the presentation. I would really love to try to make a dairy free cheesecake with cashew...you give me confidence to try. Happy Thanksgiving Karielyn...to you and your family!
Karielyn says
Hi there Serena! You really should try it one day - it's quick and super easy! Thanks so much for stopping by and best wishes to you and your family too 🙂
Autumn says
What a stunning combination! You really did pull out all the stops on this one. Bravo! Thanks for sharing, pinning for later!
Karielyn says
Hi there Autumn! Thanks so much and I appreciate you stopping by 🙂