These cute little bite-sized mini Raw Vegan Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake Hearts are so simple to make and a perfect treat for St. Valentine's Day or any other special occasion.
A few quick steps with a Vitamix, a food processor and a cute heart shaped silicone mold and you're ready to go!
I used strawberry in the filling and topped them with raspberries, but you could reverse them if you'd like.
Typical ingredients found in a traditional strawberry cheesecake:
Traditional S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Strawberry Cheesecake Ingredients:
Ingredients: Crust: graham crackers, 4 tbs butter, 2 tbs brown sugar.
Topping: strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla, unflavored gelatin.
Cheesecake: 1 pound cream cheese, ½ cup confectioner's sugar, vanilla, ½ cup heavy cream
That's a lot of processed, refined sugar and dairy.
Skip all the processed, sugary desserts and GMO boxed chocolates and share the real gift of love...a healthy, guilt-free treat!
This healthier version is raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, no-bake and contains no refined sugars.
5 Fast Facts About Strawberries:*
- loaded with antioxidants
- contains anti-inflammatory benefits
- contains 21% RDA of manganese
- helps fight cancer
- excellent source of vitamin C
5 Fast Facts About Raspberries:*
- high in antioxidants
- anti-cancer benefits
- good source of dietary fiber
- high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value of 4,900 per 100 g
- excellent source of vitamin C at 47% RDA
5 Fast Facts About Cashews:*
- packed with dietary fiber
- rich in “heart friendly” mono-saturated fatty acids
- rich source of minerals
- high in magnesium and copper
- excellent source of antioxidants
5 Fast Facts About Coconut Oil:*
- super high in lauric acid
- rich in antioxidants
- contains natural microbial and anti-bacterial agents
- helps to improve metabolism
- improves cholesterol levels
5 Fast Facts About Pecans:*
- contains naturally occurring antioxidants
- helps to lower cholesterol
- high quality source of protein
- contains more 19 vitamins and minerals
- excellent source of vitamin E
5 Fast Facts About Raw Coconut Nectar:*
- organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free
- low-glycemic
- good source of 17 amino acids
- nearly neutral pH
- high in B vitamins
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Gluten-Free Vegan No-Bake Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake Hearts
Equipment
- Vitamix or high-speed blender
Ingredients
For the filling:
- ½ cup organic strawberries
- 1 cup organic raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon homemade almond milk
For the crust:
- 1 cup organic pecans
- 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon organic vanilla extract
For the garnish:
- 16 organic raspberries
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- Add all the ingredients for the crust to a food processor and process until it's moist and crumbly.
- Divide the crust mixture between (16) spaces of the 24-cavity mini-heart mold and press the mixture down evenly and firmly. Set aside.
Prepare the filling:
- Add all the ingredients for the filling to a Vitamix, or high-speed blender, and blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Divide the filling mixture between (16) spaces of the 24-cavity mini-heart molds and pour on top of the crust.
Assembly:
- Place the mold tray on a baking pan and put it in the freezer for approximately 30-60 minutes, or until they harden.
- When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and let them sit on the countertop for just a few minutes, if they are frozen solid. Add a single raspberry to the center of each one for garnish.
- Store extras in an air-tight BPA-free container until ready to serve because they will get soft if left out at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The recipe and photographs for "Raw Vegan No-Bake Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake Hearts" by Karielyn Tillman of The Healthy Family and Home™ website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License and cannot be used without my written permission.
Recipe Roundups: Food Bloggers are always welcome to use a photo and a link back to my original post to share on recipe roundups without requesting permission.Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.
Want More Healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Cheesecake Recipes?
Check out these:
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Mini Cheesecakes
- Key Lime Mini Cheesecakes
- or check out my Clean Eating Cookbook with an entire chapter of 20 healthy, clean eating desserts you will love!
Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂
hysxcc says
Are there no cream cheese or any sort of cheese in this recipe?? how is this considered a cheesecake?
Karielyn says
Hi there hysxcc! Nope…no cream cheese or any sort of cheese in this recipe at all…isn't that amazing!
And, if you do a simple google search of "dairy-free cheesecakes", you will find 2,870,000 recipes/posts/topics of cheesecakes made without cream cheese or any sort of cheese so obviously that's just what they are called 😉
hysxcc says
Is it okay to add a little cream cheese in there? will the cake turn out too hard to eat ?
Karielyn says
Hi there hysxcc! I'm not sure about that as I've never tried it. It might be best to go with either a traditional cream cheese recipe or the vegan/dairy-free recipe and not mix them just in case.
If you are drawn to this particular recipe because of the heart shape design, you can look online for a traditional no-bake cheesecake recipe (or use your favorite) and just use the silicone heart molds instead of a spring form cheesecake pan.
Hope that helps and thanks for your question 🙂
Keri says
This is fantastic! I love your recipes.
Question for you: I don't have a Vitamix, and I did make these once in a regular blender but had to add some non-dairy milk to help make it creamier; I didn't soak the cashews though. Do you soak them or is your blender just that powerful?
Karielyn says
Hi there Keri! On this recipe, I did not soak the cashews before adding them to my Vitamix, but it can easily handle the raw, unsoaked cashews (I think the blade tip propels up to 240 mph!).
If you make them again, try soaking your cashews for about 20 minutes or so before blending them to make them softer. And then, if needed, add a little additional liquid like you did the last time to make it blend easier.
I'm glad you were able to make them with the blender you had though!
Thanks for your question and I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe 😉
Laura-Jane says
Ahh, I am new to your site, so I see this is your style to list the benefits of the main ingredients. I am impressed!
Lovely little heart bites, btw!
Karielyn says
Thanks so much Laura-Jane...you are such a wonderful creator of raw food recipes and I am ~so~ excited you stopped by my little ol' website!
Congratulations on your new book release too! 😉
Chantal says
Looks great! Any ideas on what I could substitute the nuts with given nut allergies? Would sunflower, pumpkin or soy nut work??
Thanks!
Karielyn says
Hi there Chantal! I haven't tried this but I would think the sunflower seeds would be the most neutral and would try that first. My second choice would be pumpkin seeds and would hate to suggest soy nut since I've never used them before and am unfamiliar with their taste/texture, etc.
I hope one of those works so you are able to enjoy it! 😉
Aimee / Wallflower Girl says
Love these! They sound so delicious and look adorable 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Aimee...thanks so much! 😉