White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake (Vegan + GF)

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Round mini White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes on a cutting board

You know a recipe is good when:

A) You get hungry all over again looking at the photos.
B) You pawn leftovers off on neighbors because the temptation is too much to handle.
C) You drop a piece on the table while cleaning up and eat it with your hands. #truestory
D) You simply cannot wait to share it.

This recipe satisfies all of the above. Who’s ready for some (vegan, gluten-free) cheesecake!?

Ingredients laid out for making delicious gluten-free vegan White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes

After having such great success with my No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes, I couldn’t shake the thought that it was the cocoa butter in the dark chocolate that helped the cheesecakes firm up and hold their shape so well even unrefrigerated (a complaint I had with my earliest prototype – still delicious, just a little soft).

Blender with Walnut Date Crust for homemade White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes

So I ordered some cocoa butter to test my hypothesis. Spoiler alert – my suspicions were dead on.

This cheesecake is simple, requiring just 10 ingredients and 1 bowl (or blender/food processor). And it all starts with a simple, 3-ingredient crust of dates, walnuts and sea salt.

Blender with freshly blended vegan White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake filling

Then, it’s onto the filling.

This filling is insanely creamy and rich. Bonus? It’s entirely naturally sweetened thanks to maple syrup.

It gets its tartness from lemon juice and just a hint of apple cider vinegar. And the subtle, white chocolate flavor comes from the melted cocoa butter.

One bite in and my eyes rolled back. That’s when you know it’s a keeper.

Wood board with mini vegan Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecakes with Walnut-Date Crust
Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecakes topped with coconut whip, lemon rind, and fresh raspberries

I hope you guys love this cheesecake. It’s:

Creamy
Rich
Decadent
Naturally sweetened
Perfectly tart
Infused with white chocolate
Seriously close to “real” cheesecake
& Insanely delicious

I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this recipe. I think you’ll love that it keeps in the fridge without getting too soft and can be left at room temperature for serving (for up to a couple hours)!

If you give it a try, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating it! And – our favorite – don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see your creations! We love seeing what you come up with. It’s my favorite evening entertainment. Cheers, friends!

(P.S. If you’re weary to purchase cocoa butter just for this recipe, fear not! You can also use it for beauty purposes and I intend to use it in some future recipes – like this one!)

Mini slice cut out of a gluten-free vegan Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake
Close up shot of the inside of our creamy vegan White Chocolate Cheesecake
Wood cutting board with gluten-free vegan Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecakes

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake (Vegan + GF)

Amazing 10-ingredient White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake made entirely in the food processor or blender! So rich, decadent, and satisfying you’d never guess it was vegan and gluten-free.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Cutting board filled with Mini Cheesecakes for our Easy Plant-Based Mother's Day Recipes roundup
4.80 from 43 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 (small slices)
Course Dessert
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 2 Weeks (see notes)
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

CRUST

  • 1 cup packed medjool dates (pitted // 1 cup yields ~22 dates or 275 g // pitted before measuring)
  • 1 ½ cups raw walnuts (or sub raw almonds or rolled oats)
  • 1 pinch sea salt

FILLING

  • 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked overnight in cool water, or in very hot water for 1 hour)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 medium lemons (juice of all, zest of 1 as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size)
  • 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened rice or almond milk (or sub light coconut, but it will take on a coconut flavor)
  • 1/4 scant cup olive oil (or sub melted coconut, though it will take on a coconut flavor)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup, agave, or honey if not vegan (use less for a more tart cheesecake)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa butter (melted in the microwave or over a double boiler*)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional // for extra tang)

Instructions

  • Add dates to a food processor and blend until small bits remain and it forms into a ball. Remove and set aside.
  • Next add nuts, salt and process into a meal. Then add dates back in and blend until a loose dough forms – it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it’s too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing. If too wet, add more almond or walnut meal.
  • Cut out parchment paper into circles the shape of your ramekins, muffin tins or pan (see notes for size options). In addition, to make removing the cheesecakes easier, cut out two strips of parchment paper per ramekin and lay them in an "X" shape at the base. Top with circle shape. This creates little tabs that make removing the cheesecakes easier to pop out once set.
  • Divide crust among serving dishes and carefully press with fingers to distribute. To pack it down, use a small glass or the back of a spoon to really press it down, allowing some crust to come up the sides. If it sticks, separate the crust and glass with a small piece of parchment paper. Set in fridge or freezer to firm up.
  • Add all filling ingredients to a blender and mix until very smooth – up to 2-3 minutes. If it won't come together, add a touch more lemon juice, maple syrup/agave or a splash more almond milk as the liquid should help it blend better.
  • Scrape down sides as needed and blend until very creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust flavor/sweetness as needed.
  • Divide filling evenly among the ramekins (or other serving dish). Tap a few times to release any air bubbles, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set – about 6-8 hours depending on size of dish. Expedite this process by popping them into the freezer for at least 2 hours. NOTE: They will come out much easier after being in the freezer!
  • Once set, run a butter knife along the edge and gently remove by tugging on the tabs in an upward motion. They should pop right out. If they aren’t quite set, pop them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and they should come out easily.
  • Top with a touch of coconut whipped cream and fresh berries, or as is! See notes for storage.

Video

Notes

* If you don’t have cocoa butter, either add 1/4 cup more soaked cashews or sub 1/2 cup softened vegan cream cheese for similar results (adjust amounts accordingly if altering default number of serving).
* My ramekins are medium-sized – about 3 inches wide at the base – and this recipe made enough for 4. You can also use a standard size springform pan, or use a muffin tin!
* Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 16 servings (4 slices per small cheesecake) without additional toppings.
* Adapted from my 7 Ingredient Vegan Cheesecakes.
*These cheesecakes keep in the fridge loosely covered for up to a few days. Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 weeks – to serve let thaw at room temperature. Best when fresh!

Nutrition (1 of 16 servings)

Serving: 1 small slice Calories: 262 Carbohydrates: 25 g Protein: 5.3 g Fat: 17.4 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 28 mg Fiber: 2.9 g Sugar: 17.8 g

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My Rating:




  1. The Vegan Goddess says

    Magic! You would never know it’s not the real deal cheesecake.

    I didn’t have cocoa butter and didn’t need it. Just adding 1/4 more of cashews did the trick. And I didn’t add the optional apple cider vinegar.

    I also only used the juice of two lemons and it was deliciously lemony, especially infused with zest.

    I didn’t add any toppings to it this time because it’s rich enough without it but would do that for special occasions.

    I think this would also be great with a graham cracker crust based on your healthier graham cracker recipe.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo

  2. Jessica says

    Hi! I’m excited to try this out…am newly needing to stick to a GF, DF, egg-free, almond-free diet so trying to figure all this out :) If it works, it’ll be my Thanksgiving dessert! Question…if I wanted to use actual white chocolate, would I also omit the maple syrup and how would you anticipate that lack of liquid impacting the filling’s texture? I want to try that out and then if it works, plan to do a caramelized white chocolate, orange, and cardamom version!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jessica, we haven’t found dairy-free white chocolate that works well, sadly! But if you have one you like, a couple ideas to play around with: either use less cashews or add more rice/almond/coconut milk. You probably won’t want to omit the maple syrup completely, but maybe reduce by half? Hope that helps! And wowza – chocolate, orange, and cardamom sounds amazing!

  3. Manal says

    Thank you for another amazing recipe but I’m a bit confused as to why these white chocolate cheesecakes are named white chocolate cheesecakes if they don’t have any white chocolate in them?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Manal, the white chocolate in this recipe is made from scratch with the cocoa butter and maple syrup. When they are combined with the other ingredients it creates the “white chocolate cheesecake” flavor and texture. Hope this helps!

  4. Ginger says

    Ummm…is that cocoa butter safe for consumption? It doesn’t say it’s food grade/edible on the page for the one you linked to. It looks like it’s just for external use.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ginger, the q&a section on Amazon says it’s food grade. Feel free to sub your favorite brand! We also like Terrasoul cacao butter.

  5. Margaret says

    This looks WONDERFUL, but I didn’t see White Chocolcate in the ingredient list; was it left out by mistake? Maybe I missed it?

    Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Margaret, the white chocolate in this recipe is made from scratch with the cocoa butter and maple syrup. When they are combined with the other ingredients it creates the “white chocolate cheesecake” flavor and texture. Hope this helps!

  6. Frank says

    Absolutely amazing, made these at least 20 times and make a chocolate version of it as well. Thank you so much for this great recipe.

  7. Sunny says

    Hey Dana, I used metric measurements. I thought it might be something to do where the acid in the lemon juice would react resulting in leaking out water? What do you think? Or it’s just a case of using more cashews or cacao butter?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sunny, we’ll give the metric measurements another look to see if something could be off there! We don’t think the lemon juice would cause that, unless perhaps there’s too much of it, contributing more liquid?

  8. Sunny says

    Hey Dana – Loved the flavour of the cheesecake. Really nice and tarty. My cheesecake is leaking water when thawed in the fridge after freezing. Usually happens after a few hours in the fridge (8 hours +). Any suggestions?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sunny, we’re glad you enjoyed the flavor, but sorry to hear the texture was a little off! It sounds like it may have needed more cashews/cocoa butter to thicken. Were you using the metric or US measurements?

      • Krista says

        I would love to try this recipe, but I’m unfortunately allergic to cashews. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute? Raw and unsalted macadamia nuts, perhaps?

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Krista, yes! Raw macadamia nuts would be the next best option. They don’t soak up as much liquid, so you may need more of them. Another option might be vegan cream cheese, but we haven’t tested with either of these so can’t promise it will turn out the same. Let us know if you try it!

  9. Tania says

    Made this today for friends who all loved it. I made a few alterations – biscuit crumb base, plus vegan lemon curd as a final topping and I used 100g of cocoa butter rather than oil, as recommended in the comments. The ‘cheesecake’ layer was very firm in texture so next time I will use the oil and reduce the cocoa butter, as written in the original recipe.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Tania. So glad you all enjoyed!