Paleo No-Bake Cheesecake Brownies
These Paleo No-Bake Cheesecake Brownies are easy, rich, and crazy good! A simple chocolate brownie crust and a cashew-based, super smooth cheesecake topping. Completely dairy free, gluten free, and naturally sweetened, but everyone will love them!
Okay, let talk about the brownie layer first. It’s kind of like a cross between brownie and fudge. It’s no-bake so all the ingredients just get mixed up quickly and poured into a pan. It’s super easy and melt-in-your-mouth good. Even just making them by themselves would be a good treat.
But then the cheesecake layer! Yes, that makes them so much better!
Paleo Cheesecake has been something I’ve wanted to make for a long time. Cheesecake was possibly my favorite dessert before giving up dairy. I had tried making it before and wasn’t happy with the results. It just wasn’t as smooth and creamy as I was hoping and ended up throwing it away. So disappointing! I was a little hesitant to try it again and now I’m so glad I did. The trick is to really be patient when blending. It’s not going to be smooth after 1 minutes. Let it keep going until it is completely smooth and creamy. It took about 5 minutes and was totally worth it!
It may seem weird that cashews, coconut oil, almond milk, and honey blend up to taste like cheesecake, but they really do. It sets up in the fridge and gets that same firm texture- it’s incredible! I am definitely a believer and see many more cheesecake variations being made.You need to soak your cashews for at least 4 hours to soften them. Then drain and use. Or you can do the quick version which is soak them in hot water for 1 hour, and I changed the water half way through to keep it hot.
I want to say this recipe is good for summer so you don’t have to heat your house. And while that’s true, it’s actually good year round. No-bake recipes are always nice to have and make.
If you can’t have dairy and have been missing cheesecake, this is the treat to make! You will not be disappointed!
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter, unsalted and unsweetened
- 1/2 cup Golden Barrel Coconut Oil, room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours*
- 1/4 cup Golden Barrel Coconut Oil, melted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Line a 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine almond butter and coconut oil until well mixed. Add in the coconut sugar, cacao powder, salt, vanilla, and almond flour. Mix completely until all the ingredients are well combined. Press into prepared pan and chill in the fridge until solid. Wait at least 1 hour before topping it with the cheesecake.
- Drain the soaking cashews and rinse them through a fine mesh strainer. Place them in a high powdered blender or food processor.
- Add in the coconut oil, almond milk, honey, salt, and lemon juice. Blend on the highest speed until completely smooth- about 5-7 minutes. Stop as needed to scrap down the sides.
- Once smooth, pour the mixture over the brownie layer. Smooth the top to make even and pretty. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours until firm.
- Top with a chocolate drizzle if desired. 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted and drizzled on top.
*Cashews need to be soaked in cold water for at least 4 hours or over night. You can also soak them quickly using hot water and soaking for 1 hour. I like to change the water half way through.