No-Bake Coconut-Mango Cheesecake
Our sister’s birthday is at the end of April, and we normally do birthday baking for everyone in our family. However, this year it fell during the week that we moved, so our mom assumed birthday baking duties. As it turned out, our sister was in the midst of a Whole30 and decided on a Paleo dessert so that she didn’t totally fall off the wagon. We ended up eating this on Mother’s Day and everyone absolutely raved about it.
Everyone asked if we would put this recipe up on the site because it was so memorable, but we hesitated because the whole “not a dessert trying to be a dessert” thing is typically not our style, and we're not sure that it’s yours, either. However, multiple people stressed that what they loved about this was that it was made with normal ingredients and nothing crazy, weird or fake, and it tasted fantastic.
So, they convinced us!
This recipe requires some advance planning, since there are a couple of things that need to be popped in the refrigerator the night before you assemble this. The actual hands-on work is completed in less than 15 minutes, then the cheesecake needs to be chilled overnight before serving.
You can top this with any type of fruit you’d like – our mom did kiwi when she made it originally. We had a ripe mango hanging out on the counter, so we used our big vegetable peeler to make mango ribbons. We love how the flavor pairs with coconut!
This will never take the place of “real” cheesecake in our heart, but it’s a great (and rich!) change of pace, especially if you’re baking for someone who is eating a low-sugar diet!
One year ago: 109 of Our Essential Ingredients: How to Stock Your Baking Pantry
Two years ago: Mango-Banana Smoothie
Three years ago: Shrimp Nacho Bites
Five years ago: Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream
[Paleo] No-Bake Coconut-Mango Cheesecake
Yield: 12 servings A Paleo version of a no-bake cheesecake topped with sliced mango.For the Crust:
- 1 cup (117 g) walnuts
- 13 Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Filling:
- ⅔ cup (86 g) cashews
- 27 ounce (765.44 ml) canned coconut milk
- ⅓ cup (113 g) honey
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup (145.33 ml) coconut oil, melted
- Sliced mango, for topping
- Place the cans of coconut in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Process the walnuts, dates and cinnamon in a food processor until the walnuts are completely ground, about 15 seconds. (The mixture will look crumbly, but will easily stick together if pressed between your fingers.) Press the mixture into an even layer in the prepared pan.
- Drain the cashews and place in the food processor.
- The cans of coconut milk will have separated, with all of the cream sitting at the top and the water at the bottom. Scoop out just the cream (it should total about 2 cups) and add it to the food processor.
- Add the honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sea salt, and process until the cashews are completely broken down and the mixture is totally smooth. With the processor running, slowly add the melted coconut oil until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Before serving, top with slices of mango, or your favorite fruit. Leftovers should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one serving
- Yield: 12 servings
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Total: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup ( 117 g ) walnuts
- 13 Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Filling:
- ⅔ cup ( 86 g ) cashews
- 27 ounce ( 765.44 ml ) canned coconut milk
- ⅓ cup ( 113 g ) honey
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) fine sea salt
- ⅔ cup ( 145.33 ml ) coconut oil, melted
- Sliced mango, for topping
Method
- Place the cans of coconut in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Process the walnuts, dates and cinnamon in a food processor until the walnuts are completely ground, about 15 seconds. (The mixture will look crumbly, but will easily stick together if pressed between your fingers.) Press the mixture into an even layer in the prepared pan.
- Drain the cashews and place in the food processor.
- The cans of coconut milk will have separated, with all of the cream sitting at the top and the water at the bottom. Scoop out just the cream (it should total about 2 cups) and add it to the food processor.
- Add the honey, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sea salt, and process until the cashews are completely broken down and the mixture is totally smooth. With the processor running, slowly add the melted coconut oil until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Before serving, top with slices of mango, or your favorite fruit. Leftovers should be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
