Plant-Based Strawberry Protein Cheesecake

A no-bake, plant-based cheesecake set on a date and almond base, with a cashew and strawberry filling. Serves eight, and it sets overnight in the fridge.

Thirty minutes of work, plus soaking the cashews the night before.

Ingredients

For the base

• 1 cup almonds
• 2/3 cup fresh dates, pitted

For the filling

• 2 cups cashew nuts, soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 cups strawberries
• 2 scoops pea protein isolate

Method

1. To make the crust, place the almonds and dates in a food processor and pulse until combined.
2. Grease an 20 cm springform tin and line with baking paper.
3. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan.
4. For the filling, rinse and drain the soaked cashews well.
5. Place them in a high-powered food processor.
6. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup, coconut oil and pea protein isolate, and blend until smooth.
7. Add the strawberries and process until well blended.
8. Pour the filling over the base and refrigerate overnight.
9. Decorate as you wish, slice and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving, across eight servings: 350 calories, 25 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 48 mg sodium.

Do I really have to soak the cashews?

Yes. This is the step that decides whether the filling is silky or grainy, and no amount of blending will rescue unsoaked cashews.

Soaking softens them so they break down completely. Overnight in cold water is ideal. If you have forgotten, cover them in boiling water for an hour, which gets you most of the way there.

Rinse and drain them properly afterwards, as the recipe says. The soaking water tastes stale and will carry into the filling.

Why won't my cheesecake set?

Almost always not enough time, or too much liquid from the strawberries.

• Overnight means overnight. The coconut oil is what sets this, and it needs several hours at fridge temperature to firm up. Two hours will not do it.
• Do not reduce the coconut oil. It is structural here, not a flavour. Cutting it gives you a mousse.
• Watch very ripe strawberries. They carry more water. If your filling looks loose before it goes in the fridge, that is why.
• The freezer is the fix. An hour in the freezer will set a stubborn cheesecake, and it slices more cleanly from frozen anyway.

Can you put protein powder in cheesecake?

Yes, and a no-bake cheesecake is one of the better places for it.

The reason is that nothing gets heated. Protein powder in a baked dessert tightens and dries as it cooks, which is why baked protein cheesecakes so often come out rubbery. Here it just blends into a cold filling.

Pea protein isolate suits this particularly well: it is neutral, thick, and plant based, which keeps the recipe vegan. Whey would work in a dairy version but changes the texture more.

Two scoops in an eight-serve cheesecake is a modest addition. It lifts the protein, and it does not turn a dessert into a protein source.

How much protein is actually in it?

Less than the name suggests, and worth being straight about.

The protein here comes from two places: the two scoops of pea protein, and the cashews and almonds, which contribute a reasonable amount for nuts. Spread across eight servings, that is a modest amount per slice, on top of 25 g of fat.

This is a dessert with some protein in it, not a protein food. A standard cheesecake slice has very little protein, so it is an improvement, but if hitting a protein target is the goal, a shake will do it far more efficiently and for a fraction of the calories.

What is a two or three ingredient protein cheesecake?

Shortcut versions that circulate widely. They are quicker and they are a different dessert.

• Two ingredient: Greek yoghurt and protein powder, sometimes with gelatine. Very high protein, very low fat, and closer to a thick mousse than a cheesecake.
• Three ingredient: cream cheese, protein powder and a sweetener, usually set with gelatine. Closer to the real texture.

Both are dairy based, so neither is vegan. Both are higher in protein and lower in fat than this recipe, because cashews and coconut oil are what make this one rich.

Different tools for different jobs. If you want the highest protein per calorie, make the yoghurt version. If you want something that eats like a proper cheesecake and happens to be plant based, make this.

Is there a healthy version of cheesecake?

Healthier, yes. Healthy, not really, and this recipe is a good illustration.

It has no refined sugar, no dairy and no baking, and it brings fibre and unsaturated fat from the nuts. Those are genuine improvements over a standard cheesecake. It is also 350 calories and 25 g of fat a slice, because cashews, almonds and half a cup of coconut oil are energy dense whatever else they are.

"Refined sugar free" and "plant based" are not the same as light. Treat it as a good dessert rather than a health food and cut the slices modestly.

Which protein powder should I use?

An unflavoured or vanilla pea protein isolate keeps it neutral and lets the strawberries lead. A vanilla plant blend works well too.

100% Vegan Protein is our house-brand option, and the plant protein range has the alternatives.

How long does it keep?

• Fridge. Up to five days, covered.
• Freezer. Up to two months. Slice before freezing.
• Serving from frozen. Ten minutes out of the freezer gives the cleanest slices.

For more like this, browse the full recipe collection.