No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake (vegan)
This vegan, no-bake peanut butter cheesecake is the perfect Summer dessert. It is rich and creamy yet light and soft, with an incredible peanut butter and chocolate flavour, and there's no need to switch on the oven!
Servings 10 people
Equipment
- blender
- 20 cm/8 in springform cake tin
Ingredients
Cookie Crust:
- 275 g (25 cookies) Oreos or Bourbon biscuits
- 75 g (⅓ cup) vegan butter melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 130 g (1 heaped cup) unroasted cashews
- 260 g (1 cup) smooth, creamy peanut butter (NOT the runny natural kind)*
- 500 g (18 oz) vegan cream cheese
- 80 g (⅓ cup) thick, Greek style soya yogurt OR coconut cream OR silken tofu
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Ganache:
- 125 g (4 ½ oz) 60-70% dark chocolate finely chopped
- 35 g (2 Tablespoons) smooth peanut butter
- 135 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- a couple of handfuls roasted salted peanuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a large bowl, cover with a generous amount of boiling water and leave to soak for about 60 minutes.130 g (1 heaped cup) unroasted cashews
- Line the base and sides of a 20 cm/8 in round springform cake tin with baking paper.
- To make the crust, place the sandwich cookies in a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. (Alternatively, place them in a sealable freezer bag wrapped in a tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin.)275 g (25 cookies) Oreos or Bourbon biscuits
- Tip the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted vegan butter. The mixture should resemble wet sand.75 g (⅓ cup) vegan butter
- Tip the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin and pack the crumbs down really firmly and evenly, use the base of a glass to help press them down. Pop it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Drain the soaked cashews really well and transfer them to a blender along with the peanut butter, cream cheese, yogurt, brown sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Blend until totally smooth with no hint of graininess. This can take a while so stop regularly to let the blender cool down and scrape down the sides as needed.260 g (1 cup) smooth, creamy peanut butter (NOT the runny natural kind)*, 500 g (18 oz) vegan cream cheese, 80 g (⅓ cup) thick, Greek style soya yogurt OR coconut cream OR silken tofu, 100 g (½ cup) light brown soft sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the biscuit base and spread it level. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm.
- Once the cheesecake has set, unclip the springform tin and remove the sides. Gently slide it onto a serving plate, a cake lifter is useful for this; then peel the baking paper off the sides of the cheesecake.
- To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate and the peanut butter in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the milk until just coming up to a simmer then pour it over the chocolate. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, then stir until melted and smooth. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, until it has thickened slightly and is no longer hot to the touch.125 g (4 ½ oz) 60-70% dark chocolate, 35 g (2 Tablespoons) smooth peanut butter, 135 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- Spoon the ganache on top of the cheesecake and spread it level, sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts then return the cheesecake to the fridge for 30 minutes for the ganache to set before serving. Keep the cheesecake refrigerated in a covered container until ready to serve.a couple of handfuls roasted salted peanuts
Notes
- *This is the kind of peanut butter that contains added oil, giving it a thick, creamy texture. I use Whole Earth but brands like Skippy or Sun-Pat will also work. Avoid using 100% peanuts peanut butter as it has a runny texture which may cause the cheesecake to not set properly.
- I recommend making the cheesecake the day before you want to serve it as it will need at least 6 hours in the fridge to set.
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- If you prefer a slightly firmer set cheesecake then you can add 55g (4 Tablespoons) of melted coconut oil to the filling.