Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake has the creamy texture you love, with a rich chocolate flavor. It’s the perfect no-bake dessert to make for any chocolate fans in your life.
Why You’ll Love It
This healthier chocolate recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and even has a veggie hiding inside the creamy filling. But you’d never know just by tasting it!
Since the filling is made with cashews instead of cream cheese, it’s also dairy-free, vegan and Paleo friendly.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in vegan chocolate cheesecake?
- Cashews
- Maple syrup
- Cacao powder
- Zucchini (yes, a veggie!)
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
That’s all you need for the filling, and I like to pour it over the same no-bake chocolate crust I use for my vegan cheesecake bars. A simple blend of pecans (or walnuts), cacao powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil brings that together in no time.
Pro Tip: If you don’t care for the flavor of coconut oil, look for a refined or “expeller pressed” version at your local grocery store. Refined coconut oil has zero coconut flavor, so you won’t taste it at all in the final dessert. I use this trick for making vegan cream cheese and homemade magic shell, when I don’t want coconut flavor.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
1. Prepare the crust. Place the pecans and cacao powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, and process briefly, until the texture is crumbly.
Add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt, and process again until the crust sticks together.
Transfer the crust to an 8-inch springform pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper, if you want the cheesecake to be very easy to remove later.
Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan, and then place it in the freezer to firm up while you prepare the filling.
2. Make the filling. Add the cashews, zucchini, cacao powder, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and salt into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
This will work best if your ingredients are NOT cold from the fridge, so the coconut oil doesn’t thicken up from the cold.
I typically do not soak my cashews ahead of time (because I don’t plan ahead very well) so I also add in a 1/4 cup of water to help with blending. If you would prefer to soak the cashews, cover them with 2 inches of water in a large bowl and let them soak for 2 hours.
Then drain and rinse well, before adding them to the blender. Soaked cashews will blend easier, and may not require any additional water for blending, but you can add water 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to make everything blend smoothly.
Be prepared to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender, or use a tamper if your blender comes with one, because this chocolate filling is pretty thick!
3. Chill. Remove the crust from the freezer and use a spatula to add the chocolate filling from the blender container.
Smooth the top, and then place the pan back in the freezer to chill until the top of the cheesecake feels firm to the touch, about 3 to 4 hours.
When the cheesecake is firm, you can slice and serve it chilled. It pairs nicely with fresh fruit on top, like raspberries or strawberries.
Keep in mind that the coconut oil is what holds this vegan cheesecake together, so it will melt if you leave it out at room temperature for too long. I recommend storing it in the freezer until just before serving. It can sit out for up to 30 minutes when frozen, but no longer than that!
Storage Tips
Since this cake needs to be served from the freezer, you can store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
If you would rather make this in an 8-inch square pan, you can also slice it into bars for an easy treat to have on hand.
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate Pecan Crust
- 1 1/2 cups pecans
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups raw cashews (no need to soak)
- 1 cup diced zucchini , peeled
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- To make the crust, add the pecans and cacao powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an "S" blade and pulse briefly, until the mixture looks crumbly. Add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt and process again until the mixture sticks together.
- Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by lightly spraying it with oil and pressing a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. This guarantees the cheesecake will be easy to remove later. Transfer the crust to the prepared pan and press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.
- To make the filling, add the cashews, zucchini, cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, coconut oil, and water to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender, as needed, to make sure everything is blended well. It will be very thick.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and add the chocolate filling on top, smoothing it with a spatula. Return the pan to the freezer and chill until the cheesecake feels firm to the touch in the center, about 3 to 4 hours.
- When the cheesecake is totally firm, it's ready to slice and serve. Be sure to serve it directly from the freezer for the best texture, as it will soften up if you leave it at room temperature for too longer. Serve with sliced berries on top, or with coconut whipped cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in 2013, and was updated in 2022. I increased the maple syrup and cacao powder in the filling by a 1/4 cup each to boost the chocolate flavor, but you can omit that addition if you prefer. I think it greatly improves the flavor, though!
If you try this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This looks totally amazing. From everyone’s post it sounds like it tastes totally amazing also. I am wondering if you can give any nutrition value on your recipes???
This looks perfect, but I’m on a low FODMAP diet so have to avoid cashews. Have you any suggestions as to a suitable substitute? The only nuts I can’t have are cashews and pistachios. Do you know if macadamia nuts could work? Or another vegetable? Thanks 🙂
You might check out this link http://paleoleap.com/dairy-free-paleo-cheese-substitutes/. There are a couple cream cheese substitutes made with almonds or zucchini, but they might go through some sort of fermentation process first
I have a ton of carrots! What is your opinion about substituting carrots for zucchini?
It will probably have a taste slightly similar to carrot cake, kind of like pumpkin cheesecake has a pumpkin taste. It will also likely have an orange tint to it, unless you are using either yellow or white carrots. If you don’t mind those, you probably also want to decrease the sweetener. Carrots (almost any root vegetables except potatoes, really) have a lot more sugar than zucchini does. It probably won’t affect the texture, though.
All I can say is thank you! I licke the blender and spoon clean! I don’t know if I can bare to wait until tomorrow to eat this! It’s so simple and easy to make, too! My husband is going to be so pleased! Thanks a million!
Brilliant! Made this for my fiance’s brithday and it was absolutely fantastic! I substituted the pecans for brazil nuts, and a 1/4 cup maple syrup in the filling for honey. I dare say it was the healthiest and most delicious birthday cake I’ve ever had.
I tested it this weekend before the big event on Thursday – I think I used too big of a spring form pan as my batter was only about 1/4 inch thick – ended up more like a piece of fudge. But it was wonderful. When I make it again, I will double the batter and use a smaller pan I think.
Oh, I also added some instant expresso coffee for a little mocha flavor
Just made this, but substituted the maple syrup with soaked dates( same proportions) and soaked the cashews for two hours. OMG!! Amazing!! Just the right amount of richness! Perfectly cheesecakey texture. Even my dairy-consuming boyfriend loves it. Ty so much for sharing!!
OMG THIS TASTES SOOOO GOOD! I made a mini cake because it’s just the two of us at home and I just wanted to try it first, as this was my first raw cheesecake ever. And now I want to make a big one JUST FOR MYSELF. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
I’m not going to lie, I was wary about this recipe, but it turned out so well! My whole family was obsessed with it. And it’s super filling!
Could I use honey instead of the maple syrup? And carob powder instead of cocoa powder?
Hello! I noticed on your Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe that you used plastic wrap instead of a spring form pan. Will that work for this recipe, as well? We are in a temporary home and my spring form pan is in storage, so I’m hoping I can get away with a regular cake pan and plastic wrap. 🙂
Food combining does not appear to be a legitimate theory–do you have scientific, peer-reviewed sources? However, I really love your recipe and am excited to try it because it is dairy and gluten free, and has great, high-quality ingredients!
Delish.. I’m making this for an upcoming christening.
Just made this for a family get together since some are vegans and EVERYBODY absolutely loved it! Love this website, thanks so much!
UGH! This is killing me – no zucchini in the house but I have everything else. I guess it will be a weekend treat once the snow melts and I can get to the store. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m SO excited to have found this in time for Valentine’s Day– especially after my success with your cauliflower crusted pizza, I’m sold!
Any reason why I shouldn’t cover this while it sits in the freezer overnight? I don’t want it to soak up any “freezer flavor,” but I also don’t want it to get too moist… Thoughts?
Thanks for keeping us healthy- and well-fed!
Made this over the weekend as we were having a guest for dinner. Since I was running out of time to let it set in the freezer, I made smaller individual portions. They were ready after 4 hours. WOW!! It really blew our minds, especially with the strawberry sauce on top… This cake is super filling and truly satisfying. It’s got this fudgy texture that’s really addictive, too!! Thanks so much for this recipe Megan!!
I made this last night and it is amazing. I’ve tried so many healthy desserts and my partner has hated all of them until he tried this, he loved it. It will now become a regular treat in our home, thank you. Instead of strawberries I topped mine with macadamia nuts coated in a glaze of maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Excellent recipe. Extremely delicious!!!
Amazing recipe! Thank you and greetings from Sweden:)
Thank you for this amazing recipe. We loved this delicious dessert. Amazing and so good for you!
Hi Megan,
Just wanted to say that I successfully made this recipe last week and my family loved it and even went back for a second helping.
I used Brazil nuts for the crust because I didn’t have enough cashews and it still came out delicious. Thanks for a great recipe. I love your site!!!
Megan, this cheesecake is amazing. Thank you so much!
My son is allergic to cashews, so I have been subbing raw almond butter. I am going to try coconut butter next.
You have made such a difference in the lives of my gluten and dairy free family. I will be buying your cookbook as soon as it is available!
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear your family is enjoying the recipes!
Hi, how much almond butter do you use? 1 cup? Thanks for the great alternative 🙂
Have you tried coconut butter? Thanks again 🙂
Loved this one too, my kids keep asking me when I will make it again. We topped it with a little raspberry sauce (just a bit partial to choco/raspberry) and the fudginess of this is perfect for THIS sweet tooth. Thanks again!
OMG this is sooooo DELICIOUS!!!!Thank-you for another FANTASTIC recipe 🙂
Hello, is it gonna hurt if i soak the cashews before blending them? Thank you 🙂
No, I think soaking them should be fine.
Thank you, Megan 🙂
This is AMAZING!! I had just finished making a traditional chocolate peanut butter cheesecake and needed to make something for my son to be able to have (dairy free). So I whipped up this and this was better than the traditional one I made!! Everyone preferred it and when I told them what was in it no one believed me!! You have to make this!
Hi, I did that cake yesterday and it turned out pretty flat. It didn’t look like u’re cake.
Can u guess what I did wrong. Not too sure why it didn’t have a bigger top layer.
Thx.
My guess is that you used a larger pan than I did– that would account for a thinner result.
Wow! This was delicious! I tried it last-night & maybe I did something wrong, as my filling was a lot darker in colour & a bit gritty as well? Could that be because my food processor wasn’t high-powered enough and the fact i used Cacao powder instead of cocoa powder?
i made this yesterday and OH MY GOD…i can’t even describe how amazing it was. i haven’t blogged about it yet, but here’s the instagram! http://instagram.com/p/rsnfn3Svu6/
If you soak the cashews overnight, and then blend them in a Vitamix, you can make cashew cream cheese. The cashew cream from the Vitamix is mixed with soy yogurt (2 TBS) as a starter, and then fermented at 110F for 12 hours. It provides a very good taste approximation to cream cheese, as well as texture. I was very skeptical at first, but was amazed with the results: it is now my “go-to” base for many recipes.
This is the most amazing thing ever I have not hade dairy in olmost for ever ice cream, cake this website helped me and my family enjoy good heathy food that is simple to make
This looks amazing! Can I use frozen zucchini in this recipe? (If I get all the liquid out of course).
I’ve never tried that, so I can’t say for sure. Please let us know how it turns out if you try it!
You can. I’ve used previously frozen zucchini in zucchini bread before (someone absent-mindedly put raw zucchini in the freezer, so I needed to use it in smoothies and zucchini bread ASAP). Just make sure it is thawed and the water is squeezed out, and it’s in a pulp (either grated or run through a blender for a few seconds).
Your recipes are great . Can i use walnuts or what do you recommend to replace the pecan for the crust? Thank you
I have used walnuts to replace pecans in the past often, just because I usually have walnuts in the house but typically only buy pecans if I have a certain recipe in mind. I have even used almonds to replace walnuts or pecans in the past, because my dad is allergic to both. As long as they are a similar firmness, it works fine (cashews will not work because they are much softer)
Thank youfor this chance to enjoy milk free foods
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this great recipe. I made it last night and just had a sample at lunch…oh my. It is rich and delicious. I can’t wait for my husband to try it tonight. I didn’t have a spring pan, so I just put all the ingredients into a round 8-inch baking pan…took a little maneuvering with a fork and knife, but I got a slice out cleanly and neatly! 🙂 Thank you for all your recipes.
Hi Megan,
I just discovered your classic raw cheesecake recipe and LOVE it… made it twice in the past week! So I want to try this one. I’m wondering if you think I can substitute the maple syrup with honey and the coconut oil with either butter or cocoa butter (which do you think would be better?) I can do butter but not coconut. TY!
I’m sure you can replace the maple syrup. I freely switch maple, honey, and even date pulp in all sorts of recipes. Just do it to taste. The amount of sugar in honey is a little different than that in maple, so they don’t have the same sweetness proportional to the volume.
As for the butter, butter, should work fine. It solidifies at low temperatures the same as coconut oil. I’m not familiar with cocoa butter, so I can’t tell you on that one.
Instead of the zucchini, I used pulp leftover from juicing beets, carrots, and cucumber. The texture was excellent, and now I have a new favorite place to use all of my juicing pulp 🙂
Could it affect the crust consistency and/or texture if I soak the pecans over night? anybody has any experience soaking nuts and using them for crust?
Thank you!
I wouldn’t recommend using wet nuts for the crust, but it should be fine if you dry them completely before using them in a recipe.
thank you! im going to dehydrate them in the oven for a few hours to avoid messing up the recipe! happy thx giving Megan and thank you for all your wonderful healthy recipes <3
This recipe is amazing!! I’ve made it twice and both times it was simply divine. Perfect for festive entertaining, it also made me bike 10% faster! I’m a total kitchen noob and even I managed to make it taste good. Imagine what the culinary geniuses who read this blog could do?? Plant power!
Can I replace the zucchini with an avocado? Excited to try this!
I tried soaking nuts and then drying them in a dehydrator. Or they can be dried in the oven on the lowest setting. When they are dry, they can be used in the crust recipe just fine..
Why would you soak them and then completely dehydrate them again? Just curious….
There is an enzyme on the outside of nuts that affect some people’s digestive systems. Soaking breaks that down. So, they are removing the enzyme, then drying it back out.
This recipe is simply amazing! Everyone who ties this can’t believe that it’s vegan and has zucchini in it!
This looks so delicious and there is a small heart on the right side of the cake painted in strawberry sause and it is on the plate with hearts…Oh so dearly amazing. I am making this at home.
Thank you for this inspiration…. so wonderful.
Love and light
Vivian
This recipe is AMAZING! My entire family loved it. Do you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe?
The zuchinni is also raw? And how long can this be frozen for? Can I make it a week in advance?
Yes, it’s raw, and yes this can be made a week in advance as long as you cover it tightly and keep it frozen.
hi Megan, love your blog and I can’t wait to try your chocolate cheesecake, but I was wondering if I can use brown rice syrup instead of maple syrup since it has a lot of sugar? Hope to her from
You can, but you’ll need to use significantly more brown rice syrup to make it taste like cheesecake!
Not a fan of maple syrup, does the cheesecake have a strong maple flavor? Do you think light karo syrup could replace the maple?
Also, I have a friend that is allergic to coconut. Do you think the vegan butter could replace the coconut oil in the crust and filling? Or could you suggest a different oil? Possibly crisco?
Thank you. I can’t wait to try this.
You can use almost any type of sweetener to replace it. It is only meant for the sweetness. I freely interchange maple, honey, or even date pulp for recipes. Just do it by taste, The amount of sugar/sweetness in the different liquids is not the same in comparison to volume, so you may need more or less of the Karo syrup
If you use the stick vegan butter it would probably work fine. It still solidifies the same way coconut oil does. My grandmother used Crisco for everything butter would be in when I was a kid due to my sister’s milk allergy, back before coconut oil was common. I wouldn’t recommend spreadable vegan butter, and definitely not another type of oil. Other oils do not solidify at colder temperatures, so the cheesecake would not solidify.
Just a note: not sure if you use the vegan recipes for an actual vegan diet or an allergy. Most people with a milk allergy are actually allergic to the protein casein, and can still have butter since it is entirely fat. Same thing for lactose intolerance. Since there is no sugar in the butter, there is no lactose.
I made this yesterday on a hot and humid afternoon. Yay no cooking!!! I just taste-tested it with my dairy and gluten allergic son. We both loved it! He was so pleased to eat zucchini in this tasty way! The whole thing was fast and easy to make. If there were more than 5 stars, we would rate it higher! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!