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Lazy Cat Kitchen

A food blog with plant-based recipes from all over the world

Vegan strawberry cheesecake (oil-free)

May 20, 2016 by Ania - 149

aquafaba, easy, gluten-freego to recipe

go to recipe

vegan oilfree strawberry cheesecake top down

Another cheesecake? I hear you say…

I’ve been working on a perfect oil-free cheesecake recipe for so long that now, that I’ve finaly hit the jackpot, I was dying to try other flavours out. As strawberries are in season at the moment, I figured that strawberry cheesecake should be very well received.

Once again, it took a few trials to get the amount of agar agar spot on as strawberries have a surprising amount of water in them, it turns out, but I’ve done it. It’s smooth, creamy, fragrant and very strawberry 🙂 .

This time, I have gone for a fully fledged cake rather than cute individual cheesecakes. As you might have noticed, I like baking small and cute things. I don’t know why that is? I reckon some part of me secretly believes that having one small (teeny weeny) cheesecake is not as bad as having a slice of a big guy. I know it doesn’t make sense, but hey, I often don’t… 😉 so here is a big (ish) cheesecake for you.

PS: If you do make this cheesecake, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram (@lazycatkitchen). I love seeing your take on my recipes.

vegan oilfree strawberry cheesecake

vegan oilfree strawberry cheesecake half top down

vegan oilfree strawberry cheesecake a slice

vegan oilfree strawberry cheesecake slice out

4.94 from 17 votes
Print
  • makes: 16 cm / 6 " dia cheesecake
  • prep: 30 min
  • cooking: 10 min

Ingredients

CHEESECAKE BASE

  • 20 dates / 170 g / 6 oz pitted and soaked in boiling water
  • a few pinches of fine salt
  • heaped 1 cup / 140 g almonds
  • 1½ tbsp raw cacao powder (optional)

CHEESECAKE

  • 1 cup / 150 g raw cashews (soaked overnight)
  • 600 g / 21 oz RIPE strawberries, de-stemmed (weigh after de-stemming)
  • 5-6 tbsp / 75-90 ml maple syrup, adjust to taste
  • 7½ level tsp agar agar flakes*
  • ½ cup coconut cream, chilled (from a tin)
  • ½ cup reduced aquafaba*

DECORATION (optional)

  • chocolate shavings
  • fresh strawberries

Method

  1. Line the bottom of your spring form tin (mine was 16 cm / 6 ” across and 6.5 cm / 2.5 ” tall) with a circle of baking paper and cut out a long rectangle to line the sides with.

CHEESECAKE BASE

  1. Grind your almonds in a food processor until you get a coarse crumb. Take them out of the food processor and set aside.
  2. Drain your dates and chop them roughly. Put into a food processor and process into a paste. Add cacao powder and a bit of salt to taste and process some more.
  3. In a bowl, mix date paste with enough ground almonds to obtain a dough that isn’t too sticky yet still holds together well. I prefer doing it by hand to get a feel for exactly how many almonds I should be adding.
  4. Line the sides of the baking tin and then mould the base mixture to the bottom of your spring form tin. Press the mixture down well with your fingers so that there are no gaps / air-bubbles. Put a bit if baking paper on top of the base and weigh it down with something heavy (I used a round container of similar size, filled with sugar). Put into the fridge while you make your cheesecake mixture.

CHEESECAKE MIXTURE

  1. Just before you are ready to start blending the cheesecake, put agar flakes, ½ cup of reduced aquafaba (or water if you don’t want to use aquafaba) and ½ cup of coconut cream into a small pot. Let the mixture come to the boil and simmer on low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until flakes almost dissolve and the mixture thickens (about 15 mins). From that point onwards, you’ll need to work fast as agar sets as soon as it cools down.
  2. Chuck maple syrup, de-stemmed strawberries and cashews (in this order) into the blender. Blend until smooth. Once smooth add activated agar mixture into a blender. Blend, scraping the sides of the blender from time to time if needed. Adjust the sweetness to taste. Blend until completely smooth.
  3. As soon as the cheesecake mixture is super smooth, take the spring form tin out of the fridge and pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the set base. Make sure you do it very quickly to get a smooth finish as, like I mentioned before, agar sets very quickly. Gently hit the filled spring form tin against your work surface a few times to get rid of air pockets/bubbles.
  4. You don’t need to put this cheesecake into the freezer as it will set beautifully at room temperature or in the fridge. Once set, decorate at will.

Notes

*I have never used agar powder, but if that’s the only agar you have, conventional wisdom says that 3 tsp agar flakes equals 1 tsp agar powder, so for this recipe I would use 2½ tsp of agar powder.

**Aquafaba – water from a can of low-sodium chickpeas or from cooking dry chickpeas at home, reduced on the stove to achieve thicker consistency.

If you want more info on some of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, check out our glossary.
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This recipe has been written by Ania. She is the cook, stylist and photographer behind Lazy Cat Kitchen. You can read about her journey into food blogging here. You can also check her out on Pinterest and Instagram.

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    Comments

    Leave a comment

  1. mary says

    June 12, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    what is aquafaba please

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 12, 2019 at 3:04 pm

      Here is a detailed explanation. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  2. Marie says

    June 12, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Hi, Thanks for such a lovely recipe! I’m planning to make this today but I’m all out of chickpeas (and therefore aquafaba) – can I substitute more agar do you think?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 12, 2019 at 11:29 pm

      That’s no problem, Marie! Simply use water or plant milk instead. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  3. Rachel says

    June 14, 2019 at 6:05 am

    I’ve made this with peaches before (it was amazing!) but do you think it might work with bananas? I feel like it might be too dry, but I bet it would taste amazing. It works perfectly with agar powder, btw! Your substitution amount is spot on. 🙂

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 14, 2019 at 12:41 pm

      Hi Rachel,

      That’s great to hear, thank you so much. Great idea to make it with peaches, I bet it was delicious. As for your question, I tend to agree, bananas will not provide enough moisture but that’s remedied fairly easily – add enough almond (or other) plant milk to the blender until you get a creamy mixture similar in consistency to the peach one you’ve made before. Hope that helps! x

      Reply
  4. svetlana says

    June 15, 2019 at 8:37 am

    can I’m used coconut mil.no cream

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 15, 2019 at 11:16 am

      I would not recommend it as it has less fat and might affect the texture of the cake. Ania

      Reply
  5. nancy says

    July 2, 2019 at 3:34 am

    Is the texture creamy like a cheesecake or more rubbery? Agar can be an odd texture sometimes

    Reply
    • Ania says

      July 2, 2019 at 11:56 am

      The texture is creamy provided the correct amount of agar agar is used. Rubbery texture stems from too much agar and too little or no fat in the recipe, which is sometimes desirable, I guess, if you are making gummy bears, for instance. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  6. Ellie says

    July 21, 2019 at 8:13 am

    What consistency is the cheesecake mixture before and after it sets up? I’d like to use this as a filling in between vanilla cake layers and I can’t decide if I should let it set up before I put on the cake or use it right away as I’ve never attempted this recipe before.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      July 21, 2019 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Ellie,

      It’s thick but still pourable – please refer to the video embedded in this page if you want more detail. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  7. Betti says

    August 2, 2019 at 6:43 pm

    Hi, thanks for the lovely recipe! I used raspberries and it is perfect!

    Do you think you can freeze this cake if you have some leftovers…? Part of the family prefers non-vegan desserts…😁

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 2, 2019 at 7:01 pm

      Hi Betti,

      Thank you, I am really pleased to hear that you and some 😉 of your family enjoyed it! I have not tried freezing it, but I don’t see why it would not work. Ania

      Reply
  8. Betti says

    August 2, 2019 at 8:26 pm

    Thanks for the quick answer. I’ll let you know how it works out . 🙂

    Reply
  9. Renee Telfer says

    August 21, 2019 at 10:57 am

    Has anyone tried using frozen strawberries when fresh aren’t available? Also how long will the cheesecake last in the fridge for – if I want to make in advance for an event. Have you tried doubling it – I would need a much bigger cheesecake – at least 12″ – but still want the glorious height that this one has.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 21, 2019 at 12:34 pm

      Hi Renee,

      Frozen straws should be fine but I would thaw them first, just to make sure you don’t introduce heaps of surplus water. It will last 2-3 in the fridge for sure (in a sealed container as otherwise it will dry out), but maybe more – not sure, never kept it that long. As for your last question, I don’t know but you can calculate the volume of both tins and it will give you an idea whether doubling the recipe is sufficient. You’ll probably need to do it in two batches as I think the blender might struggle with this much at once. Hope that helps and maybe one of my readers has tried some of these things and they will reply also! Ania

      Reply
  10. Aoife says

    August 27, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    Hey Ania, can you explain what reduced aquafaba is? Is there something that I need to do to the aquafaba I get from the can of chickpeas??
    Thanks in advance 🙂

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 27, 2019 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Aoife,

      Reduced, in a cooking context, simply means cooked without a lid, on a low-medium heat, until excess water evaporates. Here are more details. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  11. kate says

    September 7, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    I’m confused…am I whipping the aquafaba into a cream and using that, or am I merely using the liquid before it’s whipped?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      September 7, 2019 at 11:17 pm

      Hi Kate,

      No, it doesn’t need whipping for this application, just add it as is. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  12. Rachel Lampen says

    September 8, 2019 at 8:51 am

    Hi there, just wondering if this cheesecake can be stored in the freezer? Or would freezing and defrosting effect the agar what’s firming effects? When not using agar agar and aquafaba…are there any other ingredients that can be used in raw cheesecakes in general?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      September 8, 2019 at 7:19 pm

      Hi Rachel,

      I have not tried freezing this cake, but I don’t see why it would not work – agar agar won’t be affected, I am pretty sure of that. Not sure I understand your second question? If you mean: how do I keep this cheesecake completely raw? The answer is you would need to use coconut oil or cacao butter or else it would not set. Hope that makes sense. Ania

      Reply
  13. Jeanne Johnson says

    November 30, 2019 at 9:30 pm

    I only had agar powder. I used the amount that you suggested and the cheesecake didn’t firm up. Later, I was making another recipe and read the agar powder label. It calls for 2Tbsp per cup of liquid when gelling acids. I’ll definitely give it another go because the batter tasted great. We ate it with spoons

    Reply
    • Ania says

      December 2, 2019 at 1:48 pm

      I am sorry to hear that, Jeanne, but this is just not possible. Agar powder is 3 times more powerful than agar flakes so if that’s what you used your cheesecake should have gone rock solid and rubbery. It is not possible that it did not firm up. This is one of my most popular recipes and I have had plenty of people send me photos of the finished product on Instagram and none of them were unset so I am confident it works in the proportions I specified. What I suspect might have happened is that you did not activate your agar powder? Did you simmer it in liquid prior to adding to the cheesecake mixture? This is what activates agar and it is an essential step as far as I am aware. Please let me know. I am keen to get to the bottom of this so that your next attempt is exactly as it should be. Ania

      Reply
  14. Johanna Baig says

    January 23, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    Im going’s to make this for my husbands 40th birthday! I don’t have anything to weigh the strawberries though. Can you please help? How many cups do you think? Thanks 🙏 I

    Reply
    • Ania says

      January 24, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      Hi Johanna,

      This is what I found online (link). I hope it worked out for you and that your husband will enjoy his b’day treat. x Ania

      Reply
  15. Johanna Baig says

    January 28, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    Thank you, i will update soon 🙏😊

    Reply
  16. kate says

    April 8, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    I was confused about why I would need to chill the coconut cream if I’m then just going to boil it in a pot, but you’re saying to chill it if you’re using coconut milk, so that you can separate out the cream, right? I am using a can of just the coconut cream. BTW I made this with limes, and it was good, except I added too much agar and it was rubbery. I’m going to have to try again. Also I make the crust with pecans instead of almonds. Delicious. I don’t soak my dates…is that just for fresh dates? I use dried.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      April 8, 2020 at 8:03 pm

      Hi Kate,

      Yes, precisely, I say to chill coconut milk to separate the cream. I suppose you don’t have to do that when you have a can of cream, but I must say that I have found them a bit inconsistent when it comes to fat content and I personally prefer to obtain it from a full fat coconut milk. Yes, calibrating the amount of agar is crucial and as I am sure you already know sour ingredients render agar less effective so it’s a bit of a trial and error if you add things like lime juice to the mixture. I am sure you will nail it, maybe try on a few small muffin size cheesecake first to reduce waste. No, I found that soaking dry dates is useful as most of the ones brought in shops are quite dry and not sticky enough to hold the mixture together but if yours aren’t then lucky you! x Ania

      Reply
  17. Christina says

    April 20, 2020 at 1:07 am

    Hi is there any agar ingredient substitute? I’m at the grocery store and they don’t have it.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      April 20, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      Hi Christina,

      I don’t so, I’m afraid. You could add coconut oil instead to make sure it firms up, but I am not sure how much. My guess is 50 g at least. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  18. disha says

    June 2, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    Roughly how long does it take for the cake the set in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 2, 2020 at 10:13 pm

      Hi,

      It should set fairly quickly, up to an hour I would say although I always leave it alone for several hours to be sure. Ania

      Reply
  19. disha says

    June 2, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    Im planning to replace Strawberries with Mangoes and may be a little lemon juice/zest. Any thoughts on whether that would go well?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 2, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      Yeah, that should work nicely I imagine. You may need to use less agar (as its amounts depends on acidity, the less acidic the fruit the less agar is needed) but that needs to be determined by trial and error. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  20. Aroona ali says

    June 10, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    Hi I would like to ask you is there a specific reason for the maple syrup, strawberries and cashew nuts in that order specified . I made the cheesecake and it was still a little runny. I have had to put it in the freezer; whereas you recipe does not state to freeze it.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 11, 2020 at 4:54 pm

      Hi,

      I put them in this order so that the blender has enough liquid ingredients at the bottom to be able to blend the cashews extra silky smooth. You don’t mention agar agar, have you not used it? That’s the ingredient necessary to make it set. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  21. Nancy says

    June 25, 2020 at 8:31 am

    Thank you for this recipe, I made this two days ago and it is delicious. I was struggling with the ratio of agar agar strings and grams and teaspoons. Finally after converting 7.5 teaspoons of agar flakes to 10 grams of agar agar strings the cake turned out to be firm, not really firm like yours in the picture. Your looks much nicer.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 25, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      Hi Nancy,

      Thank you, I’m delighted that you enjoyed the end result! I’m glad you managed to convert agar powder/flakes into ‘agar strings’ (I have never heard of or seen ‘agar strings’, tbh) well. It sounds like you got just the perfect end as this is the kind of dessert that is at its best when it’s just barely set and creamy. I’ve had to add some extra agar when I made it for the photos as otherwise it is really hard to photograph without making a massive mess and the slices looking terrible so please don’t worry sounds like your texture is spot on, really! x Ania

      Reply
  22. Miranda Lewis says

    July 14, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    Hey, I have used arrowstarch instead of agar agar and I think maybe I didn’t substitute enough and it’s very liquidy. Will it firm up if I put it in the fridge overnight?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      July 14, 2020 at 6:16 pm

      Hi Miranda,

      I don’t think it will, if I am honest – I guess depends how much you’ve used, but generally arrowroot isn’t anywhere near as strong as agar agar and has different properties. It is a thickener (like tapioca, cornstarch) and not such much a setting agent. Ania

      Reply
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Ania Marcinowska
Hi, I'm Ania. I love good food but I love animals more! Adopting a plant-based diet has been the best decision I've made and that's how this blog was born. It's a space where I want to show you that creating delicious plant-based food isn't actually hard at all.
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