An Avocado Berry Vegan Cheesecake frozen in two layers with berry, coconut milk while the other an avocado matcha green tea, set in a date and nut crust.
Avocado Vegan Cheesecake
While living in Brazil 2007-2010, it was an adjustment for me to eat avocado served sweet, unlike here in America where I had only eaten avocado served savory.
Fast forward to recent years, and the trending vegan recipes using avocado as a creamy fat that easily replaced butter, and it seemed a no-brainer to created some of the best vegan desserts I’ve ever had.
This recipe is called a cheesecake because it takes on the creamy dense texture much like the dairy cheesecake we all know.
I created this recipe for my daughter who was strictly vegan at the time, and she was elated with each bite of it.
Adding a splash of matcha green tea, to the avocado layer of this cheesecake, gave it a depth of flavor and a bit more color.
Berry Vegan Cheesecake
Preparing a sweet berry puree, as one of the layers in this cheesecake, with seasonal berries gave it a summertime flavor, but it needed depth and a creamier texture.
Using a vegan gelatin and full cream coconut milk made the berry layer as luscious as ice cream.
Any favorite berry can be used, but for this vegan cheesecake I wanted to use blackberry, to contrast both taste and color to the avocado.
Vegan Cheesecake Crust
Yes, this is the best crust, hands down, because it is made with crushed nuts, giving it almost a cookie-like texture.
Alternatively, it is sweeten with crushed dates, instead of sugar, and a splash of cacao powder, for a very healthy crust.
You might love the crust so much, you will just roll it into little balls and eat them as a healthy candy or energy bite, which I have done!
This crust is easy to make and with the use of a removable bottom pan, it is easy to pop out the cheesecake and still retain its shape.
Vegan Treats For My Daughter
When I returned from my adventures of Brazil, my daughter was going to college in Florida and asked me to come get a place and live nearby her, I did.
Then, on a whim, she applied to one of the top international modeling agencies in Miami and much to my dismay, was accepted immediately. Ugh…
We both moved to Miami and got a place together. Within a year’s time I watched my daughter go from a cute and healthy shape to an emaciated shadow of her former self.
I watched her count out the amount of almonds she allotted herself to eat, usually about 10, along with a helping of broccoli.
I watched her remove every healthy fat from her diet and then one day, while I was taking some photos of her, I saw every bone in her back, almost visibly through her skin.
“That’s it, I’m moving back to our hometown, I’ll not stay here and watch you destroy the healthy girl you once were just so a modeling agency can use you as a hanger to display clothes and images that are a lie”!
Vegan – For The Health Of It!
Two months later she quit, moved back home and spent the next three years trying to undo the damage to the health of her body.
One of the best things she did was to use the rich proteins found in plants to regain her former health.
She maintained a vegan diet for two years, which gave me the opportunity to create fabulous tasting foods that still met her vegan requirements.
She eventually added seafood to her diet, but still has never gone back to eating meat, not because she doesn’t want to but because her body will no longer process it without causing much discomfort.
How To Make Vegan Cheesecake
I am an avid lover of a pie crust made with crushed nuts or oats, and sweetened with dates; a crust you will find often in my pies.
This crust is way better than the ole graham cracker and butter crusts I grew up making and a gazillion time healthier too.
Add a little chocolate, in the form of raw cacao, and you’ll be lucky not to eat all the crust before the filling it made.
The filling is an easy whisk of a few fruits, sweetened with either sugar, honey, agave or stevia, made thick and creamy with coconut milk, avocado or bananas, and held together with a seaweed base gelatin.
Ingredients Needed
- Pitted dates
- Raw cashews
- Cacao powder
- Blackberries
- Coconut sugar
- Powdered gelatin
- Blackberry liquor (optional)
- Full fat coconut milk
- Avocado
- Honey or agave
- Lemon juice
- Matcha green tea powder
Equipment Needed
- Food processor or blender
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Individual spring form pans or Mason jar lids
- Freezer
Avocado Berry Vegan Cheesecake
Course: DessertCuisine: Vegan8
servingsSweet berry puree with coconut milk, sweet avocado puree with matcha green tea, both set with gelatin into a date, cashew and cacao crust and served chilled.
Ingredients
Crust
Dates – 2 cups, pitted and chopped
Raw Cashews – 2 cups
Cacao powder – 2 tablespoons
Berry Filling
Blackberries, Strawberries or Raspberries – 2 cups, plus garnish
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Vegan gelatin – 1 tablespoon (dissolved in 1 tablespoons water)
Liquor – 1 shot (optional *see notes)
Coconut milk – 13 oz. can, full fat
Avocado Puree
Avocado – 1 cup, ripe and chopped
Coconut or cashew milk – 1 1/2 cups
Honey or agave – 1/4 cup
Vegan gelatin – 1 tablespoon, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
Matcha green tea powder – 1 teaspoon
Directions
- For the crust, blend ingredients together in a processor. Press the crust into individual tart tins or a large spring form pan. Place into the fridge to chill while preparing the fillings.
- For the berry filling, simmer the berries and sugar together just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatin that has been dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water, coconut milk and liquor, if using and puree with a hand mixer or immersion blender. Set aside.
- For the avocado filling, puree the avocado ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup, placed in the fridge, to use as a garnish on top.
- In the prepared pans with the chilled date crust, pour avocado filling half way up, into the chilled crust. Chill until puree begins to firm, about an 30 minutes.
- Pour the berry gelatin the remainder of the way up the crust, on top of the avocado filling. Keep in the fridge until both fillings are firm, about 2 hours or over night.
- When ready to serve, place a little dollop of the chilled avocado filling on top as you would whipped cream and garnish with a berry and perhaps a tiny mint leaf.
Notes
- Adding a little berry or floral liquor deepens the richness of the flavor of the berry filling. I used Creme de Violette in this recipe, a very dark purple floral liquor.
- Vegan gelatin is often derived from seaweed and is a great alternative.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
