No Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake

🍰 Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy and low effort: unlike regular cheesecakes, this no bake white chocolate cheesecake comes together in just a few simple steps (no water bath required). Simply blend everything together, pour into a pan and let it set!
• Vegan: This no bake white chocolate cheesecake is fully dairy free, but nobody would ever know! It's sweet, tangy, super smooth, rich, and absolutely delicious. It's also easy to adapt to be gluten free.
• Show-stopping dessert: We love serving this white chocolate cheesecake at holidays and family gatherings. It's actually a vegan adaptation of a classic family recipe and my grandpa always requests it for his birthday!

🍫 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this no bake white chocolate cheesecake:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Cashews: Be sure to use unsalted, raw cashews! It's also important to soak the cashews for at least two hours so they blend into a smooth filling. If they aren't soaked, the filling will be gritty.
• White chocolate: We use these vegan white chocolate chips – they're absolutely delicious and taste just regular dairy white chocolate chips.
• Agave: You can also substitute with maple syrup if preferred.
• Lemon juice: This is an essential ingredient. It adds that tangy, fresh flavor that's characteristic of cheesecake. Freshly squeezed is always best!
• Cream cheese and sour cream: There are so many excellent vegan brands out there. We've tried several in this white chocolate cheesecake and they all work great.
• Graham crackers: Feel free to use gluten free if needed.
• Pecans: These are definitely an optional topping, feel free to leave off.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2-3 hours, or very hot water for 1 hour. 

(2) Add graham crackers and pecans to a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add in melted butter and agave and pulse until well combined. 

(3 & 4) Press the crust mixture firmly into a 9-inch springform pan, about 1" up the sides of the pan. Freeze while making the filling. 

(5) Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. 

(6) Drain the cashews and add to a blender with cream cheese, sour cream, agave, lemon juice, vanilla extract and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides if needed to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated. 

(7) Add in the melted white chocolate and blend again. 

(8) Pour the filling into the chilled crust and smooth out with a spatula. Freeze for 1 hour. 

(9) Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over the top of the chilled cheesecake and top with pecans. 

(10) Return to freezer for 1 more hour to set, then transfer to refrigerator for another 4 hours or overnight. 

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Don't forget to soak the cashews! This is essential for making sure they blend into a super smooth and creamy filling. If they aren't properly soaked, your filling will have a gritty texture.
• For best results, let the cheesecake set completely in the freezer, then store in the refrigerator. One of my pet peeves with no bake vegan cheesecakes is that they usually have to be stored in the freezer. I don't love the texture when they're frozen and I think it kind of ruins the experience of a creamy cheesecake filling! We let ours set in the freezer, then transfer to the fridge. The filling is softer than you might expect, and it's SO good.
• Soften your cream cheese: For the smoothest possible filling, bring your cream cheese to room temperature before adding to the blender.
• Optional sour cream topping: The sour cream topping adds the perfect tangy contrast to the sweet filling. It's our family recipe and we've always made it like this, so we love it! But totally fine to leave it off if you would prefer.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container (or covered with plastic wrap) in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
• Freezer storage: you can cover and store this cheesecake for up to 3-6 months (as long as it's well sealed)! Thaw in refrigerator before serving.
• Make it gluten free: Swap the graham crackers with a gluten free alternative. Otherwise, this no bake white chocolate cheesecake is fully GF!

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