I'm really excited to finally share this Coconut Banana Cheesecake recipe. Before coming up with this recipe, I thought I had nailed making really easy and delicious 8 ingredient vegan cheesecake recipes. I was pretty sure that it wasn't possible to make it any easier. However, I am happy to say that I have figured out a way to make a 6 ingredient amazing tasting vegan cheesecake.
My inspiration for this cheesecake came from the vegan banana ice cream hack everyone talked about all summer. Personally, I'm not a big fan of bananas. Let me restate that: I can't stand bananas. Which is why when I made the frozen banana ice cream, it actually made me gag. For my vegan cheesecake I wanted to make a filling that was super easy and fast to make. No soaking cashews and trying to blend forever until they get smooth.
I kept pacing around my kitchen trying to figure out how to change up my usual cheesecake filling. A bunch of bananas were sitting on my countertop staring at me, flaunting their long and lean yellow bodies. I finally gave in to their seductive ways and thought that if I don't like the way the cheesecake tastes then I'm sure the rest of my banana-loving family will.
So I popped a banana along with coconut cream into a food processor and blended them together. It didn't seem quite sweet enough to me so I added a bit of maple syrup. If you want to keep this recipe raw vegan then just omit the maple syrup. The filling was thick and creamy and I kept eating it like it was yogurt, while completely forgetting that I was actually eating banana.
People seem to love peanut butter and bananas. So what better nut to use for the crust than peanuts? Peanuts were also perfect for this crust because you don't need dates to make a nice sticky crust. The trick is to pulse them long enough that it turns into a crumbly texture that sticks well together but short enough that it doesn't turn into peanut butter.
Lastly, I had to top of the cheesecake with mini chocolate chips. Mainly because we all need more chocolate in our lives but also who can resist a vegan cheesecake with peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate? Not many.
Vegan Coconut Banana Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 cup 250 g Peanuts ( roasted, lightly salted)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Coconut Oil
- 1 cup Coconut Cream
- 1 Banana
- 1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
- ⅓ cup 70 g Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
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Line a 7 inch springform with parchment paper.
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Prepare crust by pulsing peanuts and coconut oil in food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Press peanut crust firmly into bottom of springform.
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Rinse out food processor and pulse coconut cream, banana, and maple syrup together until creamy and smooth. Spread coconut-banana filling over peanut crust.
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Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of filling.
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Place in freezer for at least 10 minutes until firm then remove from cheesecake from springform and serve.
Recipe Notes
1) To make this recipe raw vegan, use raw peanuts and omit maple syrup.2) Pulse peanuts and coconut oil just enough to make a sticky and crumbly crust. You don't want the peanuts to turn into peanut butter. 3) Allow edges of cheesecake to freeze well before attempting to remove from springform.4) Store cheesecake in fridge. If fridge is not cold enough, store in freezer and allow enough time for it to thaw.5) You can use store bought coconut cream or place a can (or two depending on brand) of coconut milk in fridge for at least 4 hours. Carefully, without sloshing the coconut milk around, open the can. Scoop the hard white coconut cream out of the can.
Some of the ingredients I used can be found here:
Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips
In the mood for more vegan cheesecakes? Try my Blueberry Lime Cheesecake , Kiwi Mango Cheesecake, or Coconut Strawberry Tarts.
[email protected] says
Vegan cheesecake with only SIX ingredients?! I'm in! This looks totally gorgeous! Love the combo of coconut and banana. Pinned! And thanks for the visit to my blog! Looking forward to getting to know you. :)
Vanessa says
Thanks Sarah! Loved your blog and I'm so happy you stopped by :)
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love coconut desserts!
Thanks for commenting on my blog. I am happy that I have discovered your blog, I am trying to eat more vegan meals.
Vanessa says
Thanks Dannii,
Hope you get some vegan recipe inspiration :)
Manali @ CookWithManali says
this is so creative Vanessa! only 6 ingredients for a vegan cheesecake is genius! and lovely pictures, Pinning!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
This banana cheesecake looks absolutely amazing! I love that you used bananas and coconut cream for the filling, what a great idea! And the peanut crust sounds delicious, too. Such an easy and delicious dessert!
Cailee says
WOW! This looks so delicious!! I could def go for a slice after dinner!! ... lovely recipe! And it's vegan?? WIN-WIN!!
Momma Baker says
I love coconut and banana! My mouth is watering!!!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
I am so happy you came to my blog! All your recipes are gorgeous!! Honestly, your vegan cheesecake recipes looks UNREAL :) I love finding vegan cheesecake recipes that are not 100% cashew or tofu and don't call for a gazillion ingredients! This cheesecake looks like heaven - peanuts + bananas + coconut + chocolate all in one? I am in heaven!! Pinned :)
And I am happy to know you finally found a way to enjoy bananas! I go through so many of them a week it is not even funny! :)
Vanessa says
Thanks Ceara,
It's not exactly the healthiest way to enjoy bananas but oh well..I can pretend :D Thanks for pinning!
Ella says
I have just discovered your blog and it's wonderful thank you! My son has a nut allergy - any idea what I can use for the base instead?
Vanessa says
Hi Ella,
Is he also allergic to seeds? If not, I would try sunflower seeds. You may need to add a bit more coconut oil since sunflower seeds aren't as oily as peanuts. If that isn't an option. The FatFreeVegan blog has a nice crust that should work well too. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/12/calamondin-or-lemon-pie-with-oatmeal.html
Hope that helps :)
Ella says
Seeds are all good so that sounds a fabulous substitute - thank you x
Michele @ Two Raspberries says
oh my gosh this is so healthy and looks amazing! pinning! yum!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
So many vegan "cheesecake" recipes contain cashews so it made me so happy to read your ingredients and see that there are no cashews at all! (we have an allergy, so no cashews can be in our home) I'll definitely be trying this, thanks for sharing :)
Terje says
I agree with you, it's awesome to find a "cheesecake" that is not based on cashews! I have nothing against them personally, but I don't find the texture overly nice for cakes. Also, they make a damn expensive cake! Bananas are a lot more doable in the budget department as well.
Martina says
Tired this recipe today. My pan was to big so mine wasn't as deep as your pie, but it tasted amazing!! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the the recipe.
Vanessa says
I'm so glad you liked it Martina! It's one of my favorite no bake cakes to make because it's just so darn easy :)
sandra says
can i make the curst with pecans instead ? and what happens if i melt a vegan chocolate bar and spread it on top?
Vanessa says
Hi Sandra, I haven't used pecans in the crust before but you can definitely use them or any other nut. Spreading a chocolate bar on top sounds delicious. Absolutely no harm in doing that :)
Shay says
This recipe looks great, but I don't like coconut. Would another non-dairy cream work in place?
Thanks,
Shay
Vanessa says
Hi Shay, You might have luck trying vegan cream cheese instead. I can't tell you for sure though how it will taste or turn out since I haven't tried it. That's the only viable substitute I can think of though :) If you try it, I would love to hear how it turned out.
Marianne says
Hey, thank you for this recipe that looks delicious. I'm gonna make it for sure. Since I am alone there are always some leftovers, so I was wondering, how long you can store that kind of cake? Should I keep it in the fridge? I am a vegan noob :)
Vanessa says
Hi Marianne, It really depends on how quickly you plan on eating it. This cheesecake freezes really well so if you know you won't eat any of your leftovers within the next two days then freeze it. I would keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Hope you like it :)
Kristine says
Hi-
I can't find coconut cream- Can you use cream of coconut or coconut milk ? I really want to make this recipe tomorrow!
Vanessa says
Hi Kristine, you definitely need to use coconut cream. You can get coconut cream from a regular can of coconut milk though. I described it in the NOTES part of the recipe. Basically just chill (best overnight) a can of coconut milk in the fridge. Then carefully open can and you'll see that the coconut milk has separated into coconut water and cream. Just scoop the hard white cream out the can and use it for this recipe. Usually, 1 can of coconut milk yield 1 cup of coconut cream. Hope you like it :)
Kat | curlsnchard.com says
Vanessa, I just saw this recipe on Pinterest...oh my...yum! I really have to try this - I'm out of unfrozen bananas right now, but I will soon have to try this. I'm thinking about making it a layered dessert in a glass actually! Oh, the possibilities :D
Vanessa says
Thanks Kat, layering it in a glass sounds delicious! This recipe was a total fluke. I thought that it would never work and was way too simple. I was so surprised at how yummy it turned out and it's such a healthy treat :)
Mijke says
I made this cheesecake filling yesterday with Karla coconut cream (works great for whipped cream) but my filling turned out too thin. More like a kind of thick yoghurt (after chilling). I used my blender instead of food processor. Not sure what went wrong. The cream instead of refrigerated coconut milk or using my blender. Any idea? Cause it's exactly the filling I've been looping for!
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Mijke, I'm not familiar with Karla Coconut Cream. Is it very thick? It should be :) A blender should get you the same result as a food processor so I don't think that was the issue. When you make the cheesecake filling it should seem thin or like a thick yogurt. After chilling it should set and harden. How long did you chill it for? Sometimes it helps to even let it stay in the fridge overnight. It really depends on how cold your refrigerator is. Otherwise, I would put it in the freezer for a bit and allow it to thaw just a few minutes and eat it that way. It would be a shame to have to throw it away :(
Nora says
Hi Vanessa,
I was wondering if you could give me a cup-to-oz/grams conversion. I was looking for a conversion chart online, but i found 3 and they are all different from one another.
I really want to try and make this beautiful vegan cheesecake, but i'm not sure about the quantities and i don't want to make a mess...cause i know i'm a mess when cooking or baking...lol
Thanks a lot!
Nora
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Nora,
I don't have the weight of 1 cup of coconut cream but I found that it is usually the coconut cream from 1 1/2 to 2 cans of coconut milk. It's not a big deal if you use more coconut cream. If you use too little that's what might give you issues. I would use all the coconut cream from 2 cans of coconut milk. My peanuts ended up weighing 150 grams for 1 cup and the mini chocolate chips I used (Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips) weighed 70 grams for 1/3 of a cup.
I'll add the weights into the recipe as well. Hope this helps :)
Nora says
Thanks for the reply!
I'll try it in the weekend! :D
Kim says
Yummy.
Michelle says
Is there another nut that can be used instead of the peanuts? Like cashews?
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Michelle, you can use any other nut as well. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia, etc. Even sunflower seeds if there is a nut allergy. Cashews can also be used but they do like to suck up moisture. If you have any other nuts then I would use those instead of cashews.
Zali says
At least 10 minutes... We had our in for 6 hours before it went hard! Not sure but we followed the recipe exactly? Still not completely set.
Vanessa Croessmann says
Hi Zali, Sorry to hear that the Coconut Banana Cheesecake didn't set for you. Are you sure you used coconut cream and not coconut milk?
Anne says
Hiya,
Do you have a calorie count per serving? This is an exciting recipe