Lemon Cheesecake Bars (Dairy-Free, Keto, Nut-Free)
MY NEW FAVORITE THING. EVER.
OB-SESSED. Ever since I got my first jar of coconut butter 2 weeks ago, I just can’t get ENOUGH.
I saw this 36 lb bucket of coconut butter on Amazon and I’m seriously considering buying it! lol. I LOVE IT.
I made this DECADENT fudge (omg LOVE) and had to make MORE delicious things with this butter.
After some experimenting, these cheesecake bars miraculously appeared! Dairy-free cheesecake is literally my all time FAVORITE dessert so I’m not mad about it!
Are you ready to be blown away?!
Faster cheesecake than ever!
I’ve been experimenting for YEARS with creative ways to make cheesecake without dairy or eggs.
You know I lovvvve using cashews like in my Strawberry Lime Cheesecake and Caramel Brownie Chunk Cheesecake.
And almonds, like my New York Cheesecake and Almond Dreamcake.
But as a busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to make things quicker and easier.
Remember my recent Berry Blender Cheesecakes where I eliminated the 2 hour soak time? That was AMAZING.
But now.. it’s even FASTER.
Now you don’t have to wait HOURS to enjoy your cheesecake. No more waiting for the filling to set, to soak the nuts or even chilling cream!
This filling is SO QUICK.
Simply melt together a few ingredients, and by the time you spread it on the crust, it’s almost ready to eat! It’s done in minutes (thanks to this miraculous ingredient!)
NUT-FREE Miracle
It’s my newest OBSESSION. And once you taste it, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna be hooked, too. If you follow me on insta, you may have seen me RAVE about coconut butter.
No, no one is paying me to say any of this, ha. I just LOVE IT and have to share this with the world!!!
COCONUT BUTTER: a magical ingredient that has unbelievable capabilities.
When you first open the jar, it’s completely solid and pretty much tasteless. If you didn’t have a recipe to follow, you’d probably be thinking.. um, what the heck do I do with this?? What is it?!
But after you melt it down, add in some sweetener and a little liquid to soften it..
OH EM GEEEE you guys! It becomes the most rich and creamy SMOOTH and silky amaaaazing creation you’ve ever tasted in your LIFE.
How to Save Money on Ingredients
Coconut butter can be expensive. I feel ya. I’m pretty frugal, so I never bought any until recently when I found it on Thrive Market at a discount! (Definitely take advantage of my 25% discount on your first order if you’re not a member yet.)
To make the coconut butter last as long as possible, I made these bars small. But since they’re so rich, a small portion is actually PERFECT.
Another way to save money is to make homemade coconut butter! It’s easy if you have a good food processor. See this post for instructions.
Official Notice: If you can, you’ve gotta find a few extra dollars in your budget so you can order MULTIPLE jars/packages/BUCKETS of coconut butter. Trust me. Just do it. Then double (or triple) the recipe because everyone who tastes them is gonna want to eat them ALL. 😉
Related: Saving Money on Gluten/Dairy-Free Pantry Essentials
Good-for-You Ingredients
Full of protein, healthy fats, and nutrient-RICH, this is cheesecake you can FEEL GOOD ABOUT. No dairy, gluten, sugar or inflammatory ingredients.
There are just a handful of wholesome ingredients in these cheesecake bars:
- Seeds: I used roasted pepitas (also known as green pumpkin seeds) But you can use any seed or nut you like to make a yummy no-bake crust.
- Coconut: Instead of cashews or almonds to make the creamy filling, I used coconut butter. But I don’t think it has a coconut taste. Seriously.
- Natural Sweetener: Monkfruit for amazing sugar-free sweetness (or use whatever kind of powdered sweetener you like!)
- Natural Flavorings: Lemon juice and zest, vanilla and pink salt.
And to make them even more PRETTY:
- Natural Coloring! These bars get their beautiful yellow from turmeric! It’s optional, but makes them look so much more appealing than plain white, don’t you think?
- If you don’t have turmeric, you can also use plant-based food coloring (I found mine at Whole Foods) But that’s also likely made with turmeric, haha.
Coconut Butter Tips
If you’re new to coconut butter like I was, here’s how to use it:
To melt it:
- Grab a glass bowl and fill it 2/3 full of water. Heat the water in the microwave (or use a kettle).
- Place your jar/packet of coconut butter inside and wait for it to gently warm the butter.
Here’s what NOT to do:
- Do not just scoop out a chunk of coconut butter the same way you do coconut OIL. It must be melted (see above)
- Do not microwave your coconut butter because it can cause an unpleasant texture.
If you wish to heat it on a stovetop, do so at a SUPER low temp to keep it smooth. A double boiler would be better than directly on the heat. This stuff is kinda delicate. But SO WORTH it!
Bonus tip: If you want to keep your coconut butter melted for a while, just store the jar in the bowl of hot water and it will be melted for HOURS.
Go & grab some coconut butter from Thrive Market for an awesome price (use my referral link (thrv.me/prettypies) to save an extra 25% on your first order!) Or you can also find it on Amazon 🙂 It doesn’t matter where you get it, just that you do! 🙂
Happy cheesecake-making!
Lemon Cheesecake Bars (Nut-free, Keto, Paleo & Vegan)
Ingredients
Crust
- 2/3 cup roasted pepitas - or other seeds or nuts
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 Tbs monkfruit granules - or coconut sugar for non-keto
- Pinch of pink salt
- 1 Tbs water
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 1/2 cup coconut butter
- 1 lemon - zested and juiced
- 2 1/2 Tbs coconut milk - or milk of choice
- 20 drops monkfruit - or powdered sweetener. see notes
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of turmeric - optional for color
Instructions
Prep
- Melt coconut butter by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water. This will take several minutes. Make the crust while it melts.
To make the crust:
- Pulse together seeds, coconut, sweetener and salt in a food processor for a few times until finely ground. Add oil and water and pulse again until a loose ball of dough forms.
- Press crust into a small pan lined with parchment for easy removal. (I used a 7x3.3" loaf pan) Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Stir melted coconut butter well to incorporate the natural oil on top. Pour into a small mixing bowl and stir in 3 Tbs lemon juice, 1 tsp zest, sweetener, milk and vanilla (+ optional turmeric). Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Spread filling over crust and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with remaining zest. Chill for about 10 minutes until set.
- Grab the parchment paper to lift out the bars. Slice and ENJOY 🙂
Notes
Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you).
Coconut Butter available from
- Thrive Market (Use my link for 25% off your first order)
- Amazon
- Most grocery stores carry it with the nut butter
- Or make it! See instructions here
Monkfruit Drops available from:
- Thrive Market (Use my link for 25% off your first order)
- Amazon
- Lakanto (use code PRETTYPIES for 20% off)
GOOD quality vanilla extract here
Macros
- Calories 196
- Fat 17.8 g
- Total Carb 7.2 g
- Fiber 3.2 g
- Net Carb 2.48 g
- Protein 4.2 g
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and tag me on Instagram @emily.likes.food so I can see! 
10 Comments
Faith Ann Lubitz
Wow. You’ve outdone yourself! My sister-in-law who is allergic to cashews and macadamias..will be so excited!
Thank you!
Emily
Oh I’m so glad it will work with her allergies!! Yay! You are so welcome. Enjoy
Kir
I’m confused. The recipe says nut free, but there are nuts and seeds in the crust.
Emily
I listed nuts as an alternative to seeds if people want to use them. Seeds and coconut are not nuts. 🙂
patricia
These look beautiful ! and so good ! How much lemon juice did you use……I have really BIG lemons in CA so was just wondering as they can be 1/4 to 1/2 cup of juice. Thanks
Emily
1/4 cup 🙂
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