Lemon Lime Cheesecake (Low-Carb, Vegan, Paleo)

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Refreshing, no-bake Lemon Lime Cheesecake that's secretly good for you! (Free from gluten, dairy, eggs, soy and sugar! Low-carb/keto, vegan & Paleo)

Craving Buster

When a girl has a craving, you'd better not get in her way, lol. (No, I'm *not* pregnant) but I MISSED my vegan cheesecakes in a MAJOR way since I've been focusing on ice cream recipes this summer.

But this COOL citrus cheesecake is JUST as refreshing with that pop and ZING of lemon lime flavor.

Oh and shout out to my Instagram buddy who gave me the idea for this recipe on my post asking for flavors!! THANK YOU. I wish I could send ya one 🙂

SPRING FOR IT

Let's do this, friends! Making this layered cheesecake is super simple and I'll show you exactly how.

First things first, do you have a springform cheesecake pan?

I use a small (7") springform pan so that my desserts turn out nice and TALL. I much prefer tall over the plain, flat cheesecakes. They're so pretty, right? Totally ups the fancy factor 🙂 

GO NUTS

This "cheesecake" is made almost entirely out of NUTS. Mainly almonds! And it still surprises me even after years of making nut-based recipes.

I decided to make another low-carb ALMOND cream cheesecake, almost just like I did in my New York Cheesecake. Almost, but this time I added just a half cup of cashews, because I LOVE THEM (they're sooo creamy sweet and delicious.)

BUT If you don't wanna use cashews, you can just use all almonds -- specifically blanched almonds, which is almonds that have the skin removed (so the cream isn't speckled brown.

I buy a bag of almond slivers from ALDI (my favorite grocery store) for cheap, and it just so happens to have exactly the amount you need for this recipe 🙂 1 ½ cups. Don't live near an ALDI, don't worry - Target and Wal-Mart carry them, too!

GREEN WITH ENVY

This cheesecake has a SECRET. And no one would EVER know. You can't taste the vegetable that's hidden in there. YES VEGETABLE, hahaha.

I snuck 2 GIANT handfuls of spinach into the lime layer to create that gorgeous green. YOU CAN'T TASTE IT.

But you're getting the benefits that range from glowing skin and hair, to cancer prevention!! Cheesecake with benefits?! Yes, please!

So don't shy away from those luscious leafy greens. Go pack them in. Your body will be glad you did.

ps if you want more gorgeous green desserts that use spinach, check out my Grasshopper Pie, Strawberry Lime Cheesecake and Frankenstein Pie!

Go for the GOLD

On to the next layer - bright cheery LEMON!

But I've got some terrific news: You don't have to wait hours in between layers for it to set! Yay! It's thick enough to not just dissolve into the a puddle 😀

This sunny yellow lemon layer is achieved with the help of my tiny helper: a pinch of TURMERIC. A little goes a long way to provide natural dye-free VIBRANT color.

And not only is it this gorgeous gold color, turmeric has its own amazing qualities, like being a natural anti-inflammatory.  So now you can have your pretty cake and be pretty on the inside, too. 😉

Dripping in BUTTER

Wait, isn't this dairy-FREE? Haha, yes. This butter is *coconut* butter, and it's an utterly AMAZING substance.

I usually make homemade coconut butter for my Fruit Pizza, Strawberry Cream Pie and Homemade Starburst, but store bought is superior in SMOOTHNESS. It's soooo silky. Absolutely zero grit. You may just want to eat it with a spoon!

Drizzled on this cheesecake warm, it slowly firms up into a sort of lightly sweet candy coating. My friends at Pearl Butter were kind enough to send me a couple of jars to try out, and this is their GLOW BUTTER (which also has turmeric) and ashwagandha which is "celebrated for its ability to reduce stress levels, improve physical performance, and help maintain a healthy body weight."

You've gotta grab yourself a jar of this magic. So yummy! Who's ready to Lemon Lime CHEEZECAKE it UP!?!?

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Lemon Lime Cheesecake (Low-Carb, Vegan, Paleo)

Creamy, zingy no-bake cheesecake (that's secretly good for you!)

3.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 slices

Author: Emily

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ½ cups almonds
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of pure stevia powder - (see notes for sub)

Cheesecake Filling

• 1 ½ cups blanched almonds
• ½ cup raw cashews - or more almonds
• ½ cup + 2 Tbs canned coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon pure stevia powder - to taste (see notes for sub)
• 10 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Lime Layer

• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 Tbs lime zest
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach

Lemon Layer

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbs lemon zest
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon turmeric - optional - for color

Instructions

To make the crust:

• Line a small (7") springform pan with parchment paper.
• Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until finely ground. Add a splash of water at the end if it needs help coming together.
• Press crust firmly into the pan. Set aside. Rinse food processor.

To make the cheesecake filling:

• Soak almonds and cashews for a minimum of 2 hours in hot water (bring a pot of water to a boil then pour it over nuts in a large glass bowl or jar). Drain, rinse and shake dry.
• Add nuts to a food processor and blend for several minutes until completely broken down. Scrape down the sides and add the remaining base ingredients.
• Scoop out & reserve 1 ¼ cups filling for the lemon layer.

To make the lime layer:

• Add lime juice, zest and spinach and blend smooth. Taste and adjust with more stevia or zest (or lime essential oil) if desired.
• Spread over crust. (I left mine wavy instead of flat). Freeze while you prepare the lemon layer.

To make the lemon layer:

• Rinse food processor and add in the reserved cheesecake filling along with the lemon juice, zest and turmeric. Blend smooth. Taste and adjust with more stevia or zest (or lemon extract or essential oil) if desired.
• Spread lemon layer on top of the lime layer. Swirl gently with a knife, if you like.
• Wrap pan with foil and freeze until solid (several hours or overnight), Remove from springform and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Just before serving, drizzle with melted coconut butter and sliced fruit. ENJOY.

Notes

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you). 

What I used:

7” Springform Pan here: https://amzn.to/2K2Lsep

Raw Cashews here:  https://amzn.to/2vmQjop

Food processor here: https://amzn.to/2vkjo3Q

Pure stevia powder here: https://amzn.to/2HEtHlB

Blanched almond slivers and dry roasted almonds from ALDI.

Coconut butter drizzle -- Glow Butter

To store: Keep refrigerated for about 1 week, or frozen for 1 month, tightly wrapped in an airtight container.

Sweetener Swap: For non low-carb, you can sub the stevia for maple syrup. Use 1 Tbs for the crust and replace ½ cup coconut milk with ½ cup maple syrup in the filling. Always taste and adjust to preferred sweetness.

Nutrition Stats via MyFitnessPal: 388 Cal, 37 g Fat, 9 g Carbs - 4g Fiber = 5g NET CARBS, 7 g Protein per slice based on 10 slices

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Lime Cheesecake (Low-Carb, Vegan, Paleo)

Amount per Serving

Calories

338

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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