Creamy and DREAMY: Almond Dreamcake! Made with almond cream — no dairy, eggs or cashews. And NOW: no sugar! This no-bake cake is low-carb/keto friendly with less than 5 net carbs per slice!
KETO TRANSFORMATION
Sometimes, the copy IS better than the original.
Remember my original Almond Dreamcake recipe from last year? The creamy, dreamy creamcake that's full of delicious almond flavor (Don't you just love almond extract?!)
It was the first time I made a dairy-free creamcake *without* using cashews. Crazy!
And it now gets even better! I gave it a makeover so it's keto friendly! WOO!!
If you love almonds and you're all about that dairy-free/sugar-free life, you're going to LOVE this dreamcake! 
Have Your Cake and Eat it TOO
THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY.
To be able to still enjoy sinfully good desserts -- without the sugar! Without the sick feeling afterward. Without saying, "I shouldn't have eaten that!" or making my jeans too tight!!
I'm SO excited that I can make my low-carb recipes taste JUST AS GOOD as the higher carb ones thanks to a magical fruit (lol, no not beans).
Monkfruit! You've heard me talk about it a LOT (because I love it so much!)
ps. Did you know it's a real fruit? It's a melon grown in Asia that's 200x sweeter than sugar, but it's extract has zero calories or carbs. It's mindblowingly delicious.
Thanks to monkfruit, I don't miss the sugar one bit! Cuz it doesn't even seem like its gone, haha.
Use What You Like
As I experiment with new recipes, I discovered that pretty much ANY sweetener is going to work (sometimes you just need to do a little tweaking).
- Liquid sweetener: maple syrup, monkfruit maple syrup, sugar-free vanilla syrup, etc. Use ⅓ cup syrup and reduce the milk by ⅓ cup to compensate.
- Dry sweetener: powdered monkfruit, stevia, Erythritol, or coconut sugar for non-keto. Powdered sweeteners yield a smoother texture. (See recipe notes for how to make your OWN powdered "sugar"!)
- Concentrated sweetener: pure monkfruit extract, monkfruit drops, or stevia extract. Just a pinch or dropper-full, to taste.
My original recipe used maple syrup, and you CAN simply swap the syrup for sugar-free syrup, but the Lakanto brand does add some maple flavor. I didn't want the maple to overpower the AMAZING almond flavor, so I used powdered monkfruit.
What is a creamcake?
It's a similar texture to a cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, rich. But this one doesn't have the classic "tang" that a typical cheesecake has.
It's flavorful and sweet with a melt-in-your-mouth richness paired with a nutty crust (made with - you guessed it! - ALMONDS).
It's basically my FAVORITE kind of dessert ever. The taste and texture are unbelievable.
And one of the things that I really love: NO BAKING. No water baths. No cooking. You just blend it up and chill until it's set.
AND, you get to customize the flavor and sweetness to YOUR personal preference. There's no guessing how it will turn out. Grab a spoon and taste the filling before you set it!
I like to add a lot of almond extract and I always add a dash of pink salt to enhance the flavor.
Dairy-Free Cream
Cutting dairy made me have to get creative. I am still blown away by all the plants out there that can be made into cream...
- Coconut, like in this ice chocolate cream
- Cashews, like my Blender Cheesecakes,
- and ALMONDS, like my cashew-free cheesecake.
YES, almond cream!
It's smooth and silky and amazingly delicious.
If you've never heard of almond cream, that's ok. I hadn't until last year when I tried a dairy-free ice cream made from almonds. I was quite surprised! But then I saw alllll the additives and thickeners and stuff they put in there and I knew I could make some healthy almond cream.
How do you make almond cream? It's simple!
- Take raw, blanched (skinless) almonds and place them in a large glass bowl or jar. (Skinless give a smoother texture and prettier appearance)
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it over the almonds.
- Let them soak in the hot water for 2 hours. (This helps to soften them and make them easier to blend.)
- Drain the water, rinse the almonds using a mesh strainer and shake off the excess water.
- Place the almonds in a food processor and blend smooth.
- Add liquid and blend again and there you have it! Thick and lovely almond cream!
That's pretty much how you make the dreamcake filling. Just blend everything together! Add in the sweetener, extract, and coconut oil to hold it together, adjust to taste, and you're done. Easy!
Do you HAVE to soak the almonds??
That's a good question! I recommend it so that the texture is as smooth as possible.
BUT, if you have a high-power blender, it may work just fine without the soaking, just like I did with my Berry Blender Mini Cheesecakes! (If you try it, please report back how it goes!) 🙂
MIND-BLOWING TASTE
I'm still in SHOCK that a bunch of almonds can turn into THIS. Seriously, this is a DREAM. Are you ready to try this dairy-free keto deliciousness?
Be sure to pin this recipe on Pinterest by clicking the image below. Follow me on Pinterest for more dairy-free/sugar-free desserts.
Dairy-Free Keto Almond dreamcake
Ingredients
No-Bake Crust
- 1 ½ cup almonds
- 3 Tbs coconut oil
- 1 Tbs monkfruit
- dash of salt
Dreamcake Filling
- 1 ½ cups blanched almonds - soaked
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 6 Tbs powdered monkfruit
- 2 tsp almond extract
- Dash of pink salt
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until sticky crumbs form.
- Press into a parchment-lined 7" springform pan. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Soak almonds in hot (boiled) water for 2 hours. Drain, rinse and shake dry.
- Blend almonds in a food processor until completely broken down. Scrape down the sides.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness and almond flavor.
- Pour filling over crust.
- Freeze or refrigerate until firm, a minimum of 3 hours.
- 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).
Featured products:
Lakanto Classic Monkfruit from:
- Thrive Market {use my referral link to save an extra 25% on your first order}
- Amazon
- Lakanto.com Click here {use code PRETTYPIES to save 20% on your order}
Blanched almond slivers & dry roasted almonds from Aldi
To store: Keep covered and refrigerated for about 1 week, or freeze for 1 month
Total Fat 42 g
Total Carbohydrate 20 g
Dietary Fiber 4.5 g
Protein 9.7 g
Susanna
Does the can coconut milk needs to be refrigerate before adding to the almonds ? Also do you the add the entire can ? Thanks
Emily
No need to refrigerate. Actually it’s better if you don’t. Use shaken/mixed coconut milk.
If it’s separated cream/water when you open the can, scoop out the whole can into a saucepan or glass dish, warm it and stir to mix. Then measure out 1 cup.
Save leftover milk for another recipe.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Kelly
I've commented before, but just cannot give this recipe enough praise. For someone who can't have cashews or dairy, it covers everything AND saves well!! I want everyone to experience this magic, whether you're bound by restrictions or not, I've received only compliments on this recipe and follow it exactly every time!
Emily
thank you Kelly! I really appreciate your review So glad you like this cake and it works for your restrictions
Rae
How can I do this with no almonds? I am really struggling with no egg, dairy or almond! I really want to make this.
Emily
Make one of my other raw cakes 🙂 I don’t use almond cream in the vast majority of the others. Prettypies.com/cheesecake
For the crust, any other nut or seed will typically do. I like walnuts
Ilana
Thanks for recipe, coconut oil - is it solid or to melt it before adding to almond cream?
Emily
Melt it first 🙂
Kirsten
Are the almonds going to be a little granular no matter what I do? I soaked as directed and I have a creamy mixture but it's gritty bc of the almonds. My blender just started smoking so I have tried a stick blender but it's still granular.
Emily
Mine got super smooth in a food processor. Not gritty to me. Did you blend just the almonds alone for a few minutes to break them down before adding in the rest of the ingredients?
Also, it may taste smoother after its set. I’m sorry if yours is gritty 🙁 Hope you still enjoy it. You can always add some toppings or mix-ins if you want to change up the texture.
Julie Prasad
I made this and substituted the monkfruit sweeter for organic maple syrup and the crust for a baked almond flour flax seed baked crust and it turned out amazing!!!
Emily
So happy to hear! Thanks so much for leaving a review
Erin
The times are bit off... Prep is closer to 2 hours (soaking almonds) and 10 minutes. Chill time at 3 hours, with a total time of 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Lauren
Does this have a strong coconut taste ? I’m not a fan of coconut at all and this looks really good but if it had a strong coconut taste It might not be the recipe for me . Figured I’d ask before making it . Thanks
Emily
If you’re not a fan of coconut, you can simply use refined coconut oil which is completely flavorless 🙂
Rachel
Have you tried using almond flour instead? And if so, what were the measurements?
Emily
I’m sorry I haven’t tried it. I just don’t expect it to work out very well. I think it would be really grainy in texture using flour.
Moriah
This was excellent!!!! I did have to transfer the filling to my blender after the food processor to get it to be perfectly creamy and not so gritty. Loved it though and will make again for sure. Thank you!
Emily
Yay! So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment
Gillian
I made this yesterday, it was a hit with all who had it, I served it with a raspberry coulis, raspberries, toasted blanched almonds and a slither of chocolate. I will definitely make this again. The only thing was that it was a bit grainy but it didn't spoil the dessert.
Emily
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thank you for sharing, Gillian!
Jane Ann Mendenhall
Mine turned out grainy. Will heating the coconut oil make the mixture more smooth and easier to blend on the blender? The recipe was fairly easy to follow. I'm looking forward to trying it in about 3 hours.
Emily
Oh definitely melt the oil. That makes a big difference.
MERRY LUCILLE GUIDO
Hi, Emily,
I just wanted to let you know that your link to the Lemon Cheesecake Bars returns an error message. I did find the recipe by hunting around, so I know it's still there (looks YUMMY!). It's an easy fix--just update the URL in your code.
Happy Keto-ing
Merry in Salt Lake City
Emily
Thanks for letting me know! I will fix asap 🙂
Emily
Hmm, ok I don't see the link you're talking about. Was it a link in this post, or somewhere else like on Facebook? Thanks!
MERRY LUCILLE GUIDO
It's on this page, Emily. Look for:
PINGBACK:
JUNE 11, 2019 AT 8:23 AM
Lemon Cheesecake Bars (Dairy-Free, Keto, Nut-Free) – Pretty Pies – Demo
Emily
Ah, I see. Thank you. I'll go ahead and add the link here in case anyone is looking for a nut-free dairy-free keto cheesecake: https://prettypies.com/lemon-cheesecake-bars
Jen
Hi! We're new to allergen-friendly baking, and since our son is allergic to several of the top 8 allergens, we've been looking for great recipes like this one :). We just purchased blanched almond flour - can it be used to replace the almonds in the crust and the unblanched almonds in the filling? Thanks! We can't wait to try this recipe!
Emily
Hi! Almond flour can be used in the crust, but I don’t think it will work to make cream. It would be too dry and gritty.
If you don’t have blanched almonds, you can use raw almonds and blanch them yourself, (or leave the skins on - it would just add flecks of color and maybe a bit of of texture).
Let me know if you make it. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Vilasa Manjari Devi Dasi
Very nice recipe .Can I add juice of 1 lemon and use maple syrup as sweetener instead of Monk Fruit?
Emily
Thanks! I have a non-keto version 🙂 https://prettypies.com/almond-dreamcake
Kelly
You guys. This recipe. I made this today for a small group of friends, and it is now a go-to dessert treat. One of the friends doesn't even like regular cheesecake and absolutely loved it, I'm thrilled!! I followed every step and ingredient as listed, but ended up soaking my blanched almond slivers for about 3 hours in boiled water. No idea if that made any difference. I have an 11 cup Cuisinart food processor I used for both the crust and the filling steps and it did a beautiful job for the textures. I popped my cake in the freezer and it was ready within about 2+ hours. MAKE THIS AMAZING RECIPE.
Emily
Awesome!!!!! Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so thrilled too! 🙂
Suzanne
This looks so good! Do you use this crust for other recipes?
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Emily
You are welcome! Yes it keeps at least 5-7 days in the fridge 🙂
Elodie Naturaipathie
French naturopath here
I tried your recipe for my birthday, SO good! And easy to put together! Very good with maple sirup or melted nutella on top! I plan on making it for Christmas thank you!
Elodie
Emily
Wonderful! Thanks so much for your review 🙂
Halldora
My girlfriend's daughter has a severe allergy to eggs so this recipe is perfect for her.
Also, my kids father, who is one of my best friends, is on the verge of having type two diabetes so he needs to be careful with carbs and sugar. This would be perfect for him when he comes to visit and my uncle too, who has insulin dependent type two diabetes. My sister, my best female friend and I are all lactose intolerant.
Long story short, it's perfect for me, a lot of people I'm close to, it looks delicious and I can't wait to try it... I will update my after I've made it to comment on how it tastes and how my girlfriend and her daughter like it.
Cat
I'm afraid I can't have coconut, because it's 100% saturated fat. I'm sure I can find a good substitute for the oil, but can I use a different plant-based milk instead of the coconut milk?
Emily
For the oil, it must be one that’s solid at room temperature because that is what holds the cake together . A sub for coconut oil is palm oil.
Coconut oil is my recommendation because it makes the cake nice and creamy and rich. The consistency may not be as good with a different milk.
I’m not sure this recipe will work for your needs. I’m sorry!
Elena
Hi! Haven't made this yet but looks great. For the crust, can I use roasted almonds? Or even start out raw and then bake the crust for a bit and let cool before adding the filling? I just like the flavour of roasted almonds more than raw. Let me know if you think this wouldn't be as good with the recipe.
Thanks!
Emily
Absolutely! I love roasted almonds. I typically use dry roasted unsalted for crusts
Elena
Thanks so much for answering so fast!!! Can't wait to bake this 🙂
Elena
Sorry - follow up question!
Should I like the sides of the springform pan with parchment too, or only the bottom? I've never baked with this type of pan before.
Thank you 🙂
Elena
I meant line*
Emily
Only line the bottom. The sides will release nicely once the filling has set in the fridge
Debi
What size springfoam pan do you use?
Emily
7” the one I use is linked on my amazon page 🙂 https://prettypies.com/shop/
Mike
Was wondering if you were using a different sweetener in the crust, say a syrup would you use the same amount or would you use more? Could I use a different extract than the monk fruit or would that not bring enough sweetness to dessert?
Emily
Hi! You can use any dry sweetener that measures like sugar - same amount. I used [eafl id="8834" name="monkfruit - amazon" text="Lakanto monkfruit/eryritol"] granules. Alternatives could be a pinch of [eafl id="9017" name="Stevia Powder" text="pure stevia extract powder"] or pure monkfruit extract, [eafl id="13755" name="Besti allulose/monkfruit" text="allulose/monkfruit blend"] (same amount) or pure allulose (increase amount a little bit). You can always taste and adjust to your liking. Since it's not baked, what you taste is what you get 🙂
Pamela
Hi Emily!
Quick question:
I make my almond butter using blanched almonds. What’s the difference between that product and the almond cream that you use here? Thank you!
Emily
Very similar. Almond cream just uses soaked almonds so it's fluffier/lighter than almond butter. 🙂