Creamy cheesecake, tangy raspberries, and sweet chocolate make these Raspberry Cheesecake Bars the ultimate sweet treat! This dairy free cheesecake is gluten free, refined sugar free, and can be made nut free & high protein.
Honestly, who doesn't like cheesecake? I don't think I've ever met someone who doesn't. Even though I can't eat dairy, that doesn't stop me from making delicious, allergy friendly cheesecakes at home. Like these healthy raspberry cheesecake bars with a chocolate crust. I mean a chocolate raspberry cheesecake... name a better combo!
What's my secret? I use dairy free yogurt as the base instead of cream cheese. Maybe you'll tell me this isn't really cheesecake then, but it still tastes pretty darn good! This keeps the recipe nut free too, as most dairy free cream cheese brands utilize nuts as the base.
I like to make an easy, healthy, lazy girl version of cheesecake which is where the use of yogurt and protein powder come in. This amps up the nutritional value, doesn't require the use of any special water bath for baking, and keeps this recipe completely allergy friendly.
Raspberry Cheesecake Bar Ingredients
Crust: The gluten free brownie crust is super easy to make. It is a combination of oat flour, tigernut or almond flour, and cocoa powder for the dry ingredients. You mix in some coconut oil and maple syrup and there you have it.
Filling: The filling for this cheesecake is composed of yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, pea protein, and tapioca starch.
- Yogurt: I use a vegan yogurt in this recipe. If you use a coconut yogurt, that keeps this dairy free cheesecake completely nut free too! But you can also use Greek yogurt for a higher protein option.
- Pea Protein: Yes, I add protein powder to my cheesecake! This is my secret to a thicker batter and higher protein, healthier dessert. Pea protein acts as a flour in baking, so it's the perfect option. I use Sprout Living Pea Protein and you can use code LEMONSNLYME20 at checkout for 20% off your order.
- Eggs: I have not tested a vegan version of this recipe.
Raspberry Swirl: The raspberry swirl is super easy to make! All you do is combine raspberries and coconut sugar. You can feel free to use whatever sugar you want, but coconut sugar keeps this recipe refined sugar free. I prefer not to put the raspberry puree through a sieve as I don't mind the seeds and prefer the extra fiber ;), but you can always do that if you want to.
Substitutions and Variations
Tigernut flour: the tigernut flour in the crust can be substituted with almond flour. You might also be able to get away with more oat flour, but you may have to add a little extra liquid like maple syrup or coconut oil.
Pea protein: I have not tested any other proteins. If you use a whey based protein, I'd suggest adding 1-2 tablespoon of gluten free flour. If you do not have pea protein available, you can substitute this with 2 tablespoon of a 1:1 gluten free flour mix.
Yogurt: use Greek yogurt for a higher protein option if you tolerate dairy.
Raspberries: you can certainly try making this recipe with other berries like strawberries or blackberries. I think strawberries would be the best substitute as they still pair well with chocolate.
Add-ins:
-Although I haven't tried it, the lemon-raspberry common is a popular one. You could try adding the juice of a ½ a lemon and some zest to the cheesecake batter if you love that zingy flavor. I can't promise the outcome with the brownie crust though.
-Amp up the chocolate flavor by folding some chocolate chips into the cheesecake batter before swirling in the raspberry puree.
Storage
Keep these dairy free raspberry cheesecake bars with chocolate crust stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don't suggest freezing them as creamy, dairy free desserts like cheesecake don't freeze and thaw great. You can certainly try it though, just thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
More Gluten and Dairy Free Cheesecake Recipes
Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake
More Delicious Raspberry Recipes
Gluten Free Raspberry Crumble Muffins
Gluten Free Vanilla Raspberry Cake
Gluten Free Raspberry and Cream Scones
Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars with Brownie Crust
Equipment
- hand mixer or
- baking dish 9x9 or 8x8
Ingredients
Crust
- ⅓ cup oat flour
- ⅓ cup tigernut flour or almond flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake
- 1 cup yogurt of choice I used a vegan yogurt, feel free to use Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 scoops pea protein you can also use 2 Tbsp. of gluten free flour instead
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
Raspberry Swirl
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries if using frozen, make sure to thaw first
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk dry ingredients for the crust together first (flours, cocoa powder, salt). Add the wet ingredients and mix to combine until you have a dough.
- Press the crust into the bottom of your baking dish into an even layer. Set aside.
- To make the cheesecake filling, combine all ingredients together in a blender and blend until combined. You can also use a hand mixer.
- Pour batter over the crust and set aside while you make raspberry swirl.
- To make the raspberry swirl, blend together the raspberries and sugar until smooth. You have the option to put the raspberry puree through a sieve so there are no seeds, but I find this step unnecessary.
- Place dollops of the raspberry puree over the cheesecake then use a knife or chopstick to swirl the puree through the cheesecake filling until you have a nice, even swirl throughout.
- Bake the cheesecake for 50-60 minutes until the edges are just set and the middle seems almost not done, but has a slight give to it. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Slice and enjoy!
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