This is a Fig and Pistachio Vegan Cheesecake, topped with a vegan caramel sauce.
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan
Keyword cheesecake, figs, pistachio, vegan
Prep Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Servings 15servings
Calories 380kcal
Ingredients
Pistachio Crust
1cupshelled pistachioscan be roasted or raw, but you will have to roast them (100 grams, 3.5 oz)
1/4cupalmond flour
1/4cupdesiccated shredded coconut
2tablespoonsflax seeds
1/2cupchopped dried figs
3tablespoonsmaple syrup
1tablespooncoconut butter
1/2teaspooncinnamon powder
Fig Jam
1cupblack mission figschopped
1tablespoonlemon juice
1/4cupwater
1/4cupmaple syrup
Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake
2 1/2cupsraw cashews
3/4cupmaple syrup
1/3cupcoconut oilmelted
1/4cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/4cupcoconut creamcold
3tablespoonscashew butter
2/3cupcrushed pistachios
Vegan Caramel Sauce
1/2cupmaple syrup
1/2cupcoconut butter
4tablespoonscashew butteror any nut butter
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Pistachio Crust
If necessary, roast your pistachios, if using raw. To do this, simply lay the pistachios on a baking sheet and roast in the pre-heated 350F oven for about 10 minutes, tossing the pan around in between, to roast evenly.
Let pistachios cool down.
Place pistachios in a small blender.
Puree until they almost become a paste. The pistachio will release oils, making this lumpy paste. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of crushed pistachios.
In a food processor, add the pistachio “paste”, the almond flour, the shredded coconut, the flax seeds, the dried figs, the maple syrup, the coconut butter, and finally, the cinnamon powder.
Process mixture until well combined.
Pour it onto a 8” springform pan.
Press it down to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Make sure you really pack the crust.
Place it in the freezer to firm up.
Fig Jam
Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. If the liquid starts to dry out, you may need to add a couple more tablespoons of water at a time. You want to really cook those figs until they are very soft.
Once figs are soft, you can turn the heat off. Let figs rest for about 5 minutes to cool down slightly.
Transfer to a small blender and blend it up until combined.
Now let it cool down slightly, for about 15 minutes or so, while you make the cheesecake.
Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake
Pour hot boiling water over cashews until they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least for 4 hours. If you want, you can pour room temperature water over cashews and let them soak overnight, instead.
Once cashews have soaked, drain them and place in the bowl of a food processor.
Add maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, coconut cream, cashew butter, and crushed pistachios to the food processor.
Process for a few minutes, scraping in between. You want to process it for a long time so the cheesecake will be super creamy.
Caramel Sauce
Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Keep whisking mixture until smooth. Take it off the heat and let it cool down for just a few seconds. Then pour mixture. It will start to set pretty quickly, so you have to pour right after you turn the heat off. Otherwise, it will have more of a spreadable consistency.
To assemble
Pour vegan cheesecake batter over chilled crust.
Spoon Fig Jam over the top of the batter kinda spreading the spoonfuls around. Next, grab a knife and swirl it around, to mix the fig jam in, but not incorporate it fully.
Smooth out the top with a small offset spatula.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours.
As soon as cheesecake has chilled through, you can pour caramel sauce over it. Serve immediately, or keep it in the freezer until ready to serve.
*Remember to let cheesecake sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before eating, since it’s frozen, and you want it to soften up a bit.
Store in the freezer for up to 1 month, well covered.