If you love a creamy dessert but prefer to skip the dairy, this Espresso “Cheesecake” is a dream. Made with a cashew base and naturally plant-based and paleo, it’s a recipe I’ve made countless times for friends and family. It’s quick to prepare, freezer-friendly and endlessly adaptable.
There’s something comforting about returning to a kitchen ritual you’ve missed. It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe here, but this one felt like the perfect way to ease back in: a long-time favourite in my home and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, my Espresso “Cheesecake.”
I say “cheesecake” loosely because there’s actually no dairy involved. The base is made from soaked cashews, which blend into the creamiest, silkiest filling, a dream for anyone who’s dairy-sensitive or simply prefers plant-based desserts. It also happens to be paleo-friendly, which makes it one of those rare treats that checks a lot of boxes without feeling like a compromise.
I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count for friends, family, and any gathering where I need something reliable and universally loved. No one ever misses the cream cheese, and most people don’t even realize it’s not the real thing until I tell them.
It’s super simple to make too. You can pour the filling into silicone muffin cups for perfect little individual portions, or go classic with a springform pan. And if you don’t finish it all in one sitting, which is entirely possible but not guaranteed, it freezes beautifully.
If you’ve been looking for a dessert that feels indulgent but still aligns with a plant-based or paleo way of eating, this one might become a staple in your kitchen the way it has in mine.
Tips, Variations, and Little Secrets for this Espresso “Cheesecake” …
If you’re not a fan of coffee, you can easily change the flavour. Leave out the coffee and add a tablespoon of matcha for a vibrant matcha cheesecake, stir in one to two tablespoons of cocoa for a chocolate version, or brighten it up with a teaspoon of lemon zest for a fresh, citrusy twist.
If you want a crustless cheesecake, simply skip the crust. I’ve done this many times out of pure laziness and it still turns out great.
When removing the cheesecake from silicone muffin liners or a springform pan, make sure it’s frozen or partially frozen. The filling is very soft when fully thawed, and unmolding it when fully thawed can ruin the shape.
This dessert is perfect for making ahead. You can prepare it days in advance and store it in the freezer. Move it to the fridge a few hours before serving to let it thaw. A full cake will take longer to soften than individual portions.
Feel free to decorate your cheesecake any way you like. For this espresso version, I love sifting cocoa powder over the top or adding chocolate shavings. Simple and so pretty.
What you need for Espresso “Cheesecake”:
Dates
Walnuts and/or pecans
Cashews
Espresso
Coconut oil
Coconut milk
Maple syrup
Looking for more healthy dessert recipes? You’re going to love these …
If you love a creamy dessert but prefer to skip the dairy, this Espresso “Cheesecake” is a dream. Made with a cashew base and naturally plant-based and paleo, it’s a recipe I’ve made countless times for friends and family. It’s quick to prepare, freezer-friendly and endlessly adaptable.
Add walnuts and/or pecans and a pinch of sea salt to food processor and process until nuts are chopped into small pieces.
Add dates in and continue to process until ingredients start to stick together. If mixture is too dry, add a couple more dates at a time until mixture becomes sticky when you press it together. If it's too wet, add more nuts.
Place silicone muffin liners into muffin tray or on a flat tray.
Scoop in 1 tbsp of crust into each muffin slot and press with down with fingers or spoon.
Add all filling ingredients to a high-powered blender and mix until filling is smooth. Taste and adjust if needed.
Divide filling evenly among the muffin liners. Tap a few times to release any air bubbles, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard – roughly 4-6 hours.
Once set, peel silicone liners down to remove cheesecake. They should pop right out. Let them thaw out in a container on the counter or in the fridge before serving. Store leftovers in the freezer.
Notes
* Soak the cashews in water in the fridge for 5 to 8 hours, or cover them with boiled water and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly before using.
Caprese Salad with creamy avocado is delicious and so easy to make! This salad is the ultimate way to enjoy fresh, ripe summer tomatoes & basil!
A classic caprese salad is made with very few ingredients–mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil. I decided to put a spin on this classic dish by removing the dairy (a common food allergen) and replacing it with creamy & nutrient-rich avocado.
Now this fresh Italian salad can be enjoyed by those following a dairy free, paleo or plant-based diet!
How to make a caprese salad
It’s real simple… start by slicing the tomatoes. Feel free to use tomatoes that are different shapes, sizes and colours.
Then slice the avocados, keeping them similar in thickness to the tomatoes. Arrange one slice of tomato then overlap with one slice of avocado around the outside of a plate (or however you choose).
You can incorporate whole fresh basil leaves into the layers or scatter freshly torn basil on top.
Lastly, finish this dish with a good drizzle of high-quality olive oil and sea salt or add even more flavour with a homemade dairy free pesto.
Important tips for making a caprese salad
Find the freshest, ripe locally grown tomatoes
Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil
Use fresh basil
Find ripe avocados for more creaminess
What you need for Avocado Caprese Salad:
Tomatoes
Avocado
Fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Pair this salad with one of my dairy & gluten free Italian main dishes …
Caprese Salad with creamy avocado is delicious and so easy to make. This salad is the ultimate way to enjoy fresh, ripe summer tomatoes & basil! I decided to put a spin on this classic dish by removing the dairy (a common food allergen) and replacing it with creamy & nutrient-rich avocado. Now this fresh Italian salad can be enjoyed by those following a dairy free, paleo or plant-based diet!
Cauliflower Mushroom Rice is a delicious grain free and low-carb side to any meat or fish dish. The prep is super easy with frozen riced cauliflower (which can be found at most grocery stores) and pre-sliced mushrooms! AIP, paleo, low-carb, keto and plant-based.
Mushrooms don’t just add awesome flavour to certain dishes, but they’re also a great food to boost immune function.
To simplify, mushrooms can enhance almost every system in the body and protect you from numerous conditions and diseases since they’re associated with lowered inflammation. Sustaining high levels of inflammation long term has been shown to contribute to chronic conditions, such as heart & autoimmune disease, diabetes and cancer.
Note: Buy and eat organic grown mushrooms whenever possible since they’re very porous and have the tendency to easily absorb chemicals from the soil that they’re grown in.
Cauliflower Mushroom Rice is a delicious grain free and low-carb side to any dish. The prep is super easy with frozen riced cauliflower (which can be found at most grocery stores) and pre sliced mushrooms! AIP, paleo, low-carb. keto & plant-based.
1 12ozbag frozen riced cauliflower, I get mine from Costco
1pack sliced mushrooms
1small yellow onion, finely sliced
2tbspfresh parsley, finely chopped
1and 1/4 cup organic chicken stock
2tbspavocado oil
Sea salt & black pepper , to taste
Instructions
Saute mushrooms in 1 tbsp avocado oil for 2-minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock, cover and let cook for 5-minutes. Remove lid and allow remaining liquid to cook off. Set mushrooms aside in a bowl.
Using the same pan, add 1 tbsp avocado oil and saute onion until fragrant over medium heat.
Add frozen riced cauliflower and combine until slightly heated. Season with salt.
Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock to the pan at a time. Let liquid evaporate before adding more stock. Do this until you get through 1 cup of stock. Continue to stir ingredients as you do this.
Add mushrooms and parsley to the pan, combine everything together and let cook for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.
Tiger Nut Energy Bites are the perfect nut free and AIP friendly snack or treat! They’re soft & chocolatey with a hint of nuttiness. Only 3-ingredients required for these delicious bites and they’re super easy to make!
DID YOU KNOW? Tiger nuts are not actually nuts, but rather tubers, like sweet potato, though much smaller in size. They get their name from the stripes on the tubers’ exterior.
These marble-sized tubers are chewy and taste like a cross between an almond and pecan with a hint of honey–making them a great nut replacement.
They are naturally gluten, grain and dairy free, so they’re perfect for those following a plant-based or paleo diet.
Tiger nuts can be consumed in a number of ways. You can eat them raw, roasted, soaked or boiled. You can also find tiger nuts in a variety of forms; tiger nut flour, tiger nut oil, tiger nut butter and tiger nut milk!
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with different tiger nut recipes. Not only do I get more variety in my diet with these small tubers, but they are packed with antioxidants, resistant starch fiber & vitamin E.
So, if you’re curious about tiger nuts or maybe you’re looking for nut free paleo recipes, you’ve got to try my tiger nut creations …
Tiger Nut Energy Bites are the perfect nut free and AIP friendly snack or treat! They're soft & chocolatey with a hint of nuttiness. Only 3-ingredients required for these delicious bites and they're super easy to make!
Put tiger nuts in a jar, fill with water and let soak in fridge for 12+ hours. Drain well.
Using a food processor, process drained tiger nuts until they break down a bit. Then add pitted dates, cacao/cocoa powder & sea salt. Continue to process until a consistent mixture forms.
Roll the mixture into small balls. Place in airtight container and store in the fridge.
Keyword autoimmune protocol, cacao, dates, energy balls, tiger nuts, vegan
Have you heard about different ‘superfoods’ that can be added to smoothies to make them even more healthy?
There’s a long list of them; so many that it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the land of superfoods.
I always recommend to keep things simple, but I can understand the urge to test out something new, especially if there are health benefits attached to it.
To save you the time and energy required to sort through all the superfoods out there, I’ve put together a short list of my favourite smoothie boosters. Check them out and give them a try!
5 Ways to Boost Your Smoothie
1. MACA POWDER
Known for its hormone balancing effects. Maca has been studied to help normalize the symptoms of premenstrual/menstrual symptoms, as well as the symptoms of menopause including hot flashes, night sweats, cramps, fatigue and lethargy. Look for gelatinized maca for easier digestion and absorption. Add 1 tsp.
2. COLLAGEN
The ultimate anti-aging smoothie booster! As we age, our bodies’ natural production of collagen starts to slow. Collagen supplementation has proven to be effective in supporting the strength and flexibility of bones, tendons and cartilage, as well as the appearance of skin and nails, and GI tract health. Incorporating a collagen powder into your smoothie is an easy way to support many areas of your health and stay forever young. Learn more about the benefits of Whole Body Collagen. Add 1-2 scoops.
Whole Body Collagen
A unique blend of THREE collagen peptides supported by clinical research showing their efficacy for supporting collagen production, bone strength, joint & gut health, skin elasticity + more.
These little guys are loaded with antioxidants, even more so than tea, wine and blueberries! In addition, cacao nibs are a high source of magnesium, iron and fibre. A great way to add extra nutrition and crunch to your smoothies. Stir in 1 tbsp.
4. SEA SALT
Not only will a high-quality sea salt enhance the flavour of your smoothie, but it will add life-giving nutrients. Sea salt is rich in trace minerals that are hard to obtain from food due to the lack of nutrient-rich soil. Sea salt can help promote vascular health, healthy pH & electrolyte balance, as well as increase energy, regulate sleep and improve symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Look for Pink Himalayan or Celtic. Add a pinch.
5. CINNAMON
Popular for its blood sugar lowering effects, but also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and immunity-boosting abilities. Great way to naturally sweeten your smoothies as well. Opt for Ceylon cinnamon over Cassia (aka “fake”) cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon contains a higher amount of coumarin, a natural plant chemical that can be toxic to the liver and kidneys, and it may also be carcinogenic, in large doses. Add 1/2-1 tsp.
Lemon & Pine Nut Kale is a simple & healthy side to any meal! It takes less than 10-minutes to prepare and the combination of lemon, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil makes kale exciting and flavourful. Enjoy this healthy green side with meat or fish. Plant-based, low-carb, keto & paleo. AIP version provided.
To be honest, before this recipe I really wasn’t a big fan of kale–and the only way I would incorporate it into my diet was by hiding it in a smoothie.
The BF managed to change my mind about kale in our early dating days …
It was Halloween 2018 and I was heading to his house for the very first time. The plan was to dress-up and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters in his neighbourhood.
I showed up as Organic Farmer Jen (no surprise there) and he dressed up as Superman (padded abs, biceps, quads and all).
We really didn’t discuss dinner plans before I arrived (I was mentally prepared to eat my stash of organic dark chocolate and SmartSweets for dinner), but to my surprise this man had some dinner ideas up his jacked Superman sleeves.
He busted out a gluten free keto pizza from the freezer and then grabbed a bunch of kale from the fridge. Now, the kale didn’t excite me as much as the pizza did, BUT I was extremely impressed that this bachelor had something green in his fridge and was prepared to do something with it.
I decided not to mention that I wasn’t a big fan of kale, after all I did show up as Organic Farmer Jen and what organic farmer doesn’t eat kale, right?!
So, after 10-minutes of methodical kale prep and warming up keto pizza, there we were, the organic farmer and jacked Superman enjoying our first at home dinner–that he made!!!
I realized two important things that night:
I actually do like kale, I just needed the right combo of ingredients to make it tickle my palate.
Jacked Superman and his kale recipe might be keepers!
We now make this kale recipe on a regular–and I enjoy it just as much today as I did when I tried it for the very first time.
The combination of lemon, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil makes kale exciting and flavourful. It’s the perfect low-carb, paleo side to any fish or meat dish (or gluten free keto pizza!).
Lemon & Pine Nut Kale is a simple & healthy side to any meal! It takes less than 10-minutes to prepare and the combination of lemon, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil makes kale exciting and flavourful. Enjoy this healthy green side with meat or fish. Plant-based, low-carb, keto & paleo. AIP version provided.
My mission is to help women heal their gut, lose weight and feel great through simple and delicious smoothies, whole food nutrition & healthy lifestyle habits.
