Inspired by my love of all things peanut butter, I give you my heavenly no-bake peanut butter cheesecake. A buttery biscuit base / cookie crust, rich peanut butter cheesecake filled with melted salted peanut butter and a simple 2 ingredient dairy-free dark chocolate ganache and peanut butter design. This cheesecake is strictly for peanut butter lovers only, and you’ll never believe it’s made without dairy, eggs or gluten! Keep reading to learn how to make it!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
This recipe has been a long time coming, and I am so excited to finally share my recipe for the ULTIMATE VEGAN NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE! This recipe isn’t just vegan, dairy and egg-free but is also free from wheat / gluten! The base is a delicious buttery biscuit base using gluten-free plain biscuits / cookies, with a thick and creamy peanut butter cheesecake, topped with dark chocolate and melted peanut butter. No need for any fancy extras for this one the flavours and simple design speaks for itself.
Looking for more peanut butter recipes? Check out my:
Why you’ll love my peanut butter cheesecake
- 100% vegan & dairy-free, so everyone can enjoy a massive slice!
- No-bake perfection – ultra thick and creamy without turning on the oven.
- Rich peanut butter flavour in both cheesecake and decoration (because one layer isn’t enough).
- Gluten-free biscuit base that’s crunchy, nutty, and perfectly balanced.
- Smooth, melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake filling that feels indulgent yet light and creamy.
- Topped with a glossy dark chocolate ganache for the ultimate sweet contrast.
- Decorated with a feathered peanut butter swirl that looks as good as it tastes!!!
- Decadent, comforting, and totally crowd-pleasing!
- Unbelievably vegan and gluten-free!
- Proof that plant-based desserts can be seriously luxurious! You’ll be obsessed!
How is this recipe vegan and dairy-free?
A frequent question I get asked frequently over on Instagram is ‘How is this cheesecake vegan?’. I’m sure you’re now also thinking how do you make a cheesecake without using cream cheese, right?
Well, this recipe is 100% vegan as we use dairy-free cream cheese. There are so many brands of dairy-free cream cheese available to us, and they’re vegan friendly of course! I’ve heard you can make your own homemade vegan cream cheese but I like to keep things easy so i tend to use store bought. My favourite dairy-free cream cheeses are Violife Creamy Original, Daiya Plain Cream Cheese Style Spread, Kite Hill and Oatly.
Layers of a no-bake peanut butter cheesecake
This cheesecake features 3 main layers from the base to the luscious chocolate topping. Below I’ve listed rach layer with detail to go through why this is the most incredible PB cheesecake ever!
- Base / crust
This peanut butter cheesecake sits on a buttery gluten-free plain biscuit base, creating the perfect balance of crunch and sweetness. The smooth peanut butter cheesecake filling melts in your mouth while the crunch of the base lets the cheesecake shine. It’s a simple, classic foundation that makes every bite comforting, indulgent, and irresistibly satisfying!!
- Cheesecake filling
This cheesecake filling is unbelievable! It’s made using vegan cream cheese, cashew nuts, coconut cream and powdered sugar for sweetness. I then melted salty peanut butter and swirled this into the cheesecake. The combination of the sweet base and salted filling is heavenly! This filling doesn’t need baking, simply pour over the base then chill to set, it’s that easy!
- Chocolate topping
This cheesecake really doesn’t need any fancy decorating or over the top additions, it speaks for itself! I did add a simple 2 ingredient chocolate ganache because whats peanut butter without chocolate? I also created a decorative feathered effect with some peanut butter to showcase the overall flavour of this dessert! Classic, simple yet super effective.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Any questions regarding the recipe, ask in the comments below. Happy baking all!
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No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Total Time: Overnight
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The ULTIMATE Peanut Butter Cheesecake which is free from eggs, dairy and gluten!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the base
- 300g of plain biscuits / cookies (you can use gluten-free)
- 150g of dairy-free butter / margarine
Ingredients for the cheesecake filling
- 200g of cashew nuts (See step 1 for details)
- 500g of dairy-free / vegan cream cheese
- 60g of coconut cream
- 100g of icing / powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla (extract or vanilla bean paste)
- 300g of smooth salted peanut butter (you can use crunchy, or unsalted)
Ingredients for the ganache
- 200g of dairy-free dark chocolate
- 180g of coconut cream
- 50g of peanut butter (melted)
Instructions
Method (base)
- Line the base of a loose base, 8” cake tin with grease proof paper. Add the dairy-free butter into a small saucepan, place on the hob and heat over low until fully melted. Remove from the heat and add into a medium sized, heat-proof mixing bowl.
- Add the biscuits into a blender / food processor and blend until fine. Pour the biscuit crumbs into the melted butter and stir together using a wooden spoon or spatula. It should resemble wet sand, and when you press it between your fingers and should hold its shape. Press the mixture in the lined tin, making sure to compact it in using clean hands. The more compact it is, the less likely it will crumble. Also press the biscuit base up the sides of the tin, this will help hold in the cheesecake filling.
- Place into the freezer whilst you make the compote and cheesecake filling.
Method (Cheesecake filling)
- The cashew nuts will need to be soaked overnight in water. See notes (at the bottom of the recipe card) for more details.
- Melt the peanut butter either in the microwave in 20 second intervals or on the hob using a bain-marie ( a saucepan filled with water with a heat proof bowl on top, add the peanut butter into the bowl and melt).
- Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the dairy-free cream cheese, coconut cream, icing sugar, vanilla and melted peanut butter. Whizz up on high speed for around 5 minutes until smooth. Add some more coconut cream if needed. I use a ‘Kitchenaid Powerplus blender’. It’s best to use a high-speed blender if possible as the mixture is quite thick, and you want it as smooth as possible. You might need to stop the mixture a few times and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated and smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the tin. Tap the cheesecake onto the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Place into the fridge overnight to set.
- Once set, remove from the fridge, and push out the cheesecake (as the base is loose bottomed, it should come out easily).
Method (ganache)
- Add the chocolate and coconut cream into a saucepan and heat on low, stirring constantly until it melts and is super smooth and glossy. You want the ganache smooth enough so they it can easily pour over the cheesecake.
- Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes then pour over the top of the cheesecake. Use the back of a spoon or off-set spatula to spread this out.
- Melt some peanut butter until runny, transfer into a piping bag and snip off a small tip.
- Pipe lines on top of the ganache, then use a tooth pick of skewer to drag this through creating a ‘feathered effect’.
- Place the cheesecake back in the fridge and allow this to set.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the cheesecake into slices, serve and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Keep the cheesecake fresh by storing in an air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving as this gives the butter in the base time to warm up and become less firm.
Best enjoyed within 3-5 days of making.
Soak the cashew nuts in a bowl of water overnight to help soften them ready for blending. Make sure the water is covering the nuts. Be sure to drain all the water before adding into the blender.
Coconut cream: You want to only use the thick white cream out of a can of coconut milk. Chill the cream overnight, drain out the clear liquid and only use the thick white cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cheesecake
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Hi, can you freeze this in slices? Thanks 😀
I think you should freeze them only in 1-2 hours to form the cake
It looks really appealing and impressive! It’s truly a wonderful cake recipe for a perfect afternoon tea.