Celebrate The Holidays With This Festive Raw Vegan Persimmon Lemon Cheesecake

Forget about those sugar plum fairies...get ready for visions of raw vegan cheesecake to dance through your head!

This recipe is the perfect seasonal treat to share with friends and loved ones this holiday season – featuring one of nature's gifts to the world – juicy, ripe persimmons.

These succulent fruits offer such a wonderful array of benefits to the human body including plentiful fiber, loads of Vitamin A (55% of the RDA for Vitamin A per fruit!), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese. Persimmons are loaded with beta carotene, a potent plant compound that acts as a powerful antioxidant helping to protect the skin and the eyes.

If you're new to persimmons, there are usually two different types found in most supermarkets this time of year: Fuyu and Hachiya. Hachiyas are typically larger and more acorn-shaped and need to be left to ripen until very soft and jelly-like. Fuyu persimmons are smaller, are shaped a bit like a mini pumpkin, and can be eaten while still semi-solid - much like a pear. We use Fuyu persimmons in this particular recipe.

This recipe also features our Dastony raw, organic coconut butter (one of the healthiest fats on the planet) for that dense and silky, ultra-creamy texture. Instead of dairy-based cream cheese, we used Coyo original coconut yogurt for that super-authentic cheesecake flavor plus plenty of probiotics for extra gut-support – something we could all likely benefit from this time of year (the gluten + sugar bloat is real).

All in all, this is a crave-worthy treat you can feel good about eating any time of the day, yep, even for breakfast. 

Have a happy, healthy holiday season!

The Recipe

Raw Vegan Persimmon Lemon Cheesecake

Makes 1, 6" springform pan

Base

1 cup raw hazelnuts

4 large Medjool dates, pitted

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

1 pinch Himalayan crystal salt

Filling

1.5 cups raw cashews - soaked

1, 5.3 oz container of Coyo Original Coconut Yogurt 

2 ripe Furu persimmons

1/2 cup Dastony Stone Ground Coconut Butter - melted

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp raw honey, maple syrup or agave

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 

3 drops therapeutic-grade lemon essential oil - or zest of 1 organic lemon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 pinches Himalayan crystal salt

Instructions

Base

1. Place ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until well-mixed.

2. Pour mixture into a 6" springform pan and press on the bottom 

Filling

1. Soak your cashew nuts for at least an hour to soften. Drain and rinse well. 

2. Place ingredients except for coconut butter and lemon oil (or zest) in a blender and blend until smooth. Once smooth then blend in coconut butter and lemon oil (or zest) until well incorporated. This ensures minimal oxidation of the oils for the best flavor result.

3. Pour filling mixture over the base in the springform pan and let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. It can also be set in the freezer to speed up the process. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.