Lemon & Hemp Vegan Cheesecake (Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

Hemp seed flour!! I got hemp seed flour and it’s pretty exciting 🙂 I found it on Amazon and this is my first recipe using it. I just love playing around with new flours. This one definitely has a taste – so I found mixing it with almond meal gave it an amazingly earthy, nutty taste that I loved. I really like the combo of lemon with hemp after trying it out in this recipe. So I decided to give it a whirl here too.

Lemon cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and I miss it sometimes when I see it out and about. Luckily, cheesecake is one of those easy-to-replicate dairy-free desserts though it might not seem like it given there is no cheese in it and all. Enter: cashew magic! I’m also using coconut yogurt for the tanginess, you could sub coconut cream if you can’t find it though. I absolutely love this brand of yogurt which worked so nicely here. I also found a great tip from Audrey’s blog, the Unconventional Baker on vegan cheesecakes: psyllium husk adds a nice thick and springy texture- YAY! So I will now always use that because it worked like a gem – plus adds some more fiber into the dish, win-win!

OH and – I tend to make my cheesecake a little thinner using a 9-inch springform pan, so if you like it thicker/higher – either use a smaller pan or double up!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup hemp seed flour (or sub with almond meal)
• 6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cup cashews, soaked at least 6 hrs. and drained
• 1 1/4 cup coconut yogurt
• 5 Tbsp maple syrup (coconut nectar, honey or brown rice syrup)
• Juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 small lemons)
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp psyllium husk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Garnish: shelled hemp seeds, lemon zest, sliced lemons

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325f degrees and line the bottom of a 9 in. spring form pan with parchment paper. Spray or lightly coat the sides of the pan with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, add all dry crust ingredients and whisk together so it’s mixed. Next, add coconut oil a couple of tablespoons at a time while stirring. Lastly, mix with your hands, the flour mixture should not feel soggy but more on the drier side, as you mix with your hands you’ll help release more oils from the seeds. Do this for a couple minutes. Add more oil if it’s overly dry.
3. Pour crust ingredients out into your springform pan and press tightly against the bottom and sides (if not doubling filling, this will be a thin cheesecake, so you won’t have to go too far up on the sides).
4. Bake the crust for approx. 8 minutes and then remove, set aside.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling – combine all ingredients in a blender until it’s nice and smooth. Pour filling over the crust and jiggle the pan a bit to make sure it’s level.
6. Bake for approx. 40 minutes or so – until golden on top. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours at least or overnight to set. Garnish before serving!

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Hope you enjoy!
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**Alison

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