These easy vegan strawberry cheesecake bars are creamy and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. Layers of vanilla cheesecake with intensely fragrant macerated strawberries on top of no-bake crust. They taste like summer in a dessert!
Add the toasted coconut flakes, almonds, and salt to your food processor and blitz for 1-2 minutes. Add the pitted dates and blend again until everything is evenly mixed and sticks together like a dough.
Line the base and sides of an 8-inch square pan or an 8 or 9-inch rectangular pan with parchment paper and press the dough into the base of the pan using a spatula, spoon, or flat-bottomed glass. Set aside.
Filling
To make the filling, add all of the ingredients to your high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan and gently tap it on your work counter to remove the air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for about an hour while you prepare the strawberry topping.
Topping
Add the hulled and quartered strawberries to a bowl and sprinkle the sugar on top. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes to an hour, stirring every so often.
Pass the strawberries through a sieve and add the collected juice to a saucepan. Set the strawberries aside in a bowl.
Add the water and agar-agar powder to the saucepan with the strawberry juices and stir well until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes, whilst whisking continuously.
Arrange the strawberries on top of the set cheesecake layer. Pour the strawberry jelly on top of the strawberries. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set for 4 hours (or overnight).
Set the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight).
Serving and Storage
Once set, use a hot wet knife to slice the cheesecake into portions. Place the cheesecake bars in an airtight container and refrigerate. They'll stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to a couple of months. I recommend first slicing the cheesecake into individual bars so that you can defrost them as needed. Then just allow them to sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.
Notes
Soaked cashews: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, rinse and drain. You can also quick-soak them in boiled water for 30 minutes to an hour ahead of time.
Refrigerate the cans of coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the cans. Then scoop out the thick coconut cream from the top of the can. The left-over water in the bottom of the can makes a nice addition to curries, soups, or porridge, so don’t throw it out!
Line the base and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper, and create a sling to make it easy to lift out the cheesecake once set.
Make a small batch by halving the recipe and instead use a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
If you can't find agar-agar you can top the cheesecake with strawberry coulis instead of jelly.