Vegan no-bake banana split cheesecake

Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans and non-Americans everywhere! Technically, the day is called FUCK YEAH ‘MURICA #FREEDOM #1776 DAY but most folks know it as Independence Day or simply the Fourth of July. Any of those names are fine.

But I’m partial to FUCK YEAH ‘MURICA #FREEDOM #1776 DAY. So I’ll be sticking with that.

In honor of the 239^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I have, as a dutiful American, concocted a very patriotic little dish for y’all to enjoy.

Okay.

How, you ask, is this patriotic? I don’t see any stars and stripes; I don’t even see a hint of red white and blue in the mix!

Ah, but while this treat may not be an adorable rendition of a flag like so many Independence Day desserts, these tiny cheesecakes celebrate the quintessentially American banana split, the sundae of vanilla ice cream (and occasionally other flavors) that is loaded up with cherries, nuts, sprinkles, chocolate fudge sauce, and, most importantly, bananas. It is over-the-top and enormous and has a thousand calories per serving. Truly, the banana split is an American dessert. 

This fills me up with patriotic pride. source

So why not take a moment to enjoy one on the Fourth? Perhaps in the form of a no-bake cheesecake?

Why not indeed?

This recipe is loosely adapted from, yet again, Seriously Delish by Jessica Merchant. I did make quite a few changes to the base in order to veganize the recipe, but it is generally the same concept. You make a simple, delicious ice cream base and stick it in a springform pan; you let it chill and / or freeze for a ridiculously long time; and then you load it up with banana split toppings. Boom. Banana split cheesecake. Easy peasy.

Except for the whole "wait for 12 hours" thing.

I used my favorite homemade chocolate sauce recipe, adapted from the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, and it went just splendidly with the creamy cheesecake and all the scrumptious sundae toppings. In fact, I dare say I’d rather have a slice of this than a bowl of ice cream...being not too much of an ice cream gal myself. But that might be blasphemy.

Regardless—this cheesecake is perfect for a summer celebration, since it is no-bake and fit for a crowd. You could easily double—triple—quadruple!—the recipe to make enough for a picnic. Just keep it frozen until it’s time to serve some up. You could even make a toppings bar, as suggested in the cookbook, so everyone can pick their own selections / ratios of toppings.

Here’s the recipe.

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Vegan no-bake banana split cheesecake

Adapted from Seriously Delish by Jessica Merchant

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Crust

56 grams • coconut oil, melted • ¼ cup

84 grams • graham cracker crumbs • 1 cup

Cheesecake

160 grams • cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours and drained • 1 cup

368 grams • nondairy yogurt • 1 ½ cups

80 grams • coconut milk, full-fat • 1/3 cup

60 grams • powdered sugar • ½ cup

4 grams • vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon

2 grams • salt • ¼ teaspoon

15 grams • lemon juice • 1 tablespoon

Toppings

354 grams • bananas, sliced • 3 medium

152 grams • strawberries, sliced • 1 cup

78 grams • cherries • ½ cup

24 grams • chopped pecans (or other nut) • ¼ cup

48 grams • rainbow sprinkles • ¼ cup

Chocolate sauce, for drizzling

Directions

In a bowl, mix together coconut oil and graham cracker crumbs until moistened and thoroughly combined. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan (or, like me, three 4-inch springform pans, although I reckon the average person doesn’t have three 4-inch springform pans) and set aside to chill.

Place cashews in a food processor and blend until as smooth as possible. Add yogurt and mix until smooth, then coconut milk and powdered sugar. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Pour batter onto chilled crust, spreading the top evenly with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight. Feel free to freeze the cheesecake for a little bit as well if you want to have a nice solidified cheesecake that is easy to slice. If you don't freeze the cheesecake, it will get a little gooey; so you would want to serve it right out of the pan instead of taking it out.

When the cheesecake is ready to serve, top with bananas, strawberries, cherries, walnuts, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. Alternatively, you can set up a toppings “bar” of sorts where each person can pick their own selection of toppings for their slices. Either way you get your dog back.

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That chocolate sauce though.

Check out these other banana-y treats while you’re here!

Banana macaroon smoothie. Like a macaroon cookie in a glass.

Banana toffee pie pancakes. Pie for breakfast!

Banana caramel cake with candied pistachios. A dessert for all banana bread lovers.