Lemon & Blueberry Cheesecake slices

A creamy, no-bake lemon cheesecake swirled with jammy blueberries on a chewy, nutty crust. It's dairy-free and naturally sweetened with raw honey or coconut nectar, and it sets up in the freezer, so there's no oven involved. Cut it into neat little slices for snacking, or make it as a round cake for a celebration.

Yield: 16 slices (8x8 pan) or 12 slices (8- or 9-inch springform) · Active: 40 min · Total: 6-8 hours (including soaking and freezing) · Peak summer with fresh blueberries, year-round with frozen · Best eaten: afternoon

Slices or Cake?

Same recipe, two shapes:

• For slices: Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving some hanging over the sides so you can lift the whole thing out.

• For a cake: Use an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with a parchment circle on the bottom.

The Crust (choose one)

Option A — Cashew, Almond, and Coconut Crust

• ½ cup cashews

• ½ cup almonds

• 1½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

• ½ cup coconut nectar or ⅓ cup raw local honey

• 1-2 tbsp water, only if needed

Option B — Walnut-Date Crust

• 2 cups walnuts

• ⅔ cup Medjool dates, pitted (about 8-10)

• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

Method

1. Pulse. Pulse the nuts (and coconut) in a food processor into a coarse, sandy crumb. Add the sweetener (the honey, coconut nectar, or dates) and salt, and pulse until the mixture sticks together when you pinch it. For Option A, add the water a tablespoon at a time only if it's crumbly.

2. Press. Press the crust firmly and evenly into the bottom of your pan. The flat bottom of a measuring cup makes this easy.

3. Chill. Pop it in the freezer while you make the jam and filling.

Blueberry Chia Jam

• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

• 2-3 tbsp coconut nectar or 1½-2 tbsp raw local honey

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• Optional: ½ cup extra whole blueberries, for texture

Method

1. Simmer. Simmer the blueberries and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, mashing some of the berries as they burst. If you're using coconut nectar, add it now.

2. Thicken. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the chia seeds, vanilla, and optional whole berries. If you're using honey, stir it in now, off the heat, so it stays raw. Let it sit 15 minutes to thicken, then cool completely.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling

• 3 cups cashews, soaked in water at least 4 hours or overnight, then drained

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (use up to ¾ cup for a tarter cheesecake)

• ⅔ cup coconut nectar or ½ cup raw local honey

• ½ cup cacao butter, gently melted (or ½-¾ cup virgin coconut oil, melted)

• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

• Water, only as needed to blend

Method

1. Blend. Blend the soaked cashews, lemon juice, sweetener, melted cacao butter (or coconut oil), vanilla, lemon zest, and salt in a high-speed blender until completely silky, 2-3 minutes. Add a splash of water only if your blender needs help. If your honey has crystallized, set the jar in a bowl of warm water until it's pourable; avoid microwaving or boiling it.

2. Taste. Taste and adjust the lemon or sweetness.

Assemble and Set

1. Fill. Pour the filling over the chilled crust and smooth the top.

2. Swirl. Dollop about half the blueberry jam over the filling and swirl it through with a chopstick or skewer. Save the rest of the jam for the top.

3. Freeze. Freeze 4-6 hours, until firm.

4. Top. Spread the remaining jam over the top, then scatter with ½ cup fresh blueberries and the zest of ½ lemon.

5. Slice. Let it sit at room temperature 15-20 minutes, then slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.

Storage

• Freezer: Up to 3 months, tightly wrapped. Pull slices out 15-20 minutes before eating

• Fridge: Up to 5 days. The cacao butter version holds its shape best in the fridge; the coconut oil version softens a little more

Sourcing (essential picks)

• Cashews — organic. Every cashew sold, even "raw," has been heat-treated to remove the caustic oil in the shell

• Almonds — organic and unpasteurized; U.S. almonds are pasteurized by law even when labeled "raw," so look for Spanish almonds such as Terrasoul's

• Walnuts — organic, raw or sprouted, and kept in the fridge so their delicate oils stay fresh

• Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump

• Shredded coconut — organic, unsweetened, and sulfite-free

• Raw honey — local, unfiltered, and from a beekeeper you trust. An honest note: honey isn't safe for babies under 12 months old

• Coconut nectar — organic, with nothing added; Coconut Secret makes one from coconut blossom sap

• Cacao butter — organic, unrefined, and fair-trade

• Coconut oil — organic, virgin, and unrefined

• Blueberries — organic; wild blueberries (fresh in summer, frozen year-round) are smaller and more intensely flavored

• Chia seeds — organic

• Lemons — organic (you're using the zest)

• Vanilla — pure vanilla extract with no added sugar or corn syrup, or a whole vanilla bean

• Baja Gold sea salt

Nourishment Notes

Cashews — magnesium, copper, zinc, and a creamy base that sets up beautifully without any dairy.

Almonds — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats.

Walnuts — ALA omega-3s, polyphenols, and magnesium.

Medjool dates — potassium, magnesium, and fiber-bound natural sweetness.

Coconut — lauric acid, medium-chain fats, and fiber.

Cacao butter — a stable, naturally solid fat (mostly stearic and oleic acids) that gives the filling its firm, sliceable set and a whisper of white chocolate flavor.

Blueberries — anthocyanins (the source of their deep blue color), vitamin C, and fiber. Wild blueberries carry even more anthocyanins than cultivated ones.

Chia seeds — ALA omega-3s, fiber, and the natural gel that turns berries into jam without cups of sugar.

Fresh lemon — vitamin C, plus d-limonene concentrated in the zest.

Raw local honey — trace minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that stay intact because it's never heated here (in the jam, it goes in off the heat).

Coconut nectar — a gentler, minimally processed alternative to refined sugar, with small amounts of minerals.

As a circadian treat, this lands best in the afternoon, when the body handles natural sugars most gracefully in daylight. The nuts' fat and protein also help slow the sweetness down.

— Anna aka Food Marshall