These creamy and delicious Vegan No-Bake Lemon Raspberry Bars are free of eggs, grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. They’re a wholesome treat you can enjoy all summer long.
We spent all of last week without AC. Both the upstairs and downstairs units shut down on one of the hottest days of the year so far. It seemed to be a city-wide problem, because all the HVAC service people we called were booked out at least a week. We settled on the nearest available appointment, which was the following Saturday (it went out on Sunday.)
I thought back to the early American settlers and I honestly don’t know how they survived the southern heat without so much as a fan…or little cold luxuries like ice or ice cream. They wore all those clothes too! I would’ve died wearing all of those long layered dresses.
I think I would have spent the summers high up in the mountains where the weather is much cooler in the summer. Or I would’ve liked to live with the Native Americans where wearing the bare minimum was perfectly acceptable!
A lot of places in the world still do without AC though. Many of the Airbnb’s we stayed in throughout Europe last year didn’t have AC. And because of the island breezes, lots of homes in Hawaii still don’t have central AC either. But, when you live down south and the summer temps average in the upper 90’s, AC is essential.
…unless the hot and sweaty look is your thing.
My sweet hubby watched YouTube videos and worked hard throughout the night to try and fix the units so we wouldn’t have to wait a whole week for the repair man. He finally got the upstairs AC back online, so all we camped out upstairs in the bonus room for the next few days. Luckily we have a spare bed and full bathroom up there, along with a tv, couch, and mini fridge, so it’s kind of like a mini apartment.
The only downside was we had family come to visit towards the end of the week, so we gave them the air conditioned upstairs and we moved back downstairs into the sauna.
Since it was so hot during the day, I tried my best to find meals and treats that didn’t require using the stove or oven. I mean, all we needed was to add even more heat to the house! Thankfully, these vegan no-bake lemon raspberry bars were the perfect treat. They’re kind of like a cross between cheesecake and a lemon bar. They’re wholesome, delicious, and fact that they don’t need to be cooked/baked is a plus!
They start off with a simple date and nut “crust,” which is blended and then pressed into a pan. Cashews
are the base for the creamy filling. They’re full of vitamins and minerals, and contain healthy fats, similar to those found in olive oil. For the topping, I made use of one of my favorite super foods: Chia Seeds
! These little seeds are full of fiber, protein, and are great source of omega-3s.
I love chia and add them to whatever I can, like drinks, smoothies, puddings, oatmeal, cookies, and popsicles, to name a few. They’re such a versatile ingredient and their super cool feature is that they absorb up to 10 times their weight in water. This means they make a good thickening agent, which is how I get mashed raspberries to become jam-like.
These vegan no-bake lemon raspberry bars are perfectly tart with a bit of sweetness. The sweet and fruity raspberry topping is a nice contrast to the lemon too. They’re stored in the fridge or the freezer, so it’s best to let them thaw a bit so that they’re more creamy, less popsicle-y.
These made the perfect little treat to cool us off during one of the hottest weeks we’ve experienced this year. I also like the fact that I don’t have to feel guilty about splurging on these since they’re made with such wholesome ingredients too. 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!
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Vegan No-Bake Lemon Raspberry Bars
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
A creamy and delicious raw dessert. Free of eggs, grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. Eating healthy can taste good too!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup Pitted Dates
- 1 cup raw Walnuts
or Almonds
- pinch of sea salt
Filling:
- 3 cups pre-soaked Raw Cashews
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
- 1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Raspberry-Chia Topping:
- 1.5 cups fresh raspberries (*see notes below)
- 1.5–2 tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
- 1.5 tablespoons Chia Seeds
Instructions
Soaking The Cashews:
- In a bowl, cover the cashews with water and let soak for 3-4 hours. Nuts contain natural enzyme inhibitors. Soaking the nuts not only helps with blending, but it neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and makes them more digestible. If you’re in a pinch for time, you can put the cashews and water in a pot on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and then remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can prepare the other ingredients in the meantime.
Making The Topping:
- I like to make the topping in the beginning to give the chia seeds time to gel with the raspberries. To make the topping, mash together the raspberries, chia seeds, and maple syrup with a fork. Start with less maple syrup and add the extra half tablespoon, if you want it sweeter. Set aside to gel.
To Make The Crust:
- Add dates and nuts to a processor and pulse a few times to break up the big chunks. Add the pinch of salt and process for 2-3 minutes, or until finely chopped. Mixture should hold together when pressed. If mixture is too dry, add in a few more dates and process until well combined. Press mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 8×8 or 9×9 pan. I recommend lining with parchment paper. It makes getting the bars out so much easier. Clean the processor to use for the filling.
To Make The Filling:
- After your cashews have soaked, rinse and drain the dirty water. Add cashews to your food processor, along with lemon juice, coconut oil, maple syrup, and lemon zest. Blend until creamy. *If you like a mild lemon taste, you can start out with half the amount of lemon juice and zest called for. Taste and add the other half, if needed. If the mixture is too thick you may need to supplement an equal part of water for the lemon juice omitted.
Putting It Together:
- Pour filling onto the crust and spread across the pan evenly. Drop spoonfuls of raspberry sauce all over the filling and spread over the top, until evenly distributed. Cover the pan well with foil and place into the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until mixture has firmed.
- If you used the parchment paper, use a knife to separate the bars from the edge of the pan. Pick up the bars using both sides of the parchment paper and set on your counter top. Cut into bars and thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving. Best eaten when cold, but creamy. Keep in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. Store leftover bars in the fridge for 4-5 days or in a sealed container in the freezer for 2-3 weeks. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can use another fruit instead of the raspberries. Try blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries. Frozen fruit should work too, just thaw and discard some of the excess liquid.
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
No-Bake Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars With An Oatmeal Crust
Healthier Lemon-Blackberry Bars
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This is very very delicious, I made it to serve as a dessert for my son’s wedding dinner as we had some GF and DF requirements for a few guests. It was demolished by everyone and one of the first desserts to be cleaned up. I used my Vitamix for the cashew mix as my food processor wasn’t getting the filling smooth enough. The Vitamix made it very creamy. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
Just made these – so delicious!! Since omitting dairy and eggs from my diet, I’ve only been looking longingly at lemon bars – these little wonders hit the spot:) I also halved the filling ingredients because that’s all the cashews I had on hand, and a thinner filling layer was still awesome, will probably keep making it that way. Thank you so much!!
Mari, that makes me so happy to hear! Great idea to half the filling, which gives a more even ratio of fruit to filling too. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! 🙂
I love this raspberry thing…Too yummy
WOW these bars look simply amazing! So indulging and rich ♥ I love lemon and raspberry together!
IF you don’t have a food processor, would a Vitamix work on the cashews? Looks delicious!
Oops. so sorry for the duplicate post.
Thanks, Virginia! I would imagine a Vitamix would work as long as it can handle thick purées! Let me know how it goes for you and I can include it in the recipe for others who use Vitamix!
IF you don’t have a food processor, would a Vitamix work on the cashews?
I would have loved to try this recipe, but your page wouldn’t allow me to copy and paste so I could save the ingredients. Too bad. It looks good.
Sorry, Katie. There’s a print button, which allows you to get the recipe in a print-friendly document (in a new tab which allows for copy and paste) but the no-click feature is to protect my photos, which have been stolen and used on other sites without my permission. Again, sorry for the inconvenience!
I love this recipe because this is no bake bars and VEGAN…. i am gonna try this for sure
Would soaked Macadamias work?
It’s possible, although I’ve never tried it, since macadamia nuts and cashews have a similar consistency when puréed. The flavor and texture will probably be a little different though than if you had made it with cashews. Please let me know if you get a chance to try it, Denise!
That sounds amazing and delicious. Lovely clicks!
I don’t eat cashews because of an intolerance. Any ideas what I could replace the cashews with in the lemon filling? Thanks.
Hi, Michelle! I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve seen other no-bake bars use macadamia nuts. I would imagine any creamy nut would work, maybe even slivered almonds? If you try something else, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Looks great! A question, will roasted cashews work?
Thanks, Lydia! I’ve never tried it with roasted cashews and I think they may be drier and won’t produce as creamy a texture. I would stick with raw cashews in order to get the best results 🙂
Oh. My. I want these! Thank you so much for sharing! xx
The pictures are stunning.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, my friend! I take that as a high compliment coming from you! 🙂
Oh my goodness! This sounds amazing!! I’m going to make this for our Thursday night small group 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Hope! Please let me know how you like them!
Aw, Thank you so much, Amisha!! Your Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Jam sounds so delicious! You can probably substitute milk for the lemon juice since you’re adding chocolate. I hope you post a picture of the finished product! I’d love to see that beauty! 🙂
I have been looking for a vegan chocolate cheesecake recipe, and was looking for a way to use My Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Jam, and this recipe is perfect! Thank you Joscelyn! I will surely try this recipe, and add Cacao powder to make a chocolate cheesecake, and add the Raspberry and Chocolate Jam on the top! So looking forward to trying it!
BTW, LOVE the look of your blog! Congratulations!! Looking forward to seeing more beautiful pictures!
Cheers, from another foodie
Amisha