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Enjoy chocolate and strawberries for dessert in this delicious No-Bake Strawberry Cake. It’s completely vegan, gluten-free, and only 300 calories per slice.
This healthy strawberry cake is similar to a cheesecake, without the baking! It has a chocolate crust made with dates and macadamia nuts and is filled with creamy blended cashews. Top it with a homemade strawberry sauce and fresh berries for a truly winning presentation!
This dessert has 5 grams of protein per slice and uses stevia as the sweetener to minimize calories and sugar intake. It’s a cold cake, so it’s the perfect summer dessert.
If you like healthy no-bake dessert recipes, you will love my peppermint brownies and no-bake carrot cake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Baking Required: This healthy vegan strawberry cake blends in just 20 minutes and then rests in the freezer for a few hours. You never turn on the oven, which is great on a hot summer day.
- Naturally Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: There’s no need for gluten-free or plant-based substitutes because this recipe uses only plant-based ingredients and no flours.
- Keeps in the Freezer for Easy Snacking: This no-bake cake sets in the freezer, like an icebox cake, so you can just keep it frozen. Then it’s always on hand when you want a little sweet treat!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Dates: Blended dates form a sticky paste that holds the nuts together to make a fun, vegan crust. They’re also full of fiber to help satisfy your hunger.
- Macadamia Nuts & Pecans: These nuts have a rich, buttery flavor, so they make for an excellent cake crust.
- Cocoa Powder: A bit of unsweetened cocoa powder blended into the crust gives you that iconic strawberry and chocolate flavor combination.
- Cashews: Softened cashews blend into a creamy, cheese-like consistency that makes a great cheesecake-like filling.
- Coconut Oil: The plant-based fat from coconut oil eliminates the need for butter or eggs in this recipe to hold the filling together.
- Strawberries: A combination of fresh and frozen strawberries helps create a thick topping for your cake that’s naturally sweet and delicious.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Swap the Nuts: If you don’t like or can’t purchase macadamia nuts or pecans, you can swap them for walnuts or almonds. Both have a buttery flavor and aren’t too crunchy for the crust.
- Try Other Berries: Any fruit works with these recipe! Make a no-bake peach cake or no-bake blueberry or raspberry cake instead of a strawberry. This yogurt cake also works well with any type of fruit!
- Shape Like a Cake: This vegan no-bake strawberry cake is meant to be cut into 16 bars instead of cake slices for easy snacking, but you can use a round cake pan and cut it into slices for a more traditional-looking cheesecake dessert.
How to Make No-Bake Strawberry Cake
This healthy vegan strawberry cake is so easy to make, and you don’t even need to turn on the oven!
Before you start making it, line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Layer one sheet of parchment horizontally across the pan with the sides hanging over, then do the same vertically to make a crisscross pattern. This makes the cake easy to remove.
- Step 1: Blend the Crust. Add the dates, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, pecans, and cocoa powder to a food processor. Blend them until they form a sticky dough. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and spread it into an even layer. Use your fingers or a spatula to firmly press the crust into the pan.
- Step 2: Make the Filling. Add the cashews, coconut oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and stevia to the food processor. Blend them until smooth. Pour the filling over the top of the crust and spread into an even layer. Place this in the freezer for 1-2 hours to set.
- Step 3: Add the Sauce. Blend frozen strawberries with stevia until completely smooth. Pour this sauce over your frozen cake and spread it into an even layer. Gently press fresh strawberries into the top. Then freeze the cake for another 1-2 hours. Remove it from the freezer and cut it into 16 bars.
Expert Tips
- Soak the Cashews: You need to soak your cashews to create a creamy, cheese-like texture. It’s best to soak them overnight for the smoothest texture.
- Soften the Dates: Like the cashews, you also need to soak the dates so they create a sticky paste for the crust. You can soak the dates for 2-3 hours, but I find an overnight soak creates the best texture.
- Adjust the Flavor: Once you freeze your no-bake strawberry cake, you can’t really adjust the flavor, so be sure to taste test your filling before freezing it. You can add a little more stevia or a bit of maple syrup to make it sweeter.
- Store in the Freezer: Keep your low-calorie strawberry cake, cut into bars, in the freezer for up to a month. You can thaw them for 10-15 minutes before eating for a softer texture. It’s like ice cream when it’s frozen, but the texture of mousse when it’s slightly thawed.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this frozen sugar-free strawberry cake for dessert during a summer barbecue with friends, or just keep it on hand for when you need a sweet treat.
This is a great dessert to make when you’re busy around the house because it only requires 20 minutes of hands-on time. The rest of the time it’s waiting in the freezer!
- This vegan strawberry cheesecake-like dessert is great for a backyard summer party! Bring it along with a healthy sweet potato salad to share with your friends.
- I love having these no-bake strawberry cake bars on hand in the freezer. I have one for an afternoon treat, along with a refreshing strawberry green tea.
- My easy chipotle chicken is made in the slow cooker, so you can have dinner and dessert without ever turning on the stove!
No-Bake Strawberry Cake Recipe FAQs
The main reason why the crust isn’t sticking is that the dates aren’t blending down enough. Try soaking them overnight to ensure they are very soft. You could also add a small splash of water for a little moisture if it’s still dry.
A grainy filling happens when the cashews don’t soak long enough. Be sure they soak overnight, at least 8 hours, before blending them. Keep blending until the mixture is completely smooth.
Since this no sugar strawberry cake is frozen, it may be too hard to slice. Let it rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften. Be sure you don’t let it sit out for too long, or the cake will turn soft and fall apart before you can cut it.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
Desserts
Low Calorie Peach Cobbler
Desserts
Gluten-Free Berry Bars
Gluten Free
Raspberry Crumb Bars
Desserts
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
If you tried this No-Bake Strawberry Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
No-Bake Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- ¼ cup Dates, pitted, soaked overnight
- ¼ cup Shredded Coconut Flakes, unsweetened
- 1 cup Macadamia Nuts, raw
- 1 cup Pecans, raw
- 3 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
For the Filling:
- 2 cups Cashews, soaked overnight
- ¾ cup Coconut Oil, melted, or oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ cup Lemon Juice
- 1-2 drops Stevia, liquid or powdered can be used
For the Sauce:
- 4 oz Strawberries, frozen
- 1-2 drops Stevia, liquid or powdered can be used
- ½ cup Strawberries, sliced thinly for topping
Instructions
- Prepare an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking dish by layering parchment paper crisscross with the sides hanging over. This allows for easy removal.
- Add the ingredients for the crust to a food processor, blend until a sticky mixture forms. Transfer the crust to the baking dish, spread into an even layer pressing the crush firmly into the pan.
- Next place the ingredients for the filling in the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the filling to the top of the crust in an even layer.
- Place in the freezer 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Make the sauce by blending the frozen strawberries with stevia until smooth. Pour the sauce over the cheesecake and spread into an even layer. Add the fresh strawberries to the top pressing them a bit into the sauce.
- Freeze 1-2 hours then remove from the freezer, cut into 16 bars and enjoy.
Notes
- Soak your cashews in water overnight to soften them so your filling is smooth and creamy.
- The dates should be pitted and soaked overnight as well so they turn into a paste and hold the crust together.
- Taste test your filling before freezing it to ensure it tastes sweet enough. You can make adjustments before pouring it over the crust and placing it in the freezer.
- Keep bars in the freezer up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m imagining all this deliciousness right now! And it looks so refreshing. Too pretty too!! Can we rewind to the 4th so I can make it? Haha
Labor day! Actually, it’s too easy not to make anytime. Yeah for no baking!
So many strawberry recipes. It does look pretty delicious though…
How can you say no?
Looks delicious Megan. What is your secret to getting smooth filling? Anytime I make something with cashews I can’t get it to blend smoothly no matter how many times I process. Thanks!
Hey Jill! You have to soak them in water a really long time. Some people say 2-3 hours, but I soak mine overnight in the fridge and they’re always creamy perfection. Hope that helps!
This is JUST perfect for the party I am going to, I am going to try and make this one up for it! xo C
Oh you will be loving it for sure!
Multi-tasking is the name of the game! At least you could use this recipe for school, too! It looks delicious!
Have a great 4th of July, Megan!
You better believe I did. Hope you had a wonderful long weekend!
But how does this cake make you FEEEEEELLLLLL. Yeah, that would be a weird assignment. Like therapy for foodies.
OMG…seriously makes me want to throw up. This is the part of “holistic” that I’m not into.