Vegan Summer Fruit Tart with Lemon-Cashew Cream (No-Bake!)
Make a stunning Vegan Summer Fruit Tart! This easy no-bake recipe features a graham cracker coconut oil crust, a creamy lemon-cashew vegan cream cheese filling, and fresh peaches and raspberries.
Ingredients
(Based on 1x column)
Graham Cracker Crust:
- ▢ 9 full graham cracker sheets (makes about 1 ½ cups crumbs)
- ▢ 5 tablespoons melted coconut oil (refined if no coconut flavor desired)
- ▢ ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
Vegan Cheesecake Filling:
- ▢ 2 (8-ounce) packages Kite Hill Plain Vegan Cream Cheese, softened
- ▢ ⅔ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- ▢ ¼ cup raw cashews (see Tips about potential soaking)
- ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ▢ 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh Fruit Topping:
- ▢ 2 ripe peaches or nectarines, pitted and sliced
- ▢ ⅓ cup fresh raspberries (or pitted and halved fresh cherries)
Instructions
1. Prepare Tart Pan and Make Graham Cracker Crust:
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch nonstick tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom) with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit.
- Make Crust: Place the graham cracker sheets into a food processor and pulse until they form fine crumbs. You should have about 1 ½ cups of crumbs.
- Add the melted coconut oil, packed brown sugar, and sea salt to the food processor with the crumbs. Pulse again until the mixture is well combined and crumbly, resembling wet sand.
- Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared tart pan. Press the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan using the back of a measuring cup or your clean fingertips to create a neat crust edge.
- Place the tart pan with the crust into the freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow the crust to firm up.
2. Make the Vegan Cheesecake Filling:
- Ensure your Kite Hill vegan cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
- Place the softened vegan cream cheese, sifted powdered sugar, raw cashews, fresh lemon juice, fresh lemon zest, and vanilla extract into the container of a high-speed blender.
- Blend on high speed until the mixture is completely smooth, creamy, and all the cashews are fully pulverized. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender a few times as needed to ensure everything is incorporated. This may take 1-3 minutes depending on your blender. The filling should be very luscious and smooth.
3. Assemble and Chill the Tart:
- Remove the chilled graham cracker crust from the freezer.
- Pour the prepared vegan cheesecake filling onto the firm crust.
- Use a rubber spatula or an offset spatula to spread the filling into an even layer, smoothing the top.
- Cover the tart carefully with plastic wrap (try not to let it touch the surface of the filling) and place it in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly. It needs to chill overnight, or for at least 6-8 hours, for the filling to fully set and the flavors to meld.
4. Top with Fresh Fruit and Serve:
- Just before you are ready to serve, prepare your fresh fruit. Pit and slice the ripe peaches or nectarines. Gently wash the raspberries or pit and halve the cherries.
- Remove the chilled tart from the refrigerator. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, carefully push up the bottom to release the tart from the outer ring. Place it on a serving platter.
- Artfully arrange the sliced peaches and raspberries (or cherries) over the top of the chilled cheesecake filling.
- Slice the Vegan Summer Fruit Tart into wedges using a sharp knife. Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing, creamy treat!