Reporting here with a new nut-free raw cheesecake alternative: one based in tigernuts. This whole cake started off from a series of casual discussions on Instagram with a lady whose son couldn't have nuts and seeds and she was curious if I thought tigernuts could work in a raw cheesecake recipe. The truth is the first couple of chats I wasn't so eager -- my experience with tigernuts up until then had not been stellar (more on this later), but one day I was on my way to a shop I knew carried them and another one of those convos ensued and I thought "hey, why not?!" and decided to give it a try despite my reservations. And ended up with this amazing raw tigernut cheesecake recipe that I'm so excited to share here.
Sometimes simple conversations with others translate into the most wonderful ideas, and I'm thankful that this cake and these magical non-nuts worked out so well, all thanks to blog reader inspiration.
So... what's the deal with tigernuts, you're thinking?
Well, I know for some of you these aren't going to be a new thing. In fact some cultures have been using these little guys traditionally for ages. But since they were relatively new to me at the time I made this cake, I thought I'd fill you in in case you're feeling a little apprehensive to give them a try.
And so, first off, despite the name, they're not a nut at all, but a tuber (grow underground, much like potatoes and yams). The package came with lots of accolades, including the fact they're apparently high in fiber, iron, phosphorus, magnesium (impressive!), have appetite curbing qualities (interesting..), and are naturally sweet (that they are -- love that quality). Whether they came with all that stuff or not, "superfood" or not, I don't personally mind too much -- would have used them either way since that's what I already set out to do with this cake exercise, but thought some of you might like to know that stuff :)
I love that you can use them to make a cake that is truly nut-free. Some of my other nut-free cakes (see the nut-free cake section on the recipes page) are seed-based, since that's the easiest substitute for nuts, yet many people who have severe nut allergies can't have seeds either (due to cross-contamination issues or related allergies). So these little fellas are a good option. I also love that this recipe is raw, unlike, say my cauliflower cakes, or bean-based cakes, etc., so it's a good option to keep in mind. And I just love it because trying out a new ingredient and loving it is a reason to celebrate sometimes -- the little things that make me happy... :)
As I mentioned in the beginning though, I wasn't so quick to "celebrate" these little nuggets as my limited experience with tigernuts up until then has been less than likeable... I've been curious about them a while but usually skipped buying because they weren't the cheapest (though not more expensive than many nuts), I worried it's another one of those pricey hyped up superfood trends (which I'm not usually too eager to jump on...), and I was kind of intimidated by the instructions that came on one package I examined at a store once -- they required all this soaking to soften in order to be made palatable, etc. I also worry sometimes about using unusual ingredients because I know they're not available everywhere so some people will be missing out... and so the whole thing just seemed pass-ish.
Then one day I found a place that sold them in bulk. Bought just a few to try and almost broke my teeth -- yep, I could see the need to pre-soak. Those things were like little rocks. And the texture was super chalky and the flavor very foreign. I was glad I didn't splurge on a bigger bag. On another occasion I bought a jar of tigernut butter. I'm quite adventurous with new things like that and when I saw a jar at the shop I paid the high price tag and was eager to give it a try, only to discover it was just bizarre-tasting (well to me, at least. The friend I gave the jar to didn't seem to mind). It wasn't pure tigernut butter, but had other ingredients like oil and vanilla, etc. It just tasted like an oily, chalky, oddly sweet nut butter imitation. No thanks!
So, you can see why I wasn't super excited to give tigernuts another go. But when a reader asks, sometimes I can't help but give things a try anyways. This one worked out beautifully in the end -- and I'm now a tigernut fan for life. But there are a few things I learned along the way that have changed my perception of them.
First off, go for skinned or peeled tigernuts. They are much, much softer (unlike those little rock ones I tried before) and easier to work with. You don't have to pre-soak them to enjoy them just as you would regular nuts or seeds. Second, speaking of soaking though, pre-soak them like nuts if you want them to blend more smoothly (for a few hours in room temp water). Third, expect some grittiness which you'll need to balance out with other ingredients (don't worry, this cake is not gritty so long as you have a good power blender -- balancing act accomplished*). Fourth, they don't make a good nut butter on their own (which is why I suspect that jar I bought had all that extra stuff in it). Fifth, try not to eat them all in one go -- they're kind of addictive once you come around to liking them :). Sixth, though the price tag seems high, they're no more expensive than many other kinds of nuts (at least over here -- so don't be afraid to splurge a little, especially when making a celebration cake or a treat). Seventh, try them out in this lemony tigernutty cake and you'll get the hang of how to work with them real fast. Bonus, you get cake as a tigernut baking graduation present ;)
*Just a quick note re: getting a non-gritty texture here. A power blender is a must to get things to blend super fine. I made this recipe in my older Vitamix model and the texture came out super smooth. Newer low profile Vitamixes have a much wider pitcher and as a result this recipe doesn't make enough substance for it to blend into a super smooth texture in such a big blender -- so if you're using one of those, I recommend quadrupling the recipe.
And if you're looking for more delicious things to make with tigernuts, try one of these recipes:
- tigernut dessert bites (pretty much a 2 ingredient recipe, and so delicious!)
- tigernut milk (also known as horchata de chufa)(yep, these make a lovely non-dairy milk alternative!)
- carob sweet potato brownies made with cassava and tigernuts (which is another recipe based on an interesting reader request)
P.S. As per usual lately, this cake makes a tiny 4" cake using this pan. To make it a 5" cake, multiply the recipe by 1.5. To make it 6" triple or quadruple the recipe (depending on how tall you want your cake). Or use a lined small container of a similar size if you don't feel like getting a new pan....
P.P.S. If you need more tips on how to make raw cheesecakes like a pro, check out my book Unconventional Treats.
PrintRaw Tigernut Cheesecake
This raw tigernut cheesecake is a sweet and satisfying vegan nut-free cheesecake made without dairy, gluten, or refined sugar.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup skinned tigernuts
- 1 soft medjool date
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
Filling:
- ½ cup skinned tigernuts, pre-soaked and strained*
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Toppings:
- a handful of skinned tigernuts, edible rose buds (fresh berries could be nice too)
Instructions
- Process all crust ingredients in a food processor until a crumbly mixture forms (note, it takes a bit longer to get the right consistency than with nuts, and you'll likely need to pause a couple of times to scrape down the sides and process again). Transfer this mixture into a 4" springform pan and press down into an even crust along the base. Place in the freezer while working on the next step.
- Process all filling ingredients in a power blender until completely smooth. Transfer into the cake pan and smooth out the top. Decorate with toppings and freeze overnight or at least 5-6 hours. Remove from pan, thaw out briefly before serving and enjoy! You can keep the cake frozen or refrigerated afterwards.
Notes
*Pre-soak the nuts for 15 mins covered in boiled water and let them cool off to room temp, or a few hours in room temp water (I recommend the latter to keep the recipe raw). Then strain and rinse, discarding the water they were soaked in.
Gabi says
Any idea if I could use tigernut flour instead of while tigernuts. And if so how much? And should I soak? Difficult to come by the tigernuts.
Audrey says
Hi Gabi, I've not tried it myself, but a few people asked the same about this recipe, and a number of people shared that they used tigernut flour successfully for this recipe. If you scroll down through the comments section here you'll get more info about it :)
Yosefa says
How long do the tiger nuts need to soak for?
Audrey says
Hi Yosefa, you can soak them for 15 mins covered in boiled water, or a few hours in room temp water (I recommend the latter). Enjoy!
Charles Olivier says
I am in love with this recipe! I tried it twice, the second time I added cocoa powder in the filling and when it was frozen I added a layer of melted dark chocolate on the top, which became hard! It was so delicious!
Audrey says
Hi Charles. Thanks so much for sharing -- sounds really good with the cocoa powder! :)
GC says
Hi Audrey ... I recently came upon Tigernut flour. Can this recipe be modified to use the flour instead of the nuts for the mixture/'batter'? - I would love to make this recipe using the flour. Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi GC. Sorry for the delayed reply. I haven't tried it personally with the flour, but going to repost a reply I shared in earlier comments regarding this question:
"I’ve heard from my readers that it works just as well with tigernut flour, though I’ve never been able to “extract” out of them just how much they used. If you scroll through some of the comments below (especially the one to Angelika) you can see a discussion about that and recommended quantities."
So I think you'll have to experiment, but I know that a number of my readers made it work :)
Would love to hear how you go.
Vivienne says
Audrey, can I substitute coconut oil with cocoa butter? If I do, will it be necessary to freeze it? I would like to avoid freezing...
Audrey says
Hi Vivienne,
Yes, you can use cocoa butter (it will add a strong cacao flavor to the cake), although the cake would still need to be frozen -- the coconut oil / cacao butter make the cake solidify due to the chilling in the freezer.
I can't think of a way to make this particular recipe work without freezing, unfortunately. I have some baked cheesecake recipes on the blog that don't need freezing, but I don't know if they'll work since they involve different nuts and seeds -- if you're curious search the blog for "baked cheesecake" or look on the recipes page by selecting the categories "cake" + "baked" + anything else you're looking for :)
Amanda says
Can I use a different oil than coconut? Avocado maybe?
Audrey says
Hi Amanda. I think you're limited to cacao butter as a substitute here for the coconut oil. The reason is they both solidify nicely when chilled which is what makes this cake "work." Regular oils don't solidify as much so you'll end up with a soft / melty cake.
Helene says
Audrey,
I made this with the tigernut flour with the amounts which you suggested. It was a great success. It was a very small cake, very tasty as well. Now I want to see how I can build upon this. I would like to cut the maple syrup way down (try to avoid added sugars). I can't wait to play around with this and try to create some tigernut energy bars!
Thanks so much for sharing♥
Audrey says
I'm so happy to hear it worked out well, Helene! And thank you for confirming the flour amounts worked. If you find a way to make it that you like (with the less sugars, etc.), do report back. I'm sure there will be people wondering the same in the future, so it's always helpful to hear what works and what doesn't :)
Helene says
Audrey, I'm back! I want to thank you once again for your inspiration. I would like to share with you my first version of tigernut energy bars (lemon ginger cheesecake of course!). Today I played around with cherry, chocolate, ginger, coriander... Here is the link. I've put up links to your website both in English and in Hebrew. Please feel free to comment or ask me any questions. Have a great weekend! http://hbne.co.il/?p=3633
Audrey says
Helen, those little bites sound absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing your experiments and flavors :) I'm so glad this has brought up so many ideas up for you.
RITA VAZ says
Love this recipe and will try it tomorrow. Thanks for sharing and following up with guesstimates for using flour. Just wanted to let you know I mix about 1/2 Cup tigernut flour with 1 Tablespoon avocado oil and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed powder and bake in the microwave for 90 seconds (a little longer if you want it crunchier). Surprisingly it's natural sweetness surfaces best with cumin for some reason. It's a great snack for me as I am a diabetic.
Helene says
I am so anxious to try this! I love lemon cheesecake but won't eat dairy and won't eat a "cheese:cake made of nuts. My daughter is currently on a AIP diet and I do believe that I can make this work!
Do you know if the tigernuts we purchase are raw? Have they been cooked or processed in any form or fashion.
Thanks Audrey☺
Audrey says
Hi Helene. This recipe is definitely AIP-approved, except that instead of vanilla extract you'd need to use raw ground vanilla bean or scrape out a fresh vanilla bean pod (or use alcohol-free vanilla extract).
The tigernuts I used were raw and skinned -- you can see the package in one of the photos above (third photo from the top) with all the details (albeit a little fuzzy). The ones I used are organic and non-GMO, and made by the brand Ecoideas.
Helene says
Thanks so much Audrey. Do you think using the tigernut powder/flour is an option?
Audrey says
I've heard from my readers that it works just as well with tigernut flour, though I've never been able to "extract" out of them just how much they used. If you scroll through some of the comments below (especially the one to Angelika right below this one) you can see a discussion about that and recommended quantities.
Hope your daughter gets to enjoy some cake :)
Angelika says
Hi Audrey! I love your recipes! Amazing book and very helpful videos! Question about tigernut flour. Do you think I can use it instead of actual nuts? If yes, what should be my ration tigernut vs water.
Thank you!
Angelika
Audrey says
Hi Angelika,
Thank you so much, and sorry for the delayed reply ?
A few of my readers shared that it worked well with tigernut flour, but none of them shared how much they used :o
If I had to guesstimate, usually 1 cup nuts grinds down to 3/4 cups flour. I'd start with 6 tbsp flour in this case, and if the filling batter seems too "thin", add a tiny bit more. Note, it's naturally meant to be on the thinner side until it sets in the freezer though, so don't overdo it :)
Let me know how you go.
Audrey says
Hi again Angelika, I just realized I only gave an answer for the filling above.
For the crust I'd start with the 1/2 cup recommended and see whether it seems like enough (since the meal is very fine so the mixture will seem "compacted" and you want to make sure there's enough to fill the base of the pan to form a crust).
Ana says
Please, is it really only one medjool date? Or is it a cup? Thanks. Ana ?
Audrey says
Just 1 date :)
Ana says
Nice! Thanks!
nadia says
I have never heard of or seen a tigernut! I don't think I would find anything this exotic where I live :P but I would love to try it one day!
Audrey says
Well, there's always the ordering online option if it's possible :) But yes, they're not the most common ingredient but I'm seeing them more and more in different shops so hopefully they'll reach where you are sooner than later as well.
Natalie says
I made this tonight using tiger nut flour and it turned out great! Thx for sharing! Will def make it again.
Audrey says
Oh, that's wonderful to hear! May I ask how much flour you used to replace the whole tigernuts in this recipe? I'm sure others would love to know. Thank you so much for sharing once again. And glad you enjoyed the cake!
Louise says
Natalie how much flour did you use in place of the tiger nuts?
I too have the flour and would love to use it.
Audrey says
Hi Louise -- good question :) I'd love to know how much Natalie used as well.
If I had to to a guess substitution, I'd probably go with 6 tbsp for the filling (since whole grinds down to about 3/4 or 2/3 of the starting quantity usually when making nut meal and flours).
For the crust I'd start with the 1/2 cup recommended and see whether it seems like enough (since the meal is very fine so the mixture will seem "compacted" and you want to make sure there's enough to fill the base of the pan to form a crust).
Rosie says
Yay! A nut-free seed-free raw cheesecake! This is exactly what I have been waiting for Audrey, thank you for sharing. I have never quite enjoyed the substitute-nuts-for-seeds replacement in raw cheesecakes because I find the end result has a bitter aftertaste. My sister is allergic to nuts and I cannot tolerate cashews (high fodmap) so this was wonderful to read. Now I just need to get my hands on some tigernuts... I haven't seen them in the supermarket or health food shop before but will definitely get looking!
Audrey says
Ah, glad to hear this hits the spot :) They're not sold anywhere near me either -- so it's either wait for a trip to the big town or order online for me.
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
And I almost bought tiger nuts last time I was at the natural food store. They are a little pricey, so without a purpose I passed, but this is a brilliant way to use them! I certainly would not have guessed this one, but it makes perfect sense now that I see it in perfect cake form :) Any friend (or relative) of potato is a friend of mine, especially if they are naturally sweet! These sound like perfect little snacking morsels to me too! And will there be a ceremony for the tigernutty (love that word :)) baking graduation? I just want to be prepared ;)
Audrey says
Haha. I thought of you actually when I posted it's a relative of potatoes and yams ? And I totally know what you mean -- I passed them myself countless times for the same reasons until this latest experiment. Love them now.
valentina | sweet kabocha says
My boyfriend loves horchata - the Spanish one, that's made using tiger nuts! - so I think this recipe could really match his taste :D Thanks so much <3
xo
Audrey says
Yes, I've heard of horchata, but never tried it myself. It sounds lovely though.
Doxiemom says
I have tigernut flour but not peeled tigernuts. Do you think I could sub the flour? I assume I would have to use less.
Audrey says
Hmmm... interesting question. To be honest I'm not entirely sure it would work -- the main thing is I'm not sure about is how the flour is made. Sometimes the flours get de-fatted in the process for example, meaning the end result in the cake would be quite different. That said, if it were me, I'd personally give it a try anyways :) And yes, I would use much much less (probably 1/4 cup in place of 1/2 a cup). Let me know if you try it -- I'd love to hear how it goes.
Audrey says
Hi again :) Just wanted to follow up since someone in the comments above mentioned that they made this cake with tigernut flour and that it turned out great, so it seems possible after all.
Jodi says
Thanks for following up! I will experiment soon. ?
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
I had never even heard of tigernuts! Thanks for introducing me to the concept, and what a beautiful cheesecake using them.
Audrey says
You're welcome, Kari -- always happy to share my explorations :) I've really grown to like them a lot now.