Yep, you read that right... strawberry lime and parsnip cheesecake. My latest attempt at a good dairy-free & nut-free cheesecake resulted in this beauty. Move over cauliflower cakes, bean cakes, and all... (well, don't move too far -- I still love you, but...) ... this parsnip cheesecake takes the cake. It's tangy and absolutely delicious, easy to work with, and the texture is incredible. And the shock value on people's faces when you tell them what it's made of has got to be worth the effort.
On that note... I sent some of this cheesecake over to my friend Rosie and her fam (along with a bunch of other nutty & nut-free cakes to try out) and this was her favorite. She gave it to her kiddo who loved the cake as well, but she didn't tell her the secret ingredient until afterwards. The exchange between them went something like this:
She finished her slice and said, "Mom, Audrey makes the best cakes!"
To which Rosie replied, "do you want to know what it's made out of?"
She made a face. Then was told it was parsnips. She made another face, and said: "That is the most disgusting thing ever! I'm never eating that again... unless I want to!"
"unless I want to!"
Ok, kids being kids aside, I'm honestly positive that anyone would be pleasantly surprised with this cake. I've been working on quite a few parsnip recipes lately and got to know this veggie quite well. It has a sweet flavor that can be very distinct, but in this cake you can taste none of it. It just gives the cake a beautiful smooth (not icy at all) texture.
Well, the texture is in part due to the cooking of the strawberry and lime mixture, which both eliminates the iciness factor and brings a most delicious flavor to this cheesecake. Strawberries and lime are one of my all-time favorite combos (if you're into it, you might also like this cult favorite raw strawberry lime macadamia cheesecake or this strawberry rhubarb & lime pie recipe).
I just love that the parsnips enabled the filling in this cake to be entirely nut & seed free, which not only lightens up the cake a fair bit, but is also a big bonus for those with actual allergies to nuts. If you're one of the latter people, you can use tigernuts in place of the pumpkin seeds in the crust -- an ingredient I recently worked with on another nut-free cheesecake.
P.S. If you need more tips on how to make raw & no-bake cheesecakes like a pro, check out my book Unconventional Treats.
PrintStrawberry Lime Parsnip Cheesecake
A light, fruity vegan cheesecake that's nut-free and seed-free thanks to the addition of parsnip.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5" cake
- Category: Cake
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Strawberry Lime Mixture:
- 1 cup hulled strawberries (I used frozen, and thawed them out a little)
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
Crust:
- ¾ cup pumpkin seeds (or any other nut or seed, or tigernuts for the nut & seed-free)
- 1 soft medjool date, pitted
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp coconut oil
Filling:
- ½ cup steamed parsnips (rough chopped)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tbsp lime juice
- ½ tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Toppings:
- more pumpkin seeds, edible rose buds and petals
Instructions
- Steam your parsnips (for later use in the filling layer)(takes about 15 mins until they are fork-tender)(I didn't peel mine -- just discarded the tops and sliced in half and then into quarters). Remove from heat and cool off to room temp. Meanwhile place all strawberry lime mixture ingredients in a small sauce pan, combine and bring to a light boil. Once the mixture begins to bubble let it simmer for 7-10 mins, stirring occasionally (until the mixture thickens a bit). Remove from heat and cool off to room temp as well.
- Process all crust ingredients into a sticky crumbly mixture in a food processor. Transfer into a 5" springform pan and press down into a flat crust. Place the pan in the freezer while working on the filling.
- Place all filling ingredients as well as the cooled off strawberry lime mixture into a power blender and blend into a smooth uniform consistency. Transfer this mixture into the cake pan over the crust. Smooth out the top and decorate with desired toppings. Return to freezer and allow the cake to set for 5-6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove from pan, thaw out a touch and enjoy! (keep leftovers frozen).
Leanna says
Hi Audrey, Thank you for your beautiful recipes. I am wanting to avoid all nuts and seeds except for hemp seeds. Do you think hemp seeds could be subbed in for the crust?
Audrey says
Hi Leanna. You're welcome and yes, hemp seeds would work great here in the crust.
Just while you're here, off the top of my head here's a few hemp-centric recipes you might enjoy in the future as well:
Carob Hemp Butter: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-fudgey-carob-hemp-butter-spread-recipe/
Raw Hemp Chocolates: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-hemp-chocolates/
No-Bake Chocolate Hemp Banana Pie: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-chocolate-hemp-banana-pie/
Carob Hemp Bites: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/decadent-spicy-raw-carob-hemp-bites-refined-sugar-free/
And savory, but just as an idea: potato hemp "cheese sauce" (since I know a lot of those are often cashew-based..): https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/potato-cheese-sauce/
Enjoy :)
Stephanie says
I can’t wait to make this! I have parsnips in my garden just waiting for use! Do you have any other recipes using parsnips? I did a search on your website, but didn’t see any more. Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Stephanie. Yay for parsnips! :) This is actually the only recipe with them I've got, but now you make me feel like we need more on here!
Nata says
Hi, Audrey! I did this cake. It has very interesting taste. But a have a problem. Filling isn't stability. Can you say what a problem a have?
Audrey says
Hi Nata. Do you mean the filling didn't firm up in the freezer for you?
Yvet says
Hi Audrey This is such a nice recept. I usually don't like desserts, but this was awesome.
Thanks for sharing!
Yvet
Audrey says
Hi Yvet. Thanks so much for the lovely feedback -- so happy you enjoyed the cake :)
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! It is amazing smooth the filling comes out with parsnips! Does it keep long?
Audrey says
Hi Vanessa. It'll keep frozen for months so long as you cover it well to protect it from freezer burn.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! Do you use this crust for any other recipes?
Audrey says
Yep, I use it in many of my other nut-free cakes. Here are a few examples:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/pumpkin-seed-butter-ice-box-cake/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/raw-berry-lime-cheesecake-nut-free-recipe/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/nut-free-sunflower-seed-butter-cheesecake/
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/tahini-orange-blossom-cheesecake/
Jane Butler says
Looks amazing! Thinking of prepping ahead for Xmas, how long do you think it it would keep in the freezer?
Audrey says
Hi Jane, I've had raw cakes last a few months even, but I'd recommend making it 2-3 weeks ahead at the most, which is a bit safer in terms of frozen stuff developing freezer bite, etc. Enjoy! :)
AndreaElisabeth says
Hi Audrey, would this cake also work with a RAW strawberry-lime-maple mixture? Thank you! <3
Audrey says
Hi there,
Unfortunately I don't think so. The cooking removes a lot of the moisture from the strawberries, and it thickens and caramelizes the maple syrup, and the lime (besides adding flavor) also acts as a bit of a gelatinizing agent. The cooked mixture ends up being more potent / concentrated in flavor, not too runny, and has a good "bindiness" to it which helps the cake hold together.
Mila says
Could I leave out the maple syrup and use just normal sugar instead and maybe some gelatine powder?
Audrey says
Hi Mila, I've never tried it this way and don't use gelatine myself so can't comment with certainty. However, it's always worth experimenting in my books if you're an adventurous cook :)
Maya says
Wow Im gonna make this for my sons birthday next month. Can I substitue tapioca with some other flour?
Thanks for all the wonderfull recipes, I LOVE IT!
Audrey says
Hi Maya. Yes, definitely. My first choice would be arrowroot powder, but can also use potato starch or corn starch instead of the tapioca. Enjoy it :)
Jeannie D says
This cake was delicious and a pleasant surprise considering the addition of parsnip! I teach Toddlers and many of them have food allergies...makes birthday celebrations at school difficult. Not anymore! Thrilled to have discovered your site with all the beautiful recipes. Thanks so much for sharing :)
Audrey says
Thank you for the beautiful feedback, Jeannie! :) Made my day.
So happy these recipes work, especially for the little ones with sensitivities. Cake for everyone! :)
Sarah says
Hi Audrey,
I just made this cake for my daughter's first birthday party and was blown away by how delicious it is! Everything on your blog is gorgeous - I can't wait to try more recipes. I never would have guessed that the tastiest cake I'd ever make would be a raw one :)
Audrey says
Aw, best feedback ever, Sarah! :) So glad you enjoyed it. Happy birthday to your little one.
Natasha says
Hi Audrey! I just found your recipe looking for nut-free vegan cakes and this looks lovely! Except we don't have parsnips where I live :( I don't even know the texture they have as to look for a substitute... Do you think steamed/cooked cassava could work?
Audrey says
Hi Natasha, I wish I could say yes, but I've never actually cooked cassava before so not sure how it would work. Do you have cauliflower where you live? If so, there's a cauliflower cake on the blog that might work better instead:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/cherry-cauliflower-cake-nut-free/
There are actually quite a few nut-free options on the recipes page -- have you seen them yet? Maybe something from them will work? (There are avocado cakes, bean cakes, cauliflower cakes, coconut cakes, etc.).
Rosie says
She did in fact 'want to' and gobbled up the rest of it without a second thought! :) Nice one Audrey!
Audrey says
Haha, nice! :) She really made me laugh with that one ?
Chan says
Wow, I'm intrigued! Is the texture similar to regular vegan cheesecake, even without relying on nuts and soy? I don't think I've ever had a cheesecake where the base was fruit flavored (only ever topped with fruit sauce) except with lemon. I'm wondering if this would work with other flavors like chocolate, vanilla, or lemon? Can't wait to try it this weekend!
Audrey says
Hi Chan -- yes the texture is great -- quite similar to cheesecake. I loved it. If you're curious, look under recipes on this site and select the "cake" and "nut-free" tabs and you'll see a whole series of cheesecakes that are nut-free and soy-free in all kinds of flavors. It's sort of something I like exploring a lot ?
With regards to this particular cake using parsnips, you can definitely play around with the flavors a fair bit -- like change out the fruit or do chocolate, etc. The only thing is, and I say this because I've been playing around with parsnips in sweets the last few weeks, is that depending on the flavor the parsnip flavor can come through -- which was a negative for me. So in this case the strawberry & lime mixture overpowered that quite well. In other cases I found adding a bit of cinnamon helped with other flavors, etc. So you'd just need to adjust the taste to your liking.
Chan says
Hi and thanks for the response! I will definitely be experimenting then. I checked out your other cakes (they look soooo yummy), and plan to try the cauliflower ones as well. Quick question: does the chocolate bean cake have the same texture of cheesecake, too? I've been obsessed with cheesecake for some reason lately.
Audrey says
The bean one is wonderful, but only works in a chocolate flavor to mimic a cheesecake. I've tried it with other flavors and the texture just wasn't quite the same.
I'd say on a scale of personal favorites, this parsnip is the best. And the chocolate cauliflower one is my next favorite from the veggie series :) The bean one is my husband's favorite.
Iris says
I love making your cakes. They've all been so good so far. Made this cake yesterday. Delicious! I made this cake with cherries instead of strawberries because that is what I had on hand.
Audrey says
That sounds wonderful with the cherries, Iris. I'm so happy you liked it! :)
Lisette says
Can't wait to try this recipe. Love that it is nut and dairy free! Just need to buy some parsnips.
Audrey says
Awesome -- glad it works :) Enjoy it!