These paleo no-bake raspberry cream pies have a super smooth and creamy filling and a cashew and toasted coconut-based crust. Vegan, grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.
I wasn’t really sure what to call these. They’re not like vegan cheesecakes and they’re not like regular raspberry pies… they’re something new and different. :) I guess they’re sort of mousse-like? But not really.
Because of the large amount of berries (3 cups!) in here, they have a bit more water in them than regular vegan “cheesecake” recipes and are therefore softer and not as firm.
Mr. Texanerin said he didn’t like the soft texture of these. He wanted the mixture to be thicker, like cheesecake. Well. I wanted the filling to be super raspberry-y and changing the recipe to add something else to firm up the texture lessened the raspberry taste.
Besides. I love the texture! It’s soft and creamy. If you make them and decide you want the filling firmer, just freeze the pies for a while. But if you freeze them for 6+ hours, they’ll need about an hour to defrost at room temperature.
The pies are totally smooth with the exception of raspberry seeds. By the way, I used frozen raspberries and 4 cups was 384 grams. That’s more like 3 cups of fresh raspberries. If you just weigh the ingredients, you won’t have to worry about that. :)
There’s also a ton of fat. I guess you could consider these (healthy) fat bombs! If you want even more fat, you can up the coconut oil to 1 cup. They taste just the same and the texture is weirdly almost exactly as firm, too.
And if you hate coconut, don’t make these. With the unrefined coconut oil and coconut cream, they have quite a bit of coconut taste to them!
One thing that’s important is to make sure all your filling ingredients are room temperature or even a little warm or else the coconut cream and coconut oil won’t blend together properly. I’ve done that a few times and it’s really not a nice texture.
To be on the safe side, I suggest very lightly warming everything together. If you decide to bypass that step and your ingredients are too cool, creating a gritty texture after blending, pour the filling mixture into a little saucepan and lightly heat until warm.
It should then be smooth, but if it’s not (like if the raspberries didn’t get blended because you used frozen raspberries), then put it back in the blender for a little more processing.
The filling makes enough for 14 pies but that’s an awkward number so I recommend making 12 pies and then pouring the remaining filling into two ramekins or some kind of glass that you can enjoy right away. Or just eat the remaining filling from the bowl with a spoon!
The crust is the exact same one I used in these paleo no-bake key lime pies. I loved it in that recipe and it fit these perfectly and I didn’t feel like fiddling with something that wasn’t broken. :)
For another no-bake paleo vegan treat, try this 5 Minute Mango Sorbet from Perry’s Plate! This gluten-free raspberry pie also looks great.
Paleo Raspberry Cream Pies (vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12 mini pies + 2 ramekins
Please read the full recipe including the notes at the bottom before starting!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (43 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup (145 grams) roasted cashews (mine were salted)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups (218 grams) roasted cashews, soaked for 1 hour1 (mine were salted - there's no sub for the cashews)
- 3/4 cup (168 grams) unrefined coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) coconut cream (the top, solid part from a can of full-fat coconut milk that's been refrigerated overnight)
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 cups (384 grams) fresh raspberries, room temperature (do not use cold raspberries!)2
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons (70 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the crust:
For the raspberry filling:
Directions
- Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners. Prepare the crust. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the coconut. Stir frequently until nicely toasted. Do not walk away from the pan as the coconut starts to burn very quickly! Pour the coconut into a small bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes. You can skip the toasting step but I think it adds so much flavor to the crust!
- Place all the crust ingredients in a high-powered blender and process at low speed until the mixture starts to clump together. Don't process so long that it becomes pasty. When you pinch some of the mixture between your fingers, it should easily clump together. If it doesn't, add a tiny bit of water and process again until it does.
- Divide the mixture between the liners (17 grams per liner) and use the bottom of a shot glass or your fingers to press the mixture firmly over the bottom of the liners.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium saucepan or pot, mix all the filling ingredients together and warm them over low heat just until they're slightly warm and the coconut cream and oil are melted.
- Wipe out the blender jar using a paper towel and pour the filling mixture in the blender. Blend for about 30-60 seconds at high speed until totally smooth. The mixture should be totally smooth, with the exception of raspberry seeds.
- Pour about 1/4 cup (45 grams) of filling over each crust. Pour the remaining filling in the ramekins or another kind of dish.
- Refrigerate for about 6 hours or until firm. If you're in a hurry, place the pan in the freezer.
- Refrigerate the pies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you freeze them overnight, they'll need about 70-80 minutes at room temperature to defrost or about 1 1/2 - 2 hours in the refrigerator. Once properly defrosted, they should be totally creamy.
Notes
- Place the cashews in a small pot, pan or mug and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain the water.
- If you use frozen raspberries, you'll likely need 4 cups to reach 384 grams. You'll also want to thaw them first or quickly heat them in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients in Step 5.
- I haven't tried this recipe with other types of berries and am not very hopeful that it'd work well without reworking the recipe.
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70 comments on “Paleo No-Bake Raspberry Cream Pies (vegan, grain-free, gluten-free)” — Add one!
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Hey there! I love this recipe. I’m curious if you’ve tried making these with coconut milk instead of the cream? Apologies if you’ve already answered this question. Thanks!
Hello! I’m pretty sure that they wouldn’t set if you used milk. The mix would be too runny. I just refrigerated a can of coconut milk and used the coconut cream from that. :)
You say “The pies are totally smooth with the exception of raspberry seeds”. How do the seeds affect the texture? When you’re eating them does it feel like there’s something sandy or gritty in the filling? I put raspberries in a smoothie once and didn’t like it because the pulverized seeds (I use a vitamix) felt like tiny pieces of grit in my mouth. I don’t seem to have the same problem with strawberries. Would strawberries work as a substitute?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It landed up in spam for some strange reason. It’s been a while since I last made these and don’t remember any grittiness, but it could be because it just didn’t bother me. I don’t recommend trying these if you’re worried about the seeds. There are a few comments about using strawberries. Hit Ctrl + F and then type straw to find them. :) Sorry again for my slow reply!
Do you think that straining with cheese cloth would work to make a smoother texture?
Do you mean strain the raspberries? That would work but I think you’d have to use a food mill. I think that preparing the mixture and using a cheesecloth wouldn’t work. It’s just too thick (I think).
UPDATE : These are such lovely little cakes, I am selling them this year to fundraise at my local farmers market. :)
I used wild black raspberries and they are TOO GOOD! I wait for this time of year just to make these! I ended up straining the hot filling through cheese cloth before pouring the cakes to cool with great success! Wild raspberries have quite a few seeds but the cheesecloth made them super smooth and delicious. 10/10
Oh, wow. I’m so glad to hear that you like them so much! Do you keep them in the freezer there?! I’d be so worried about them melting away. I’ve never had wild black raspberries but they sound lovely! Thanks for the feedback and for the tip on straining the hot filling. That’s great to know!
These look incredible!!! Pinned!
Thanks! :)
Can I make this recipe with a substitute for the nuts? I’m allergic to nuts. It looks so yummy. I thought I’d ask.
Unfortunately there’s no sub for nuts in this and it’s the base of the recipe. :( Sorry about that!
Love this filling idea! How do you think this would hold up as a filling in a layer cake? Do you think it would be too rich?
Thanks,
Rachel
It is pretty rich but I think it’d be amazing! But the problem is that after blending it together, it’s really liquid. Once it’s chilled, it’s too firm to spread. So you’d have to find the right moment to spread it between the layers. I’m not sure if it’d work out so well. If you do try, I’d love to hear how it goes!
These look heavenly. Definitely pinning this amazing recipe, thanks for sharing it!🙂
Thanks for pinning! :)
Erin you are the GODDESS of paleo treats! THANK YOU! All of your recipes are so well designed and always turn out perfectly! I had a question on this one – would basically any other type of frozen. berry work? Strawberry? Blueberry? What if I wanted to make something like a lemon tart? Similar to the Hail Merry lemon tarts? Could I just add more cashew and lemon? Thanks!
Aww, thank you! You made my day. :) I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipes! That’s a great question. I thought any frozen berry would work but so far that hasn’t been true! I tried with strawberries and had to rework the recipe quite a little (I posted this as paleo strawberry cheesecake). But to be honest, I really prefer these raspberry pies! The berry flavor is more intense and more creamy (there’s so much more water in strawberries). I haven’t tried blueberries so I’m not sure about that. And oooh! If you want a citrusy version of this, I have a treat for you. :D paleo key lime pies. I’d love to hear how they come out if you try!
Oh YES! That key lime pie is exactly the thing I was looking for!!! Thank you so much! I’m hosting a supper club with all citrus-flavored dishes, so I’m happy to be able to make this as the dessert! I’ll let you know how it goes! :) Thanks again for all the work you put into replying to people, and in developing the most amazing recipes! Much love and appreciation! XOXO
And thank you again for your lovely comment! I really appreciate it. :) I hope your supper club goes well and that everyone will love the key lime pie as much as we do!
Finally a vegan dessert with roasted cashews!! It’s so hard to find raw cashews here, but roasted ones are very easy to get. Thankyou soo much!
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll give the recipe a try. I’d love to hear how it comes out. :)
I am highly allergic to cashews… but no other nuts. Can those be substituted? This looks delicious!!
Thanks! And I unfortunately don’t think so. Cashews are pretty unique in how soft and creamy they get with soaking. Sorry about that!
Garbanzo beans or Chickpeas can be a useful substitute for cashews
But I really wouldn’t recommend them for this recipe! I don’t think it’d come out well at all. But thanks for the tip! Will keep that in mind for later. :)
Macadamia nuts are soft and so are pecans. I have made crusts using them. But while the macadamia nuts are soft and I think they could be used with a high powered blender for the filling, they also have a stronger flavor than cashews… But it’s worth a try in my opinion. Good luck!
If using frozen berries do you have to let them thaw in colander first to get rid of all the water from freezing
When I defrost mine, hardly any liquid comes off of them. If the same isn’t true of yours, then definitely get rid of the water. :) Hope you’ll enjoy them!
These look yummy, but I’m allergic to maple. What would you suggest as a substitute?
Thanks! You could try honey or agave, though I haven’t tried them in this recipe. I’d add 6 tablespoons to the filling, taste and add more, bit by bit until it’s sweet enough for you. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
These look wow! I am looking forward to making them next weekend.
Is possible to freeze these pies? I’d like to make them on Sunday to be served on Wednesday?
Many thanks
Thanks! And yes they can. :) There are directions on how to defrost them in instructions. Hope you’ll enjoy them!
There is nothing like putting your money, heart and soul into a recipe and find it was all worth it! My daughter made your cream pies……They were, over the top deliciously outstanding! Unlike my daughter and myself, my husband and son are sweet food junkies and reject anything wholesome….well, they loved them. Thank you Erin for a beautiful and scrumptious recipe!♥
Thank you for such a nice comment! :) I’m thrilled that your entire family loved them. I know the boys can be hard to convince when it comes to healthy sweets so it’s great that they liked them, too. Thanks again for your comment!
THANK. YOU. I made this last night to serve at today’s Christmas meal, and it was a real hit. “Divine,” “perfect,” and “beautiful” were words used by my family to describe it. I made it with strawberries instead and I added about a scant tablespoon of nutritional yeast to add a cheesecake taste to it. I’m saving this recipe for sure! Merry Christmas!
First of all, I am so sorry for my slow reply! I’m happy to hear that the pies were a hit. Your nutritional yeast addition is really interesting! I’ll have to try that. Thanks a bunch for your super thoughtful comment (and sorry again for the slow answer!).
These were a hit! Thank you so much for the recipe. What a beautiful mousse like consistency. And the colour is just divine!
Whilst I’m very keen to try adding some Gelatin Powder like another reader had, I wanted to keep this vegan so I can make it for my Sister in Law. So my tip would be to add 1/4 cup of chia seeds when you pop it in the blender.
I’m happy to hear that it worked out well! And I love your chia seed tip. I’ll have to try that! I’m excited to see what it does to the texture. Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
hi just wondered if these could be made in advance and frozen, they will be perfect for my vegan visitors on christmas day
Hi there! They can be frozen. The last step tells you how to defrost them. :) Hope your visitors will enjoy them!
what do you mean by ‘roasted’ cashews..do you buy them that way or do you roast them yourself & then soak them?
I buy them that way. They’re roasted and salted and can be found near the peanuts. I recently made some other cashew-based recipes with raw cashews and that worked out well, too! They may give you more of an intense raspberry taste in these pies (which I think would be a nice thing! :))
They look perfect to me!!!! Party perfect :)
Thank you! :)
These are delicious and so beautiful. I will use this crust for other things like mousse. I don’t eat grains so this works perfectly. I added a tiny bit of collagen gelatin and I think it helped set the raspberries a little. It worked perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m looking forward to trying more.
Interesting! How much collagen gelatin did you use? And which brand? I’ll have to try that, just because I’m curious. :) Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much.
I used Great Lakes – the one in the orange container because it’s thickening. I threw in about a tablespoon. It doesn’t take much.
Awesome! I actually have that one. Thanks! :)
OMG! These are gorgeous! I love the color and flavors!
Thanks, Jen! :)
I’m totally with you on this one! I would want soft and creamy with these! The color is beautiful too!
Yay! Someone who agrees with me. :)
I LOVE pink food!! These little raspberry pies look so pretty and I bet they tasted great with all of that fruit! Yumm-o!
Oh my gosh, these are so cute and look utterly delicious. I could eat a dozen of these.
Thanks! By the way, I’m normally a pig but could only eat 2 of these at once. They’re so filling!
I love and appreciate your honesty and all your helpful tips! That crust sounds like one I will use over and over!
It’s a good one! :)
Love the natural color of these raspberry cream pies!
Hooray for natural coloring! :D
Love the abundance of berries in these!! They look just perfect. Great tip on using all room temperature ingredients!
Oh my goodness, I can only imagine how refreshing and FLAVORFUL these are! And that texture….wow!
I know you said that there is no substitute for the cashews….but, would macadamia nuts work?
I thought that cashews were the only kind of nut that worked in making vegan cheesecake (although these pies really aren’t like cheesecake at all) but I just looked into it. It seems that people have used macadamia nuts the same way they use cashews! So I guess it could work but I’m not positive as I haven’t tried it. It at least sounds like a yummy combination. :) I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it out!
oh my gosh! these look like such a great treat!
They sure look creamy and I love the color. Ha!! I am a PINK person!
Haha. Thank you! :)
They look perfect no matter what they are! I love how light and fluffy they look!
I don’t care what you call them, I totally want one! And I am with you, the soft and creamy texture sounds amazing!
These are so pretty! And I love that they are paleo!