No-Cook Vegan Pawpaw Cheesecake Recipe
Silky and creamy pawpaw cheesecake is rich and sweet, with a bit of tang. This no-cook vegan pawpaw cheesecake is the perfect way to celebrate this native eastern American fruit. It sits on top of a delicious speculoos cookie crust, and is topped with a layer of pawpaw puree. Just pull it out of the freezer and enjoy this different take on fall in New England. Or Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia – wherever it is you find your pawpaws.
Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
All About the Pawpaw
What do you get when you cross a banana with a mango, and throw it down in the eastern and central parts of the US? You get the pawpaw, of course! Sometimes spelled papaw, paw paw, paw-paw, this fruit also has many regional names like Quaker delight, hillbilly mango, the American custard apple, banango, Appalachian banana, and many more. In fact, just about every region where pawpaws grow have nicknamed the fruit using the same naming convention as the “Appalachian banana”- just change out Appalachian for Indiana, Ozark, Kansas, etc. As you might have gathered, pawpaws have a smooth, custard-like filling, and a somewhat tropical, mild, mango-like flavor. These green, oddly shaped fruits ripen on small trees around September, and quickly soften and turn a purplish color. A hint of purple bruising is fine, but soon the pawpaws will be entirely purple and past their prime. The soft fruit combined with the quick bruising and ripening is why many people have not heard of the pawpaw- they just don’t ship or travel well, so getting them on grocery shelves is just not practical.
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
How to Eat Pawpaws
If you do find a pawpaw tree, pick the fruits that have a slight give to the flesh. Gently shaking the tree is a good way to get the ripe fruit to fall. If you end up with fruits that are not quite ripe, they may ripen if placed in a paper bag for a couple days. When eating pawpaws, scoop out the flesh to avoid the skins and seeds. The simplist way to eat pawpaws is by just scooping out the flesh and eating it fresh from the trees. Some people have trouble digesting pawpaws, so make sure you eat a small amount before you go pawpaw-crazy. Other people have difficulty eating cooked pawpaws, and still others are able to more easily digest cooked ones than raw. For that reason, while most of my pawpaw recipes utilize cooked pawpaw, I kept the pawpaw in this recipe raw with the exception of the pawpaw layer on top- feel free to omit or replace with a thin layer of pawpaw puree if you’re going for a raw pawpaw recipe.
Looking for Pawpaw Recipes? Try one of these!
- Ginger Thumbprint Pawpaw Cookies (Vegan)
- Sweet or Savory Vegan Pawpaw Cornbread
- Tropical Pawpaw Caramel Sauce
- Vegan Blueberry and Pawpaw Muffins
How to Make Vegan Pawpaw Cheesecake
This is a no-bake cheesecake, which basically means it’s all about chilling. So clear out a little room in your freezer before you get started! There are a few tasks that you should get done before you get started with the recipe. Firstly, soften some cashews. These days I soften mine by pressure cooking them in plenty of water for 10 minutes in my instant pot, but you can also boil them on the stove for 20 minutes, or just let soak in water overnight. Also, get some pawpaw puree made up- just squeeze the flesh from the skin, remove the seeds, and puree the fruit. Once that’s all ready to go, move on to the recipe!
This no-bake pawpaw cheesecake has three layers that you need to make.
- The Crust which is made from speculoos cookies and coconut oil. It’s a riff on the classic graham cracker crust, but since vegan graham crackers are actually really hard to find (honey), we went with speculoos, which are much tastier anyways.
- The Cheesecake Center which is cashew-based, and includes some pawpaw and sugar to get that perfect, creamy, sweet, cheesecake.
- The Pawpaw Top which is a slightly thickened layer of pawpaw puree on top, to really reinforce that pawpaw flavor. This layer is cooked a little bit to thicken it, however if you’re going for a totally raw pawpaw experience, you could instead just layer a thin layer of pawpaw puree on top.
Between each layer it is important that you let your cake set in the freezer so that you get a nice and clean line. Once you’ve assembled the final pawpaw layer on top, let the cheesecake set completely in the freezer. It will become very hard to cut at this point, so you will have to defrost it before cutting. If you plan on saving some of it for later, I found it helps to cut individual slices at this point and then freeze the slices so you don’t have to defrost the whole cake every time. Store in the freezer, and give it about an hour to defrost before enjoying.
No-Cook Vegan Pawpaw Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 150g speculoos cookies (alternatively, use vegan gram crackers)
- 3/4 cup coconut oil, divided
- 2 cups raw, unsalted cashew pieces, softened*
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 ¾ cup pawpaw puree, divided**
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. agar agar powder
- A pinch of salt (okay, two pinches)
Instructions
- Prepare a 6-inch springform pan by cutting a 6-inch circle out of parchment paper and lining the bottom. Set aside. Use a food processor to pulse your cookies into crumbs (you could also place them in a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin if preferred). Melt ¼ cup of coconut oil, and combine them with the cookie crumbs and a pinch of salt. Combine in the food processor, or mix well in a mixing bowl. Place the cookie mixture in the bottom of your springform pan, and spread it out evenly. Use the flat bottom of a glass and firmly press the cookie crust down, working until you have a smooth, even layer. Place your crust in the freezer until needed.
- Add the softened cashews to a blender, along with ½ cup melted coconut oil, the juice from one lemon, ¾ cup of pawpaw puree, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the mixture over the crust, and use a silicone spatula to smooth into an even layer. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.
- While the cheesecake is cooling, make the top layer. Combine the remaining cup of pawpaw puree with ¼ cup of water and the agar agar powder in a small saucepan. Cooking, scraping the sides and bottom to stop burning. Bring to a boil, and let boil for around 3 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat, and pour over top of the cashew layer, smoothing. Return to the freezer for at least three hours to set.
- Before serving, let thaw at room temperature for an hour to soften. Slice, and enjoy! Store remaining cheesecake in the freezer.
Notes
*Softening cashews can be done in several ways. You can soak them overnight the day before, drain the water, and use. You can also bring the cashews to a boil in a pot on the stove, and allow to boil for 20 minutes before draining. Alternatively, you can use a instant pot or pressure cooker for 10 minutes to achieve softened cashews.
**To make pawpaw puree, simple remove the ripe flesh of the pawpaw, discarding the skins and seeds. Blend until smooth.
Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Like this Pawpaw Cheesecake? Pin it!
1 thought on “No-Cook Vegan Pawpaw Cheesecake Recipe”