This creamy avocado cheesecake is a lighter twist on the classic. It’s a no-bake dessert and best enjoyed chilled, making it the perfect dessert to share with friends and family this summer.
This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. All opinions expressed are my own.
Avocados have been on sale at my local markets nearly every week now and I can’t resist buying them whenever I’m at the store even though I still have more at home. I’ve been putting avocados in everything: smoothies, omelets, salads, and of course desserts.
We’re having a BBQ with friends soon so I’ve been trying to think of a good outdoor shareable dessert, which is why I created this no-bake avocado cheesecake. It’s my newest avocado dessert and I really love it.
So far this year, I’ve made chocolate avocado mug cake and chocolate avocado pudding. I also plan on baking my chocolate avocado banana bread and making a fresh batch of no churn avocado ice cream for this long weekend.
Now I’m really excited to have discovered a way to use avocados to make cheesecake. It’s a really great dessert – I love the color, texture, and flavor. If you are looking for a unique summer dessert this one is a good one to try.
Ingredients
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Granulated sugar
- Melted butter
- Cubed avocados
- Cream cheese
- Granulated white sugar
- Lime juice
- Lime zest
Avocado Cheesecake Recipe
The dessert should be made the night before, which means you don’t need to stress the day of. The graham cracker crust and the avocado cheesecake filling are fairly easy to make, with the food processor doing most of the work.
The cheesecake filling is quite incredible. It tastes so amazing on its own that I just wanted to plop down on my kitchen floor and dig in with a spoon– forget making it into a cheesecake!
You can taste the avocados and the cream cheese. It tastes lighter than your classic cheesecake but also rich and creamy at the same time with the avocado substitute.
Because this is a no-bake cheesecake, it is more delicate than your classic cheesecake. Think of a thick custard or pudding. The filling is stable but once it sits outside of the fridge for a few hours, it will soften making it difficult to get clean slices.
I definitely recommend keeping the cake chilled until you are ready to serve it. Or if you’re afraid of the cake getting messy, you can make these as individual cheesecakes in glasses or jars.
Recipe Tips
- Because this graham cracker crust is no-bake, it is more delicate than a baked crust. If you don’t mind baking, you can bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 350F, which will make the crust a little sturdier.
- I also purposely made the crust extra thick so that it will be sturdier (and because I love crust!)
- If you are planning on serving this dessert in very warm weather or the dessert will be sitting out for a while, you can also make these as individual cheesecakes in jars or glasses. This way you don’t have to worry about the cake getting soft and messy when you’re trying to cut into it.
You might like to check out my No Bake Desserts recipe round-up for even more ideas! Or try some more of my favorite cheesecake recipes:
No Bake Avocado Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados peeled, pitted and cubed
- 12 oz cream cheese
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- juice and zest of one lime
graham cracker crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (see note)
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 4 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- To prepare the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter into a bowl. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Pour crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform cake pan. Use the bottom side of a heavy mug to press and compact the crumbs so that it becomes a solid crust. The more you can compact it, the more sturdy your crust will be and it will be less likely to fall apart when slicing.
- Place crust into the fridge to chill for at least one hour before pouring filling over it.
- Add heavy cream to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Add avocados, cream cheese, sugar, lime juice and zest into food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the whipped heavy cream and pulse until smooth and thick.
- Spoon avocado cheesecake filling into springform pan. Use a spatula to smooth surface. If you have an icing smoother or similar straight edge tool, you can use that to help create a very smooth and even surface. Wrap the springform pan tightly with plastic wrap (this will help prevent the surface of the avocado from browning or yellowing). Allow the cake to chill overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- Right before serving, decorate your cake with either whipped cream or fresh fruit. If for some reason the surface of the avocado filling has browned slightly, you can gently scrape that off with your icing smoother before decorating. Slice cake and serve while cake is still chilled. The cake is best eaten cold as the filling will soften slightly when left out at room temperature.
Notes
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs is equal to 10 sheets or one sleeve of graham crackers. In the US, typically graham crackers come in sheets with each sheet having four squares. There are usually ten sheets in one plastic sleeve. I recommend running the crackers through a high powered blender or food processor until you have very fine crumbs.
- Because this graham cracker crust is no-bake, it is more delicate than a baked crust. If you don't mind baking, you can bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 350F, which will make the crust a little more sturdy.
- If you are planning on serving this dessert in very warm weather or the dessert will be sitting out for a while, you can also make these as individual cheesecakes in jars or glasses. This way you don't have to worry about the cake getting soft and messy when you're trying to cut into it.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
As stated above, this post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. All opinions expressed are my own.
Hi can i replace the heavy cream with the aerosol bottle whipped cream?
no the cheesecake would be too runny. The cream that comes out of the aerosol bottles is very light and not the same as heavy cream that is whipped to stiff peaks.
The first time I made this, the taste was amazing, a real winner… absolutely loved it, it was gone in minutes. The next time round tho, there was a slightly bitter aftertaste, and then it was left in the fridge for a couple of days and the bitterness was more intense. I am quite sure it is not the lime zest as I very carefully avoided the white pith, any idea what it could be? The avocado perhaps?
it sounds like it was the avocado. perhaps your avocados were bitter or going bad? Did you taste them before using them in the recipe?
So pretty!
thank you!
I love this recipe! I can’t wait to try it! I have a gal pal who is vegan — any thoughts on what I could sub in in place of heavy cream and cream cheese? Are Graham crackers vegan?
Sorry I don’t know. I have not tried to make this vegan
Hi, do you have nutritional fact for this cake?
sorry I do not generally provide nutrition information for desserts.