These concord grape cheesecake bars are INSANE. With a creamy grape soda-like flavor and a graham cracker date crust, they’re both vegan and gluten free (but you’d never know it!). I cannot get over how delicious they are and hope you get around to making them asap!

Early fall is one of the best times for produce because you still get the last remaining bits of summer (tomatoes, peppers, peaches), but squash is making an appearance AND my beloved concord grapes are back, baby. If you live in the Northeast, you know these little gems are so special, and for me, they are one of my favorite flavors of all time. The thing is: most are seeded. While that doesn’t bother me when snacking, it makes them a little more labor intensive to use in other ways.

Making concord grape juice

The star of this recipe is obviously the grapes. They take a little bit of effort to extract the juice, but it’s well worth it. This step can easily be done up to 3 days in advance so break the recipe up if you’d like to. My method is pretty simple– I like to blend the whole grapes for a good 30 seconds in a high-speed blender. The skins have a lot of the flavor and color so the goal is to get them mixed in as much as possible. The seeds are quite large and hard so they don’t really break down (this is helpful in the end). Next, you’ll use a fine sieve or strainer, layered over a bowl, to remove as much as the juice as possible.

Bonus: if I have the time, I like to even pick as much of the skins from the sieve as possible and combine it with the juice. We’ll be blending it again with the rest of the cheesecake ingredients, anyways. I just like to waste as little as possible while getting as much flavor as we can. Overall, the blending method is more efficient than picking out the seeds one by one, but that’s always an option!

What does vegan cheesecake taste like?

I’ve been making dairy-free cheesecakes for many years and so I often forget that it’s not a super mainstream dessert in that everyone is familiar. Cashews, the secret ingredient, is what makes the cheesecake so creamy with a similar cheesecake-like texture. Mixed with coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup for sweetness, and lemon for plenty of tang.. it’s truly such a delicious take on a classic cheesecake.

For another option, you may also want to try this vegan golden milk variety

Can I make these bars into a cake?

Yes! I’d suggest an 8-9 inch spring form pan to easily make this recipe into a classic cake style dessert.

What about substitutions?

While there are endless flavor combinations you could think of, the base of this recipe is pretty set in stone. The cashews are necessary to get the right consistency and the coconut milk / oil helps to firm everything up since they don’t go in the oven to bake. You could swap the maple syrup for honey, but I have found the sweetness doesn’t come through as much so. I wouldn’t suggest it.

Prep Time 30

Servings 16 bars

Equipment

1 High-speed blender
1 food processor

Ingredients

Crust:

75 g dates
1 ⅓ cup oats
⅓ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ tsp salt scant

Filling:

300 g raw, unsalted cashews
275 g concord grapes (~ ½ cup juice)
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup maple
¼ cup coconut oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla
1/16 tsp salt
option to add regular or vegan whipped cream!

Instructions

Add cashews to a bowl and pour hot or just boiled water until covered. Let them soak for at least 20 minutes.
Make the grape juice:
This can be done up to 3 days in advance. Wash, remove all of the stems, and add grapes to a blender. Blend on high for a good 30 seconds. You want to break down as much of the skins as possible- they have a lot of the flavor and color!
Using a fine strainer or sieve, pour the grape mix in and use a wooden (or large) spoon to help move the contents around, pressing down and making a circular motion. We're aiming to get as much of the juice squeezed out as possible.
Bonus: if you have a few minutes, I like to pick out some of the skins and add them to the juice (it's all getting blended again anyways) as to waste as little as possible and get as much of that flavor into the cheesecake.

Make the crust:

Add oats, coconut sugar, and salt into a food processor. Pulse to mix well. Add the coconut oil, vanilla and dates. Mix again until combined. I typically also need to add about 1 tbsp of water to help it come together so add that and pulse again. The dough should be a bit sticky, but not wet.
If making bars, press the crust into an 8×8 parchment-lined pan. Make sure the parchment is hanging over on at least two sides so you can pull the bars out later. If making a cake, use an 8-9inch springform pan. The parchment isn't necessary with this style of pan.

Make the filling:

Drain the soaked cashews and add to your blender along with the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut milk, lemon juice, vanilla, generous pinch of salt and concord grape juice/skins.
Blend, starting low and working your way up to high, until the mix is super creamy and smooth.
Pour the filling over your crust and level it out. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Remove from the freezer and let it sit out for about 10 minutes (both cake or bars) to let it start to soften. Once able, either pull your bars out, or remove the springform pan for your cake.
See notes below about thawing options!
If you want to make a whipped cream (vegan or not), you'll add that to the bars or cake once it's thawed, just before serving.

Notes

After your bars (or cake) are removed from the pan, you have a few options:

If you have time: let them slowly thaw in the fridge (a covered container is ideal as foil will stick) until you’re ready to cut and enjoy. This will take 2-3 hours. You can add whipped cream once they’ve thawed, if you want. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 7 days in total.
If you need them sooner: let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then you can cut / add whipped cream if you’d like!
Either way: they can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Even if you plan on freezing to enjoy a la carte, it’s helpful to thaw/cut so that you can grab the bars individually if you’d like. Same goes for slicing a cake!

Hot tip: if you are freezing them, lay out the cut bars on a small sheet pan or plate while doing so. This way they will freeze individually and can then be easily tossed into a ziplock for the freezer. Individual squares will thaw within 15 minutes or so.