Easter and Passover are just around the corner. I don’t usually host the entire holiday, but I always contribute desserts for the Passover seder and put together a special Easter brunch for my family. This year I’m thrilled to be spending Easter on the East Coast with my mom and have already started planning our lunch together.
A few years ago I noticed that almost all my Passover desserts contained nuts. That became a problem when a guest with a nut allergy attended a seder, so I began creating nut-free dessert options. Recently I taught a pretty Pavlova with berries in my March online class—if you’ve taken my in-person classes or bootcamps and want more, consider signing up for my monthly online classes. They’re fun, educational, and feature brand-new recipes I keep exclusive for at least a year.
This salted caramel cheesecake is a nut-free twist inspired by my mini lemon cheesecakes from Kitchen Matters. It’s delicious, easy to make ahead, and adaptable for dairy-free, nut-free, or Passover-compliant menus. I want to be clear: I’m not a kosher authority and this site is not kosher-certified. Rules about what’s permitted for Passover have relaxed in recent years, and my family follows those updated guidelines. If you’re avoiding legumes, rice, or other gluten-free grains for Passover, this recipe might not suit your table. I include suggestions for making the bars dairy-free if needed.
I never loved dense, overly sweet traditional cheesecakes that require water baths and foil-wrapped pans. This version is lighter, sweet enough, and much simpler to prepare. If you have Kitchen Matters, you can adapt the mini-cheesecake method from the book to make petite versions of these bars.
The date caramel sauce is a favorite of mine—great for sundaes or drizzling over roasted or grilled fruit. My original recipe included lucuma powder for a deeper caramel flavor, but it’s optional and omitted here. You can make the caramel up to a week ahead and assemble the cheesecake in advance; refrigerate until serving. After a couple of days the caramel may pull away slightly from the filling, but that won’t affect taste.
I like serving fresh fruit with dessert—berries are my go-to. They pair beautifully with this cheesecake and generally contain less fructose than many other fruits, which helps balance a sweet dessert. Strawberries are in season now and would be lovely, and a mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries also works. You can also top the bars with a quick berry sauce if you prefer.
Check my upcoming dinner planner (published on Friday nights) for more Passover ideas; the following week’s planner will include Easter suggestions. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman and use #pamelasalzman on Instagram.
You can shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking the product images below.
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
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Ingredients
- Date caramel sauce, Makes about 1 1/4 cups
- 6 large dates, pitted and soaked in 1 cup warm water for 30 minutes, reserve soaking liquid
- 3 Tablespoons melted unrefined virgin coconut oil
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons brown rice syrup or raw honey
- 1/4 cup creamy almond or cashew butter, for a nut-free option omit or substitute mild tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil for greasing the baking dish
- For the crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 14 standard crackers pulverized
- 6 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- pinch sea salt
- For the filling:
- 1 1/3 cup unsweetened whole-milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese or almond milk cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup pure Grade A maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease an 8 x 8–inch pan with coconut oil or butter and line it with unbleached parchment paper, leaving tabs on the ends for easy removal.
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Make the date caramel: combine the dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, brown rice syrup (or honey), nut butter (or tahini), vanilla, sea salt, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved date soaking liquid in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
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Prepare the crust: in a large bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared pan to form an even layer. Use the bottom of a cup to compact the crust—tightly packed crust holds together best.
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Make the filling: in a food processor combine the yogurt, cream cheese, and maple syrup and process until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Add the eggs, arrowroot, vanilla, and a pinch of salt and process until fully combined and silky.
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Assemble: pour the filling over the crust. Spoon dollops of the date caramel (reserve about half for topping) across the surface and swirl gently with a paring knife to create a marbled effect.
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Bake: bake until the center is set but still slightly jiggly, about 47–55 minutes (about 51 minutes in my oven). Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate until chilled. The cheesecake keeps in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
**For a dairy-free variation try an equal amount of firm tofu in place of the yogurt, or experiment with thicker dairy-free yogurts such as certain coconut-based products. I haven’t tested every non-dairy yogurt, so results may vary.
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