Rich and creamy Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad that tastes like ice cream. Fresh juicy strawberries and sweet banana slices are folded into a velvety strawberry cashew cream to create the best summer dessert salad ever!
You will whip up this quick no-bake cheesecake salad in less than 10 minutes with a few plant-based staples. Yes, it's that easy! No yogurt, no whipped cream, and no heavy cream are needed for this recipe.
Moreover, this healthy strawberry and banana salad is vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and irresistibly flavorful! Great for a busy weeknight treat or a nutritious kid-friendly snack.
Looking for inspiration for new simple things to make with strawberries?
When it is in season, I love to incorporate this luscious fruit into every meal of the day.
Apart from eating them straight out of the box, you can make a refreshing smoothie, toss them into a wholesome salad, use them in overnight oats meal prep, or bake some fluffy GF muffins.
I love easy strawberry recipes, don't you? I can't wait to show you how to make this fantastic summer salad.
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Ingredients
I love making this delightful salad when strawberries are in season but you can make it all year round if they are available in your country. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this fruit salad:
- Fresh strawberries
- Bananas
- Raw cashews
- Agave nectar (or maple syrup)
- Lemon (juiced)
- Vanilla extract
- Cold water
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
How To Make Creamy Summer Strawberry Salad
Here is how to make this silky strawberry salad:
Slice the fruit. First, soak the cashews in hot boiling water for 5 minutes while you prepare the fruit. Next, carefully rinse strawberries with cold running water and pat them dry. Hull and cut them into halves. Then, slice the bananas into rings. Put sliced fruit into a large bowl.
Make cheesecake dressing. After that, add 1 cup of soaked, drained cashews, ½ cup strawberries, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup cold water to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad. Finally, pour strawberry-cashew dressing over sliced fruit and gently stir until evenly coated. Optionally, reserve a few strawberries and banana slices for decoration.
Serve chilled and enjoy. You can serve this salad immediately or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Also, you can freeze it for 1-2 hours before serving it for an ice-creamy texture and taste (my favorite way).
Keep any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Substitutions + Variations
You can make easy customizations to this strawberry banana cheesecake salad. Here are some options:
- Sweetener - you can substitute agave nectar with maple syrup, date syrup, or coconut nectar.
- Fruit - fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, or peaches would be a wonderful addition.
- Cashews - swap the cashews with pine nuts or use coconut cream instead. If using coconut cream just omit the water.
- Lemon juice - lime or orange juice are great alternatives.
- Nuts - you can throw in chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios to add a nutty crunchy flavor.
Storage
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze them in a freezer-friendly container or bags for up to 2 months.
Top tip
- Don't skip the cashews soaking step. It's only 5 minutes but it really makes the difference, especially if you don't have a high-powered blender. It helps to soften up the cashews and to get a silky creamy consistency. Of course, you can soak them for a few hours or overnight. In this case, my advice is to keep soaked cashews in the fridge. Don't forget to drain them after soaking.
- Always pick ripe strawberries with bright red color that are plump and firm to the touch and have a sweet fragrant taste.
- With a paper towel, pat the strawberries dry after washing, as quickly as possible. Otherwise, excess water will thin out the mixture.
- Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries you may need to adjust the agave syrup to your taste.
- Toss any leftovers into your blender with a splash of cashew milk or almond milk and make a nourishing breakfast or post-workout smoothie.
FAQ's
Absolutely! If you make it in advance I recommend you freeze it immediately after prepping since the banana starts to brown quickly. Thaw for at least 15 minutes before serving.
This salad is highly nutritious and good for you. Strawberries and bananas are good for your whole body and are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting antioxidants. Besides that, they are low-calorie, weight-loss friendly, and contain a high amount of water which helps you stay hydrated and nourished. In addition, cashews will provide you with an abundance of heart-healthy fats and plant protein.
This salad contains 306 calories per serving.
Yes, you can! If you want to serve the salad right away let frozen strawberries defrost, remove excess liquid, then slice and mix in the salad.
Strawberries pair well with bananas, blueberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, kiwi, peach, orange, pomegranate, coconut, lemon, lime, avocado, spinach, mint, basil, vanilla, walnuts, almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts.
Easy Recipes With Strawberries
What can I do with too many strawberries? Here are some ideas:
More Refreshing Summer Salads
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Salad (No Yogurt)
Equipment
- High-powered blender
- Knife
- Cutting board
- lemon squeezer
Ingredients
Fruit
- 3 cups fresh strawberries halved
- 2 bananas sliced into rings
Cheesecake Dressing
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes, drained
- ½ cup strawberries fresh or frozen (for cool dressing if you serve it imediatelly)
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup (add more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, soak the cashews in hot boiling water for 5 minutes while you prepare the fruit. Next, carefully rinse strawberries with cold running water and pat them dry. Hull and cut them into halves. Then, slice the bananas into rings. Put sliced fruit into a large bowl.
- After that, add 1 cup of soaked, drained cashews, ½ cup strawberries, 2 tablespoons agave nectar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup cold water to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Finally, pour strawberry-cashew dressing over sliced fruit and gently stir until evenly coated. Optionally, reserve a few strawberries and banana slices for decoration.
- You can serve this salad immediately or let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Also, you can freeze it for 1-2 hours before serving for an ice-creamy texture and taste (my favorite way).Keep any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Sweetener - you can substitute agave nectar with maple syrup, date syrup, or coconut nectar.
- Fruit - fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, or peaches would be a wonderful addition.
- Cashews - swap the cashews with pine nuts or use coconut cream instead. If using coconut cream just omit the water.
- Lemon juice - lime or orange juice are great alternatives.
- Nuts - you can throw in chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios to add a nutty crunchy flavor.
Nutrition
I can't wait to hear what you think of this refreshing summer salad!
I would also greatly appreciate it if you have a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. You can also share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen. We would love to see your creations! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, we are so grateful you are here 🙏
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Aneta
I truly enjoyed ❤️🥰
Marinela
That's amazing! Thank you for sharing, Aneta!