Making dessert for the Jewish holiday of Passover is always a daunting task, but with this Kosher for Passover Cheesecake, you'll never be afraid again! With absolutely no matzo or matzo meal in the recipe, it's sure to be the best tasting dessert on your Passover seder table.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Made with a vanilla bean cheesecake and a white chocolate mousse. There are bursts of fresh vanilla flavor throughout the silky cheesecake with a smooth topping of white chocolate mousse. Then, it's topped with sliced strawberries for a balance of both creamy and slightly tart flavors.
- Homemade coconut macaroon crust. A slightly sweetened coconut macaroon crust layers the bottom, making it grain-free and naturally gluten free too.
- Perfect for passover (or year-round!) Though this recipe was created without grains or flour with Passover in mind, it's delicious any time of the year! Make the coconut crust included in this recipe, or simply swap it for a more traditional graham cracker crust when it's not served for Passover.
- Great for multiple guests. This cheesecake is so rich and decadent, you can get about 12 to 16 servings out of a 9-inch springform pan. Make two if feeding an even larger crowd! Perfect for the Passover seder.
- Looks like it came from a bakery! The layered strawberries over top make it look beautiful and spring-like with minimal effort. Simply slice the berries and layer them in circles from the outside in.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Sweetened coconut flakes - Sweetened coconut is usually softer than unsweetened, so use sweetened for the best texture. It also adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the coconut macaroon crust.
- Cream cheese - Use full fat cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese won't offer the same creaminess and desired consistency. Buy the "blocks" of cream cheese and not the tubs.
- Sour cream - Use full fat sour cream for the best consistency. Sour cream adds the perfect amount of tanginess to balance the sweetness of the cheesecake.
- Potato starch - A common Passover ingredient. You can often find potato starch in the Kosher foods aisle of your grocery store around March or April when the Passover items come out. You can also use cornstarch if you're not making it for the holiday, since cornstarch is considered "kitniyot" or legumes, which aren't allowed on Passover.
- Vanilla beans - Vanilla beans are long, brown pods that you can often find in the spice aisle of your grocery store. They're expensive, but SO worth it. The seeds add a ton of rich, vanilla flavor to the Passover cheesecake.
- White Chocolate - Make sure to buy good quality chocolate. I prefer the higher quality white chocolate bars because they melt better and taste better than white chocolate chips.
📓 Instructions
1. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and adding a circular piece of parchment paper to the bottom. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Make the crust: Whisk together sugar, egg whites, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl until fully combined and frothy. Fold in the coconut until thick and evenly moistened.
Scoop mixture into bottom of the prepared pan. Press down until it forms a thin layer of crust on the bottom, working your way up to cover thinly about a ½ inch up the sides.
3. Bake crust for 15 minutes until set on the bottom and lightly golden brown on the sides. Allow to cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
4. Make the cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with a paddle attachment until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the sugar, sour cream, potato starch, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Mix in the vanilla bean seeds until evenly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Don’t overmix.
5. Spread the cheesecake over the cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
6. Make the white chocolate mousse: Clean the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat with whisk attachment until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and the peaks become stiffer, about 2 minutes.
Carefully scoop out the whipped cream to a separate bowl and set aside. Again in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy.
Remove the bowl from your stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the whipped cream into the beaten cream cheese by hand, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream.
7. Spread the white chocolate mousse over the cooled cheesecake. Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
8. To decorate: Clean the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and mix until the peaks become stiffer. Scoop into a pastry decorating bag with a star tip. Set aside.
9. Thinly slice strawberries lengthwise. Start adding strawberries in concentric circles to the top of the cheesecake by arranging them around the outside with their “points” touching the edge. Then, work inward.
Continue layering the strawberries on top of one another until you reach the center.
Use the whipped cream to add additional decorations, like a border where the Kosher for Passover cheesecake touches the plate or swirls on top.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
You can buy a pre-made Kosher for Passover pie crust. However, the coconut crust included in this recipe is super easy to make and tastes GREAT. So, I would recommend giving it a try instead.
If you're not making this cheesecake for Passover, you can use cornstarch instead of potato starch.
Add an additional 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, if not using a vanilla bean.
Top with any of your favorite Kosher for Passover toppings and fruit. Nuts, berries, and shaved chocolate are all great options!
❄️ How to Store
To store: This Passover cheesecake is best when made only a day or two ahead of serving. Store it covered tightly in the refrigerator, without toppings or strawberry slices, until ready to serve. Then, decorate and top with strawberries right before serving.
To freeze: Cheesecake freezes well only up to 1 month. Make the cheesecake and the mousse ahead of time, assemble, and cover tightly before freezing. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Decorate and top with strawberries right before serving.
🔍 FAQs
This cheesecake is considered "Kosher for Passover" because it is made with a coconut macaroon crust, instead of the traditional graham cracker crust.
Graham crackers have chametz, which are leavening agents that are forbidden on Passover.
Instead, it is made grain-free so you can enjoy it all year long, even on Passover!
No, unfortunately this cheesecake recipe isn't pareve, since it uses dairy ingredients. If planning on serving it for your Passover seder, try to prepare a pareve (fish) or vegetarian meal instead of a meat-based one. You definitely won't regret it!
I have not tested this recipe with non-dairy cream cheese or sour cream alternatives. You can give it a try, but I'm not sure how it'll turn out.
To use a vanilla bean, you'll want to scrape out the small seeds inside.
Using a small knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, trying not to cut all the way through. Once opened, use your knife to scrape out all the black "flecks" inside. Those are the seeds. Add the seeds to the cheesecake batter and mix them throughout.
Make sure to reserve the empty pods, as they are still highly valuable for creating homemade flavored syrups, extracts, and sugars!
Typically, a water bath is recommended for cheesecake to prevent it from cracking while baking. However, since this cheesecake gets topped with the white chocolate mousse, it doesn't really matter if it cracks, so I don't use one.
💭 One More Tip
When making the white chocolate mousse, make sure the mixing bowl and all other ingredients are room temperature. If the bowl or ingredients are cold, they'll cause the melted white chocolate to harden, resulting in a lumpy mousse.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Kosher for Passover Cheesecake with Coconut Macaroon Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Coconut Macaroon Crust
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 blocks) room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- vanilla bean seeds, scraped from 1 pod
For the White Chocolate Mousse
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese (½ a block) room temperature
- 4 ounces white chocolate (1 baking bar) melted
For Decorating (Optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- strawberries
- toasted coconut flakes
Instructions
- Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by spraying it with nonstick spray and adding a circular piece of parchment paper to the bottom. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make the crust: Whisk together sugar, egg whites, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl until fully combined and frothy. Fold in the coconut until thick and evenly moistened. Scoop mixture into bottom of the prepared pan. Press down until it forms a thin layer of crust on the bottom, working your way up the sides to cover thinly about a ½ inch up the sides.
- Bake crust for 15 minutes until set on the bottom and lightly golden brown on the sides. Allow to cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Make the cheesecake filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with a paddle attachment until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, sour cream, potato starch, vanilla, and salt and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through. Mix in the vanilla bean seeds until evenly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Don’t overmix.
- Spread the cheesecake over the cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Make the white chocolate mousse: Clean the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat with whisk attachment until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix until combined and the peaks become stiffer, about 2 minutes. Carefully scoop out the whipped cream to a separate bowl and set aside. Again in the bowl of your stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Remove the bowl from your stand mixer. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the whipped cream into the beaten cream cheese by hand, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream.
- Spread the white chocolate mousse over the cooled cheesecake. Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
- To decorate (optional): Clean the bowl of your stand mixer. Then, add the heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla extract and mix until the peaks become stiffer. Scoop whipped cream into a pastry decorating bag with a star tip. Set aside.
- Thinly slice strawberries lengthwise. Start adding strawberries in concentric circles to the top of the cheesecake by arranging them around the outside with their “points” touching the edge, then working inward. Continue layering the strawberries on top of one another until you reach the center. Use the whipped cream to add additional decorations, like a border where the cheesecake touches the plate or swirls on top.
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese and sour cream for the best smooth and creamy texture.
- Potato starch is a common Passover ingredient. You can often find it in the Kosher foods aisle of your grocery store around March or April when the Passover items come out.
- You can use cornstarch in place of potato starch if you're NOT making this cheesecake for Passover. You can also use a traditional graham cracker crust in place of the coconut crust, if not for Passover.
- Vanilla beans are long, brown pods found in the spice aisle of the grocery store. They're expensive but SO worth the added flavor.
- Add an additional 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, if you choose not to use a vanilla bean.
- When making the white chocolate mousse, make sure the mixing bowl and all other ingredients are room temperature. If the bowl or ingredients are cold, they'll cause the melted chocolate to harden, resulting in a lumpy mousse.
Nutrition
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Esti says
Can you replace the vanilla bean with vanilla bean paste? If so, how much vanilla bean paste?
Alana Lieberman says
Yes! Use 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste in place of 1 vanilla bean.
Lauren says
I'm not going to lie...I was pretty intimidated by the ingredient list as I had never used several of the ingredients before but the instructions were extremely simple and easy to follow and I felt like such a pro when adding in the vanilla beans.
The cheesecake came out so well and everyone at our seder absolutely loved it! While this cheesecake was a nice change of pace as far as Passover desserts go, I would honestly make this any time of year it was that good.
Alana Lieberman says
So so happy you gave it a try and enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂