For many, cheese is one of the hardest foods to give up when you adopt a vegan diet, no matter the reason you’ve decided to cut out dairy. Luckily for us, there are so many substitutions that you’ll barely notice the difference! And these perfectly bite-sized, completely dairy-free cheesecakes are no exception.
Using coconut cream and soaked cashews, you can achieve the same creamy texture as a more traditional cheesecake, but with clean ingredients and far fewer calories. We also opted to make them bite-sized so that you can enjoy a sweet treat without completely derailing your health goals! They will melt on the counter, so be sure to keep them in the freezer for whenever your craving kicks in.
Plus, these tiny desserts are easily customizable! We made three kinds: raspberry, chocolate, and peanut butter. However, you can use any mix-in you want! You could try a variety of nut butters, other fruit (puréed or finely chopped), caramel, toasted nuts, crushed oreos, pumpkin purée, citrus zest – get creative! No matter what, you’ll love having these mini cheesecakes stashed in your freezer.
Servings: 30
Ingredients
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup coconut cream + 1-2 tbsp remaining coconut milk
1/4 cup raspberries, mashed (optional flavor add-in)
1 tbsp dark cocoa powder (optional flavor add-in)
Equipment
Mini muffin tin
Food processor
Blender
Method
Quick soak raw cashews by placing them in very hot water for at least 15 minutes.
Drain cashews and add them to blender. Add lemon juice, coconut oil and maple syrup. Add 1/2 cup coconut cream, which is skimmed off the top of a settled can of full-dat coconut milk.
Blend until smooth, roughly 1-2 minutes. If it's too thick or isn't combining well, add the 1-2 tbsp of remaining coconut milk (from the same can).
Separate into bowls and mix in add-ons. Set aside.
Add dates, walnuts, and ground almonds to the food processor. Process until it becomes a sticky dough when you squeeze it together.
Roll mixture into small balls and place into a greased mini muffin tray. Press down to flatten (we used a greased shot glass!).
Pour cheesecake batter overtop crust. Each muffin tin will require approximately 1 tbsp.
Freeze for 2 hours to set.
Store in freezer for best results. Simple remove one (or two!) from freezer and let defrost on your counter for a few minutes before enjoying!
Rhiannon Ball
Rhiannon loves to cook and bake but has also never said "no" to a takeout burrito (see, she's just like you!). Despite slowly running out of room in her cabinets, she continues to expand her collections of cookbooks and kitchen gadgets and is deeply jealous of people who can just "whip something up" without a recipe. When she's not in the kitchen, you can find her camping and hiking with her husband and rescue dog, Waffles.
