No-Bake Mini Vegan Cheesecakes (GF)
Creamy, rich, and zesty, these vegan berry cheesecakes are perfect for summer parties or just to have on hand for when the sweet tooth hits! Whip some up today and store them in the freezer!
No Bake Mini Vegan Cheesecakes are gluten-free, dairy-vegan, and completely vegan-friendly bites of creamy heaven!
These vegan cheesecake cups are naturally sweetened with the use of date and maple syrup while the dairy-free cheesecake filling is just as creamy as a regular cheesecake thanks to the processed cashew nuts and coconut milk.
The 3 berries jam adds a lovely tart flavor which perfectly balances and complements the other rich flavors and textures.
What You’ll Need
Just a few key vegan pantry essentials are required to make these healthy dairy-free mini cheesecakes. You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Crust
- Walnuts – raw and unsalted
- Dates – pitted and soaked for 30 minutes if they’re a little hard.
Filling
- Raw cashews – soaked overnight, or boiled for 20 minutes
- Maple syrup – use 100% pure maple syrup. Agave nectar will work too.
- Vanilla extract – pure, natural vanilla extract is best.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed if possible.
- Coconut oil – pure, unrefined is the healthiest option.
- Coconut milk – full fat. I like to chill mine and then scoop off the creamy bit at the top for a thicker consistency.
- Berry jam – we used triple berry jam) – choose sugar-free if needed.
How to Make Vegan Cheesecake Cups
Start with the crust, then pop it in the freezer to set while you make the filling.
For the Crust:
- Add the nuts into a food processor or high powered blender. Process into a meal/flour consistency.
- Add the dates (you may need to soak them for 10 minutes in warm water if they’re hard). And process until you have a dough that sticks together when you press on it.
- If using a regular muffin tin, lightly grease it, and line it with parchment paper strips to make getting your cheesecakes out easier. If using silicone, you can skip this step.
- Scoop around 1 heaped tablespoon of the crust mixture into your muffin pan and press it down with your fingers.
- Repeat this in each muffin mold. Then place the muffin pan in the freezer to set.
For the Filling:
- Add all of the filling ingredients except for the jam into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. N.B. with the coconut milk, I like to refrigerate it, then scoop off the “cream” that separates for a thicker mixture. But if yours is runny, that’s ok too.
- Divide the filling evenly between the muffin molds. Remember to leave room for the jam topping. Tap the tray a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Add the jam on top of the creamy filling, until you’ve covered the surface.
- Cover your muffin pan with plastic wrap and freeze until hard – around 4-6 hours.
- Once set, remove from the muffin pan and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Once you’re ready to eat, let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
Why You Need to Soak the Raw Cashews when Making Vegan Cheesecake Bites
Soaking the cashews will make them soft so that when you blend them in the food processor they turn into an ultra-smooth and cream-like consistency. If you skip this step, you’ll get a granular blend instead!
I’ve given you the option of either soaking your cashews overnight or if you are rushed for time you can boil them in water for about 20 minutes instead. But overnight is always preferred for the best results.
Can You Make These Vegan Mini Cheesecakes Without a Food Processor or Blender?
If you don’t have a food processor or a blender, you could try making these with an immersion blender. But you really need something with a good powder (I love my Vitamix!) to be able to turn the cashews into the creamy cheesecake filling.
If your blender or processor is low powered, making sure the cashews and dates are properly soaked is even more important!
How to Serve Your GF Mini Cheesecakes
I like to slightly soften the frozen cheesecakes for serving which takes about 10 minutes of them sitting at room temperature.
You can also serve them straight from the freezer if you prefer – they’re just as delicious!
Serve them with a helping of vegan ice cream, plant-based whipping cream, or fresh fruit.
How to Store Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecakes
These vegan cheesecake cups can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container.
Variations on this Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecake Recipe
- While I’ve used 3 berries jam, feel free to vary your mini vegan cheesecakes by using peanut butter, fresh wild berries, or even something ultra decadent like caramel sauce!
- Make lemon-blueberry mini cheesecakes by adding in some lemon extract into the filling and using a blueberry jam.
- Keep the cheesecake crust as is or add in some cocoa powder or melted chocolate for a rich chocolate crust.
- I’ve used regular muffin-size tins for these mini cheesecakes. You could make even smaller mini cheesecakes that would be great for a vegan high tea by using mini muffin tins instead.
Tips For Making These Easy No Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- It’s best for the dates to be soft when added with the nuts to the food processor. If they aren’t, be sure to soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then rinse well.
- Using strips of parchment paper as levers to remove your frozen cheesecakes in a super helpful trick to removing your cheesecakes from the molds. If you’ve used silicone molds for these mini cheesecakes then you may be able to pop them out once frozen without the help of any parchment paper strips.
- Tapping the muffin tin against a solid surface before adding it to the freezer will help to get rid of any air bubbles.
Other Delicious Vegan Cheesecake Recipes to Try:
- No-Bake Cheesecake with Peaches
- Lemon Cheesecake Bliss Balls
- Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Bites
No-Bake Mini Vegan Cheesecakes (GF)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup dates
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked overnight
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup of berry jam we used three berry jam
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Add the nuts into a food processor or high powered blender. Process into a meal/flour consistency.
- Add the dates (you may need to soak them for 10 minutes in warm water if they're hard). And process until you have a dough that sticks together when you press on it.
- If using a regular muffin tin, lightly grease it, and line it with parchment paper strips to make getting your cheesecakes out easier. If using silicone, you can skip this step.
- Scoop around 1 heaped tablespoon of the crust mixture into your muffin pan and press it down with your fingers.
- Repeat this in each muffin mold. Then place the muffin pan in the freezer to set.
For the Filling:
- Add all of the filling ingredients except for the jam into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. N.B. with the coconut milk, I like to refrigerate it, then scoop off the "cream" that separates for a thicker mixture. But if yours is runny, that's ok too.
- Divide the filling evenly between the muffin molds. Remember to leave room for the jam topping. Tap the tray a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Add the jam on top of the creamy filling, until you've covered the surface.
- Cover your muffin pan with plastic wrap and freeze until hard – around 4-6 hours.
- Once set, remove from the muffin pan and store in the freezer. Once you're ready to eat, let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
