No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake Bites {Vegan}
Servings 10 cheesecake bites
These No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Cups make the perfect healthier festive treat for the holidays! Make up a batch and store them in the freezer for a ready made dessert to serve to guests! {Vegan, gluten-free & paleo}
Ingredients
For the chocolate crust:
- 1/2 cup pitted dates soaked for at least 10 minute in boiling hot water
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
For the raw cheesecake layer:
- 1 1/2 cups soaked cashews
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Optional Toppings:
- Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of each cup
Instructions
- Soak cashews for the cheesecake layer in hot water for at least 2 hours. At the same time, soak dates for crust in boiling hot water for about 10 minutes to soften.
- In a food processor, combine the almonds, cashews, cocoa powder and salt until the nuts are finely ground.
- Add in the dates, peppermint extract and chocolate chips and blend until mixture comes together. You may need to add a tablespoon of water if mixture seems too dry.
- Next, combine all ingredients for the cheesecake layer in powerful blender or mini blender until smooth and creamy.
- Line a muffin tin with 10 silicone baking cups. Divide the crust mixture evenly between the cups and press into the bottom of the cup with a spoon or small spatula until the surface is packed down and flat.
- Spread the cheesecake mixture over the crust with a spatula until relatively smooth and flat. Garnish with crushed candy cane, if desired.
- Place in freezer for at least an hour to allow the cups to harden. Consume frozen, cold or at room temperature.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Notes
- For best results, I recommend soaking both the dates and cashews in advance to soften them up so that you achieve the right consistency for these cups. We don’t want big hunks of cashews and dates in these cups. I usually like to put them both in water when I wake up in the morning and then they’re good to go for when I want to make the recipe later in the day. Alternatively, you could soak them overnight if you’d like to make the recipe the following morning.
- You’ll also want to use a REALLY powerful blender to blend those cashews so that they’re smooth and silky, not gritty.
- I like making these cheesecake bites in silicone baking cups or a silicone muffin tray since it makes them really easy to pop out of the muffin tin once frozen.
- You don’t have to top the cups with crushed candy cane if you want to keep them on the healthier side. It just make the cups look more pretty and festive and adds to the peppermint flavour.
- If you choose to forego the candy cane chunks, I highly recommend serving them along with some of this Celestial Candy Cane Green Tea to accentuate even more of that minty flavour.
- The cheesecake mixture will get pretty soft if left at room temperature for extended periods of time so I recommend eating these cups fresh out of the fridge or freezer, unless you like really creamy cheesecake. Simply allow them to thaw out of the freezer for about 20 minutes or so and then dig in!
Nutrition
Calories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 7gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 27mgPotassium: 343mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 3mg
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