Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Minis
A four letter abbreviation of these Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Minis is LOVE! A chewy date oat crust is filled with a rich cashew raspberry cream cheese. A drizzle of raspberry sauce adds a perfect bite of tartness and topped with fresh raspberries you have the perfect decadent dessert!
What Ingredients Are In Vegan Cheesecake?
Vegan cheesecakes are made with a base that makes up the bulk of the filling. The most popular bases are either cashews or tofu. Which one you pick depends on a few things so here’s the scoop on both.
Cashew Base
Cashews are probably the most popular of the two due to their high fat content that adds a rich creaminess to the cream cheese. They become smooth and thick once blended and take to either sweet or savory flavorings nicely. Because I don’t have any allergies, I prefer to make my cheese cake filling with cashews, which brings me to my next point.
Tofu Base
If nut allergies are a problem for you, then tofu is the way to go! Your best bet is to choose a silken tofu that can blend up super smooth. Tofu is similar in fat and protein content to cashews so it is a great alternative. You can even sub it in 1:1. Tofu on its own is bland so it takes to sweet or savory flavors nicely. If you are looking for a tofu based cream cheese recipe CLICK HERE.
Oil
If you are familiar with my recipes, then you know that I do not prefer to generally cook with oil. There are some vegan cheesecake recipes out there that are oil free and definitely worth trying. I use 1/3 of a cup of oil in my filling because it helps with stability. There are only three oils that I consider using from time to time. This would be olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. The first two oils are unsaturated and therefore stay liquid at room temperature. Coconut oil is a saturated fat which means it will solidify at room temperature.
In a vegan cream cheese recipe you would use melted coconut oil to blend with your base. Then when you refrigerate it, the oil will solidify, helping your cream cheese to hold up on its own. This is why I like to use it here. If you are looking for a No Oil Cream Cheese Recipe Click Here.
Coconut Oil: Refined vs. Unrefined…What’s The Difference?
Now we need to decide if we want to use refined or unrefined coconut oil in our recipe. Unrefined is certainly the healthier of the two because it does not strip the oil of vitamins and minerals. Some however, do not like to use unrefined oil coconut oil in their cooking because there is no refining process to remove the coconut flavor. This is my go-to UNREFINED COCONUT OIL from Costco Wholesale.
In short that is the difference as far as cooking goes. Refined coconut oil does not have a coconut oder or flavor. Unrefined does. For this recipe, I used refined so that the cheesecakes do not taste like coconut.
Sugar: What Can You Use Instead?
We all know that regular table sugar is not good for our health. So what can we use to sweeten our treats instead? The most common natural sweetener substitutions are agave nectar, DATE PASTE ,maple syrup, erythritol, monk fruit sugar, molasses, stevia, and/or honey (if not vegan).
For most of my recipes I like to stay as close to the “whole food” as possible, so my go-to’s are agave, maple syrup, or molasses. For this recipe, I used a mixture of monk fruit sugar, and agave nectar. You could sub for any of the above, just note, using a darker sweetener such as maple syrup or molasses will alter the color of your filling.
Whole Food Plant Based Cheesecake Crust
This cheesecake crust couldn’t be easier. I use a blend of healthy dates, oats, and tahini. It holds together nicely. I bake it in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, then pop them in the refrigerator for about an hour or so, or at least until I’m ready to fill them with the delicious cheesecake filling. The result is a satisfyingly chewy texture that compliments the sweet raspberry filling perfectly.
How To Assemble Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Minis
When my husband and I were dating he gave me this cute muffin pan with heart shaped muffin inserts for Valentine’s Day. I rarely have found a use for it, but I could not part with it. I knew if I had the time to be creative enough, I would put it to good use. This recipe was it!
To assemble the vegan raspberry cheesecake minis, place parchment paper squares inside a muffin tin. This just makes it easier to release them once they are finished. You can use a regular muffin tin or the jumbo sized. Place the crust inside the well and press flat along the bottom and partway up the sides. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
In the meantime blend all the filling ingredients together in a high speed blender. Fold in the raspberries, and spoon filling inside cooled crusts. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
I like to make a simple raspberry sauce to drizzle on before adding fresh raspberries to the finished dessert. These are so pretty when they are finished and they taste amazing!
How To Store Vegan Cheesecake
Vegan cheesecake filling, whether cashew filling or tofu, needs to stay cold. If you allow it to get too warm, the filling can get slightly soupy. Keeping it cold helps keep its shape and texture firm. I like to place mine in the freezer if I am not eating it right away. Then thaw on the counter for about 20 minutes before serving. Usually I store vegan cheesecake in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t keep it in there past 10 days, but don’t worry. It won’t last that long!
Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake Minis
Equipment
- 1 high speed blender
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
For The Crust
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For The Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling*
- 1½ cups cashews (quick soaked)*
- ⅔ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 lemon juiced (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted)
- ¼ cup monk fruit sugar
- ¼ cup agave nectar (or honey if not vegan)
- ¼ cup rough chopped raspberries +more for garnish
For The Raspberry Drizzle
- 1½ cups (6oz) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp monk fruit sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For The Crust
- Place oats in food processor and blend to a coarse flour texture.
- Add in dates, tahini, salt and cinnamon and blend until a sticky dough forms.
- Line a muffin tin with squares of parchment and press dough firmly into bottom and slightly up sides to form a "cup" to hold the filling.
- Bake crusts at 375°F for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Transfer crusts to refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
For The Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling
- Place all ingredients in a blender except raspberries.
- Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until filling is thick and very smooth.
- Transfer filling to a bowl and fold in ¼-½ roughly chopped raspberries.
For The Raspberry Drizzle
- Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat.
- Mash raspberries while stirring to release juices.
- Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Using a mesh strainer and a rubber scraper, press sauce through strainer into bowl with the back of the rubber scraper. Allow all juices to pass through strainer to bowl.
- Place sauce in refrigerator until ready to use.
Assemble The Cakes
- Remove crusts from refrigerator.
- Spoon cheesecake filling evenly into crust cups. Do not overfill. Allow just a slight amount of crust to rise above filling.
- Return to refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 4 hours for filling to set.
- Drizzle with raspberry sauce and garnish with fresh raspberries.
Notes
Nutrition
