If you're ready to elevate your dessert game with a combination of creamy coconut, zesty lime, and the indulgence of cheesecake—all in bite-sized perfection—read on!
I wanted to make a cute little dairy-free dessert that you didn't have to bake. I also love the flavors of coconut and lime together. Using coconut milk resulted in a creamy dreamy base for vegan cheesecake bites. I bet ya can't eat just one!
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Making no-bake cheesecake is simple and I have some other variations on this recipe too. Check out these strawberry cheesecake bites and my vanilla cheesecake with chocolate almond crust. I also have a delectable baked cheesecake from my first cookbook Vegan Comfort Classics. It's very popular and lucky for you this recipe has been published online. Check it out here!
what you need
For the crust:
- walnuts
- medjool dates
- unsweetened shredded coconut
- sea salt
For the filling:
- raw cashews
- full-fat coconut milk
- lime zest and juice
- agave nectar
- refined coconut oil
how to make vegan cheesecake bites
You'll pulse whole raw walnuts in a food processor until they're crushed into a coarse meal.
Add pitted medjool dates, shredded coconut and sea salt and continue to process until it's a fine meal that pinches together.
You'll cut out and place these handy parchment paper strips in the bottom of the muffin cups and press the crust on top.
After you blend the cheesecake filling ingredients together until smooth, pour the mixture on top of the crust to the top edge of each muffin cup.
Garnish the tops of the cheesecake bites with lime zest. Freeze the tray for 2 hours or until the cheesecake bites are mostly solid.
You'll be able to easily remove the cheesecake bites from the muffin cups using the parchment paper tabs.
variations on cheesecake bites
You can make these vegan cheesecake bites with so many different flavors. Swap the lime for any other citrus flavor you like—I think orange or blood orange would be nice. I also have a recipe for strawberry cheesecake bites that are pink and pretty—perfect for Valentine's Day! You of course could make these blueberry or raspberry flavored as well.
For the crust, you could also swap walnuts for other nuts like almonds, pecans, or pistachios. I wouldn't use cashews as they're too soft and they're already being used for the creamy filling. For a little more flavor you could also roast the nuts before pulsing them into a a course meal. Just ensure they cool completely before you do this.
equipment you need
- mini muffin pan
- parchment paper
- scissors
- high-powered blender
- food processor
- sieve or strainer
- spatula
- microplane
storage
These vegan coconut lime cheesecake bites need to be stored in the freezer. Put them in a container between layers of parchment paper. When you want to eat one remove it from the freezer onto a plate and let it thaw slightly at room temperature until softer.
vegan coconut lime cheesecake bites
Ingredients
crust
- ½ C whole raw walnuts
- 3 medjool dates pitted
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
- pinch sea salt
filling
- ⅓ C whole raw cashews soaked for 20 minute in hot water
- ½ C full-fat coconut milk
- 1 lime zest & juice
- 2 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
Instructions
- Pulse walnuts in a food processor until it’s a coarse meal. Add pitted medjool dates, unsweetened shredded coconut, and sea salt and continue processing until it’s a fine meal. When you pinch the mixture it should stick together.
- Cut strips of parchment paper approximately ¼” wide and 4” long and place them in the cups of a mini muffin pan. Then press about 1 ½ tablespoon of crust mixture into each cup on top of the paper. Place the tray in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
- Zest the lime and set it aside, as it will be used as the topping.
- Drain the cashews from the soaking water and rinse them under fresh water. Let them drain and then add to a high-powered blender. Combine with the remaining filling ingredients until very smooth.
- Pour the filling on top of the crusts to the edge of the mini muffin cups and sprinkle a little bit of lime zest on top.
- Freeze for 2 hours until mostly solid. If you leave them longer and they fully freeze in the pan you’ll need to let the pan thaw for a few minutes before you can lift them out. Gently lift the paper tabs to remove the cheesecakes from the cups.
Jay
Hi! Do you think I could scale this to an 8X8 pan?
I haven't made this yet but it looks delicious- I plan to make it for the vegans and gluten free people at my treeplanting camp. Cheers!
Lauren Toyota
You could! However beacause it's like a partially frozen thing, it might just take longer to freeze or thaw or know when it's ready. SO monitor it closely!