I have a thing for all things mini.
Mini Coopers. Mini kittens. Mini fruit. Mini jewelry. But my ultimate weakness is mini utensils.
I am proud to admit that I have received mini utensils from more than one friend and/or family member on more than one occasion. Remember the awesome swirly spoon in these recipes? My best friend gifted a set of four of these adorable mini spoons to me on my birthday last year. My grandma has given me packs of tiny forks for Christmas. And those small plastic utensils you see at party stores? Yes, they were a random gift from my parents.
The people in my life know me so well.
The only thing that may be better than mini utensils, however, is mini desserts. I mean, seriously. Who wouldn’t want an ENTIRE dessert all to themselves? And, if I’m being completely honest with you here, I take after Joey Tribbiani in the fact that I do not like to share my food. If I do share food with you, it is because I really truly like you. But let me tell you, it doesn’t happen often. This is why the mini dessert is the perfect invention for me. I can indulge in a personal-sized treat all by myself.
BUT! With these mini cheesecakes, I don’t need to feel like I’m munching on tons sugar and artificial ingredients. Because, believe it or not, these cheesecakes are…vegan. Yep. These Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes are made with plant-based foods, sans artificial food coloring. While there are no animal products present in these here Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes, there is a ton of creaminess, sweetness, and deliciousness by way of whole foods!
Oh. And these cheesecakes are totally, 100% no-bake! No risks of cracks, over-baking, or burning today, ladies and gents! These Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes are my new favorite indulgence, and they are sure to make your summertime so much sweeter!
The Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes crust may just be my favorite part of this whole deal because it is so simple to throw together and made of some of my favorite kitchen staples! Creamy cashews, caramely dates, and rich unsweetened cocoa power are whizzed together in a small blender or food processor and pressed into muffin tins. I actually had quite the recipe flop the first time I tried making these cheesecakes (the filling was chunky and, ergo, totally funky), but the crust? I scraped the crust off the bottoms and munched on it that night. I will not judge if you make a double batch for this very reason. In fact, I’m totally encouraging it.
The filling has a couple of components, but I promise you that it comes together quickly and easily. That hint of red coloring you see isn’t coming from Red #40. No siree! I enlisted the power of the sweet beet to color, as well as sweeten, these delectable Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes! I highly recommend buying a pack of Love Beets from your local grocery store. Not only are some of their products organic, they’re all gluten free and all-natural with no added preservatives or colors. Oh, and have I mentioned that they’re really stinkin’ delicious? I can honestly say that I hated beets until I tried Love Beets’ products. While they have numerous flavors, we’ll use just one beet from their Cooked Beets pack. What to do with the leftover Love Beets? Make this. Or this. OR THIS. I did. Love Beets is the only beet brand I buy from because their products truly are that much better. If you’re not a beet lover yet, I bet that you will be once you try Love Beets’ products!
The Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes get their ridiculous creaminess from ingredients like coconut milk, coconut oil, and more cashews. We’re soaking these cashews overnight so that we can get a unbelievably smooth, thick, and velvety filling. As you can see, we’re getting so many healthy fats from this dessert, so it’s bound to be ridiculously decadent! Additional sweetness is coming by way of maple syrup, and we’ll add a touch of gourmet sweetness via pure vanilla extract. After you add the filling ingredients to the base of a high-powered blender, you blend until it is as smooth as silk. Then pour it into your crusts, and wait the longest hours of your life while these Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes set in the freezer. But they’re totally worth the wait. You can do it. I believe in you.
These mini Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes are so.dang.impressive (if I do say so myself). It’s amazing how so much creaminess can be extracted from simple, whole, plant-based foods. And the flavor? Forget about it. They’re sweet and slightly tangy…just like your favorite dairy-full cheesecake! You can top these suckers with a simple whole food chocolate drizzle (which is made up with the ingredients already used in the recipe itself), but they are still ridiculously delicious plain! And you know what? You can be totally festive this Memorial Day and top these cheesecakes with a blueberry chia jam! Regardless of your chosen way of enjoyment, you need these Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes in your life.
Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes
https://www.fooduzzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/vegan-red-velvet-cheesecakes-4.jpg
| Prep: | Yield: serves 6 | Total: |
These Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes are made with whole foods and are the perfect treat for the summer! They're gluten free, paleo, and down-right delicious!
You'll Need...
- 3/4 cup + 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
- 1/2 cup dates, pitted*
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- pinch salt
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 Love Beet
- 5 Tbsp. canned full-fat coconut milk**
- 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. coconut oil
- 4 Tbsp. maple syrup
- splash vanilla extract
- Optional topping: 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup, pinch salt, splash pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Preparation the soaked cashews: Cover 3/4 cup cashews with water and allow to sit overnight.
- Make the raw crust: Add 1/2 cup cashews, dates, 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt to a small blender and process until no large chunks of cashews remain. Lay a small piece of wax or parchment paper across the diameter of 6 muffin cups so that you can use them as handles to pry the cheesecakes out. Press crust into muffin cups, using a spoon or shot glass to pack it tightly. Set in the freezer.
- Make the red velvet filling: Clean out the small blender. Add lemon juice and 1 Love Beet and puree until smooth. Add additional lemon juice if needed to help blend. Pour over a bowl into a fine mesh strainer and strain until smooth. Remove 2 Tbsp. of strained liquid and add it to a high-speed blender.
- Drain 3/4 cup soaked cashews and add to the food processor. Add coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth, no shorter than 1 full minute.
- Assemble the Red Velvet Cheesecakes: Remove muffin tin from freezer. Pour 2 heaping tablespoons of the red velvet filling into each crust. Evenly divide remaining filling amongst the cheesecakes. Bang muffin tin on the counter to smooth out the top and remove any air pockets. Place muffin tin in the freezer to set completely.
- Make the optional topping: Add cocoa powder and coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and melt. Add maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Drizzle over solid cheesecakes if desired.
Additional Notes
*I used deglet noor dates, but I'm sure you could use medjool.
**I didn't mix my coconut milk, so I used the thick coconut "cream" from the top of my can. You could probably use mixed coconut milk if you're so inclined.
This recipe was adapted from Minimalist Baker. Thank you for the inspiration for these yummy Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecakes!
A special “Thank you” goes to Love Beets for sending me coupons for their products! All opinions expressed in this post, however, are my own.
Stay classy, Internet friends!
P.S. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Bloglovin‘! If you try any of my recipes, be sure to use #fooduzzi! I’d love to see your whole food creations!
Beautiful photos, as usual Alexa! I’ve totally used beets as food coloring before too and they are seriously nature’s perfect food dye!
Thank you so much, Liz! I was so excited to try my hand at a raw, vegan dessert…I was thrilled with how they came out!
Gotta love the power of the beet! I can’t believe I used to hate them; I am throughly obsessed now :)
I’ve never used beets to color anything in fear of how it might affect the taste! but this looks too good not to try!
Thank you, Lina! I was worried about the taste, too; however, these cheesecakes definitely do NOT taste like beets! They grab a touch of sweetness from the beets, but the beet puree is just there for color! :) Hope you give them a try!
Mmmm…. LOVE the look (and sound) of these! The raw base is full of amazing stuff and I am a big fan of coconut milk and oil. The photos are fab too!
Thanks so much, Kate! I’m all about that [raw] base! Who knew three simple ingredients could taste so amazing together?!