My favorite course is always dessert, especially when visiting vegan restaurants. To non-vegans this may sound crazy. Vegans know how to make the best tasting faux-cream treats that do not leave you feeling bloated and tired, like you just ate way too much. Of course when I go to vegan restaurants I eat way too much, but still, even after stuffing my face and eating dessert, I feel great shortly after. I thought it was time to finally make my own version of no bake cheesecake dessert cups to satisfy my cravings in between trips to LA (because Boston doesn’t have enough veggie restaurants like the West Coast).

I do not eat many milk products these days with the exception of a quick visit to my favorite Cape Cod ice cream parlor to avoid milk from cows treated with rGBH and other hormones. 

Simple Vegan Cheesecake

Makes 8 servings. About 200 calories per serving. 

I’ve seen a variety of recipes featuring cashews soaked overnight for vegan cheesecake however, rarely do I want to wait 8 hours to start making a dessert recipe after finding one I like or waiting another 3-12 hours to eat after making it! Also, cashews are one of those foods that disappear from my kitchen like fresh baked cookies. To speed up the process from start to in my mouth, I used dairy free Go Veggie! Class Plain Cream Cheese Alternative which is also vegan and gluten free as well as Coconut Butter to create the creamy texture.

I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand except for the Cream Cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz package Go Veggie! Classic Plain Cream Cheese Alternative
• 6 Tbsp Coconut Butter or Coconut Manna 
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 Tbsp Agave or Maple Syrup (if you are not Vegan, you can use honey like I did)
• 1 teaspoon Truvia (you can omit or just add another tbsp of agave/maple syrup or honey)
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 1/4 cup Cacao Bits

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a blender. Run through a few times until mixture is a smooth consistency.

Next add in the cacao bits or other fun mix in for crunch or fruity flavor. Mix well together but keep cacao bits in tact. Pour into muffin containers and place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes or 2-3 hours in the fridge. 

Once the batter has set, run a thin knife around the edge and pop out to enjoy. You can of course add in a crust. I like to just chop/blend dates and walnuts for simplicity but for these, I went without as they are delicious as is. 

There are relatively low in sugar but do have significant amount of heart healthy fats in them so try to just have one! 🙂 Enjoy!