This easy no bake cheesecake bites recipe makes 12 frozen vegan desserts. They are nutty and sweet, with a satisfying cookie crunch and easy to make!
Since going dairy-free, I've had a lot of success creating dairy-free versions of many of my favorite dessert recipes.
This Vegan Chocolate Cake is a favorite, as are my Dairy-Free Cookies & Cream "Ice Cream" and my 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipes.
Growing up, I always loved cheesecake. And these no bake cheesecake bites are easy to make, vegan/dairy free, and perfect for snacking or holiday entertaining!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
These frozen desserts are delicious for so many reasons.
- The vegan "cheesecake" filling is creamy and sweet.
- It has a satisfying crunchy cookie crust using a popular vegan store-bought cookie (which many people don't realize are vegan!)
- You can use the same recipe to make one large vegan cheesecake
- These are perfect for keeping in the freezer. Then when the sweet tooth craving hits, you can simply bring out individual servings as needed.
🥛 Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make these yummy vegan desserts. See the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card below. Here are some notes about key ingredients to keep in mind:
Almondmilk - The mild nutty flavor of almondmilk makes it perfect for this nutty vegan cheesecake recipe! That said, you could also use cashewmilk or coconutmilk in place of the almondmilk.
Cookies - I use Biscoff cookies for the crust. These popular vegan cookies can be found in most grocery stores. They lend a gingery crunch to each bite!
Nuts - you'll need both cashews and hazelnuts for the filling.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- Fast-soak some cashews and some hazelnuts (see recipe notes).
- Meanwhile, make the crust. Pulse the cookies with some melted coconut oil in a food processor.
- Scoop enough crust mixture to cover the bottom of each muffin pan spot and press down gently.
- Bake at 350° degrees for 5-6 minutes, just enough to have the crust stick nicely together.
- While the crusts are baking, put the drained, soaked nuts into a blender, and blend them with almondmilk, agave nectar for some sweetness, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour enough into each muffin spot over the cookie crumb to almost reach the top.
- Freeze for about 4-5 hours.
- Remove when ready to eat and top with chopped pecans or the topping of your choice (see some topping ideas below).
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
These dessert bites are crunchy, creamy, and nutty in each bite. The consistency and texture is somewhere between a frozen custard pie and a cheesecake.
For the crust, you can replace Biscoff cookies with any vegan graham cracker. Or try a gingersnap or spice cookie. Any light (not dense) cookie with a sweet crunch and hint of spices will do.
You can use almonds, pecans, or walnuts instead of hazelnuts.
🌰 Topping ideas
With the holidays coming up, I decided to top these with some crushed pecans. This adds to the already decadent nutty flavor.
Some other topping ideas:
- vegan chocolate frosting (get my recipe for it here in my Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe)
- chocolate drizzle
- toasted coconut
- a top layer of peanut butter
- toasted pumpkin seeds
- chocolate chips
More vegan desserts
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Easy Cheesecakes Bites (A Nutty, Vegan Frozen Dessert)
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 24 vegan gingersnap or spice cookies or about 18 graham crackers
- 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Filling Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews fast-soaked and drained (see notes)
- 1 cup hazelnuts fast-soaked (see notes)
- 1 cup almondmilk
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Toppings
- crushed pecans
Get Recipe IngredientsInstructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cupcake liners OR strips of parchment paper into each spot of a 12-serving muffin pan
To make the crust:
- In a food processor, blend the cookies and melted coconut oil until the texture resembles a crust.
- Scoop enough crust mixture to cover the bottom of each muffin pan spot and press down gently.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes, just enough to have the crust stick nicely together.
To make the filling
- In a blender, add the cashews, hazelnuts, almondmilk, agave nectar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Pulse until well blended into a creamy texture.
- Pour enough into each muffin spot over the cookie crumb to almost reach the top.
- Freeze for about 4-5 hours.
- Remove when ready to eat and top with chopped pecans or the topping of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Recipe inspired by Minimalist Baker and The Food Network
Lissa says
Why do you fast soak the nuts? Use regular nuts out of can?
Lauren Vavala says
These look awesome! LOVE Silk Almond Milk - it's all we drink!
Tami says
Wow, these look amazing, Marlynn! I really like the single servings and that they're pretty simple to make. Definitely going to give these a try for the holidays!
Jen says
Oh my goodness I love cheesecake and I'm dairy free! :) This recipe is amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Xo,
Jen
frecklesonfillmore.com
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Yay! Just remember: this is a frozen dessert, so it's not meant to be the same texture as traditional heavy dairy cheesecake ;) Thank you, Jen!
Becky says
You are killing me, darling! I have all these ingredients in my kitchen!!! Sounds so tasty.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thank you, Becky!
Pech says
I think I'll definitely be making this for a bottle share with vegans and also because with this lil version I can keep some back at home for myself too heh heh.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Fun idea, Pech!
Mary says
These sound awesome. My husband lives for (real) cheesecake. It's his favorite dessert ever. In fact we had similar (though dairy filled) mini cheesecakes at our wedding to keep him happy. I'm totally going to try these and see if I can fake him out ;)
Though this could totally backfire in my face, or we could have a winner? Either way they sound delicious and much lighter than the heavy thick cream cheese alternative.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Great, Mary! If he LOVES traditional creamy cheesy cheesecake, just remember what I said in the post: the texture is NOT the same exact texture as a cheesecake, and it's frozen. The closest dessert it's like is like a frozen cheesecake... ;) We love them, but they're definitely not meant to try to fake out a whole dairy cheesecake lover ;)
Erin @ Platings and Pairings says
These look so yummy! I love that you used gingersnaps for the crust!
Catherine says
This post gets a giant OMG from me. Holidays can be hard because you have a giant meal with lots of people—and all their food sensitivities and restrictions. This looks like a wonderful dessert that would satisfy everyone! Pinned for later.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
It's so true - the holidays are especially tricky with allergies and intolerances when it comes to the massive dessert trays at parties! This one is pretty easy to customize as well. I'm actually intolerant of pecans but I put them on because other family members love them, and they're easy for me to pick off :) But you could make this recipe dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and vegan pretty easily -- covers most bases except nut allergies. Thank you, Catherine!