Gooey caramel-coated cheesecake studded with healthy brownie chunks! You won't miss the sugar or dairy in this LUSCIOUS low carb, vegan/Paleo dessert!
AUTHENTICALLY Faux
If you've been around my blog for a while, you probably know that vegan cheesecakes are my FAVORITE dessert on the planet. I've made dozens of them, but THIS ONE you guys. This one is probably the best yet.
This is the closest thing I've made to "REAL" cheesecake. That's exactly what the hubs said when he tasted it (and exactly what I was thinking!) Soft and tender texture, super creamy with juuuusst the right amount of "cream cheese" flavor.
This may just be my GO-TO cheesecake base from now on. I'm OBSESSED. About to go hide me some slices so my kids don't eat it all. Sorry not sorry, kids. Mommy's not sharing this one!
Fall in LOVE
I'm pretty sure there's something in cashews that creates the same euphoric, absolutely smitten feeling of falling in love. There has to be. I'm convinced 😉 Because when I eat cashew cheesecakes I'm absolutely on cloud 9.
Fall head over heels in love with the:
- LUSCIOUS cashew cream
- Delightfully drippy caramel
- Decadent chocolate brownies
Two words: worth it. 
HEALTHY Brownies
Brownies without the outrageous carbs?! Yes please!! I shared this Healthy No-Bake Brownie Bites recipe last week, and that's the exact brownies I stuffed in this cheesecake.
Chewy, chocolatey, fudgy chunks of brownie. IN A CHEESECAKE. With caramel! An epic combination.
These brownies come together in just 15 seconds (yes, seconds!) in a food processor! Yep, just throw in the ingredients and blend. Easy!
Press the brownies onto a piece of parchment and flatten them out. Cut into bite size pieces and put half in the middle and half on top, so you get get to savor those chunks in phases. YASS.
SHORTCUT Caramel
This caramel sauce is my exact recipe for Low-Carb Caramels. Unlike most other caramel recipes out there, there's NO cooking involved. This one takes less than 2 minutes to whisk everything together. So simple.
But instead of freezing it into molds to make candies, you just pour it on top of the cheesecake! Brilliant, right?? I can't take credit for this genius; I got the idea to add it to a pie from a reader. So thank you! You're my new bff. 😉
AND possibly my favorite part-- drizzling some MORE drippy gooey caramel sauce over each slice! Oh.emm.geeee you guys. The rich creamy smooth caramel just MELTS in your mouth. It's to die for! So don't forget to save some for tha DRIZZ.
To SALT or not to salt?
If you want SALTED CARAMEL, you can totally sprinkle on some extra salt on this caramel. I tried it and I loved it that way, too! Either way, you might just be blown away that this is DAIRY and SUGAR-Freeeeee! (Makes me wanna bust out in a song and dance over here. But I'll let my taste buds do the dancing instead) 😉
If you make this be sure to tag me on Instagram @emily.likes.food #prettypies. It makes my day to see your pics!
Click image below to save this recipe on Pinterest
Caramel Brownie Chunk Cheesecake (Low-Carb, Vegan, Paleo)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups nuts - (I used half walnuts, half almonds)
- 2 Tbs coconut oil
- Dash of pure stevia powder
- Generous pinch of pink salt
Cheesecake
- 2 ½ cups raw cashews - soaked
- ½ cup + 1 Tbs canned coconut milk
- ½ cup +1 Tbs coconut oil - melted
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure stevia powder
- Dash of pink salt
- Healthy Brownie Bites & Caramel - see notes
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Pulse together all ingredients in a food processor until a coarse crumb forms.
- Press into a small 7" springform pan lined with parchment.
To make the cheesecake:
- Soak cashews in hot water (just off a boil) for 2 hours (or overnight in room temp water). Drain, rinse and shake dry.
- Make brownie bites (recipe in notes) and set aside.
- Blend soaked cashews in a food processor until completely broken down.
- Add remaining filling ingredients and blend smooth. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
- Pour half the filling over the crust. Add ½ the brownie bites around the edge and around the middle.
- Cover with remaining cheesecake on top and smooth with a spatula.
- Whisk together caramel (recipe linked in notes) Pour on top, reserving a few Tbs to drizzle on later. Top with remaining brownie bites.
- Cover pan with foil. Freeze or refrigerate until completely firm (minimum of 2-4 hours).
- Enjoy!
Notes
Pure Stevia Powder here on Amazon My preferred brand of Coconut Milk here on Amazon Coconut Oil: here on Amazon Cashews: here on Amazon To store: Keep covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for 1 month. For non low-carb, replace the coconut milk with maple syrup, and replace the brownies and caramel with this recipe,
Ashley
Looks amazing! Will liquid stevia work?
Emily
Yes, that works, too! I would just add a few squirts and taste & adjust to your liking
Sherry LeBlanc
Looks so delicious!!! Want to be my bff?
Emily
Thanks! And for sure!
Laurie Grant
Can I use refined coconut oil?
Emily
Absolutely!
Debbie
Looks delicious! I see you have 16 servings for a 7" cheesecake , that seems like super tiny slices ...does each one get a brownie ?
Emily
Yes they are small slices, but rich. The brownies are cut into about 3/4" bites and each of my slices has at least 2-3 brownie bites in it. You can slice the cheesecake however you like though!
Krista
My caramel sauce did not turn out at all, it made more of a paste. Is it supposed to be heated? I made homemade cashew butter out of raw soaked cashews and used maple syrup instead of liquid stevia.. tips??
Emily
Oh it sounds like you made cashew cream instead of cashew butter since the nuts were soaked. It's still yummy, just a different consistency. Try adding some coconut milk to thin it out. Hope that works for you. Or keep it thick and have more like a cream frosting 🙂
One other note, maple syrup does not mix well with nut butter-- it can seize the cashew butter. If you try the caramel again, use powdered coconut sugar to replace the stevia.
Hope you enjoy the cheesecake!
Krista
Oh man ok thanks! I'm excited to try regardless! About to dip in to it! I may make a different caramel sauce for the top! All I have is coconut cream and coconut sugar on hand so hopefully I can
Find a recipe!
Mandy Metts
Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I can’t get enough of this!! Sooo creamy. I didn’t get to make the filling when I’d planned so my cashews soaked for a really long time and the texture on this was phenomenal. It was well worth the time to make the brownies and the caramel to create this perfect pretty pie piece!
Emily
YAYYY!!!
Claudia
I had a hard time with this recipe (all user error). I did not have pure stevia so I used liquid stevia but I could not get the sweetness correct. I was afraid to put too much and make it too sweet. Because I could not find cashew butter, I decided to use your other caramel recipe made with canned coconut milk. Well, I cut my finger on the can pretty badly. I made the mistake of putting the coconut milk and syrup back on the stove after adding the vanilla and it separated. I poured it on the pie anyway and it’s all in the fridge now but I’m not too confident on the outcome. 🙁
Emily
Oh no, I’m sorry! I hope it turns out after all. You can always scrape off that caramel if it is too separated and just add a drizzle of maple syrup on top (sugar free if you like). And a sprinkle of flaky salt for good measure!
Jeanne Fraga
If I sub monk fruit for stevia powder, how much would I use? So excited to try this recipe!
Emily
It depends on which kind of monkfruit. But for the filling, I would use Lakanto powdered monkfruit. Start with 3 Tbs & adjust to taste.
& For the crust, I would try 2 tsp powdered monkfruit. Taste as you go- you can always add more.
If you are using a different monkfruit such as pure extract, drops, syrup or granules, let me know and I’ll figure out a conversion for it. Hope you enjoy!