Mint Chip Vegan Cheesecake {GF}

Rich mint cream "cheesecake" flecked with chocolate shavings on a chewy chocolate crust, topped with fluffy whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. A mint chocolate lovers dream!

When my husband and I volunteered to bring dessert to our home group's Christmas party, I knew I had to bring one of my all time favorite desserts: vegan CHEESECAKE!! Whether you're vegan or not, this cheesecake is a hit! SO good, you won't miss the dairy 😉

Ok, so there's no "cheese" in this "cheesecake." It's brought to you by the wonder of cashews and coconut cream. Seriously, they are magical. Who needs dairy and eggs when you can use plants?! Haha!

Almonds, dates and cacao make the chewy chocolate no-bake crust. In fact, the entire recipe is NO-BAKE! Which, to me, is such a relief! I don't have to worry about setting or sinking, cooling or cracking, and all that goes into baking traditional cheesecakes.

Raw vegan cheesecakes are so EASY. No talent required (even if they do look quite fancy and impressive.) Really, if you can press a button on a food processor or blender, you can make this dessert!

If you follow me on Insta, you may have already seen this picture of me transporting the cake to the Christmas party last weekend wearing my "Ugly" sweater (which is way too pretty to be ugly! haha) I didn't have a cake carrier to fit it, so I had to hold my precious cheesecake on my LAP while my husband drove... PRAYING I didn't drop this cake and/or get the pretty whipped cream all over my sweater... or my car! (ps I LOVE CHRISTMAS SWEATERS) No worries, though. We made it, cake intact! 🙂

Such a pretty cake is perfect for a party! And your friends and family won't BELIEVE there's zero flour, sugar, butter, eggs, or milk in there! Haha! I definitely had some questions when I brought this to our party and told them it was a vegan cheesecake. Like, "Wait. There's no "cheese" in this "cheesecake?"" and "What is this?" lol But everyone who tried it at the party absolutely LOVED it! This is a RICH dessert. (So slice it small!) A decadent mint cream flecked with bits of chocolate throughout. Plus more chocolate on top (because yum!) and of course, coconut whipped cream!

I chose to use chocolate shavings inside the cake instead of chocolate chips because chips harden too much in the fridge for my liking. With chips I feel like there are tiny rocks in my dessert! And WHO likes to eat rocks?! Haha. To make shavings, just take a bar of chocolate and "shave" the side of it with a knife, like you would peel a vegetable. Or you can finely chop a bar of chocolate. Either would be great! I actually wish I hadn't shaved mine quite so finely. But I'll just have to remember that next time! 😉

Not only is this cheesecake pretty and delicious, there's also a bonus: it's nutrient-rich! Cashews are an excellent source of minerals like copper and zinc, plus heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Coconut oil is also full of healthy fats and tons of other benefits. Not to mention it's full of fiber and protein so it won't spike your blood sugar. Yay for desserts with benefits! Pretty from the inside out.

Thank you, cashews for your super powers. You still amaze me every single time. 🙂

Mint Chip Vegan Cheesecake {GF}

Rich mint cream "cheesecake" flecked with chocolate shavings on a chewy chocolate crust, topped with fluffy whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. A mint chocolate lovers dream.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Author: Emily

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 Tbs raw cacao
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of pink salt
• Splash of water to help blend

Filling:

• 2 ½ cups raw cashews - (soaked overnight)
• ¼ cup canned coconut milk - (refrigerated overnight, solid cream only)
• ⅔ cup maple syrup
• ⅔ cup coconut oil - (melted & warm)
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• ½ - ¾ teaspoon mint extract - , to taste (not peppermint)
• Dash pink salt
• ½ Bar mint chocolate, or dark chocolate - (about ⅓ cup shaved/finely chopped)

Garnish:

• Coconut whipped cream
• Melted chocolate or chocolate shavings

Instructions

To make the crust:

• Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. Add a splash of water if it's too dry.
• Press into a parchment-lined 7" springform pan.

To make the filling:

• Drain and rinse cashews. Blend cashews in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
• Add in remaining ingredients except chocolate. Blend smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Gently pulse or stir in the chocolate shavings.
• Pour over crust and freeze until solid (at least 3 hours).
• Remove from springform and transfer to refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Garnish with melted chocolate and whipped cream (see notes). Enjoy!

Notes

To make the chocolate drizzle, place chopped chocolate in a double boiler. (I use a glass bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water). Stir frequently until melted. Pour on cake. Easy peasy. I like to chill the cheesecake afterward so the chocolate has a delicate crunch. It makes a very nice texture combo with the cream.

To make coconut whipped cream, use the leftover cream from the can of full-fat coconut milk from this recipe. Scoop out only the solid white cream. (Save the leftover coconut water for a smoothie!) Beat the solid cream, 1-2 Tbs maple syrup and 2 teaspoon vanilla with a mixer until whipped and fluffy. I put mine in a gallon-size bag and snipped off the corner to pipe it on.

Keep refrigerated. Should last about a week in the fridge. You can freeze for longer storage, but I would do so without the garnishes.

 

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