Description
These Mini No-Bake Carrot Cake Cheesecakes are a delightful vegan and dairy-free treat combining a crunchy biscuit and walnut base with a creamy cashew, carrot, and vegan cream cheese filling. Topped with cocoa whipped cream, Oreo cookie crumbs, and chocolate-dipped strawberries, they offer a perfect blend of textures and festive flavors without any baking required.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 40g dairy-free butter (e.g., Flora Plant Block)
- 100g plain biscuits
- 50g walnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
- 125g cashew nuts (soaked overnight)
- 100g grated carrots
- 250g vegan cream cheese
- 75g icing/powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 50g coconut cream
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- 220ml dairy-free whipping cream (e.g., The Coconut Collaborative Double Cream)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 pack Oreo cookies
- Fresh strawberries
- 200g dairy-free white chocolate
- Orange food gel (small drop)
Instructions
- Prepare the base: Grease a 6-hole loose base or push-up cookie cup tin with dairy-free butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then remove from heat and pour into a medium heat-proof bowl. In a blender or food processor, blend biscuits, walnuts, and cinnamon until fine crumbs form. Mix the crumbs with melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand and holds shape when pressed. Adjust by adding more crumbs or butter if needed.
- Form the base: Press about 1½ tablespoons of the crumb mixture into each tin, compacting firmly with clean hands or a spoon to prevent crumbling. Set aside while preparing the filling.
- Prepare cashews and carrots: Soak cashew nuts overnight in water. Drain them before use. Wash and grate the carrots finely.
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine soaked cashews, grated carrots, vegan cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla, coconut cream, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend on high for about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add more coconut cream if mixture is too thick.
- Assemble cheesecakes: Evenly pour the filling over the bases in the tins. Tap the tins on the work surface to remove air bubbles. Optionally, sprinkle extra grated carrot on top. Refrigerate overnight to set.
- Remove from tins: Once set, place cheesecakes in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Slide a knife around edges to loosen and carefully push out the cheesecakes from the loose base tins.
- Prepare chocolate whipped cream: Whip dairy-free whipping cream with cocoa powder using a stand mixer fitted with a balloon whisk or an electric hand whisk until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag with a medium round tip.
- Decorate cheesecakes: Pipe a swirl of chocolate cream on each cheesecake. Blend Oreo cookies into fine crumbs and sprinkle on top of the cream to resemble dirt for the carrot topping.
- Melt white chocolate: Fill a small saucepan with 1/3 water and heat on the hob. Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over the saucepan (bain-marie) to melt slowly. Alternatively, melt in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between to avoid burning. Stir in a small drop of orange food gel.
- Dip strawberries: Pat dry fresh strawberries to remove moisture. Dip each strawberry into the melted white chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on a tray lined with greaseproof paper.
- Decorate strawberries: Chill dipped strawberries for 5 minutes, then drizzle more melted chocolate over them for decoration. Let chocolate fully set.
- Final assembly: Place each chocolate-coated strawberry atop each cheesecake on the Oreo ‘dirt’, completing the festive carrot cake look. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Cashew nuts must be soaked overnight in water to soften them for blending into a smooth filling.
- If the biscuit base mixture is too wet, add more biscuit crumbs; if too dry, add melted butter to achieve the correct consistency.
- Using a high-speed blender is recommended for a smooth filling texture.
- Freezing the cheesecakes briefly makes removal from tins easier without damage.
- Ensure strawberries are thoroughly dried before dipping in chocolate to avoid seizing.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes plus overnight soaking of cashews
- Cook Time: 0 minutes (no-bake)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Vegan, Western-inspired
Keywords: no bake carrot cake cheesecake, vegan carrot cake, dairy-free cheesecake, mini cheesecakes, vegan dessert, no bake dessert, carrot cake alternative
