Mini Vegan Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes
These no-bake mini vegan cheesecakes have only 7 ingredients, are so creamy, full of strawberry preserves, and easy to make! They have a few shortcuts that will make these your go-to vegan dessert!
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We are cheesecake lovers over here and I have tried to make a vegan strawberry cheesecake recipe so many times but they were complete fails! My heart was broken because it was one of my favorite desserts before going vegan.
My first mistake when recipe testing was not giving raw cashews a try as the base for the cheesecakes! To be completely honest cashews intimidated me a bit. I just recently started using cashews to make vegan sour cream and alfredo sauce and they come out delicious. So, I finally got the courage to give it a try, and trust me it was worth it!
My second mistake was using fresh strawberries instead of strawberries preserves, which have way too much liquid and made my cheesecakes hard. The strawberry preserves stay a bit gooey even after being in the freezer, yum!
The premade Keebler graham cracker crusts give this dessert the perfect crunchiness to compliment the creamy filling and of course, make this recipe easier.
How to soften the raw cashews?
The cashews can be softened in a few different ways, these are my 2 favorite ways:
If you have time: Place the raw cashews in a bowl, cover with enough water, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse and they're ready to use.
If you don’t have time (my favorite method): Place the raw cashews in a saucepan, cover with enough water, and bring to a boil. Boil the cashews for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Do I need a high-speed blender for this recipe?
Although I would recommend preparing the cashew filling in a high-speed blender, you can make it in a food processor as I did. My high-speed blender broke so here I am waiting for Black Friday!
Easy step-by-step instructions with video
To soften the cashews place them in a medium saucepan, cover with enough water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water.
Place the cashews in a high-speed blender or a food processor along with the maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract, blend until creamy.
Use a mesh strainer to remove any small chunks the mix might have (skip this step if you have a high-speed blender). Slowly fold in the lime zest and half of the strawberry preserves and spoon the mixture into the pie crusts.
Stir the rest of the strawberry preserves to soften and spoon a portion on top of each cheesecake, slowly swirl the top with a toothpick.
Place in the freezer for 3 – 4 hours or until set.
Tips
Place the leftover cheesecakes in a large container with a tight lid or cover with plastic wrap. These cheesecakes stay fresh in the freezer for 1 – 2 weeks.
Do not stack these cheesecakes on top of each other, the strawberry preserves on top stay soft even after freezing.
You can substitute the maple syrup with agave, I have tried these with both.
Feel free to substitute the strawberry preserves with any other fruit flavor you like!
If the cashew mixture is too thick when blending, add an extra tablespoon of milk.
If you prefer a crunchier crust, bake them for 4 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool before adding the filling.
Try this recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought.
Relax, bake, enjoy!
This recipe is also available in Spanish: Mini Cheesecakes Veganos de Fresa
Mini Vegan Strawberry Swirl Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 ½ TBSP maple syrup or agave
- ½ cup + 1 TBSP vegan milk (I used oat milk)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup + 1 TBSP strawberry preserves
- ¼ tsp lime zest
- 6 Keebler mini graham crusts
Instructions
- To soften the cashews, place them in a medium saucepan, cover with enough water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Place the cashews in a high-speed blender or a food processor along with the maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract, blend until creamy.
- Use a mesh strainer to remove any small chunks the mix might have (skip this step if you have a high-speed blender). Slowly fold in the lime zest and half of the strawberry preserves and spoon the mixture into the pie crusts.
- Stir the rest of the strawberry preserves to soften and spoon a portion on top of each cheesecake, slowly swirl the top with a toothpick.
- Place in the freezer for 3 – 4 hours or until set. Let the cheesecakes stand at room temperature for a few minutes to slightly soften or eat straight out of the freezer!
