These chocolate & mint raw vegan cheesecake bites will blow you away with the perfectly paired flavours of dark chocolate and mint. The raw chocolate cups have just enough bite to them and melt the moment they hit your tongue, while the mint filling is incredibly creamy and decadent. Super easy to make, these vegan cheesecake bites are gluten, dairy, egg, soy and refined sugar free.
There seem to be many misconceptions about raw (vegan) desserts. They are often regarded as poor substitutes for “normal” desserts (that is, those that contain flour, eggs, sugar and butter, and are usually baked), as if their taste and appearance can’t match up to a certain idea of what a dessert should be. But here’s the thing: raw desserts are absolutely marvellous – they open up a whole new world of exciting flavours and textures.
You might scoff at this point, thinking to yourself: “Puh-lease: vegan cheesecake? As if!” And yes, a vegan cheesecake can never compare to the usual cream cheese-containing cheesecake. However… that’s like saying an apple can’t compare to a pear. Duh. They’re different.
But (and it’s an important but) it doesn’t mean that the vegan cheesecake isn’t just as mouth-wateringly delicious as the dairy-containing version. And yes, some may take offence at calling the vegan dessert a cheesecake if it doesn’t contain (cream) cheese. But again, semantics.
It’s super duper delicious and that’s really the only thing that should and does matter.
Regardless of what you want to call them, these chocolate & mint raw vegan cheesecake bites are a revelation. They have everything going for them. Taste. Texture. Appearance. It’s all there.
The chocolate cups have a satisfying snap to them and they melt the moment they hit your tongue. The “cheesecake” filling is actually made from blended cashew nuts, coconut oil, maple syrup and a whole lot of fresh mint.
A sprinkling of wheatgrass powder and spirulina if you want a deeper minty green colour, plus the added healthy stuff means you could (potentially) get away with eating these lovelies for… breakfast? Hey, why not – start the day on a high!
This incredibly creamy mint filling pairs wonderfully with the chocolate – after all, there are few flavour combos as amazing as chocolate and mint. In addition, these vegan cheesecake bites are surprisingly easy to make, plus they are gluten, dairy, egg, soy and refined sugar free, as well as vegan and paleo. Whatever your dietary preferences, I guarantee that you’ll absolutely love them.
Raw vegan desserts aren’t about restriction, be it in the name of allergies, health or losing weight. Yes, they do have health-related advantages over butter-sugar-eggs-flour baked desserts. They are definitely more allergy and intolerance friendly. (I’m ignoring the last point.)
But above all, they are fun, delicious and exciting to make. Trust me, once you’ve tasted these chocolate & mint raw vegan cheesecake bites, you’ll want to make them again and again. Whether or not they should be called “cheesecakes”… that’ll be the about last thing on your mind.
CHOCOLATE & MINT RAW VEGAN CHEESECAKE BITES
Ingredients
For chocolate cups:
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
For mint "cheesecake" filling:
- 2 cups cashews soaked in 3 cups of water for at least 2 hours and drained
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup packed mint leaves (leaves from about 15 to 20 sprigs of mint) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp spirulina (optional, for colour)
- 1/2 tsp wheatgrass powder (optional, for colour, avoid if it causes you problems due to gluten intolerance)
Instructions
For chocolate cups:
- Combine all chocolate cups ingredients in a bowl and whisk until you obtain a smooth mixture with the consistency of melted chocolate.
- Leave to cool until only slightly warm.
- Spoon about 2 tbsp of the mixture into a cupcake case and swirl it around so that the whole case is coated. You might need to swirl the mixture around several times, especially along the cupcake walls (can take a few minutes per chocolate cup).
- When sufficiently coated, turn the cupcake case on its head above the bowl and let the excess chocolate drip into the bowl.
- After all cupcake cases are coated, place them onto a tray and freeze for at least 1/2 hour.
For mint "cheesecake" filling:
- Combine all mint "cheesecake" filling ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the frozen chocolate cups, until each cup is full up to its edge. (You can also use a spoon to transfer the filling into the cups.)
- Freeze the vegan cheesecake bites for at least 1/2 hour.
- Carefully remove the cupcake cases. I've found it easiest to first tear away the sides and then remove the cupcake case bottom at the end. Freeze again.
- Take the vegan cheesecake bites out of the freezer for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy drizzled with more chocolate, with whipped coconut cream, or as they are.
- The vegan cheesecake bites keep well in the freezer for up to about 2 weeks. (No way, I give them a day.)
Notes
Looking for more raw vegan deliciousness? I’ve got you covered!
Raw Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake
Raw Vegan Chocolate Covered Coconut Bars
My chocolate mixture was too thick to coat muffin liners. I may not have melted my coconut oil hot enough and when I added the cold maple syrup……. I spread the chocolate mixture in an 8X8″ parchment paper lined pan and through it in the freezer while I made the “cheesecake”.
I used chocolate mint and oh my!!!!!!!!!!! it was wonderful.
I made more chocolate mixture (it was more liquid this time) and drizzled some on top and coated more chocolate mint leaves as decoration.
KEEPER!
I wish I had read the recipe instructions before embarking on it just a couple of hours before dinner. I saw the 20 minute time but that didn’t include soaking the cashews for at least two hours and all the freezer and refrigeration time.
Is it possible to include that in the total time so this doesn’t happen to others?
To be fair I was looking for a quick dessert so that’s what I googled and when I saw the 20 minute and the ingredients I saved it and started making it later but it was *too* late.
Hi Rocio, thank you very much for your feedback, I’ve updated the recipe with the soaking & freezing times. Sorry you ran out of time to make the cheesecake bites, hope you’ll give them another try some other time!
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Hey, these look really good, but I’m allergic to tree nuts. Is there anything I can use besides cashews?
I suppose you could try sunflower seeds, but those will give a very different consistency and taste… alternatively, you could make a coconut cream filling to go into the chocolate cups.
These are honestly the greatest paleo desserts I have ever made! I haven’t made them since last summer so I can’t wait to get back to them! I usually use mini muffin cases so they’re bite size and they have always turned out great! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing it!
I’m so glad you liked them, Molly! The mint+chocolate combination certainly is something special, isn’t it? 🙂
These look so delicious. Just wondering are you using cacao powder? or cocoa?
Hi Celia! I’ve used cocoa powder, but I know some have used cacao with no problems. 🙂
Hi, can you please explain some more how do you prepar the chocolate cupcakes..thank you
Hi Jeny! After you prepare the chocolate mixture (from the coconut oil, salt, maple syrup and cocoa powder), you need to let it cool down until warm. Then you spoon a bit of the mixture into a cupcake liner and swirl it around so that it covers the inside of the liner. You will need to swirl it a couple of times so that the chocolate really covers the walls of the liner. After that, you turn the liner on its head so that the excess chocolate drips away.Then you freeze the coated cupcake liners for at least 1/2 hour so that the chocolate sets. If the chocolate shell is too thin, coat with more chocolate again (repeating the swirl + remove excess + freeze process again).
Hope this makes it clearer!
Hi Kat, could you tell me what you have used for choc decoration on top. They look square so I’m wondering if you have made the chocolate or bought it
Hi Michele! I used chopped up dark chocolate. If you want to make your own, you can use the same mixture as for the chocolate cups/shells and pour it onto an oiled baking sheet (or lined with some baking/greaseproof paper) – after it sets (in the fridge or freezer), just break/chop up the chocolate sheet and use as decoration! 🙂
Can they stay in room temperature for some hours ? Or do they get sticky ?
They do soften up and melt a bit at room temperature. If you intend to have them out for a while (but no more than about 1 to 1 1/2 hour), I would freeze them beforehand. They’re best straight out of the fridge, though 🙂
What do you mean by cupcake cases? Is this just a regular cupcake tin? Or is it cupcake paper wrappers?
It’s cupcake paper wrappers! 🙂
That’s what i was imagining, but i wanted to be 100% sure. Thank you so much for the reply! Can’t wait to make these, and see how they taste!!
You’re very welcome, Vanessa! Hope you like them! 🙂
I am also using pure ingredients, high quality for everything. No water is on any utinsils and I used a spatula to level and scrape out all the measurements.
Hi Dominique, sorry to hear you’re having problems. Are you absolutely sure that there was no water present in your bowl or on any mixing utensils? Water is the ONLY reason why the mixture can thicken up. I myself have used this recipe countless times (the last time being yesterday), as have many others, without any problems. I do hope you give it another try 🙂
I found that if you have too much cocoa it goes too thick. Different cocoa reacts different too so maybe use less or try a different brand.
I am making this now and the chocolate base is a disaster. I followed the recipe to a “tee” and the consistency is much thicker than melted chocolate. It does not swirl at all. I then decided to pop the mixture in the microwave to heat it up to see if that would work and it became even thicker and not usable at all. It is more like dough now. I am hoping this is not a waste of expensive ingredients.
Hi, I’m interested in making these this weekend. I would like to know the purpose of the wheat grass and spirulina. Is it to make it bright green? I have matcha in my cupboard so it would do the trick also. Please let me know if you have ever tried matcha and if it would work. Thanks.
Hi Dominique! Yes, the wheatgrass and spirulina are there for the colour. I’ve never tried these with matcha, but it should work – the only slight concern might be the slight bitterness of matcha. What I would do is make the filling without the matcha, then take a spoon of the filling, add a pinch of matcha, mix and taste. You don’t know until you try 😉 Let me know how it goes! And if you want to show off your masterpiece, be sure to tag The Loopy Whisk in social media 🙂
I’m at my wits end. The chocolate mix has separated and won’t go smooth and runny. IT had no water in it. Help!!!!!
Hi Joy! So sorry to hear you’re having troubles 🙁 I have to say, I’ve made this recipe about a bazillion times, and the only time the mixture has separated is when there was a bit of water in there. Make sure there’s no water on the mixing utensils and the bowl as well! Other than that… what sweetener are you using? Does the coconut oil have some water in it?
I’ve made these with both maple syrup and honey, and it should work fine with both… Perhaps try a different sweetener?
I hope some of this helps 🙂 And don’t throw away the split mixture – it’s yummy for dark chocolate truffles 😉
Looks amazing! I will try 🙂
Thank you so much! Hope you like it 😀
Is there anything I can substitute the coconut oil for? I prefer to be oil-free 🙂
Hey Jessie, you could leave out the coconut oil in the mint cheesecake filling, it will be softer and won’t firm up as much – but will still be just as yummy. You can also replace the coconut oil in the chocolate shells with cacao butter, if you prefer – or simply melt your favourite chocolate bar instead 🙂
thanks! (y)
You could consider using 1/4-1/3rd of an avocado. The flavor won’t stand out too much with the mint to overpower it, avocado freezes well, and it would replace some of the creaminess you’d lose by taking out the coconut oil. I am only recommending this because I have made several frozen vegan treats
using avocado as a base and they
are pretty terrific! Just don’t use too much avocado!!
What could I use besides cashews?
You definitely want something that won’t overpower the mint and gives the creamy texture… You could go with almonds (blanched/without their skins), or maybe macadamia nuts. (Both soaked in water until softened.) It really depends on which of these you prefer! 🙂 Hope they turn out well!
I have been looking for a vegan cheesecake recipe for along time now. These looks perfect and so beautiful. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I cannot wait to try it.
Hi Ashika, glad you like them! Do let me know how they turn out 🙂
I have a chocolate mint plant that is currently taking over my entire garden. You can bet your butt I will be trying these! Thank you so much for the recipe. 🙂
You’re very welcome, Amanda! I haven’t tried these with chocolate mint, but it should be absolutely divine 🙂 Do let me know how they turn out!
I love mint and chocolate. These are stunning!
Thank you, Melanie – glad you like them!