So pretty, so swirly, so creamy, so decadent, so surprisingly easy to make. These vegan red velvet cheesecake bites look fancy pantsy, and while they do have a few steps to make them, I assure you that each and every step is easy to do. These make the perfect Valentine's day gift or special occasion treat.
The buttery chocolate cookie crumb crust is topped with swirls of lemon vegan cheesecake and rich red velvet vegan cheesecake. It's so cool how these bites have the same texture as classic cheesecake but the base is made simply from raw cashews and coconut milk. No weird ingredients!
Make these ahead of time, let them set in the fridge and then serve when ready. Be prepared for applause and to take a bow!
To make vegan red velvet cheesecake bites: crumble the chocolate wafer cookies in a food processor, blender, or by placing them in a sealable bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
In a medium bowl mix together the cookie crumbs with the melted vegan butter. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners then use your spoon or the bottom glass to firmly pack the crumbs down. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from the oven.
Add the softened cashews, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Divide the cheesecake base evenly among two bowls.
For the lemon swirl: in one bowl add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
For the red velvet swirl: add the cocoa powder and red food colouring to the remaining bowl and mix well. You may need more or less food colouring depending on the intensity of your food colouring, and the desired colour.
To assemble the cheesecake bites: spoon some of the lemon swirl onto the chocolate crusts. Follow with a spoonful of the red velvet swirl. Alternate between the two colours until the cupcake liner is almost full, dividing the cheesecake among all the liners evenly.
For the final touch, use a toothpick to swirl the top layers of colours together in any design you like.
To bake the cheesecakes: bake for 23 - 26 minutes until the cheesecakes are puffy and may have cracked a little. Let cool at room temperature- they will fall a bit as they cool. Finish by letting them cool completely in the fridge to set, minimum 30 minutes.
Vegan Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
For the chocolate crust:
- 1 ½ cup crushed chocolate wafer cookies, (check to make sure they are vegan)
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
For the vegan cheesecake base:
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, softened (see below)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the lemon swirl:
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
For the red velvet swirl:
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vegan red food colouring
Instructions
For the chocolate crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a muffin baking pan with 12 cupcake liners, or lightly grease it.
- Crumble the chocolate wafer cookies in a food processor, blender, or by placing them in a sealable bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. In a medium bowl mix together the cookie crumbs with the melted vegan butter. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners then use your spoon or the bottom glass to firmly pack the crumbs down. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from the oven.
For the vegan cheesecake:
- To soften the cashews: you can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews (the fast method): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
- Add the cashews, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Divide the cheesecake base evenly among two bowls.
- For the lemon swirl: in one bowl add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine. For the red velvet swirl: add the cocoa powder and red food colouring to the remaining bowl and mix well. You may need more or less food colouring depending on the intensity of your food colouring, and the desired colour.
- To assemble the cheesecake bites: spoon some of the lemon swirl onto the chocolate crusts. Follow with a spoonful of the red velvet swirl. Alternate between the two colours until the cupcake liner is almost full, dividing all the cheesecake among all the liners evenly. For the final touch, use a toothpick to swirl the top layers of colours together in any design you like.
- To bake the cheesecakes: bake for 23 - 26 minutes until the cheesecakes are puffy and may have cracked a little. Let cool at room temperature- they will fall a bit as they cool. Finish by letting them cool completely in the fridge uncovered to set, minimum 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Lea says
I don't know if I've ever tried red velvet! But these little cheesecakes are so pretty I think I'll have to try 🙂
Robin M Foster says
I love vegan cheesecake that is made without baking. I've determined that I'll use a no-bake recipe next time (freezing for "baking" and coconut oil for solidifying) and most of the ingredients and techniques that I learned through tihs recipe. I've tried all kinds of crusts, fillings, etc. The best was the no-bake version that I stuck in the freezer for a few hours and then let thaw. That was made with cashews, also.
These cupcakes are very beautiful and look good aesthetically, I just found them rubbery....and kind of greasy. Maybe I used too much butter or didn't proportion my ingredients properly.
Susan Pearson says
Made these yesterday for my sister, mum and me as a treat with a cup of tea. They were delicious. We nearly finished the whole batch of in one sitting!!
Courtney says
I’m a nurse in Australia who is vegan and I made mini ones for my colleagues... well I’ve never had such a reaction to my baking before!!! Thanks for this awesome recipe. To my fellow Aussies, use a packet of Choc Ripple biscuits with a little extra salted butter for the base x
Lixia says
Can I use unsweetened almond milk?
Sue Ali says
Hi Sam, Your cake looks delicious. I am planning work 'bake off!'. I am going to share your velvet cheesecake recipe. Where you have cup measurements, how do I know what size cup to use or do you have gram measurements. As you can tell I am not a baker.
Please advise.
Melody says
These look delicious! Have you ever tried it using beets for the colour?
Holly-Kate says
I used beet powder for the food colouring and it worked great! I mixed it with some water first. Had to use quite a bit to get the colour, but it didn’t affect the taste.
Kelly T. says
What kind or chocolate wafer cookies did you use? Did you use Oreos or something else?
Sam Turnbull says
I used Mr. Christie's brand but any brand will work fine.
Francine says
Delish, made them tonight with my 8 year old.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Carin says
Is there a substitute for the coconut? My mom is allergic to dairy and coconuts. My dad is allergic to soy, so am trying to find alternative food options that they can both enjoy
Sam Turnbull says
You could substitute a high-fat non-dairy milk or use homemade cashew cream like in this recipe, but omit the sugar and flavourings. 🙂
Cynthia says
I am very interested in your recipe. I was looking for a baked vegan chocolate vanilla swirl "cheesecake," so I have a few questions. If I eliminate the lemon juice and zest from the lemon layer, does it taste good as a vanilla layer? I presume I can simply eliminate the food coloring for a regular chocolate-colored (and flavored) layer. I was also interested in making a full size cheesecake. Does this recipe do well baked in a full sized pan, or should I stick with mini-cheesecakes? I would like at least a moderately tall cheesecake if I go with the full size pan. So, I was wondering if this recipe works well in that application, and what would be the modified baking times?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Cynthia, I would recommend using my plain or classically flavour full-sized cheesecake recipe that is in my cookbook. Hope that helps!
Kat says
Hey, Sam! Could I use blanched almonds instead of cashews? If so, would I prepare them the same way?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kat, yes and yes. They might need a little longer boiling time to soften. ENjoy!
Paola says
hello, I love a lot of your recipes, but I run into a problem: I can't have cashews or peanuts due to gout. What can I do ? Can I substitute other nuts or grains or? And still have the same results?
Please help.
I really like your dedications when you say you answer ALL QUESTIONS !
Thank you so much Paola
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Paola! You can use blanched almonds or macadamia nuts, either of those will work pretty well. Other than that, I know many of my readers have used raw sunflower seeds in recipes similar to this one. You can see my sunflower seed cheese recipe as an example. Nothing will be exactly the same as cashews as they all have slightly different textures and flavours, but they should still be delicious! Enjoy 🙂
Ariyana says
Hey Sam.. I love using your recipes as a go to because everything always turns out so great! I want to try this recipe but unfortunately, I do not have a blender, what else could I do/use to smooth the cashew mixture? Thanks in advance!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Ariyana! Do you have a food processor? That should work ok. If you don't have any kind of blending device I'm afriad it might be pretty difficult to recreate this recipe. Sorry I can't be more help!
Ariyana says
One more question, Sam. If I make this cheesecake base but instead of doing red velvet could it be plain?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes you can omit the cocoa and food colouring if you prefer. I do have a classic plain cheesecake recipe in my cookbook if that's what you're looking for. Enjoy!
Ariyana says
I finally made this recipe since I now have a blender lol, they turned out great but now that I reread the recipe, Did you mean confectioners sugar or regular sugar when you said white sugar? I used regular..
Sam Turnbull says
Granulated or "regular" sugar. Enjoy!
Yulca says
I'm too lazy to clean my blender, so ever since I read in a comment (I think it was on your nacho cheese?) that someone used natural cashew butter from a jar, that's what I've been doing. I simply use half of what the recipe asks for (e.g. 1 cup cashews => 0.5 cup cashew butter). Works fine for me!
Yulca says
Then I use my immersion blender or combine everything by hand, depending on the recipe.
Claire says
Hi Sam!
Love your recipes and your sparkly, inspiring cheeriness and passion!
I live in England and I don't think we have wafer cookies here (our version of wafers is different!). Do you think Oreos without the cream centre would work?
Ta very muchly!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Claire! Yes, those would work perfectly as I believe the chocolate part of an oreo are exactly the same as wafers! Save the oreo filling and stir it into ice cream, yum! 🙂
Leanne Williams says
I tried this recipe and they are SO DELICIOUS!!! For the next time, I thought I would try making them in some mini muffin pans. Do you know how long I would have to bake them in the oven?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Leanna, I'm not sure as it would depend on the size, but I would start checking on them at about 1/2 the time and when they look puffed up and may have even cracked a little, they should be good to go. Enjoy!
A. Moretti says
Hi Sam! Is this stable in room temperature?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes the are 🙂 I would store them in the fridge, but they are totally fine to sit out and will hold together. Enjoy!
Alice says
Hi Sam!
Thanks for another recipe, it looks delicious. I don't have a blender, do you know how I can replace the cashews? Do you think I can use cashew butter instead? If so, do you know how much I would need?
Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Alice, I haven't tested the recipe with cashew butter, so I am not sure how that would work, unfortunately.
Alice says
Thank you for your reply!!
Natalie says
Made these! They didn't swirl as nicely as in the picture (I think my mistake was spooning in too much of each colour at a time), but they were delicious and just the right size for a little treat.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Natalie! 🙂
Christina says
I finally made these, and they are so easy! And delicious! Before going began i was the master of cheesecakes lol but i believe these will be my new specialty. They have the same texture as cheesecake, but way more delicious and i think you could customize the flavors to just about anything you may want a cheesecake to be. My non vegan grandpa hates cheesecake but absolutely loved these!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's wonderful, Christina! Thrilled you enjoyed them so very much 🙂
Christina says
I am celebrating my 30th birthday as a one year old vegan march 4th im making these tonight for my birthday party tomorrow, so excited to try them!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Congrats! And I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Joan says
Congratulations on your one year anniversary!
Jordan says
These were so good! I didn't have red food dye on hand so I skipped that, but I loved them! And so did my omnivorous mother, so that was a win! Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely be making these again!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed, Jordan 🙂
Roman Slajchert says
Hi my mom made these for Valentine’s Day! They were delish...also I was your most recent comment on your ultimate vegan breakfast sandwiches. #Chook CHOOK!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I recognize you 🙂 So happy you loved these too 🙂
Emma says
Could I make this as one large cheesecake? Also, do you think it would freeze well?
Sam Turnbull says
I think you could make it as one large cheesecake, yes, but the baking times would increase. I would base the baking times on my Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe. I haven't tested freezing them myself, but I think it should work ok. I would be a little concerned of the cookie crumble getting soggy. If you give either a try, let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Laurel B says
How long can these be refrigerated before serving?
Sam Turnbull says
I would say 3 - 4 days. The only concern is that the cookie crumble may get soft. Enjoy!
Eriyah says
I think I would choose to add raspberry juice for the food coloring, perhaps I could boil it down to make it concentrated enough for the desired color.
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not sure it would be potent enough but you could try. Be careful about adding too much extra liquid as it will change the consistency of the cheesecake. You could try making your own homemade food colouring from beets using a recipe such as this one. Hope that helps!
Eve-Marie says
I made these yesterday but used graham crackers instead of chocolate wafers - we loved them, thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So happy you loved them, Eve-Marie 🙂
Tasha says
What can be used instead of cashews? My son has a nut allergy.
Nikki says
I’ve used raw sunflower seeds in place of cashews in several cases, theyd probably work here too !
LaTasha says
Great, thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
I know blanched almonds or macadamia nuts will work well, but other than that I'm not sure I have a good substitute for you, unfortunately. Sorry, I can't be more help!
kimbelina says
Can you recommend a chocolate wafer cookie brand and food colouring? Thanks for any suggestions!
Sam Turnbull says
Mr.Christie's chocolate wafer cookies are accidentally vegan, woot! I believe Nabisco might be the same thing in the US. As for food colouring, I just used what my grocery store had which was also accidentally vegan, I just checked the ingredients to make sure, or you can purchase vegan food colouring online. Hope that helps!
Jenn says
Use the whole can of coconut milk?
Sam Turnbull says
Nope, just 1 cup.
Kathy Vesely says
Hi Sam. You are so fun to follow! I'm trying to cut way back on sugar (especially the nasty white stuff!). Is here a better substitute you could recommend? Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much, Kathy! I'm not an expert in sugar-free substitutes so I recommend checking out a few articles on how to substitute sugar, such as this one. Enjoy!
Barb says
Do you include nutritional information with your recipes ie fat content, calories. ?
Sam Turnbull says
Usually just the calories which you can see noted in the recipe. 🙂
Kipp says
Just a heads up, you have the coconut milk in the ingredients list, but not in the instructions.
Sam Turnbull says
Fixed! Thank you 🙂
Bajan Mum says
Sam, this is a recipe I'm so looking forward to making.
Excuse my English ignorance of American terms, but when you say chocolate wafer biscuits what do you mean? Can you give a brand name example? I'll Google it and find a UK version if I can. I do wanna make these soon. Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
A common brand here in Canada is Mr. Christie's chocolate wafer cookies, and they happen to be accidently vegan. Woot! They are just a very thin crispy simple chocolate cookie. I'm sure anything similar would work just fine. Enjoy!
Bajan Mum says
Great, thanks
Lydia says
Wow, these sound good. I like the fact that they're soy-free, too. (I have a soy intolerance).
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! I hope you love them, Lydia 🙂