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vegan berry cheesecake cups
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4.41 from 5 votes

Vegan Berry Cheesecake Cups (Fruit-Sweetened)

These nutritious no-bake cheesecake cups are vegan, gluten-free and fruit-sweetened. Top them with your favorite berries or fruit jam!
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 9

Ingredients

  • Fresh berries, for topping (see notes)

For the Crust

  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 cup cashews, raw or dry roasted, unsalted
  • 1/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted (or 1/4 cup maple syrup)
  • 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Soak the cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. I use water boiled from a kettle. Meanwhile, prepare the crust.

Prepare the Crust

  • Add the dates, walnuts, oats, vanilla and salt to a food processor. Process until the mixture sticks together when pressed.
  • Press the mixture to the bottom of a muffin pan forming little cups (makes 9 in a regular sized muffin pan). The crust will go about halfway to three quarters up the top of the muffin tins. Make sure the crust is not too thin. Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the Filling

  • In the same food processor (rinsed to remove any crumbs), add the soaked cashews, dates or maple, coconut milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Process until smooth, up to 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed.

Assemble the Cheesecake Cups

  • Scoop the filling into each little cup. Top each cup with fresh berries or jam of choice.
  • Refrigerate until it sets, about 4 hours. Store them covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy them straight from the fridge. You could also store them in the freezer, but it will affect the texture of the filling.

Notes

This recipe makes 9 regular cups or 6 larger cups.
To remove the cups from the muffin pan, use a butter knife around the cups to loosen them. 
You can use either dates or maple syrup in the filling. Both work well. I would recommend using maple syrup if your food processor is weak to avoid pieces of dates in the filling.
Use your favorite berries for topping. I tried this recipe with both strawberries and raspberries and both were delicious. You can also use your favorite jam or frozen berries that have been thawed and mashed.
You can also make this recipe using a square glass dish and made them into bars. A smaller dish would be best to have thicker bars.
If the crust mixture is dry and doesn't stick when pressed, you can add a small amount of water or melted coconut oil. Start with a very small amount to avoid getting a "soggy" crust. You shouldn't need this if you use soft dates.
This recipe has been updated and improved since first being posted in 2019. This version has a slightly lighter filling with added lemon juice. The crust has also been lightly updated to avoid using water, which could make it overly moist.