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Mini Apple Cinnamon Cheesecakes (Dairy Free)

These dairy free mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes make the perfect fall treat! You’ll wonder how these sweet and creamy cheesecakes could possibly have no cream cheese and require no baking. 

Back in August, I made these mini blueberry cheesecakes completely vegan and I was blown away by how easy and delicious they were. I even surprised a few skeptical friends and family with the taste and texture of these perfect little treats.

Since these were an all around win, I knew immediately that I needed to plan out a fall flavor for when October rolled around. I’m from New York and we love our apples around here. I had a bunch of fresh New York apples lying around so I decided to make apple cinnamon flavored mini cheesecakes.

These mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes are sweet, perfectly spiced, creamy and just oh so delicious. Just trust me on this one and give these a shot!

There are two components to these mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes: the crust and the filling. The crust is comprised of just five ingredients: cashews, graham crackers, dates, maple syrup and cinnamon. The dates and maple syrup sweeten the crust just the right amount and the graham crackers give it that traditional graham cracker crust flavor. The cinnamon compliments the flavor of the apple cinnamon filling and the texture of this crust is perfectly tender and chewy.

The filling for these mini cheesecakes consists of soaked cashews and coconut cream, which give these dairy free treats a cheesecake like consistency when chilled. The maple syrup adds sweetness and the lemon juice adds that slight tanginess characteristic of cheesecake. A simple homemade apple sauce is added to the filling as well to give these cheesecakes their namesake flavor.

No baking is required so this one is super simple and there’s no fear of under or over baking your cheesecake!

While the filling for these mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes are completely dairy free vegan and gluten free, the crust is not vegan or gluten free. This is because the crust calls for graham crackers, which typically contain wheat flour and honey. However, if you can find gluten free/vegan graham crackers, you can easily sub those in to make this dessert completely vegan and gluten free.

Equipment

Food processor
Cupcake tin (silicone is best)
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions

The first step is to soak the cashews that go into the filling. This is an important step to ensure a smooth and creamy cheesecake-like consistency. You can soak the cashews in water overnight.

However, if you are short on time or bad at planning ahead like I am, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes and you will get the same result!

The next step is to make the homemade apple sauce. I recommend making homemade apple sauce as opposed to using store bought apple sauce as store bought apple sauce is too liquidy for this recipe.

For this recipe, we will cook down the apples enough to eliminate most of the liquid. To make homemade apple sauce, combine the apples, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of water in a medium sauce pan.

Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The applesauce should be thick with little to no liquid remaining (you should have to scoop into a measuring cup, rather than pour into measuring cup).

Once the apple sauce is cooked down, you should be left with exactly 1 cup of apple sauce.

Next, it’s time to make the crust. In the food processor, combine the unsoaked cashews, graham crackers, dates, maple syrup and cinnamon. Blend for 1-2 minutes until a ball of dough starts to form.

The crust should stick when pressed together and not lose its shape. If the crust is too dry, add more maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the crust is too wet, add more graham crackers, 1/2 sheet at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Evenly distribute the dough between silicone cupcake molds. You’ll want enough dough to have about a 1/4 inch crust. You should get about 12 mini cheesecakes. Press the dough down into an even layer.

Next, clean and dry your food processor so you can blend your filling. In the food processor, combine the soaked and drained cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and homemade applesauce.

Blend on high until you have a completely smooth cheesecake batter, which should take about 1-2 minutes.

Scoop filling into cupcake molds. I used a cookie scoop to make this a little less messy. I did one scoop in each cupcake tin, smoothed out the filling with a rubber spatula and then evenly distributed any remaining filling amongst the cupcake tins.

I had enough filling to get just to the top of each cupcake tin. Gently bang the cupcake tin on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.

I topped my mini cheesecakes with apple slices and cinnamon but you could also leave them plain or top them with apple butter, a maple glaze, non dairy whipped topping or a combination!

Place cupcake tins in the freezer and allow cheesecakes to freeze for at least 2 hours. Pop them out of the cupcake tin while frozen and store in an air tight container in the freezer.

How to thaw mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes

Refrigerator: place mini cheesecake in the refrigerator and allow to defrost for 2 hours. This is the recommended method.

Room temp: If you’re short on time, defrost cheesecakes at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating.

Substitutions

Unfortunately there are only a few substitutions that will work with this recipe:

  • Graham Crackers: You can use rolled oats in place of the graham crackers. You will get a different flavor, but the texture will be about the same.
  • Vegan: Use graham crackers that do not contain honey.
  • Gluten Free: Use gluten free graham crackers or sub an equal amount of gluten free oats in place of the graham crackers.
  • Nuts: You can use any type of nut for the crust. The cashews in the filling can not be substituted.

More Recipes You’ll Love

As always, if you make this recipe please let me know by commenting/rating below. If you take a picture, tag me on Instagram @thechowdown. I love seeing your recreations!

Mini Apple Cinnamon Cheesecakes

These dairy free mini apple cinnamon cheesecakes make the perfect fall treat! You’ll wonder how these sweet and creamy cheesecakes could possibly have no cream cheese and require no baking.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple cinnamon, cheesecake, dairy free, dairy free cheesecakes, mini cheesecakes, no bake cheesecake, no dairy
Servings: 12

Ingredients

Apple Sauce

  • 2 1/2 cups apples
  • 2 tsp coconut sugar
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Dash nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp water

Crust

  • 1/2 cup dates
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 4 graham crackers full sheets
  • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling

  • 1/2 cup coconut cream
  • 1 1/2 cup soaked cashews
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 dashes nutmeg
  • 1 cup homemade apple sauce

Instructions

  • Soak the cashews for the filling in water overnight or in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain cashews well.
  • In a medium sauce pan, combine the apples, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The applesauce should be thick with little to no liquid remaining. Once the apple sauce is cooked and has cooled slightly, measure out 1 cup.
  • In a food processor, combine the unsoaked cashews, graham crackers, dates, maple syrup and cinnamon. Blend for 1-2 minutes until a ball of dough starts to form. The crust should stick when pressed together and not lose its shape. If the crust is too dry, add more maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the crust is too wet, add more graham crackers, 1/2 sheet at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
  • Evenly distribute the dough between cupcake tins. You’ll want enough dough to have about a 1/4 inch crust. You should get about 12 mini cheesecakes. Press the dough down into an even layer.
  • In clean and dry food processor, combine the soaked and drained cashews, coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and homemade applesauce. Blend on high until you have a completely smooth cheesecake batter, approximately 1-2 minutes.
  • Scoop filling into cupcake tins using a cookie scoop or spoon. Evenly distribute any remaining filling amongst the cupcake tins and smooth out with rubber spatula. Gently bang the cupcake tin on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
  • Place cupcake tins in the freezer and allow cheesecakes to freeze for at least 2 hours. Pop them out of the cupcake tin while frozen and store in an air tight container in the freezer.

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