Mini Vegan Pastel Easter Cheesecakes

These mini vegan pastel Easter cheesecakes are the perfect dessert for all your Easter gatherings. The best thing is that they are no-bake, easy to make, and most ingredients you should have on hand in your pantry. 

Instead of using cream cheese-like traditional cheesecakes, these mini vegan pastel Easter cheesecakes use cashews soaked overnight until soft and coconut cream from a can. This packs in the nutrition of raw cashews and coconut cream that can have positive health benefits for your body:

1. Raw cashews add essential fatty acids to this cheesecake that can help decrease LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart attack.
2. Cashews are a good source of magnesium, which plays a vital role in over 300 enzymatic reactions within the body.
3. Cashews are also a great source of plant-based protein to help balance blood sugar levels and aid in muscle recovery. 

Now that you know you can feel good about eating these delicious and healthy Easter treats, let’s get down to the recipe. 

Ingredients you will need:

• Food dye (primary colors) you can also use natural food dyes 

• Graham crackers or you can substitute for graham cracker crumbs

• Vegan butter 

• Raw cashews (it doesn’t matter if they are whole or sliced)

• Lemons (you will need an entire lemon for the zest and juice)

• Coconut cream (Thai kitchen is the best brand. Do not shake before using)

• Maple syrup

• Powdered sugar

• Mini eggs (optional for decorating)

To make the cheesecakes, you will need a 3.5-inch jumbo cupcake silicone pan. Or you can use a regular-sized silicone muffin pan. You would need to adjust the amount of filling and crust for the regular muffin pan. 

I highly recommend using a silicone mold to be able to take out the cheesecakes quickly and effortlessly. If you are using a metal pan, you will have to line with a silicone or parchment paper liner. 

To get the perfect marble pastel for your cheesecake spoon in one color at a time, alternating between all 4 colors, until your cup is full. Then take a toothpick or the skinny end of your spoon handle and swirl the colors around. Make sure you get to the base of the crust for the perfect swirl. Don’t over mix or you will get a muddy color. Less is more. 

I hope these cheesecakes become a favorite in your home. You can also add different freeze-dried fruits to change the flavors for different occasions. Freeze-dried strawberries would be amazing. 

Have fun creating!

Mini Vegan Easter Cheesecakes Recipe

Easter Lemon Vegan Cheesecake

6 personal cheesecakes

Prep 45 minutes

Freezing time 2 hours

28 graham crackers or 2 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup vegan butter

1 lemon zested

2 cups cashews

2 cans of coconut cream

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 small lemons zested and juiced

1/4 cup maple syrup

5 tbsp of lemon juice

Basic colored food dye

Mini eggs (optional for decorating)

Direction for Mini Vegan Easter Cheesecakes:

1. Soak your cashews overnight in cold water to soften. 
2. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until it turns into crumbs.
3. Put crumbs into a bowl with 1/2 cup vegan butter, zest of one lemon, and mix until combined.
4. Place crumbs evenly in your jumbo cupcake silicone molds and press down with a flat surface. I used a glass, but you can use the base of your measuring cups too. Press firmly into molds and set aside.
5. Drain your cashews and put them into a high powdered blender or food processor. 
6. Scoop out the white coconut cream from coconut cans. Do not shake the coconut cans. You want to take just the white cream out of the cans and leave the clear liquid at the base of the can. Place cream into the blender.
7. Add in the juice and zest of two small lemons into the blender, with powdered sugar and maple syrup. Blend on high until smooth. Or pulse in the food processor until smooth. 
8. Pour filling evenly into four bowls and add in food dye drops to each separate bowl as follows: 6 yellow food dye drops in one bowl, four blue food dye drops in one bowl, seven green food dye drops in one bowl, and two red food dye drops in one bowl. Mix all colors with separate spoons.
9. Once the mixture is dyed and mixed, spoon into molds by taking a small spoon (approx 1/2 tbsp) and alternate each color until filled. Then take a toothpick or skinny end of a spoon to mix colors to create a marble effect. Refer to the tips above. 
10. Place in the freezer for 2 hours. 
11. Remove for 5-10 minutes at room temperature to thaw before serving. Must be kept refrigerated or frozen. Keep frozen 5-10 minutes before serving for the best results. 
12. Top with mini eggs if wanted (not vegan).

xo,