Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes (Vegan Gluten-Free)

These Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes are the best no-bake individually portioned desserts to please a crowd. No cashews, no tofu and no coconut, these cheesecakes are creamy, rich, indulgent and naturally vegan and gluten-free.

These little cheesecakes are the dream to make for hungry guests as they are easy, quick and so impressive. They are made with simple wholefood ingredients for the best dessert – or afternoon snack. You will be going back for “just one more”.

How delicious are these min cheesecakes?

These are something special, they are:

• Creamy and rich
• Sweet and chocolatey
• Fruity and nutty
• Easy and quick to make in a few steps
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free
• Easily nut-free
• Great to make ahead
• Individually portioned
• Made without cashews, tofu or coconut cream!

If you are already in love with these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes then skip ahead to the recipe card, or let’s first see what goes into these desserts.

What ingredients do I need to make these?

These cheesecakes are similar to my Mini Chocolate Chestnut Cheesecakes as they are a huge favourite at home.

For the base, we need:

• Almond or cashew butter: a runny smooth nut butter is best here and I love almond or cashew for a naturally sweet and mild flavour. You can also use a seed butter or another nut butter.
• Maple syrup: or any other sticky syrup to help bind the base like agave, date syrup or vegan honey.
• Oat flour: blend whole oats into a fine flour to make oat flour. It is important you do not swap this for another flour as these cheesecakes are not baked and other flours are not safe to eat raw.
• Ground almonds: this adds a lovely sweet nutty taste to the base but you can use another seed or nut ground up or swap for more oat flour.
• Salt: to enhance the flavours.

And onto the cheesecake fillings. There are two layers but both use the same base recipe:

• Vegan cream cheese: this is the key ingredient to the cheesecake layers. There are quite a few dairy-free cream cheeses in the UK so use your favourite one.
• Almond or cashew butter: as above, you can use another type.
• Maple syrup: as above, another sticky syrup will work.
• Dark chocolate: after you stir together the cream cheese, nut butter and syrup, divide the mix in two. One half will form the plain layer and the other half is stirred with the dark chocolate to make a chocolate cheesecake. Use your favourite chocolate but I like a dark one as the cheesecakes are fairly sweet.

Lastly, the topping and filling:

• Plums: for the plum part of these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes there is a lovely hidden slice of plum underneath the cheesecake and on top of the base and then we also top the cheesecakes with another slice of plum.
• Dark chocolate: for the thick chocolate shell on top. You can use any dairy-free chocolate.
• Coconut oil: for melting with the chocolate, it is not essential but makes the texture of the chocolate slightly shinier and less easy to crack so when you eat these, they melt in the mouth more.
• Whipped cream: any dairy-free whipping cream will be great here to add a cool freshness on top of the chocolate. You could use buttercream or my favourite vegan protein mousse, too.

How do I make these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes?

These are really easy to make and just work in order of the layers:

• Make the base: stir together all the ingredients to reach a sticky mix.
• Press into 6 grease cupcake or muffin holes: and press down firmly to make compact even bases. I have this one.
• Top with a slice of plum: and now chill in the fridge.
• Make the cheesecake: stir together the ingredients.
• Pour the melted chocolate into one half: and stir until smooth.
• Pipe on the chocolate cheesecake: and smooth over the top.
• Top with the plain cheesecake: and smooth the tops. Chill in the fridge for a short while.
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil: and pour over the cheesecakes to create a glossy shiny chocolate shell.
• Chill for 2-4 hours to set: or in the fridge overnight until firm to touch.
• Decorate with whipped cream and plums: and a sprinkle of pistachios and chopped chocolate.
• Dig into these cheesecakes: and enjoy.

Do I need any special equipment?

As these cheesecakes are made with cream cheese rather than tofu or cashews, you do not need to use a blender or food processor but a loose-bottomed cupcake/muffin tin does help. If not, make sure you line your cupcake tin with cases OR use strips of parchment paper in each cupcake hole so you can lift out the cups. You can also use a silicone mould which makes popping the cheesecakes out much easier.

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, these cheesecakes are naturally gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free certified oats for the base. To keep these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes nut-free, make sure you swap all the nut butter for seed butter like tahini or sunflower seed butter and check that your cream cheese and chocolate are nut-free.

How long will these last?

As these are no-bake, they last really well. Once you have decorated them, store them in the fridge in a sealed container for 1-2 days but without the whipped cream, they will last for up to 1 week in the fridge and for 2-4 weeks in the freezer then de-frost and top with whipped creamed and slice of plum.

What other no-bake desserts can I make?

I hope you are going to love these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes and for more no-bake dessert inspiration, how about my:

• No-Bake Almond Caramel Brownies
• No-Bake Black Bean Cookie Dough Bars
• Hazelnut Praline Bars
• Coconut and Raspberry Wagon Wheel Bites
• Oat Berry Cheesecake Jars

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these cheesecakes, I would love to see them so please tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With plum chocolate cheesecake love x