Home » Dairy-Free » Mini Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars

Mini Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars

By Emily Smith

Pumpkin is the thing right now.  And why wouldn’t it be? It’s rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. It’s also an excellent source of many natural poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds such as B carotenes, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zea-xanthin (source). Carotenes convert into vitamin A inside the body – which means, a better immune system for you.  Yahoo!

But, before you order that venti pumpkin spiced latté, remember that not all pumpkin treats are created equally.  If you’re feeling like a cup of sugar with extra sugar on the side, than by all means add the cream cheese pumpkin muffin to that order – however, if you’d like to enjoy the delicious taste of pumpkin sweets without the fat, sugar overload and crash, try some healthy recipes instead!

Enters; this one.  A total happenstance sort of thing.  I wanted to make pumpkin bars of some sort and I thought that I had picked up some gluten-free ginger snap cookies for the recipe I had in mind…. well, I hadn’t.  Tossed that idea out the window.  Then what?  I had the pumpkin puree, raw almond and cashew butter, all the right spices….just no crust. I had planned to bake the bars in the oven too, but without the crust, I thought it wouldn’t be as awesome.

I started googling.  Because that’s what you do when you forget a main ingredient. You google to find out what else you can do with everything else you have on hand.  I found some ideas for pudding, custard and vegan cheesecake.  The cheesecake won, because I had all of the ingredients! So, minus the crust, with some adjustments – including being served in cute ‘lil mason jars – I made it.  The verdict: a very happy accident.

I topped them with my favorite maple cinnamon coconut whip and they made for one DEE-licious dessert. The boys ate them up and asked for more. But I told them to hold off and wait for it….for what? For the feeling of being full. The difference between an empty carbs/sugar treat and a protein treat – is that you’re actually satisfied afterwards.  Dig in!

❦❦❦

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars 
Makes 8 servings (in 4 oz jars)  - Recipe adapted from damyhealth.com

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup cashew butter
1 Tbsp of tapioca flour
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 Tbsp Maple Syrup

  1. In a large bowl, mix ingredients together until smooth (or use a food processor).
  2. Transfer into small mason jars, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  3. Serve with coconut whip cream and a pinch of nutmeg.
  4. Enjoy!

Posted in Dairy-Free, Desserts, Gluten-Free | 10 comments »

10 Comments on Mini Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars

  1. Jessica_AKitchenAddiction
    October 25, 2012 at 2:02 pm (211 days ago)

    These are perfect, Emily! I love the sound of the maple cinnamon coconut whip! Makes me want one right now!

  2. Paloma King
    October 25, 2012 at 5:52 pm (210 days ago)

    oooh! those look great! And I love it that they are served individually! Great!

  3. jessica
    October 25, 2012 at 10:24 pm (210 days ago)

    those look so yummy!! (i pretty much say that about all your recipes! haha)
    i’d probably end up eating 2 or 3 of them! ;)

  4. Jess L.
    October 26, 2012 at 12:48 am (210 days ago)

    HMMMM – yum- I can’t way to make this.

  5. rebecca
    October 26, 2012 at 1:16 pm (210 days ago)

    can i sub out the almond and cashew butters with coconut butter?

  6. Emily // The Best of this Life
    October 29, 2012 at 2:35 pm (206 days ago)

    Me too! The individual servings are a fun thing, it makes it easy at serving time :)

  7. Emily // The Best of this Life
    October 29, 2012 at 2:37 pm (206 days ago)

    Hi Rebecca, I would definitely give it a whirl – not sure if you would get the ‘cheesecake’ texture, but I have a feeling that it would be just as delicious! Thanks so much for coming by :)

  8. Emily // The Best of this Life
    October 29, 2012 at 2:40 pm (206 days ago)

    Thanks Jessica! I agree, the coconut whip is the perfect topping and makes the dessert over the top, in the best sort of way :)

  9. shuhan
    October 30, 2012 at 3:52 pm (205 days ago)

    this sounds just fantastic emily! I could definitely go for some cheesecake, and some pumpkin and spice. good call on making them mini, or I’ll probably scoff the whole lot at a go. p.s. you don’t have to cook tapioca flour?

    x

    shuhan (mummyicancook)

  10. Emily // The Best of this Life
    October 30, 2012 at 5:47 pm (205 days ago)

    Hahaha, me too! Here’s a great write up on tapioca flour: http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/tapioca/flour.html Because it thickens at such a low temperature, when all the ingredients are mixed in the food processor it thickens them, or so I have found. I’ve used it in the most random things and I find it’s flour/texture helps thicken or glue things together without adding any tastes, as its so neutral. I would totally make this recipe without it as well, but I do think it helps stick it together :)