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These Mini Vegan S’mores Cheesecakes are made with a graham cracker crust, cashew-based middle and topped with chocolate ganache and a marshmallow.
The other day I woke up and decided I was going to buy a mini kitchen torch. Well, that’s not entirely true. You see, I first learned of this beauty when I started working with Jessica, but I sort of wrote it off as an unnecessary tool. But guess what? I was wrong! They are necessary, and they’re especially necessary when making anything with marshmallows, aka S’MORES desserts!
Previously I had tried roasting the marshmallows with a candle lighter and even over a candle—yes I’m serious—both of which sort of worked but weren’t great. The desperation was real so I ran out to the store and bought the damn torch. Sometimes there are short cuts and other times you just have to suck it up and spend the money.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my kitchen torch story and also why the marshmallows look so perfect! And now onto these vegan S'MORES cheesecakes...
I decided I wanted something a bit healthier and not made with pounds of sugar (though you know I love sugar), so I opted to use soaked cashews as the base, which I love using because they’re so versatile. However, I ended up using graham crackers for the crust because I genuinely wanted these to taste like healthy s’mores, and therefore in my mind, graham crackers were necessary. I bought mine from Whole Foods, but I believe most graham crackers are vegan.
Now along with the graham crackers, you have two options. 1) use 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup dairy free butter (what I did) or 2) simply use 1/2 cup maple syrup. There’s two options because they both work, but I feel like a true “graham cracker crust” uses butter with the graham crackers, but if you don’t have any on hand or simply wish to not use butter, I completely understand. Maple syrup is magical and works just fine!
Once you’ve got your crust and your base, you’ll freeze the cheesecakes for approximately three hours or until they’ve hardened. Before serving, you’ll pour some chocolate ganache over top of them, add the marshmallows and BOOM, vegan s’mores cheesecake perfection!
With or without a kitchen torch (guys, they really are unnecessary unless you’re a food professional IMO), you can absolutely enjoy these vegan s’mores cheesecakes.
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 8 graham crackers
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter melted*
- Filling:
- 2 cups soaked cashews
- 3 tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp chocolate ganache
- Ganache:
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Topping:
- Vegan marshmallows**
Instructions
- For the crust: add ingredients to a food processor and pulse until everything is combined. Grease three 4" cake pans (preferably springform pans, to remove cheesecake more easily) and distribute crust evenly amongst pans, using a spatula or your fingers to press crust down.
- Next, make the filling by adding all ingredients EXCEPT the ganache to a food processor or high powered blender and blend until smooth. This should take a minute or two--you want the mixture to be thick, so you may need to stop the blender, scrape down the sides, and then blend again. If it still won't blend, add more milk 1 tbsp at a time.
- Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Next, make the ganache. Chop up the chocolate and pour it into a large bowl; set aside.
- Heat milk over stove top on medium heat. As soon as bubbles start to form on the milk (be very careful not to boil the milk!), pour milk over chopped chocolate, and then add the vanilla extract. Wait 5 minutes, allowing time for the chocolate to melt, and then use a spatula to stir milk and chocolate together to form the ganache.
- The ganache should be thick, but if for some reason it's not, wait five minutes or so and it will thicken up.
- Add 2 tbsp ganache to the cashew mixture and stir it in by hand, then pour the cashew mixture into the cake pans, making sure to evenly distribute them, and dropping the pans on the counter top a few times to even them all out.
- Place cake pans in the freezer for approximately 3 hours, or until cheesecakes have hardened. Remove them from the freezer and then remove the springform pan. Run a knife under hot water, dry it off, and then use it to remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour ganache over each cheesecake before serving, top them with marshmallows and enjoy!
Notes
**Trader Joe's marshmallows are vegan, and I was also able to find mini vegan marshmallows at Whole Foods
Ashley says
Do these stay firm in the fridge or do they need to be frozen?
Erin says
It needs to stay in the freezer in order to hold up. Just store it there and them remove it 15 minutes before serving and you should be good!
Amy says
I need to try these!
Hanna says
Could this be made with a full size springform instead of minis? If I made it as a full sized cheesecake would it firm up properly I wonder...
Erin says
Great question! I've never tried it but I don't see why not, as long as the inches add up. I used three 4" mini pans, so if you use one 12" pan I think it should work. Let me know!
Nicole says
Marshmallows aren't vegan, not even vegetarian. But the rest looks great
Erin says
Hi Nicole--you can actually find vegan marshmallows at both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods
Ashley says
Nicole, try not to be so sassy before doing your research.
Dennis says
Fyi - Actually it's pretty hard to find vegan graham crackers as the most common of them contain honey. The Nabisco and Keebler plain "original" grahams do not contain honey, if ypu can find them. All Honey Maid brand grahams contain honey.
Lucia Wright says
Oh my gosh, my husband and I would roast marshmallows over a candle in college, haha!! Good times. We have a torch now, too 🙂 Even if they're only used for marshmallows it is WORTH IT! 🙂
Erin says
haha omg!! I'm glad I'm not the only one. A torch does work WAY better (not surprisingly) 😀
Taylor from On The Gas says
OMG Smores cheesecakes! and it's mini vegan. I've been looking for this vegan smores cheesecakes as my other friends have been requesting for it. So while looking for other versions of smores cheesecakes, I found yours. Now, it's easy for me to follow this recipe. This would be awesome.
Erin says
perfect! let me know if you try it 🙂
Adrienne says
Looks delicious!
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen says
these are so pretty and look SO good! I've always wanted a blow torch for cooking, I'm not sure how my husband would feel about me using it though! I can be a disaster in the kitchen with hot things sometimes!
Julia Mueller says
Yaaaaas I LOVE making vegan cheesecake! These are so brilliant with the s'more flare! My kitchen torch is one of my favorite instruments ever...you're reminding me that I should play it more often 😉 NEED these in my life!
Erin says
Ummm I'm now obsessed and already thinking of other ways/excuses to use it.
Smitha says
These are gorgeous, but marshmallows have gelatin and aren't even vegetarian, much less vegan...do you have suggestions for how to track down (or make) vegetarian/vegan ones? S'mores are one of the things I miss in my path to becoming a stricter vegetarian. 🙁
Erin says
Hi! Trader Joe's brand marshmallows are vegan, as are the Dandies brand marshmallows that I believe they sell at Whole Foods or online. Hope this helps!
Sarah Wissinger says
These look SO good, Erin! I'm obsessed with the vegan marshmallows from Trader Joe's and I need another excuse to buy them, instead of eating them out of the package, haha.
Sarah
Erin says
haha yes! This would be a step up from just plain marshmallows 😉
Leah M | love me, feed me says
These are too cute! So decadent and dreaaaaamy too. I've always wanted a kitchen torch, but have never been able to justify the purchase haha, maybe one day...
Erin says
I feel the same way about an ice cream maker, though I'm thinking this year might be the year I cave.
Hilary says
I love that you bought a torch just for this recipe! I just bought cashews to experiment with some raw desserts this weekend, this one looks fantastic!
Erin says
haaha! I was like hmmm I think I "need" a kitchen torch 😀
Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says
I love this idea!!! They are so delicate and pretty too!
Erin says
Thank you Lindsay!
Alicia @Bridges Through Life says
OMG those look amazing!! Now I need to go buy some mini cake pans and a torch.
Erin says
Yes!! The mini cake pans actually come in handy for when you don't want/need a cake that serves a ton of people.