Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
This Gluten-Free Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake tastes like your favorite candy turned into a delightfully creamy vegan cheesecake. With a chocolate crust, creamy peanut butter filling, and chocolate ganache topping, you won't be able to have just one bite!
Servings 10 slices
Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 cup (96g) almond flour
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 3 tablespoons (63g) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (25g) refined coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt leave out if peanuts are salted
For the cheesecake
- 1½ cups raw cashews soaked for at least four hours or preferably overnight, drained and rinsed in cool water before using
- ½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup (111g) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt salt to taste if your peanut butter is salted
For the dark chocolate drizzle & garnish
- 3 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped
- ¼ cup canned full-fat coconut cream just the thick, creamy part from the top of the can
- Mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Grease a 6” springform pan with coconut oil, or line a 6” cake pan or an 8x8” square baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Add the peanuts, almond flour, cacao powder, and salt to a food processor or high-powered blender and pulverize to break up the peanuts until just small bits remain. Add the maple syrup and coconut oil and pulse until it comes together into a dough, with small peanut bits remaining. Press the dough evenly along the bottom of the prepared pan.½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, 1 cup (96g) almond flour, 3 tablespoons cacao powder, 3 tablespoons (63g) pure maple syrup, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 tablespoons (25g) refined coconut oil
- In a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix, but most powerful blenders should do the job), combine all of the filling ingredients and blend for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and super creamy. Use your tamper and scrape down the sides as necessary to get it to blend smoothly.1½ cups raw cashews, ½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk, ⅓ cup (111g) pure maple syrup, ½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the smooth filling into the prepared pan over the chocolate crust. Smooth out the top and tap the pan hard against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours, or in the refrigerator to set for at least 6 hours.
- For the chocolate ganache, place your chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the coconut cream in a saucepan or microwave until steaming and just barely simmering and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Spread over the top of the cheesecake, letting it drip down the sides as desired. Garnish as desired with mini peanut butter cups.3 ounces dark chocolate, ¼ cup canned full-fat coconut cream, Mini peanut butter cups
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer. I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the cheesecake with the still-hot (dried) knife.
- If serving from frozen, let thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
For a Paleo-friendly version: swap out the peanuts & peanut butter with almonds/almond butter or cashews/cashew butter (or any other nut/seed you prefer).
