These pumpkin cheesecake bites are outrageously delicious with a gingersnap crust! A perfect healthy dessert or snack to make with canned pumpkin puree.
I've been making healthy cashew cheesecakes for over 10 years, and this style of cheesecake is my favourite to make! I'm not vegan or gluten-free, and I still feed this to my friends who eat dairy and gluten, and they all love it too! Next, try my strawberry cashew cheesecakes!
Why you will love this recipe:
- Warm fall flavors: Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, bringing all the best parts of a pumpkin together for this no-bake pumpkin cheesecake bite recipe! Instead of a graham cracker crust, a healthy gingersnap crust makes this recipe perfect for the pumpkin time of year. Just like this recipe for moist pumpkin cake!
- Wholesome ingredients: This creamy pumpkin cheesecake is made from real unprocessed ingredients that will make you feel energized (not leave you in a sugar overload or slump, which is the goal for all my recipes)! I use cashews to make these creamy (no Cool Whip needed).
- Naturally gluten-free dairy-free mini cheesecakes: The gingersnap crust is made from ground-up oats, making a simple gluten-free cheesecake crust. The cheesecake filling is made from cashews instead of cream cheese, making this cheesecake dairy-free. This vegan cheesecake is sweetened with maple syrup!
Jump to:
- Why you will love this recipe:
- Ingredients for a healthy pumpkin recipe
- Nutrition insight about pumpkin
- How to make no-bake mini pumpkin cheesecake
- My top tips for this healthy canned pumpkin recipe
- Healthy pumpkin cheesecake bite variations
- FAQ
- More pumpkin snacks
- Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
- Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
Ingredients for a healthy pumpkin recipe
As always, the ingredients for recipes here at Beside the Mountain are as nutrient-dense as possible, but also not too hard to come by, with the goal that most of them are already in your kitchen.
Gingersnap crust for pumpkin cheesecake:
- Rolled oats: The crust base is ground-up rolled oats, giving a nutty flavor to the gingersnap base. Use gluten-free oats if needed!
- Almond butter: Nut butter brings together the base, making it nutrient-dense and high-protein cheesecake bites.
- Coconut oil: I use melted coconut oil for this recipe; it keeps the cheesecake crust together. Alternatively, you can use butter if you are not dairy-free.
- Molasses: You can't have a gingerbread crust without molasses! This makes the full flavor explode!
- Powdered ginger: If you don't have powdered ginger, you can use the real thing - ½ teaspoon of finely grated ginger.
Vegan pumpkin pie cheesecake filling:
- Cashews: Raw unsalted cashews are the base of these no-bake cheesecakes. Using cashews for this cheesecake instead of cream cheese makes these bites naturally dairy-free and high in protein. The cashews need to be soft to make the creamy cheesecake batter; they need to be soaked for 2-8 hours or boiled for 20 minutes.
- Pumpkin purée: You can use canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree for this recipe. If you use homemade pumpkin puree, I find you need to make sure it is thick; if not, strain it first to make it thick.
- Maple syrup: To sweeten this recipe, instead of white sugar, I use maple syrup. I also like using it because it increases the mineral content, making these mini cheesecake bites a little more nutrient-dense to feed to my kids!
- Vanilla: To increase the flavor, we are using vanilla in the cheesecake batter!
- Pumpkin pie spice: Pumpkin pie spice is sold in the baking aisle with the spices. If you can't find it, you can use cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger - here's my recipe. These spices make the bold pumpkin flavor.
- Sea salt: I always add sea salt to my sweet recipes to give the other ingredients a boost or pop!
See the recipe card below for full quantities.
Nutrition insight about pumpkin
I did a two-year program in nutrition. I like to share some of my nutrition insight in my recipes and why I use the ingredients I do. Let's chat about pumpkin.
The bright orange pumpkins are a winter squash. Pumpkin is a complex carbohydrate, meaning energy is released to your body more slowly (instead of a simple carbohydrate, where your blood sugar will rise quickly and crash quickly after eating).
Pumpkin is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, C, potassium and magnesium.
Looking for another wholesome pumpkin recipe? Try this pumpkin snacking cake, or add pumpkin puree to homemade high-protein hummus!
How to make no-bake mini pumpkin cheesecake
1. Firstly: Soak cashews in water for 2-4 hours to make them soft.
Make the crust: Start by grinding your oats in a food processor by blending until it forms a flour-like texture, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Then pour ground oats into a bowl and add almond butter, ¼ cup coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of molasses and the powdered ginger. Stir until well combined, it will form a smooth dough.
3. To easily remove these cheesecakes from the muffin tin, place a strip of parchment paper in the tin first, make sure it's long enough to pull out of the muffin cups once they are ready! Or line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Using a muffin tray, press 1 tablespoon of the gingersnap dough into the bottom of each muffin cup. Set aside.
4. Make the cashew cheesecake mixture: In a high-power blender or food processor, place the soft cashews, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, ⅓ cup coconut oil, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt, and 1 teaspoon molasses.
5. Blend for 5 minutes or until very smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until blending well (don't add too much or they won't become firm in the fridge).
6. Assemble: Add about 1 heaping tablespoon to each gingerbread crust. Add pecans on top and drizzle with almond butter. Put into the fridge to set for 2-4 hours and up to one week.
My top tips for this healthy canned pumpkin recipe
I have tested this recipe over 5 times to make sure that the pumpkin filling firmed up well and tasted incredible.
Firstly, they were runny, so I increased the coconut oil and reduced the pumpkin puree to do this. Then I realized having 1 full tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice is really the key to good flavour, even if there is only ½ cup of pumpkin puree.
Thirdly, the key is to get a smooth cashew filling. Here's what I recommend:
- Soak the cashews. I have made the mistake of not soaking the cashews first, and the texture becomes grainy! Make sure to soak the cashews for at least 2 hours or boil them for 20 minutes to make them soft. This is important in making the best cheesecake/pumpkin pie filling!
- Use a high-powered blender or food processor. The cashew filling will not become completely smooth without a high-power machine; it will stay slightly grainy. My blender takes about 3-4 minutes to make it smooth and when I used a food processor, I blended it for 7-8 minutes.
Healthy pumpkin cheesecake bite variations
Here are a few ways you can change these easy pumpkin cheesecakes to suit your preferences!
- Oats or almond flour: Instead of rolled oats, you can use quick oats. Or to skip grinding oats, use oat flour or almond flour. Using almond flour makes these higher in protein.
- Pumpkin cheesecake bars: To make these into healthy cheesecake bars instead of individual bites, make the recipe in an 8x8 square pan.
- Crunchy pecan crust: To add another crunch, sprinkle chopped pecans onto the gingersnap crust before placing the cheesecake filling on top.
FAQ
Yes, you can freeze pumpkin puree. Whether it's canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree, you can place it in a sealing bag or sealing container, remove any air to prevent freezer burn and place it in the freezer for up to 12 months. The texture and taste will slowly deteriorate, so it is better to use the pumpkin puree sooner rather than later.
Leftover pumpkin puree can be used for various recipes: pumpkin snack cake, pumpkin muffins, add it to creamy hummus, use it as baby food, pumpkin pie, a pumpkin cheesecake, a homemade pumpkin spice latte, or make savoury dishes like pumpkin soup. There are so many awesome pumpkin puree recipes!
More pumpkin snacks
Here on this corner of the internet, you will find wholesome yet simple snacks and healthier treats to enjoy every day. Next try this pumpkin snack cake with cheese cheese frosting, it's moist and fluffy!
If you made this recipe for healthy pumpkin cheesecake bites, I wanna hear your thoughts! Give this recipe a star rating and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!
Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
Gingersnap Crust:
- 1 cup rolled oats or almond flour
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil or butter
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons powdered ginger or ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 ¾ cups cashews soaked 2-8 hours
- ½ cup pumpkin purée
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 tablepsoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice notes below to make your own
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Garnish:
- pecans
- almond Butter
Instructions
- Prepare: You will need to soak your cashews for 2-8 hours before making these cheesecakes. To easily remove these cheesecakes from the muffin tin, place a strip of parchment paper in the tin first, make sure it's long enough to pull out of the muffin cups once they are ready! Or line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- To make the crust: Start by grinding your oats in a food processor by blending until it form a flour-like texture, about 1-2 minutes. Then, pour ground oats into a bowl and add almond butter, coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of molasses and the powdered ginger. Stir until well combined; it will form a smooth dough. Using a muffin tray, press 1 tablespoon of the gingersnap dough into the bottom of each muffin cup. Set aside.
- To make the cheesecake filling: In a high power blender or food processor place the soft cashews, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, ⅓ cup coconut oil, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, sea salt, and 1 teaspoon molasses. Blend for 5 minutes or until very smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until blending well (don't add too much or they won't become firm in the fridge).
- Assemble: Add about 1 heaping tablespoon of pumpkin batter to each gingerbread crust. Add pecans on top and drizzle with almond butter. Put into the fridge to set for 2-4 hours. Storage: They will stay good in the fridge for up to one week. These no-bake cheesecakes will last in the freezer up to three months.
Notes
-
- Soak the cashews. I have made the mistake of not soaking the cashews first and the texture becomes grainy! Make sure to soak the cashews for at least 2 hours or boil them for 20 minutes to make them soft.
-
- Use a high-powered blender or food processor. The cashew filling will not become completely smooth without a high-power machine, it will stay slightly grainy. My blender takes about 3-4 minutes to make it smooth and when I used a food processor I blended it for 7-8 minutes.
Nutrition
Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N
I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.
Rachel B says
Always one of my favorite fall treats!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Awe! Great to hear Rachel! Glad you made them again this year!
Amanda says
SO good, whole family loved them!
danikavanderpyl says
Amazing! Love hearing this!!