Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cups
These Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cups are so decadent! A crumbly almond flour base, smooth and creamy vanilla flavoured cheesecake filling is all topped with a layer of salted caramel and pecans. They are so easy to make, can be prepared 3 to 4 days in advance and travel well. These cheesecake cups are Paleo, Vegan, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
Pure decadence, that is the only way to describe this recipe.
Each pot is the perfect combination of crumbly base, incredibly smooth and creamy cheesecake filling and a thick salted caramel topping dotted with small pieces of chopped pecans.
Unlike other cheesecake bases I have used in the past, I wanted this one to be more crumbly in texture. I skipped using chopped nuts or dates and instead made it with a simple mixture of almond flour, cinnamon, coconut oil, honey and vanilla. This is a great base to use in pots or jars because it maintains a defined lined when topped with the cheesecake layer but can easily be broken with a spoon into a crumbly texture when eaten.
Next up is the smooth and creamy cheesecake layer which is made with ground cashews and lightly flavoured with vanilla. This cheesecake filling is slightly tart thanks to the addition of lemon juice and only a small amount of honey which is a great contrast to the sweet caramel topping. This is the first time I have made a cashew based cheesecake that doesn’t require freezing and I am really happy with how firm it becomes just by refrigerating it for an hour.
I saved the best for last. The salted caramel with chopped pecans is the final layer of the pot and it’s soooo good.
Truthfully I am not a big fan of caramel on its own, I find it to often be almost sickly sweet. It is amazing what the addition of just a sprinkling of salt does to cut through the sweetness of caramel and completely transform the flavour.
I used small glass espresso cups to hold these vegan caramel cheesecakes, but mason jars or even small glasses would also work, just measure them out first with water to ensure they hold a minimum of ¾ cup. I prefer to use something glass to hold the vegan caramel cheesecake so that you can see each layer of filling.
These would be a great dessert to serve to guests, especially as they can be made up to a few days in advance and require zero prep before serving.
Here are a few more vegan recipes that you might enjoy:
- Easy Skillet Apple Crisp
- Hasselback Baked Apples
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce
- Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
- Luscious Lemon Cream
- Coffee Ice Cream
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cups
Ingredients
Base
- 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp Honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 3/4 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 1 hour and then drained
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
Salted Caramel
- 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp maldon salt (flaked salt)
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped pecans
Instructions
Base
- In a bowl combine all of the ingredients for the base and stir until well combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the four cups and press down with your fingers to ensure its firmly packed in.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a high speed blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients for the cheesecake and blend until completely smooth. Taste the filling and adjust the flavours if you prefer it to be more sweet or tart.
- Pour the filling evenly between the four cups and transfer them to the fridge to help the filling become firm.
Caramel Topping
- In a sauce pan on medium heat melt the honey, coconut cream and coconut oil. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes stirring regularly.
- After 10 minutes add in the vanilla extract, salt and pecans and stir. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Alternatively you can transfer it to the fridge to speed up the cooling.
- Once the caramel is cool, evenly distribute it between the 4 cups. Store the cups in the fridge for a minimum of an hour to allow the caramel to become firm.
Nutrition
Is it raw cashews?
This looks so good! What a great way to prep some treats for the week. Do they freeze well?
This was excellent! After reading the reviews on quantity I did a quad batch and put them it in a casserole dish. Then for topping instead of the caramel (my sons birthday choice) I put 4 cups of frozen blueberries in the microwave for a minute, mushed them with a potato masher added a dash of cinnamon and vanilla and maple syrup!!!! Absolutely amazing!
If you use honey it is not plantbased.can use date «sugar».thanks.we are making it for the holidays.
First of all — these are delicious! I made them to bring to a dinner party, and everyone raved. However, I panicked after reading the comments about the small portion size. Originally I figured on doubling the recipe in order to feed 8, but ended up quadrupling the base, doubling the filling (since I only had 1-1/2 cups of cashews on hand), and tripling the topping. It worked fine — I used 8-oz. clear rock glasses, and they were filled about halfway up. Looked great! I used maple syrup rather than honey and did not add lemon juice. The topping set up fine, and I didn’t find it impossibly sweet or rich — just perfectly yummy.
I was ready to run to the store for ingredients until I saw this – haha!
Haha but its totally worth it!
what is Maldon Salt, and can you substitute with regular sea salt?
Maldon salt is similar to fleur de sel, but any kind of salt would work well in this recipe.
Wow! This recipe is incredible! I used juice glasses because they were clear. In the future I will use smaller ramekins so the crust will be spread out more evenly. I made my own almond flour so the crust was not so finely ground. Every layer tasted amazing on its own. Unfortunately, the caramel never thickened properly so when I spooned it on top it leaked down and made the whole thing ugly. Still tasted amazing though. It’s VERY rich so I understand using tiny glasses, but since I didn’t have that size I had to double the cheesecake portion of the recipe. It’s so rich it took each of us 3 sittings to finish each glass. Thank you for sharing:) I’ll definitely make this again.
So glad that you enjoyed it!! Yes its definitely not a “light” dessert but great to enjoy in small portions.
Hello-Had we not of doubled everything about this recipe we would not of had desert for four! With the recipe doubled and using a two and 3/4 inch wide container for each serving: We had a base of 1/2 inch high. The filling was 3/4″‘ tall and the salted caramel was 1/2 inch tall.- A very rich and small desert with the recipe doubled. Thank you for this recipe but could you be more clear next time about the actual size it will produce instead of implying one ends a container that can hold 3/4 of a cup as the recipe really only would fill expresso cups- We thought you used those for show and assumed we would have more dessert since you also said mason jars could work. I am a very experienced and good cook and am often finding myself frustrated by recipes for SCD because many, especially baked goods, do not turn out well. I realize SCD recipes have been around a long time but even the cookbooks bomb because I am not sure people actually make these items. Your recipes however, generally are trustworthy – Thank you!
Thanks for the message Angie, I will make the instructions more clear regarding the quantity it makes. As the dessert is so rich and filling I find it works best in a small espresso cup, any bigger and I think people would struggle to finish it in one sitting. I really appreciate your kind words! I know how tough it can be to find SCD recipes that turn out well so I am really happy to hear that my recipes are trustworthy!
Hi!
That sounds sooooo delicious. I would love to make them, but I’ve got a problem.
Coming from Germany we don’t measure in cups but millilitres, grams and so on.
Could you tell me how big a “cup” has to be (how much fits in)?
A cup is 240 millilitres 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe!