Vegan Snickers Cheesecake

By now, you must know of my fondness for Snickers bars.

It doesn’t get much better than a candy bar coated in peanuts and caramel and dunked in chocolate. I mean, wow. Unless, that is, you turn it into an Ice Cream Snickers Bar. Like, whoa.

As you might’ve guessed, it was only a matter of time before I smooshed together my love for Snickers and cheesecake.

The results? Totally drool-worthy, and it all happens with just 10 simple ingredients.

This cheesecake begins with my go-to date-walnut crust. Dates, walnuts, and sea salt whirled together to create a tender, naturally sweetened base for our cheesecake.

While the crust sets in the freezer, it’s time to move on to the 1-ingredient date caramel. ONE INGREDIENT, people. It’s magic.

Simply add dates into a food processor and thin with a little hot water. Voila – we have a caramel ribbon ready to swirl through our cheesecake.

Next comes roasted salted peanuts for that salty-sweet flavor contrast and added crunch. Swoon.

The hard part is waiting for it all to set in the freezer for about 4-6 hours. But it’s so worth the wait.

Patience, my friend.

I think you guys are going to LOVE this cheesecake! It’s:

Rich
Salty-sweet
Creamy in the center
Crunchy on top
Chocolaty
Caramel-y
Peanut-y
& Delicious

This would make the perfect dessert for a weekend treat or to celebrate special occasions (you know, like Tuesday). It’s naturally sweetened, insanely rich, and truly reminiscent of a Snickers bar.

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you came up with. Cheers, friends!

Vegan Snickers Cheesecake

Rich, 10-ingredient vegan cheesecake infused with the flavors of a Snickers bar: caramel, peanuts, and chocolate.

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

4.86 from 41 votes

Prep Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours

Servings 12 (bars)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan

Freezer Friendly 3 Weeks

Does it keep? Store in freezer.

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

CRUST

• 1 cup packed pitted dates
• 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

FILLING

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (or sub another dairy-free milk, such as almond or rice)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp grape seed or olive oil (or use coconut, but it will impart more coconut flavor)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 small lemon yields ~2 Tbsp // plus more to taste)

TOPPINGS

• 3/4 cup packed pitted dates (plus water to blend)
• 3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts (I like the roasted lightly salted peanuts from Trader Joe’s)
• 3/4 cup chopped vegan dark chocolate (I like the 72% dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)

Instructions

• Add cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Let set, uncovered, for 1 hour. Then drain thoroughly. Also line an 8×8-inch baking dish* with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the meantime, make crust by adding dates to a food processor. Blend/mix until small bits remain or it forms into a ball. Remove and set aside.
• Add walnuts and sea salt to the food processor and process into a meal. Then add dates back in and blend until a loose dough forms – it should stick together when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. If it’s too dry, add a few more dates through the spout while processing. If too wet, add more walnuts.
• Press the crust into the parchment-lined dish (see photo), until uniformly flat. I like to lay parchment paper on top and then press down with something flat – like a liquid measuring cup – and press down so it’s firmly packed. Set crust in freezer to set.
• Next make date caramel by adding 3/4 cup dates (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) to the food processor. Blend until a paste forms, then add hot water a little at a time until it forms a nice caramel-like paste that’s spreadable. Try not to add more than 3-4 Tbsp (45-60 ml // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), which will depend on the freshness of your dates. Set aside.
• Add your drained, soaked cashews to a high speed blender, along with vanilla (optional), maple syrup, coconut milk, sea salt, oil, and lemon juice. Blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lemon for brightness, salt for flavor balance, or maple syrup for sweetness.
• Pour filling over the crust and tap on the counter to release any air bubbles. Then add half of the date caramel in small spoonfuls and swirl with a toothpick or chopstick (see photo).
• Sprinkle the peanuts on top and tap once again so they gently sink in. Cover lightly with plastic wrap, and then seal the top with foil. Freeze for 4-6 hours, or until completely set and firm.
• When ready to serve, set out cheesecake (to thaw briefly) and top with remaining date paste and a few more roasted peanuts (optional).
• In the meantime, prepare chocolate sauce. Add chocolate and coconut oil (optional) to a ceramic bowl and set over a small saucepan with 1 inch simmering water (over medium heat). Stir occasionally over the simmering water until melted (alternatively, melt in the microwave in 30 second increments).
• Drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake, slice into 9 to 12 bars (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) and serve.
• Enjoy immediately. Store leftovers in the freezer up to 3 weeks (best in the first week).

Notes

*If you’d like to turn this cheesecake into a round cheesecake shape, see this post for tips. If you’d like to make mini cheesecakes, use this post for tips. If you’d like to make this into 4 small cheesecakes, see this post for tips.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without additional coconut oil in the chocolate sauce.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 bars Calories: 366 Carbohydrates: 39.8 g Protein: 7.3 g Fat: 22.4 g Saturated Fat: 6.4 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 91 mg Fiber: 4.3 g Sugar: 29.3 g