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Home » Recipes » Desserts » Mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake

Mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake

By Cristina Curp September 15, 2016 (Updated August 12, 2021) 7 Comments

Servings12 cheesecakes
Prep Time25 mins
Jump to Recipe
5 from 1 vote

This no-bake mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe makes mini, delicious treats that are made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!

Jump to Recipe
These no-bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecakes are mini, delicious and made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!

Note from Taesha: As all you mamas and papas know, life moves pretty quickly…especially when you are watching your children grow. Too fast. Absolutely too fast, so sometimes you have stop the world and soak in those precious and important moments. While I am off to Disneyland, celebrating my daughter’s birthday with my little family, my fellow healthy-living mama, Cristina from The Castaway Kitchen, generously offered to share this wonderfully festive fall recipe with the TNN community.  Thank you so much, Cristina!

Welcome Cristina!

As my son gets older (and pickier) I find myself at a loss of what to make for him. Although he won’t always partake of my paleo diet, he loves protein and he loves fruit. So I roll with it. 

But then of course, there’s all the junk. The chips, crackers, cakes etc which he wants to eat because he sees other kids eat. But no. I’m sorry. Ok, no, I’m actually not sorry. I am THAT mom. I don’t want him thinking that Doritos are real food. When he can make choices for himself, he can have {insert frankenfood here} but he will do so knowing that it’s doing him more harm than good. 

This no-bake mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe makes mini, delicious treats that are made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!

On my watch, I will create, even with his limited, tyrannical, three year old preferences,  healthful, delicious and nutrient dense foods which he can enjoy. These fall treats are a perfect example of that. How great is it that you don’t really have to worry if they eat it too late (no sugar high here), or if they forego dinner because they want a treat. 

Packed with pumpkin or butternut squash, cashews and grass fed beef gelatin… yeah, go ahead. Have another baby, you enjoy that treat.

These are super cute and the creamy cashew based “cheesecake” part is delicious and light. The dark chocolate pecan “crust” adds the right amount of crunch to these two-bite cakes and you can feel good about enjoying them, after all, they’re made with whole food ingredients! 

This no-bake mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe makes mini, delicious treats that are made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!

Tips for making No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecakes

  • These are great make ahead, as they last in the fridge three or four days, and freeze really well!
  • Keep them in their muffin liners until ready to serve. 

Other Paleo fall recipes you are going to love

  • Don’t Tell Them It’s Paleo, Apple Pie
  • Healthiest, Super Delicious Paleo Pumpkin Pie
  • Apple Cinnamon Almond Butter Muffins
  • Easy Peasy Veggie-Loaded Applesauce
  • Pumpkin Breakfast Soufflé
These no-bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecakes are mini, delicious and made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake

This no-bake mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe makes mini, delicious treats that are made from real food ingredients! Full of healthy fat, protein and pumpkin, these mini cheesecakes are dairy-free and perfect for a fall treat!
Prep Time25 mins
chill time30 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: no-bake cheesecake, paleo cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, raw cheesecake
Servings: 12 cheesecakes
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Cristina Curp

Ingredients 

Ingredients For Pumpkin Filling

  • 8 oz raw cashews
  • 2 cups diced pumpkin (or butternut squash)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • a pinch sea salt
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • 2 tsp grass fed beef gelatin (I use Great Lakes)
  • 1/4 cup hot water (from when you boiled squash/pumpkin)

Ingredients for the crust

  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
  • 1 tbsp  coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions 

Directions for Pumpkin Filling:

  • Set your cashews to soak ahead of time, about three hours (or overnight).
  • Bring a small pot of water to boil and add in diced squash or pumpkin. Boil until pumpkin or squash is fork tender (about 20 minute).
  • While the pumpkin/squash cooks, measure out the spices, lemon juice, vanilla and maple syrup and combine in a blender
  • Drain your cashews and add in 1 1/2 cups soaked cashews to the blender. 
  • Blend mixture on high, using prod to keep the mixture moving.
  • When your pumpkin or squash is cooked, drain. Save cooking water to be added later. 
  • Add 2 cups pumpkin/squash to the blender (careful it will be hot!).
  • Next, add 1/4 cup of the hot water you cooked the pumpkin/squash in to the blender. Also, add in the beef gelatin at this time.
  • Blend again on high again. Keep the mixture moving until it’s completely smooth. 
  • It will be a light orange color, thick and creamy. This will be your pumpkin cheesecake mix. If you want the pumpkin cheesecake filling to be sweeter, add another tbsp of maple syrup and blend again. If you want it tangier, you can add a little lemon rind and blend again. Now is the time to adjust to your preferred flavor. Mixture may seem runny. Don’t worry the gelatin will solidify the filling as it cools.
  • Line your muffin pan with 12 aluminum or silicon muffin liners.
  • Distribute the pumpkin cheesecake mixture evenly between the twelve muffin cups, about 1/4 cup in each hole.
  • Tap your pan down on the counter so the mixture settles flat in the cups. 
  • Set the muffin pan in the fridge to set for about an hour. After they cheesecakes have set, they should be firm yet creamy to the touch. 

Directions for Crust

  • In a glass measuring cup or other microwave safe, non-reactive cup melt the chocolate chips. You can do this in a double boiler or on low heat in the microwave (about 45 seconds). As the chocolate begins to melt, you should be able to stir it. 
  • Add in the coconut oil to the chocolate and stir to combine.
  • Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the cheesecakes, then spoon one to two teaspoons of melted chocolate over each one, spreading it out gently.
  • Set the muffin pan back in the fridge. It will take about half an hour for the chocolate to set. It will be hard to the touch when ready. 
  • When ready to serve, carefully peel away the liner and flip them over to reveal the creamy pumpkin cheesecake over the hard chocolate shell! 

Notes

These are delicious, healthy and tasty. They will melt in your hand! So keep them cool until you’re ready to enjoy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 264mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1646IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!

This no-bake mini Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe makes mini, delicious treats that are made from real food ingredients!#paleocheesecake #paleopumpkinrecipes #rawcheesecake #healthycheesecake

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Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Desserts, Paleo Tagged With: squash

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    Did you make this recipe? So good, right? It would mean the world to me if you left a comment and star rating so that more people can see how delicious veggie-loading can be. Plus, it helps me to see what recipes you are all loving so I can make more like them.

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    Comments

  1. danielle

    September 15, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    Sounds delicious – what can you use as an alternative to grass fed beef gelatin?

    Reply
    • Cristina Curp

      September 16, 2016 at 12:28 am

      Hey! I answered you question up above, before I saw the reply tab!

      Reply
  2. Shonna

    September 15, 2016 at 7:14 pm

    YUM! Would canned pumpkin be acceptable? Cutting up and then dicing and cooking pumpkin is way beyond my patience level.

    Reply
    • Cristina Curp

      September 16, 2016 at 12:30 am

      Yes, absolutely! I would use 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin… since the diced, two cups boiled would probably be that much when mashed.

      Reply
  3. Cristina Curp

    September 16, 2016 at 12:28 am

    Hi Danielle,
    Cristina from Castaway Kitchen here… You can add two egg yolks to the mix, and make sure the water your adding is near boiling, that way it will cook the yolks! Cashews set up pretty good so that should work! They might be even creamier. Or you can omit it all together and make these FROZEN cheesecake bites 🙂

    Reply
  4. Sunday baker

    October 27, 2016 at 10:25 pm

    Any chance a hand blender could be sufficient enough to make these? drooling

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      November 4, 2016 at 2:53 am

      Hmmmm sadly I think not. Sorry!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Taesha! I help busy people fall in love with healthy eating with my simple, family-friendly, veggie-loaded recipes. I believe vegetables can and SHOULD be delicious. Here, let me show you how!

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