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Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites {Dairy-Free & Grain-Free}

I call these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites “unbelievable” because once you take a bite, it’s hard to believe these decadent treats are made with no white sugar, no grains, and no dairy – just 100% healthy deliciousness in a pan. Plus, it’s great for the holidays – if you’re baking lots of cookies and have your oven tied up, this recipe is perfect to throw into the mix! No baking involved – it just takes about 15 minutes to assemble and pop into the freezer. 

The filling in these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites is made with healthy pumpkin (of course!) but instead of blending it up with tons of white sugar, I use just 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and a couple tablespoons of maple syrup. Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than white sugar (meaning it doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels), plus it’s completely unrefined, helping to preserve all of its teeming vitamins and minerals.

That’s why whenever I’m baking at home, if any recipe calls for “sugar”, I’ll cut the amount down (sometimes in half) and swap it with coconut sugar (and sometimes maple syrup or dates). Coconut sugar is easy to do, because you can swap it out at a perfect 1:1 ratio with regular sugar, so there is no guess work!

To give these bites that rich “cheesecake” taste without the cream cheese, I add organic cashew butter to the pumpkin mix. And, instead of using flour, I make this incredible crust out of unsweetened coconut, pecans, and dates… mmm mmm! 

To get started, you’ll want to use your food processor to easily blend the ingredients. You could also use a high powered blender if you don’t have a food processor. Add a cup of pumpkin puree, half a cup of cashew butter, a quarter cup of coconut sugar, and two tablespoons of real maple syrup, along with the vanilla and spices to the food processor… 

Blend until all of the pumpkin pie filling ingredients are very smooth. Remove the smooth filling from the food processor, place it in a bowl and set it aside. 

Clean your food processor so that you can use it again to make the pie crust… 

Add a cup each of unsweetened shredded coconut, Medjool dates, and pecans along with a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the food processor. Save a handful of pecans to use as a topping. Blend the ingredients until a dough-like consistency is achieved. It should look like this… 

Take out an 8×8 baking dish and evenly press pie crust mixture into the dish. To make it easier to make pretty squares later, you can line the baking dish with unbleached parchment paper before pressing the crust into the pan. This will allow you to easily take out the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites in one piece in which you can then cut into pieces…

Grab the pumpkin pie filling and scoop it on top of the crust, spreading it around as evenly as you can… Garnish it with those pecans you set aside and place in freezer overnight to serve chilled the next day. 

Try to save some to share!… 

Food Babe's Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling Ingredients:
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup cashew butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger spice
  • ⅛ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pie Crust Ingredients:
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1¼ cups pecans, crushed (extra for topping)
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pits removed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, blend all of the pumpkin pie filling ingredients until smooth.
  2. Remove the smooth filling from the food processor and place in a bowl.
  3. Go back to the food processor and blend all the pie crust ingredients (leave a few extra pecans on the side to use later for topping) until a dough-like consistency is achieved.
  4. Use an 8x8 baking dish and evenly press pie crust mixture into baking dish.
  5. Scoop pumpkin pie filling on top of crust and evenly distribute the filling over the crust.
  6. Top with extra pecans and place in freezer overnight to serve chilled the next day. Enjoy!
Notes
**Choose all organic ingredients if possible**

 

 

If you know anyone who loves to bake during the holidays, please share this recipe with them.

Happy Holidays!

Xo,

Vani

 
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14 responses to “Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites {Dairy-Free & Grain-Free}

  1. Too full of sugars for me & once I lost my sweet tooth this would taste overly sweet. But I’m buying Vani s book. I agree totally with her re additives, chemicals, carcinogenic ingredients in shop bought food. Way to go Vani. You are courageous & changing the health of many.

    1. try it wihout the sugar. I frequently do that and especially when I’ve tamed my sweet tooth the flavors are just as great, esp vanilla or cinnamon….. just a thought

    2. It doesn’t seem that 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar is all that much.
      Divided by 12 servings, it’s hardly anything.
      That comes out to 1 tsp per serving.
      Even this diabetic can handle that.
      As for the maple syrup, that comes out to 1/2 tsp per serving.

  2. Would like to start with raw cashews – about how much would I need to get 1/2 cup of cashew butter?

  3. I am allergic to pecans and walnuts. What do you think would make a good sub? Thank you!

  4. I’d be curious if you could sub out all sugar and just use maple syrup? Also what could you use instead of cashew butter? Would almond butter work too or something nut free?

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