Cheesecake in a Jar

🍰 Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy to make: You'll need a few hours to soak the cashews and a few more to let the cheesecakes set in the refrigerator, but other than that, this recipes comes together with very little hands on work!
• Perfect single serving dessert: Cheesecake in a jar is perfect for a dinner party, holiday or any other celebration where you want a make ahead dessert in single serving size. Plus, the jars are so pretty – such a great way to make dessert extra appealing!
• Customizable: The base recipe for this cheesecake in a jar is a simple vanilla flavor, but you can easily add in a variety of other ingredients or toppings to change up the flavor.
• Vegan and gluten free friendly: This recipe is 100% vegan and can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free graham crackers in the crust. Even though it doesn't contain any dairy, it's still tangy, creamy, and absolutely delicious!

🥄 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this vegan cheesecake in a jar:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Cashews: Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews, not roasted. Don't skip the soaking – this allows the cashews to soften up so they can blend into a perfectly creamy, rich filling. If they don't soak for long enough, the texture will be grainy.
• Cream cheese: you can use any store-bought cream cheese you'd like here. We've tried this recipe both with a more standard vegan cream cheese like this one, as well as a non-traditional version made with sunflower seeds. It worked wonderfully both times and added such a delicious tangy flavor!
• Yogurt: We love the extra tangy flavor that yogurt adds to this cheesecake in a jar recipe. We used plain nondairy yogurt (made from cashews), but any variety will do!
• Agave syrup: You can also use maple syrup or another liquid sweetener.
• Graham crackers: If you need to keep this recipe gluten free, use your favorite GF variety. Otherwise, any brand will do. You can also sub in another cookie of choice, like sandwich cookies (oreos), vanilla wafers, or anything with a similar texture. The crust isn't baked, so as long as it sticks together, you can customize it however you'd like.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2-3 hours to soften, then drain and rinse.

(1) Add soaked cashews to a high speed blender with cream cheese, yogurt, agave, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy. 

(2) Use graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until they become small crumbs. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter until evenly incorporated.

(3) Divide the mixture evenly between 6 small jars or ramekins.

(4) Divide cheesecake filling evenly between all 6 jars and pour on top of crust.

(5) Transfer to refrigerator and chill for 4 hours. If you need them to set more quickly, place in the freezer for 1 hour, and then move to the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Serve with whipped cream, more graham cracker crumbs and fresh berries.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Best jars: We like to use small glass mason jars, usually within the 4oz range. We've found that's the perfect size – too much bigger and the ratio of filling to crust is off. You can also use ramekins.
• Variations: There are so many ways you can easily change up the flavor profile of your cheesecake. A few of our favorites:
  • Use vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans to amp up the flavor.
  • Blend in a cup or so of frozen fruit, like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc.
  • Add in cocoa powder for chocolate cheesecake in a jar.
  • Add in peanut butter, salted caramel, nutella, etc.
  • Add in cinnamon and maple syrup instead of agave and top with apple compote for apple pie cheesecakes.
  • Top with chopped nuts, crushed cookies, peanut butter cups, fudge sauce, or anything else your heart desires!
• Toppings: we love these topped with fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries), but you can really top with just about any fruit you'd like. For a sweeter route, you could also top with vegan caramel sauce, peanut butter and chocolate, a compote, or simple whipped cream!
• Storage: cover and store the jars in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
• Freezer storage: you can cover and store these cheesecakes in a jar for up to 3-6 months (as long as they are well sealed)! Thaw overnight in refrigerator before serving.

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