Instead of sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving, try these vegan Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bars! Not only are they a conversation starter, but they're also dairy free, gluten free and delicious.
![Stack of purple sweet potato cheesecake bars with chocolate ganache on white background](https://www.crowdedkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/purple-sweet-potato-bars.jpg)
The crust is super simple but doesn't lack any buttery pastry flavor. The ingredients are crushed cinnamon cookies, pecans, cashew butter, maple syrup, a bit of vanilla & sea salt (good enough to eat on its own!).
The vegan filling for these cheesecake bars is pretty traditional. We added beautiful mashed, steamed purple sweet potatoes to a base of soaked cashews.
The result is a soft and velvety cheesecake so good you won't miss the dairy. To top these off, we couldn't help but add a layer of chocolate ganache.
These cheesecake bars are a perfect make-ahead dessert. They will last up to a week in an airtight container in the freezer. It's best to slice them before storing, as they can be tough to get through with a knife when frozen.
We also recommend storing them with a piece of parchment paper between each bar to prevent sticking. Remove them from your freezer about one hour before serving so they have time to thaw.
If you're on a shorter time frame, the fridge also works for storing! Simply keep the bars in the refrigerator for a few hours, or up to a day, and remove right before serving.
Print📖 Recipe
Purple Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bars
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9-12 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Purple sweet potatoes give this delicious vegan dessert its vibrant hue and you certainly can't go wrong with a layer of chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup crushed cinnamon cookies (the crunchier, the better! We used these)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup creamy cashew butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla
- Pinch sea salt
Filling:
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in room temp water for 1-2 hours
- 1 ½ cups steamed, mashed purple sweet potatoes (about 2 small potatoes)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp orange zest
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp full fat coconut milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 7 tbsp melted coconut oil
Chocolate ganache:
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Crust:
- In a food processor, pulse cookies into crumbs. Measure out one cup (save the rest in a sealed bag!).
- Add all crust ingredients to food processor and pulse to combine.
- When you can pinch the mixture between two fingers without it crumbling, it's done.
- Press into parchment paper lined 8x8 pan. Put in freezer to harden while making filling.
Filling:
- Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Dice roughly and steam until fork tender.
- Let cool completely, then mash the potatoes.
- Add all ingredients except coconut oil to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Slowly stream in coconut oil and blend.
- Pour over top of crust and smooth out with a spatula. Freeze for 2-4 hours or until mostly hardened.
Chocolate ganache:
- Melt coconut oil.
- Whisk remaining ingredients into coconut oil until smooth. Pour over top of the frozen cheesecake and smooth with spatula. Freeze at least one hour, or until solid.
- Let soften in room temp for 10-15 minutes before slicing. If you're not serving immediately, store in refrigerator or freezer so they do not melt.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bar
- Calories: 616
- Sugar: 29.7 g
- Sodium: 424.4 mg
- Fat: 44.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 23 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.6 g
- Fiber: 4.5 g
- Protein: 6.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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