How to make Mini No-Bake Penguin Cheesecakes made to look like adorable snowy penguins! With an Oreo cookie base, white chocolate cheesecake filling, topped with a swirl of dairy-free whipped cream decorated with chocolate coated Oreo cookies and a candy scarf, they’re Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy, easily made gluten-free and the perfect festive Cheesecakes that the whole family will enjoy!
Mini No-Bake Penguin Cheesecakes
My Mini penguin cheesecakes are such a fun and creative dessert for the holidays. Last year I made Mini No-Bake Polar Bear Cheesecakes which went super viral (over 30 million views across social media), as well as my recent viral Mini No-Bake Gingerbread Man Cheesecakes, I wanted to add another fun yet adorable cheesecake to my list! These bite-size cheesecakes have a deliciously buttery and crumbly base, made with Oreo cookies, with a thick and creamy white chocolate cheesecake filling. They BURST with creamy chocolate, flavour and texture! The creaminess of the cream cheese filling is rich and soft, and the white chocolate adds a creamy sweetness which combined is truly scrumptious! And then they’re topped with a swirl of ultra smooth whipped cream and decorated Oreo cookies to look like little arctic penguins, they’re SO CUTE! Can it get any better than this?
Looking for more Christmas recipes? Check out my:
- Mini No-Bake Gingerbread Cheesecakes
- Vegan Gingerbread Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Viral Vegan Gingerbread Tiramisu Brownies
- No-Bake Vegan Snowman Truffles
- Easy Vegan Mince Pie Cookies
- Gluten-free Vegan Mini Yule Logs
- The BEST Gluten-free Vegan Yule Log
- Best Ever Vegan Christmas Pudding
- Vegan Mini Santa Hat Brownie Cups
Why you’ll love these cheesecakes
- 100% vegan – Ultra rich, creamy cheesecake made with dairy-free ingredients, such as vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese.
- Oreo cookie base – Rich, chocolatey, crunchy, and delicious!
- Vegan white chocolate cheesecake filling – smooth, indulgent, and melt-in-your-mouth!
- Mini size – perfectly portioned!
- Snowy penguin design – Cute, adorable, hand-decorated, and totally Instagram-worthy.
- Fun to make – Great fun for kids and the whole family to get involved in making and decorating.
- Perfect for winter & holidays – Festive, cozy, and fun, perfect for Christmas!
- Crowd-pleasing – Loved by vegans and non-vegans alike!!
- Too cute to resist – A dessert that brings smiles before the first bite, they’re SO CUTE!
Mini no-bake penguin cheesecakes FAQ
- What biscuits should I use in the base? I use regular Oreo cookies (accidentally vegan). Alternatively you could use plain cookies / graham crackers, or any dairy-free biscuit / cookie. You can also use gluten-free cookies to make this recipe gluten-free!
- Can I make this recipe gluten-free? To make this recipe gluten-free, swap out the wheat based Oreo cookies for a gluten-free option. Simply use the gluten-free Oroe cookie version, or a vegsan + gluten-free Oreo alternative such as Love More Choc O’s.
- What cream cheese should I use for the filling? Either Violife cream cheese or a free from cream cheese will work fine, as long as they’re the full-fat version. A high enough fat content will ensure the cheesecake sets in the fridge.
- Whats the best tin to use? Individual cheesecakes are great because they’re super easy to make, easy to serve and they look good on a plate. There’s also many ways of making them including setting them in glasses, making them in cupcake cases or loose base cookie cup tins which is my go-to. I am ALWAYS asked what tin I use to make my mini cheesecakes and it’s a mini 6 pan, loose base cookie cup tin. You want the tins to be deep so you get a tall cheesecake. To ensure the cheesecakes come out of the tin with ease, you can lightly grease them with some dairy-free butter before adding in the layers. If you have a loose base tin, this may not be needed but it is a good optional step. Linked the tin you’ll need here.
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Any questions regarding the recipe, ask in the comments below. Happy baking all!
Mini No-Bake Penguin Cheesecakes
- Total Time: Overnight
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make the cutest Holiday cheesecakes – Mini oreo and white chocolate cheesecakes decorated as penguins for Christmas. No-bake, vegan, easy to make and easily made gluten-free!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the base
- 100g of Oreo cookies (see notes for alternatives)
- 50g of dairy-free butter / margarine
Ingredients for the filling
- 125g of cashew nuts (soaked and drained, see step 1)
- 280g of vegan cream cheese ( I use Violife)
- 75g of icing / powdered sugar
- 50g of coconut cream (thick white cream from a can of coconut milk)
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste / extract
- 100g of dairy-free white chocolate (melted)
Ingredients for the decorations
- 220ml of dairy-free whipping cream
- 1 pack of oreos (for the crumbs, penguin faces and ‘wings’)
- 100g of dairy-free white chocolate
- Black food gel
- Orange food gel
- Strawberry candy fizzy laces (for the scarf)
- Icing sugar (dusting – optional)
Instructions
Method (base)
- Add the dairy-free butter / margarine into a small saucepan, place on the hob and heat over low until fully melted. Remove from the heat and add into a medium sized, heat-proof mixing bowl.
- Add the oreos into a blender / food processor and blend until fine. Pour the oreo crumbs into the melted butter and stir together using a wooden spoon or spatula. It should resemble wet sand, and when you press it between your fingers, should hold its shape. Press approximately 1 & 1/2 tablespoon of mixture into each loose base cookie cup tin, making sure to compact it in using clean hands. The more compact it is, the less likely it will crumble.
- Place into the freezer whilst you make the filling.
Method (cheesecake)
- The cashew nuts will need to be soaked overnight in water. See notes (at the bottom of the recipe card) for more details.
- Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the dairy-free cream cheese, icing sugar, coconut cream, vanilla and melted white chocolate. Whizz up on high speed for around 5 minutes until smooth. Add some more coconut cream if needed. I use a ‘Kitchenaid Powerplus blender’. It’s best to use a high-speed blender if possible as the mixture is quite thick, and you want it as smooth as possible. You might need to stop the mixture a few times and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated and smooth.
- Equally pour the mixture into each tin, making sure to tap the cheesecakes onto the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Place into the fridge overnight to set.
- Once set, remove from the fridge, and push out the cheesecake (as the base is loose bottomed). To make it easier, place the tin into the freezer for 15 minutes to help firm up the cheesecakes, then slide a knife around the edges of the cheesecakes to help loosen them from the tin. Making the cheesecakes firmer will help push them out the tin and won’t damage them.
Decorations
- Add some oreos (approximately 6) into a blender and blitz until fine crumbs. Pour onto a plate. Roll the sides of the cheesecakes in the oreo crumbs to coat (only do this when the cheesecakes are firm / right out the fridge as when they’re soft, it’ll be very hard to roll).
- In a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment or hand whisk, whip up the dairy-free cream until thick and holds a peak. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a round tip nozzle.
- Pipe a swirl of cream on top of each cheesecake.
- Make the penguin faces: Melt some dairy-free white chocolate over a bain-marie and pour into a shallow bowl. Dunk 2 sides of the oreo in the melted white chocolate (refer to video for example). With left over chocolate, separate into two bowls, colour with black and orange food gel, then transfer into separate piping bags. Pipe on two small dots of black buttercream (for the eyes), and a small triangular orange nose.
- Place the penguin faces on top of the cream. Break some Oreos in half and added them on the sides of the cupcakes for the ”wings”.
- Use a candy to wrap around the penguin to represent a scarf (I use a fizzy strawberry lace sweet).
- Use some left over orange chocolate to pipe on two little feet to the base of the cheesecake.
- Serve with a light dusting of icing / powdered sugar.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Keep fresh by storing in a air tight / sealed container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature fully before serving. Best enjoyed within 1-3 days of making.
Soak the cashews before use – Allow the cashews to soak in a bowl of water for a few hours before using. You could even soak them overnight. This will allow them to blend creamy without bits in the batter.
What whipping cream do you use? I use The Coconut Collaborative Double Cream as it’s thick and pipes study on top of the cheesecakes. Another go-to is Flora Plant Cream.
Food gels- Make sure to use food gels as opposed to liquid food colours as this will seize your chocolate!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cheesecakes
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Can I use non-vegan ingredients? Will it turn out the same, basically?!
Author
Hello,
As i am vegan and have only baked and recipe tested using vegan ingredinets, i wouldnt be able to tell you if it would work or not. Also, i would never want to promote the use of animal ingredients xx
Is there anything I can substitute for cashews (nut allergy)?
A truly unique formula, I think I’ll know what you’re doing.
Geometry Dash
Oh my goodness, these Mini No-Bake Penguin Cheesecakes are absolutely adorable! 🐧 I love how creative and fun the presentation is. What inspired you to combine a no-bake cheesecake with such a playful theme? Do you have any tips for making them perfectly smooth?