Easy to make and delicious mini pumpkin cheesecakes, perfect for fall parties or cozy baking at home. With a crunchy gluten-free cereal crust, rich and creamy dairy-free pumpkin filling, and sweet caramel drizzle!

Baked Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes (dairy-free)

How To Bake the Perfect Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

This recipe is honesty so simple, there are distinct parts: the crumb crust, the pumpkin cheesecake filling, and the caramel drizzle. Let’s go layer by layer…

Gluten-Free Cereal Crumb Crust

If you’ve made any of my tarts or no-bake cheesecakes before, you may know I am a big fan of cereal or granola to create a gluten-free crumbly buttery crunchy crust reminiscent of a cookie-based crust. In this case I used a toasted rice cereal, but honestly any crunchy cereal or plain granola will work. Since the cereal is unsweetened, unlike cookies, we do need to add some maple syrup to sweeten things up. Any liquid sweetener will work, but I love the flavor of maple in this fall themed recipe. And the SunButter helps the crust hold together, brown when baked, and have that buttery texture. And a pinch of salt compliments the sweet filling to come.

A food processor works best for this step, but if you only have a blender I recommend grinding the cereal in the blender and doing the rest of the mixing by hand in a bowl. The other very important step is pressing the crumb crust into each muffin cup VERY firmly so the crusts won’t crumble too much. I like to use the bottom of a glass or jar to apply even firm pressure, a piece of wax paper underneath can help prevent sticking. And then pre-baking the crust just briefly ensures it stays crunchy instead of getting soggy from the filling seeping in.

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Filling

The sweet, spiced, tangy, creamy, yummy highlight of this sweet fall treat! To make this no-bowl-just-a-blender filling you will need:

Dairy-free cream cheese. I really love a cashew based variety, but any will work. Make sure you let it soften to room temperature before blending. And if you prefer a recipe without any sort of store-bought ingredient like this, let me direct you towards this recipe instead.
Pumpkin puree. The key ingredient and classic fall flavor.
Non-dairy milk. I used coconut milk, but any variety will work.
Natural SunButter. We are infusing SunButter in every delicious layer of this recipe! I chose the Natural variety, but any of their creamy varieties will work. Unlike a lot of vegan baked pie or cheesecake recipes, the tops of these mini cheesecakes don’t crack at all. That is in part because of the extra creaminess and richness the SunButter adds, you won’t even know there are no dairy or eggs involved.
Coconut sugar. Or brown sugar or even cane sugar will work, but I love the deep flavor of coconut. I have not tested this filling with a liquid sweetener, but you could try it.
Tapioca starch. This also helps make up for the lack of eggs, and help the cheesecake filling set properly when chilled. Corn starch or arrowroot starch will work too.
Pumpkin pie spice. It’s a must in any fall pumpkin dessert.
Lemon juice. Just to add a little extra cheesecake tang since most dairy-free cream cheeses don’t have as much punch as the traditional varieties. You can skip it if you prefer.
Vanilla extract. More sweetness and flavor balance.

Throw it all in a blender and blend until creamy, it’s as simple as that! The filling will be quite thick, so you can spoon or pour on top of the crusts. It will rise up somewhat and form a dome while it bakes, so don’t overfill them or you might get overflow. Between 3/4 and the tippy top is perfect.

SunButter Caramel Sauce

The sweetest, the easiest, the best drizzle-able topping, and it compliments all these fall flavors SO well. All you need is SunButter, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla. No heat or boiling or candy thermometers required, just whisk it up and be amazed at how creamy dreamy it becomes. If you want to thin it out, microwave for 15 seconds. If you want to thicken it, refrigerate for 10 minutes. It’s the most versatile topping, and truly all you need to finish off this recipe. But a dollop of coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped pecans doesn’t hurt either.

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