Healthy Pies and Cakes - Chocolate Covered Katie

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Katie Higgins — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:31:04 +0000

This chocolate chip skillet cookie is the ultimate crowd pleasing dessert, with a delicious soft and gooey texture that everyone will love!

Cast iron skillet cookie pie

If you grew up ordering BJ’s chocolate chip pizookies and Chili’s skillet cookies like I did, you will love today’s recipe.

Or if you’ve never had a pizookie in your life, you will still love today’s recipe.

Basically, if you are a fan of chewy, melty, homemade chocolate chip cookies in the form of a deep dish double chocolate baked skillet cookie pie, this recipe is for you.

Also try these Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Key ingredients

Depending on the brands and options you choose, the dessert can be dairy free, egg free, gluten free, added sugar free, and vegan. A keto version is also in the works.

Chocolate chips – Go with dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or a combination. You can even substitute peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips.

Chickpeas – Yes, chickpeas. Cannellini or great northern white beans work as well. The beans add incredible softness and moisture to the recipe.

Use two standard sized cans (15 ounces each) or an equal amount of cooked beans.

Quick oats – You can choose quick oats, instant oats, or low carb almond flour to thicken the skillet dessert.

If you only have rolled oats on hand, pulse the oatmeal a few times in the food processor before adding the remaining ingredients.

Applesauce – Both applesauce and yogurt (plain or Greek) work equally well. Mashed banana, sweet potato, and canned pumpkin are all great substitutions if you prefer.

Nut butter – Try peanut or almond butter for healthy fats and added protein. Or choose oil (vegetable, avocado, or coconut oil) for a neutral flavor.

Sweetener – I like brown sugar, because it yields the best cookie dough flavor. Packed unrefined coconut sugar, white sugar, or xylitol for a sugar free option all work.

Using pure maple syrup or honey is fine. The texture is just a little more dense and fluffy instead of chewy.

Other ingredients – The simple deep dish cookie cake recipe also calls for baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pure vanilla extract.

Chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe video

Skillet cookie flavor variations

To make a pumpkin pie cinnamon roll flavor, substitute the applesauce for canned pumpkin puree. Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a fourth teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Or make a gooey peanut butter cup skillet cookie by swapping the oil for peanut butter and topping the pie with chopped chocolate peanut butter cups.
One of my favorite variations is a stuffed Nutella cookie. Layer half the dough into the pan after blending, then spread Homemade Nutella on top before covering with the remaining cookie dough.
For salted caramel, use brown butter instead of oil and sprinkle finely chopped caramels on top. After baking, garnish with large flaky sea salt.
If you are a cookies and cream fan, stir in a large handful of crushed Oreo cookies when you stir in the chocolate chips.
Love chocolate chip banana bread? Use mashed banana instead of applesauce.
Finally, make a white chocolate macadamia version by adding white chocolate chips and toasted macadamia nuts.

Mini chocolate chip skillet cookies

A fun and fancy dinner guest friendly variation is to whip up individual single serving chocolate chip cookie pies.

Use small cast iron skillets (here’s a four pack), and cut the baking time to just twenty minutes. Serve each individual pan topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce and whipped cream.

Step by step instructions

This recipe is honestly so quick and easy to prepare!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a cast iron frying pan well.
Drain and rinse the beans, discarding the liquid.
Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a high quality food processor, and blend until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Then spread the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out the top with a spatula. If desired, sprinkle more chips on top.
Bake on the oven’s center rack for thirty five minutes.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. You may either slice and serve on individual plates or top the warm cookie skillet with vanilla or Coconut Ice Cream and enjoy family style, straight from the pan.

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

This chocolate chip skillet cookie recipe is the ultimate crowd pleasing dessert. Each bite is soft, chewy, and so delicious!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword beans, chickpeas, chocolate, chocolate chips, cookie pie, garbanzo beans, party, pie

Cook Time 35

Total Time 35

Servings large skillet

Calories 200kcal

Ingredients

2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas or white beans
1 cup quick oats or almond flour
1/4 cup applesauce or yogurt
3 tbsp oil or nut butter of choice
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup brown sugar or xylitol
1 cup chocolate chips or more as desired

Instructions

Start by draining and rinsing the beans very well. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth. (While a blender can work, the texture of the finished skillet cookie is much better in a food processor.) Stir in chips by hand, then spread the batter into a greased cast iron pan. I like to sprinkle more chocolate chips on top. Bake 35 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, slice and enjoy.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

The recipe was adapted from this famous Deep Dish Cookie Pie.

Nutrition

More Easy Pie Recipes

Chocolate Cheesecake

Vegan Chocolate Pie

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

Deep Dish Brownie Pie

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Pineapple Pie

Strawberry Pie

Chocolate Avocado Pie

Vegan Apple Pie

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

The post Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

Katie Higgins — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 15:41:21 +0000

This no bake Oreo cheesecake recipe combines a chocolate Oreo cookie crust with smooth, creamy filling for the ultimate easy dessert!

The best Oreo cheesecake recipe

Short on time and don’t want to heat up the oven?

You can make this entire cheesecake in under 5 minutes, with no baking required!

It is my go-to dessert whenever I’m invited to an impromptu party or event and need to whip up something fast and simple.

Guests of all ages love the classic cookies and cream cheesecake flavor and cloud-like texture of this creamy no bake Oreo pie.

Still craving Oreos? Try Oreo Cupcakes or Oreo Fluff

Step by step recipe video

Easy no bake Oreo cheesecake ingredients

You need just five to six ingredients to make this foolproof dessert, with no eggs, gelatin, or heavy cream.

Cream cheese – For the best taste and texture, use full fat cream cheese like Philadelphia brand or a dairy free alternative, such as Tofutti.

Yogurt – The recipe works well with Greek yogurt or plant based yogurt. I have not tried substituting cottage cheese or sour cream for the yogurt.

Sugar – Go with granulated sugar or a sugar free alternative to create the fluffiest cheesecake. A pie made with liquid sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup will not be as firm or easy to slice.

Protein powder – I love using unsweetened protein powder to thicken this Oreo cheesecake recipe, because who doesn’t love getting extra protein while eating a decadent dessert? It’s a win win!

An equal amount of cornstarch can be used instead of protein powder if you prefer.

Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract imparts sweet vanilla flavor to the cheese cake, complimenting the rich chocolate and tangy cream cheese.

Oreo cookies – You can buy authentic Oreos or other chocolate sandwich cookies like Newman Os, Whole Foods, Happy Belly, or Trader Joe’s store brand.

For those desiring a keto Oreo cheesecake, I’ve included a flourless chocolate cookie recipe. Catalina Crunch also makes low carb, sugar free chocolate sandwich cookies.

Homemade Oreo cookie crust

Feel free to use any store bought or homemade graham cracker or pastry crust. I like the following chocolate cookie pie crust recipe:

24 Oreos or chocolate sandwich cookies
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil

Add the cookies, filling included, to a food processor or large Ziploc bag. Add softened butter or coconut oil, and process or crush until find crumbles form.

Press the no bake crust firmly into a greased eight or nine inch round springform pan. Then refrigerate until chilled.

Oreo crust is also great on this Vegan Cheesecake

Full recipe instructions

Step one: Start by letting the cream cheese come to room temperature. Prepare your Oreo crust or a crust of choice in a nine inch round springform pan or pie pan.

Step two: Blend the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, protein powder or cornstarch, and vanilla extract in a food processor or with beaters just until smooth.

Step three: Finely chop two Oreo sandwich cookies and stir them in by hand. Spread the filling into the pan, and use a spatula or spoon to smooth out the top.

The trick to keeping your Oreo cheesecake white instead of grey is to only stir two cookies into the filling.

Step four: Refrigerate loosely covered in paper towels for eight hours or overnight, until chilled. The Oreo cheesecake will firm up considerably as it chills.

Step five: Top your finished Oreo dessert with sliced strawberries and fresh mint leaves, or with piped cream cheese frosting and whole chocolate sandwich cookies. Slice and enjoy.

Step six: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or freeze individual slices for up to a month and thaw before serving.

Mini Oreo cheesecake bites

To easily turn the recipe into mini cheesecakes, layer the crust and filling into lined muffin tins.

Or prepare the recipe in an eight inch square baking pan. After firming up in the refrigerator, cut into Oreo cheesecake bars or bites.

One final variation of the recipe is to layer everything into fancy parfait glasses. With this option, there is no need to wait. You can enjoy instant Oreo cheesecake!

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

This easy no bake Oreo cheesecake recipe combines creamy filling and a chocolate Oreo cookie crust for the ultimate dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, oreo, protein, protein powder

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings slices

Calories 240kcal

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
3/4 cups Greek yogurt or dairy free alternative
2/3 cup sugar or granulated erythritol
1/3 cup cornstarch or unsweetened protein powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla yogurt)
2 Oreo cookies or Keto Chocolate Cookies
1 Oreo crust (recipe above) or crust of choice

Instructions

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature while you prepare the crust in a nine inch springform pan or pie pan. Blend all cheesecake ingredients except the Oreo cookies in a food processor or with beaters just until smooth. Finely chop the cookies and stir them in by hand. Then spread the cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Refrigerate, very loosely covered, for eight hours or overnight, until firm. Garnish as desired, and serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days, or slice and freeze for up to a month.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

The recipe was adapted from this Chocolate Cheesecake.

Nutrition

More No Bake Desserts

Chocolate Truffles (3 ingredient recipe)

Cannoli Dip

Peanut Butter Truffles

Chocolate Fudgsicles

Strawberry Pie

Buster Bars (Dairy Queen Copycat)

No Bake Brownie Bites

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

The post No Bake Oreo Cheesecake appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Katie Higgins — Sun, 04 May 2025 16:02:23 +0000

This is the ultimate chocolate cheesecake recipe, with smooth cheesecake filling on top of a homemade chocolate cookie crust!

Best chocolate cheesecake recipe

Imagine combining creamy New York style cheesecake and rich chocolate mousse pie, for one truly epic chocolate dessert.

If you are a chocolate lover, this is the cheesecake for you.

It is one of my personal all time favorite recipes, and guests love it too. The velvety texture and decadent chocolate flavor are completely irresistible.

Each bite will melt in your mouth!

Readers also love this Chocolate Mug Cake

Key ingredients

You need just five ingredients for this easy double chocolate cheesecake recipe.

Cream cheese: For the best texture, choose full fat cream cheese (like the one from Philadelphia brand) or vegan cream cheese. I have not tried low fat or fat free cream cheese and therefore cannot recommend either of those as substitutions.

Yogurt: The recipe works with pretty much any kind of yogurt, including Greek yogurt or vegan coconut yogurt. You can also substitute sour cream or mashed banana.

Cocoa powder: If you can find it, I like to use Dutch cocoa powder in addition to regular unsweetened cocoa powder, for a rich brownie like taste.

Sugar: This can be granulated sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or a liquid sweetener like pure maple syrup or honey. For a sugar free chocolate cheesecake, use xylitol.

Vanilla extract: To achieve the most natural flavor, go with pure vanilla extract as opposed to imitation vanilla flavoring.

Dark chocolate cookie crust

While you can use any graham cracker crust, pastry crust, or gluten free crust, I love the combination of chocolate cheesecake with an Oreo cookie crust.

24 Oreos or chocolate sandwich cookies
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil

Use a food processor or large Ziploc bag to process the cookies, including the filling, with the butter or oil until fine crumbles form. Press the no bake Oreo crust into a round nine inch springform pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until chilled.

Extra cookies left over? Make Oreo Cupcakes

Watch me make the recipe

Step by step recipe video, above.

Tips for different flavors

Turn the kitchen into your own personal Cheesecake Factory by whipping up an endless array of fancy homemade cheesecakes.

Replace one cup of the yogurt with jarred or Homemade Nutella to create a chocolate hazelnut flavor. Or add peanut butter for a Reese’s cheesecake.
Top the finished pie with caramel sauce and chopped pecans for a turtle cheesecake.
For a protein chocolate cheesecake, use Greek yogurt or swap out half the yogurt with silken tofu. Replace half the cocoa powder with chocolate protein powder.
Garnishing with shaved dark, semi sweet, and white chocolate gives you a showstopping triple chocolate cheesecake.
Blend in half a teaspoon of pure peppermint extract and a broken up chocolate bar, and you get mint chocolate chip cheesecake.

Chocolate cheesecake topping ideas

Fresh raspberries

Shredded coconut

Coconut Whipped Cream

Cherries, blueberries, and banana slices

Strawberry jam

Mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Truffles (better than Godiva, in my not-so-humble opinion)

Chocolate frosting

I topped the recipe in the photos with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and basic chocolate ganache (see box directly below).

Want a simple chocolate ganache?
Pour 1/2 cup warm coconut milk or heavy cream over 4 oz finely chopped chocolate. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth.

How to make chocolate cheesecake

Step one: Gather the ingredients, and let the cream cheese come to room temperature so it will be softer and thus easier to blend later.

Step two: Prepare your crust of choice in a round nine inch springform pan, if using a crust. Set it aside while you make the chocolate filling.

Step three: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, fill any baking pan about halfway up with water and place this pan on the oven’s lower rack.

Step four: Add all chocolate cheesecake ingredients to a blender or food processor. Beat until smooth, but do not over-whip, which could cause cracking later.

Step five: Spread the chocolate filling into the prepared springform pan. Place the unbaked cheesecake on the oven’s center rack.

Step six: Bake for thirty minutes. Then turn off the heat without opening the oven door. Let the cake sit in the closed oven for an additional five minutes.

Step seven: Remove from the oven, and let fully cool on the counter before transferring the still-jiggly recipe to the refrigerator. Chill uncovered for at least four hours, during which time the pie will firm up considerably.

The cooling steps are important because they allow the recipe to cool gradually, which protects against cracking.

Storing leftover cheesecake

Once firm, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Or slice and then freeze individual chocolate cheesecake slices in an airtight covered container for up to two months.

Thaw frozen cheesecake fully before serving and enjoying.

*If you prefer a no bake chocolate cheesecake, use this No Bake Cheesecake and replace the cornstarch with a third cup of cocoa powder.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is the ultimate chocolate cheesecake recipe, with smooth cheesecake filling and a chocolate cookie crust!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, chocolate, cream cheese

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings cheesecake

Calories 200kcal

Ingredients

24 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
2 cups yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup Dutch cocoa powder or additional unsweetened
3/4 cup sugar or pure maple syrup or xylitol
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 chocolate cookie crust (recipe above), or optional crust of choice

Instructions

Prepare your chocolate cookie crust, if using, in a 9 inch springform pan. Let cream cheese come to room temperature. To make the chocolate cheesecake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Fill any baking pan about halfway with water, then set this pan aside. Blend all cheesecake ingredients until smooth, but do not overblend. Spread into the crust, or into a parchment-lined springform pan for a crustless pie. Place the water pan on the oven's lower rack and the springform on the center rack. Bake 30 minutes, then turn off the heat but do not open the oven door. Let the pie sit an additional 5 minutes before removing and allowing to fully cool on the counter. Transfer uncovered to the refrigerator until chilled. Then slice and enjoy. Store leftover slices in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

The recipe was inspired by my Vegan Cheesecake and this Protein Cheesecake.

Nutrition

10 Fancy Chocolate Desserts to Impress

Chocolate Sorbet

Chocolate Almond Flour Cake

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Peanut Butter Truffles

Keto Brownies

Chocolate Banana Bread

Homemade Chocolate Bars

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The post Chocolate Cheesecake appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Katie Higgins — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:48:36 +0000

With a thick layer of creamy cheesecake covering spicy sweet carrot cake, this carrot cake cheesecake recipe is the ultimate Easter dessert!

Homemade carrot cake cheesecake

If you prefer your carrot cake piled high with rich cream cheese frosting, you will fall in love at first bite with this recipe.

It combines two of my favorite desserts, carrot cake and cheesecake, for one absolutely showstopping culinary finale.

Serve it at your next fancy Spring dinner party or Easter brunch. Guests will still be talking about it months later!

For those of us who love both carrot cake and cheesecake, now there is no need to choose just one. This holiday dessert lets you enjoy both at the same time.

Pro baking tip: Want handheld bars instead of sliced cheesecake? Be sure to make these popular cream cheese frosted Carrot Cake Bars.

Carrot cake cheesecake layer cake ingredients

The carrot cake calls for shredded carrot, applesauce, optional oil, pure vanilla extract, apple cider or white vinegar, ground cinnamon, flour, salt, baking soda, and sweetener.

And you will need cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla, cornstarch or protein powder, and pure maple syrup or sugar for the cheesecake layer.

Use fresh peeled carrots with the stems removed. Yellow, purple, white, and orange carrots all wok equally well.

You may swap the applesauce in the carrot cake layer for an equal amount of yogurt, crushed pineapple, sour cream, or mashed banana if you prefer.

I recommend spelt flour, oat flour, white all purpose flour, or Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour for the best texture. A sugar free and keto version with almond flour is also included below.

Full fat yogurt and cream cheese yield the creamiest results. To create vegan carrot cake cheesecake, simply use your favorite plant based cream cheese and dairy free yogurt. The recipe is already naturally egg free.

Choose a granulated sweetener or sugar for the carrot cake. And go with any all purpose dry or liquid sweetener of choice, including pure maple syrup or honey, for the cheesecake.

Leftover carrots? Try Vegan Carrot Cake or Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Recipe video

Above, watch the step by step carrot cake cheesecake recipe video.

How to make the best carrot cake cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease the bottom and sides of a nine inch springform pan well.

Whisk all carrot cake dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then stir in remaining carrot cake ingredients to form a batter.

Spread the cake batter into the bottom of your springform pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for twenty minutes.

Let the pan cool while you prepare the cheesecake.

In a blender or food processor, beat all cheesecake ingredients just until smooth. For best results, do not overmix.

Smooth the unbaked cheesecake filling over the carrot crust, and place the springform back on the center rack of the still preheated oven.

Fill any baking pan about halfway up with water. Carefully place this pan on the lower rack of the oven.

Bake thirty minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the cake sit in the closed oven for an additional five minutes so it cools very gradually.

Remove from the oven and let sit at least twenty minutes before refrigerating the springform pan uncovered until fully chilled (at least four hours or overnight).

The cheesecake firms up considerably during this time.

Once cooled, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or slice and freeze for up to three months. Thaw before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to prebake the carrot cake?

While many similar recipes skip this step, taking just a few minutes to bake the carrot cake layer ahead of time makes all the difference between a wet and gummy or perfectly moist, fluffy texture.

I’ve tested this particular recipe both ways and can personally attest to the importance of prebaking the bottom cake either the same day or the night before.

Can I skip the water bath?

The reason for a water bath is to increase moisture in the oven and prevent cracks in the finished Easter dessert.

However, you absolutely do not need a water bath.

If your plan is to cover the entire top of the cheesecake with shredded carrots and walnuts or pecans, or if you do not care if the top cracks, you can bake the recipe with no water bath.

How do you decorate the top?

When it comes to cheesecake toppings, you are limited solely by your imagination.

I shredded extra carrots in a food processor and sprinkled them over the finished pie along with diced walnuts.

You can create beautiful baby carrot shapes with orange and green icing. Or cover the cheesecake with shredded coconut, no bake oat streusel, or rainbow birthday sprinkles.

Add fresh berries or sliced bananas and a swirl of cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

Or leave the top plain and let the natural beauty of the recipe shine.

How do I store leftover cheesecake?

It is important to first let the recipe cool on the counter and then sit uncovered in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

These steps prevent excess moisture from getting trapped and weighing down both layers of the baked good, causing soggy results.

Once your carrot cheesecake cools and firms up, store leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to five days.

Frozen cheesecake thaws remarkably well, with minimal loss of creaminess. So it is also fine to slice the chilled dessert and store individual slices in an airtight container for about three months.

Is this recipe healthy?

At under 300 calories per slice and with just eight grams of sugar, the cheesecake is much healthier than anything you can buy at Cheesecake Factory.

It provides protein from the cream cheese and yogurt and fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin K thanks to the superfood vegetable carrots.

However, this is still a dessert and should therefore be consumed in moderation. Cheesecake will never be broccoli, no matter how many nutrients it includes.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

With layers of creamy cheesecake and fluffy carrot cake, this carrot cake cheesecake recipe is the ultimate Easter dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword carrot, carrot cake, cheesecake, yogurt

Cook Time 50

Total Time 50

Servings slices

Calories 280kcal

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Layer

1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup applesauce or crushed pineapple
1/4 cup oil or additional applesauce
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 cups flour (or use this Keto Carrot Cake as the base)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar or xylitol

Cheesecake Layer

24 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
2 cups yogurt
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp cornstarch or 1/4 cup protein powder
2/3 cup sugar or pure maple syrup or xylitol

Instructions

To make the carrot cake cheesecake, first preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a nine inch springform pan well. Whisk all carrot cake dry ingredients, then stir in remaining cake ingredients just until evenly mixed. Spread into the prepared pan, and bake 20 minutes. Let cool while you make the cheesecake. Blend all cheesecake ingredients in a blender or food processor just until smooth. Do not overbeat. Smooth on top of the carrot cake crust and place on the oven's center rack. Fill any pan halfway with water and place it on the lower rack of the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn off the heat and let the recipe sit in the closed oven for five minutes. Remove the still under baked cheesecake and let cool fully. Then refrigerate uncovered for at least four hours or overnight, during which time the texture will firm up considerably. Slice and enjoy.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

Also make these party favorite Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.

Nutrition

Easy Cheesecake Recipes

Protein Cheesecake

Vegan Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Keto Cheesecake

No Bake Cheesecake

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

The post Carrot Cake Cheesecake appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe

Katie Higgins — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:26:18 +0000

This homemade vegan carrot cake recipe is soft, moist, and irresistibly delicious, with thick vegan cream cheese frosting in each bite!

The best vegan carrot cake

If you are looking for a show stopping vegan Easter dessert guaranteed to impress both vegans and omnivores, this is absolutely the recipe you should try.

Dairy free, egg free, and so easy to make, the sweet and flavorful cake comes out perfectly every single time.

Whether you are vegan or not, it may just become your go to carrot cake recipe for years to come!

Also try the popular Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Plant based carrot cake for special occasions

You will want to make the recipe not just for Easter, but for birthday parties, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas too.

Do not be surprised if this cake starts showing up in your dreams.

The classic taste will remind you of a traditional carrot cake you might find at an upscale restaurant or bakery.

And yet it is secretly healthy at the same time, with no dairy and no eggs required.

The vegan carrot cake recipe is also packed with a full cup of shredded carrot, making it ultra moist and soft, without all the extra fat.

If desired, you can add raisins, pineapple, or crushed walnuts to the batter.

Readers also love these Healthy Blueberry Muffins

How to make vegan carrot cake

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line an eight inch round or square pan with parchment paper.

If you are doubling the recipe for a double layer carrot cake, prepare two pans instead of one. A doubled recipe will also fit into one 9×13 pan.

To make the carrot cake from scratch, whisk together the first five ingredients, and let the mixture sit for at least 10 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Stir all remaining ingredients into the liquid to form a cake batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth down with a spatula or spoon.

Bake on the oven center rack for thirty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.

Baking tip: I recommend loosely covering the carrot cake once it is cool and letting it sit overnight on the counter. If you can wait, the recipe tastes sweeter and has a lighter texture the next day.

After a day, refrigerate any leftover cake for three to four days. Or slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw frozen carrot cake before serving.

Looking for a handheld option? Make Carrot Cake Bars

Ingredients

This simple vegan cake recipe calls for just a few basic ingredients.

You will need shredded carrot, applesauce or pineapple, optional oil, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, flour, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda, sugar, and a pinch of salt.

Carrots – Start with fresh peeled carrots, and discard the stems. Feel free to use white, purple, yellow, or orange carrots, or a combination.

Flour – Spelt flour, oat flour, white all purpose flour, and some brands of gluten free flour yield the best results.

I have not experimented with substituting pastry or whole wheat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour. However, the box below includes a keto option if you prefer a low carb and flourless carrot cake.

Applesauce – This ingredient adds moisture and natural sweetness, allowing you cut back on the oil and sugar without sacrificing taste.

If you are out of applesauce or love the combination of pineapple and carrot cake, swap the applesauce for crushed pineapple. Mashed banana is another great substitution if you wish to try a fun flavor variation.

Sugar – Go with regular white sugar or unrefined coconut sugar. Or for an added sugar free vegan carrot cake, use an equal amount of granulated xylitol or erythritol.

Cinnamon – The vegan dessert is perfectly spiced with one and a half teaspoons of ground cinnamon.

Want to turn it into a carrot spice cake? Add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, and powdered ginger for a carrot spice cake.

Carrot cake frosting options

Let’s be real. One of the best parts of carrot cake is the frosting!

My favorite way to serve the dairy free carrot cake is with the homemade vegan cream cheese frosting recipe directly under the photo below.

The plant based dessert is also great topped with homemade or store bought vegan vanilla frosting, Coconut Butter, or Coconut Whipped Cream.

To save time, you do have the option to take a shortcut and use packaged frosting instead of the frosting recipe below.

Surprisingly, both Duncan Hines Creamy Home Style Cream Cheese Frosting and Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Cream Cheese Flavored Frosting are accidentally vegan.

I am not saying these packaged icings are healthy frosting options, but if you are in a hurry, they work in a pinch.

Or go a different route entirely and top each slice with Vegan Lemon Curd.

Vegan cream cheese frosting

8 ounces plant based cream cheese (such as Tofutti brand or Trader Joe’s vegan) or homemade Vegan Cream Cheese
4 ounces plant based butter (such as Melt Organic or Earth Balance)
2 cups powdered sugar or sugar free alternative
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
optional nondairy milk if needed

Beat room temperature cream cheese with the butter in a stand mixer, food processor, with hand beaters, or by hand. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, whipping until smooth.

Add the milk a teaspoon at a time if you desire a thinner icing.

For reference, this recipe yields about two cups of frosting, and I used half a cup of frosting on each of the layers of the egg free carrot cake in the pictures.

Leftover frosting? Make these Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan carrot cake recipe video

Above, watch the step by step video showing how to make the recipe.

Vegan Carrot Cake

This homemade vegan carrot cake recipe is ultra moist and delicious! For a double layer cake or to fill a 9×13 pan, simply double the ingredients.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, carrot cake, carrots, Easter, vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings – 12 slices

Calories 120kcal

Ingredients

1 cup shredded carrot (200g)
1/2 cup applesauce or crushed pineapple
1/4 cup oil or additional applesauce for fat free
2 tsp vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour (Here's a Keto Carrot Cake)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar or packed coconut sugar
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1 handful shredded coconut, crushed walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

*The recipe works with all purpose, spelt, oat, or some brands of gluten free flour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8-inch square or round pan with parchment. (If doubling the recipe, use two 8-inch pans or one 9×13.) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients and let sit at least 10 minutes or refrigerate overnight. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Pour into the pan, and smooth down. Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If you can wait, I like to loosely cover once cool and let it sit overnight, because the cake tastes sweeter and has a lighter texture the next day! Leftovers can then be refrigerated 3-4 days or sliced and frozen.
The vegan cream cheese frosting recipe I used for this cake is written out above. And if you are a visual person, be sure to check out the video above that shows how to make the vegan carrot cake.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

The cake was adapted from my Carrot Cake Banana Bread.

Nutrition

Vegan Easter Recipes

Vegan Lemon Bread

Strawberry Pie

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

Vegan Cheesecake or Keto Cheesecake

Vegan Chocolate Cake

(Or this almond flour Keto Cake)

Coconut Balls

Vegan Coffee Cake

Vegan Sugar Cookies

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

The post Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegan Cheesecake

Katie Higgins — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:09:37 +0000

Both vegans and non vegans love this delicious vegan cheesecake recipe, with just 6 ingredients and no tofu or cashews required!

The best vegan cheesecake

If you are searching for a plant based cheesecake recipe so good it can hold its own against any non vegan cheesecake, this is the one to try.

In the past six years, I’ve brought this cheesecake to dozens of events, and every single time it’s received glowing reviews and multiple requests for the recipe.

In fact, I have yet to serve it at any party where both vegan and non vegan guests have not raved about the cheesy flavor and opulent texture.

This classic vegan cheesecake is so rich and creamy, no one ever believes it isn’t full of heavy cream and dairy!

You may also like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

New York style vegan cheesecake recipe

As a long time vegan and huge cheesecake lover, I’ve tried way more than my fair share of truly bad dairy free cheesecakes.

So I know exactly what comes to mind when people think of vegan cheesecake: spongy or chalky texture, unpleasant artificial aftertaste, disappointingly non cheesy flavor, and a cardboard crust.

Having spent a considerably amount of time growing up in New York City, my standards are exorbitantly high for the perfect baked cheesecake.

Those same high standards were front and center when I set out to make a vegan version that tasted just as good as the original.

When creating the recipe, my goal was to make something that tasted so similar to classic New York cheesecake that, if you did not already know it was egg free and vegan, you would never be able to tell.

I went through a few iterations before arriving at perfection. Then it was time to test it out on a group of non vegans.

A friend’s potluck birthday brunch presented the ideal opportunity. I packaged the cheesecake up and quietly set it down with all of the other desserts, not mentioning to anyone that it was vegan.

My hope was that people would like it, but never in a million years did I expect the entire cheesecake to completely disappear within a half hour!

That’s when I knew for sure, this recipe was definitely a keeper.

Also try these party favorite Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Vegan cheesecake flavors

Use plant based lemon yogurt and add the zest of two lemons for lemon cheesecake.

Carefully stir in twelve crushed chocolate sandwich cookies after blending for OREO cookies and cream cheesecake.

Make a delicious holiday vegan pumpkin cheesecake by replacing half of the yogurt with canned pumpkin puree. Add two teaspoons of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Or substitute one cup of the yogurt for softened cookie butter. Top your cookie butter cheesecake with crushed Speculoos cookies or vegan caramel sauce.

For vegan chocolate cheesecake, increase the sugar to 3/4 cup and add 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. Omit the cornstarch, and bake Vegan Brownies instead of a crust.

And have fun decorating the cake with sliced strawberries, bananas, blueberries, Homemade Cherry Pie Filling, mini chocolate chips or Chocolate Truffles.

More Vegan Cheesecakes

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

No Bake Cheesecake

Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake (plant based)

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Plant based cheesecake ingredients

The recipe gives you multiple options for dairy free cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar. Choose brands and ingredients that fit your own taste and dietary preferences.

Cream cheese – My favorite choices here are Tofutti or Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese. Miyokos (soy free), or Kite Hill (soy and cashew free) also work.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can make homemade Vegan Cream Cheese with cashews or macadamia nuts instead.

Yogurt – Any nondairy yogurt is fine, including almondmilk, coconut milk, or soy yogurt. For extra protein, go with vegan Greek yogurt.

Or change up the flavor by replacing half of the yogurt with mashed banana, softened peanut butter, or pumpkin puree.

If using vanilla yogurt, cut back on the amount of pure vanilla extract in the recipe.

Lemon juice – This simple ingredient imparts a delightfully cheesy tang.

If you do not have any lemons on hand or wish to omit the lemon juice, the finished vegan cheese pie is still quite tasty without lemon.

Cornstarch – Since this recipe naturally contains no eggs, I use cornstarch as both a thickener and binder.

For those who want to make cheesecake without cornstarch, swap it for one fourth cup of almond flour or a half cup of your favorite protein powder.

Sugar – Any all purpose sweetener is fine, including both liquid sweeteners and traditional granulated sugar.

I like to use unrefined coconut sugar or pure maple syrup or agave.

For a low carb vegan cheesecake with no sugar added, choose a sugar free substitute like granulated erythritol or xylitol.

Leftover cream cheese? Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan cheesecake recipe video

Above, watch the step by step video showing how to make the recipe.

Vegan graham cracker crust

I like to make a simple 2 ingredient graham cracker crust for my cheesecakes, because the sweetness of the cookies perfectly balances the tangy cheesecake filling.

(If preferred, you can opt for a traditional pastry crust, a keto crust, or a store bought crust to save time. This cheesecake recipe can also be crustless.)

To make a homemade graham cracker crust, start with three cups vegan graham crackers. Biscoff cookies, OREOs, or gingersnaps all work here too.

Pulse the cookies in a food processor to form fine crumbs. Then stir six tablespoons melted nondairy butter or coconut oil into the crumbles by hand.

Press very firmly into the bottom of a nine inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling. There is no need to prebake the crust.

How to make vegan cheesecake

Start by gathering all of your ingredients and preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fill any baking pan about halfway up with water, and place the pan of water on your oven’s lower rack.

Prepare a vegan crust of choice in a round nine inch springform pan. Set this pan aside.

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature, then beat all cheese cake ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Be sure not to over beat, which could cause air bubbles to form that might later burst and cause cracking.

Smooth the cheesecake filling evenly on top of the crust, and place the springform place on the oven’s middle rack, directly above the rack with the water.

Bake for thirty minutes. It is important to never open the oven door while the cheesecake bakes.

When time is up, keep the oven door closed but turn the heat off. Leave the cake in the closed oven for five additional minutes.

Use pot holders to carefully remove the pan from the oven. The cheesecake should still look underbaked and jiggly.

Let it cool on the counter for about twenty minutes before refrigerating for at least four hours to firm up.

These cooling steps are important because they allow the recipe to cool gradually. Not exposing your cheesecake to harsh temperature changes is another great trick to prevent cheesecake cracking.

The vegan dessert will be considerably firmer in texture after chilling in the refrigerator and should be easy to slice once cold.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Or freeze individual slices in an airtight covered container for up to two months, and thaw frozen cheesecake fully before serving.

Vegan Cheesecake

This is the best vegan cheesecake recipe you will ever find, with a rich, creamy texture and just 6 ingredients!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, vegan

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings – 12 slices

Calories 300kcal

Ingredients

24 oz vegan cream cheese
2 cups plant based yogurt
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tsp cornstarch (or here's a Keto Cheesecake Recipe)
2/3 cup sugar or pure maple syrup, or xylitol for sugar free
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
1 pie crust (store bought or my homemade vegan pie crust recipe above)

Instructions

To make vegan cheesecake, first preheat the oven to 350 F. Fill any baking pan about halfway with water and place it on the oven’s lower rack. Prepare your crust in a 9 inch springform pan, and set aside. Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Beat all cheesecake ingredients in a blender or food processor just until smooth. (For best results, do not overbeat, which can introduce air bubbles that might burst in the oven and cause cracking.) Smooth the filling on top of your prepared crust. Place on the middle rack, above the rack with the water pan. Bake 30 minutes. When the time is up, keep the oven door completely closed but turn off the heat. Leave the pan in the closed oven for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove the still underdone cake and let cool at least 20 minutes on the counter before refrigerating until chilled. It is important to let the vegan cheesecake cool gradually so it does not crack. The cake firms up considerably as it chills and will be ready to slice after a few hours. Or you can make it the day before and let it firm up overnight. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

Want a version with more protein? Whip up this easy Protein Cheesecake.

Nutrition

More popular vegan recipes

Or this vanilla Vegan Cake

Vegan Sugar Cookies

The post Vegan Cheesecake appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegan Pop Tarts

Katie Higgins — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 22:05:34 +0000

These homemade vegan pop tarts are soft, flaky, and so much better than store bought!

The best vegan pop tarts

As a kid growing up, I went through the biggest Pop-Tarts phase.

My favorite flavors were frosted chocolate fudge and brown sugar cinnamon, and I sometimes ate them for both breakfast and after school snack in the same day.

Initially, I thought going vegan meant giving up Pop-Tarts, but thankfully it is surprisingly easy to make your own homemade frosted vegan pop tarts.

These dairy free and egg free toaster pastries are fully plant based, with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors or colors.

You get a healthy breakfast pastry that includes fiber, iron, and over five grams of protein. Plus, each jam filled pop tart contains just eight grams of sugar.

Vegans and non vegans will love the recipe, for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Also try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are Pop-Tarts vegan?

Packaged frosted Pop-Tarts contain gelatin in the icing and are therefore unsuitable for those on a vegan diet.

While all unfrosted varieties and their snickerdoodle flavor appear to be free of butter and other animal products, the Kellanova company (formerly Kellogg) does not confirm whether any of their products are vegan.

All the more reason to make DIY pop tarts at home.

The crust is flakier, the filling is thicker, and the flavor options are endless. You can enjoy them frosted or unfrosted, with as many toppings as you wish.

Vegan pop tart flavors

Try all 15 flavors here, or create a new flavor of your own!

Then top your pastry tarts with mini chocolate chips or homemade Vegan Toffee, rainbow sprinkles, shredded coconut, raw cacao nibs, cereal or granola.

Frosted Strawberry: Follow the recipe below, using strawberry jam. Stir one ripe mashed strawberry or a spoonful of freeze dried strawberry powder into the frosting. If you want that classic pink flavor, add a few drops of natural food coloring.

Peanut Butter and Jelly: Substitute peanut butter for 1/4 cup of the jam, and reduce the cornstarch to just 1 tablespoon.

Pumpkin Pie: Replace the strawberry jam with canned pumpkin pie mix, or pure pumpkin puree and a little cinnamon and sugar. (Do still add the cornstarch.)

Apple Cinnamon: Very finely dice a large apple, mix it with the cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spread on top of half the unbaked rectangles of pastry dough.

Lemon Blueberry: Go with blueberry jam, and stir the zest of one lemon into the filling. If frosting, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and sprinkle additional zest on top.

Cinnamon Roll: Use the brown sugar filling below, and top the finished tarts with your favorite vegan alternative to Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

Cheesecake: Stir 1/3 cup of softened vegan cream cheese with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Tip: Replace just half the jam with cream cheese filling, and it tastes like a vegan cream cheese Danish.

Savory Pop Tarts: No one says you must stick to sweet and sugary fillings. For a savory hand pie, add sautéed vegetables and vegan cheese. Or fill your pop tarts with crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, and spinach.

Chocolate pop tarts

Nutella: Swap the jam filling for a 1/2 cup of Homemade Nutella or any store bought plant based chocolate hazelnut spread. Top with more chocolate spread after baking.

Dark Chocolate: Skip the jelly and add about 2 teaspoons of chilled chocolate fudge sauce or chocolate spread per pop tart instead. Top with chocolate frosting.

S’mores: See the dark chocolate flavor above, and sprinkle on a handful of mini vegan marshmallows along with the chocolate filling.

Chocolate Banana Bread: Use mashed banana in place of the jam in the recipe below. Ice with chocolate frosting or melted chocolate chips.

Cookies and Creme: Fill each pocket tart with vanilla frosting and crushed OREO cookies. Then add more frosting and OREOs to the top before serving.

Chocolate Covered Raspberry: Go with raspberry jam instead of strawberry. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips into the filling, then add chocolate frosting at the end.

Vegan brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts

Brown sugar pop tarts are so good, they deserve their own category.

For the brown sugar filling, combine 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed) with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Whisk in a small bowl, then add hot water 1 teaspoon at a time to create a thick paste.

Use this filling instead of jam, and frost your homemade vegan brown sugar pop tarts with the brown sugar cinnamon icing recipe written out below.

And while you have the brown sugar out, whip up a Vegan Coffee Cake.

Easy vegan pop tarts recipe video

Above – watch the step by step recipe video.

Ingredients

The basic vegan hand pies call for just four ingredients plus water.

And unlike many other vegan pop tart recipes, you will find no phyllo dough or puff pastry here. This one uses real pie crust, because it makes a huge difference in both taste and texture.

Then comes the fun part of adding fillings and icing of choice.

I successfully tested the recipe with white flour and whole grain spelt flour, as well as Bob’s all purpose gluten free flour to create gluten free pop tarts.

If you experiment with oat flour, almond flour, or whole wheat flour, please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to use regular sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or xylitol for sugar free pop tarts. I have not tried pure maple syrup or erythritol so cannot vouch for either of these substitutions.

For best results, I recommend a full fat vegan butter spread, such as Melt Organic or Earth Balance. You may use shortening if you prefer.

Substituting coconut oil for butter yields a more crumbly dough that is difficult to roll out and not nearly as flaky once baked. However, it technically does still work.

Apparently strawberry is the most popular Pop-Tart flavor, so I went with strawberry jelly in the filling recipe. You can really use any flavor of jam.

Frosted vegan pop tarts recipe

Vanilla Frosting

Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or nondairy milk until thick.

To make different colors, add a few drops of natural food coloring or experiment with freeze dried fruit powders.

Chocolate Frosting

Whisk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons hot water or nondairy milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until smooth and thick.

Brown Sugar Frosting

To create your own vegan brown sugar cinnamon frosting, combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.

Stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar or powdered sweetener.

Use any leftover glaze to top Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

How to make dairy free pop tarts at home

Measure out your ingredients, and grease a baking tray or line with parchment paper.

To ensure a delicious flaky crust, start with chilled vegan butter cut into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined.

Using a food processor or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until you get pea sized pieces of dough. Cut in the cold water, then use your hands to smush the dough into one big ball.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer until cold. Technically you can skip this step if you do not mind the crust being less fluffy.

Meanwhile, stir together the jam and cornstarch, if using.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use a rolling pin to very thinly roll out the dough on a nonstick or floured surface. Form a long rectangle, then cut evenly into smaller rectangles with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Gather any scraps of dough, and re-roll. Rolling out all the dough should yield ten to twelve rectangles the size of the ones in the photos.

If you want to make giant pop tarts or mini pop tarts instead, go right ahead.

Arrange the sliced dough shapes on your prepared baking sheet.

Add about two teaspoons of filling to half of the pastry dough rectangles. Carefully place remaining rectangles on top.

Use a fork to cinch the sides. Then poke a few holes in the tops of the tarts so the steam can escape while baking.

Place the tray on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for fifteen minutes or until the crust is lightly golden and the filling is bubbly.

Baking tips and tricks

These cute and delicious vegan pop tarts are great for birthday parties and always sell really fast at bake sales.

If you like to be precise, measure rectangles with a ruler before cutting. However, to keep things super simple I never bother with exact measurements.

Enjoy the homemade pop tarts hot from the oven, at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator or freezer.

Reheat leftover pop tarts in the toaster or microwave, or in a nonstick pan on the stove over low heat. Just one or two minutes in an air fryer also works for reheating.

Due to the lack of preservatives and stabilizers in the vegan frosting, I recommend either frosting the tarts after cooking or warming them up in a toaster oven with a sheet of parchment underneath to catch any melted icing.

Let the filled pastries cool fully before transferring leftovers to a covered container. You may store them on the counter for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Or freeze the pop tarts for three to four months, and thaw before serving.

This recipe was adapted from these Vegan Sugar Cookies.

Vegan Pop Tarts

This homemade vegan pop tarts recipe is soft, flaky, and so much better than store bought!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword vegan

Cook Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings pop tarts

Calories 170kcal

Ingredients

Pie Crust Base

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp sugar or xylitol
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup vegan butter

Jam Filling

1/3 cup strawberry jam or flavor of choice
1 tsp cornstarch
*See 15 different flavor options above

Instructions

To make vegan pop tarts, first grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Chill the vegan butter, then cut into small pieces. Stir the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Use a food processor or pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the dough forms pie shaped pieces. Then cut in the cold water. Smush into one giant ball, and refrigerate or freeze until cold. Stir together the jam and cornstarch, and preheat the oven to 350 F. Thinly roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface. Cut into an even number of rectangles. Gather any leftover scraps of dough to roll out again. Place the rectangles on the baking sheet, then add about two teaspoons of filling to half of the shapes. Place remaining rectangles on top and use a fork to cinch the sides closed. Poke a few holes in the tops. Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Let cool. Vegan frosting recipes are included above.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

You may also like these homemade Vegan Brownies.

Nutrition

More Vegan Copycat Recipes

Vegan Banana Pudding

Strawberry Mousse

Vegan Cranberry Bliss Bars

The post Vegan Pop Tarts appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Katie Higgins — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 23:01:56 +0000

Smooth and ultra creamy, this healthy pumpkin pie recipe does not taste healthy at all!

Homemade healthy pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie is often considered a healthier choice than other popular holiday pies like pecan pie, apple pie, or chocolate cream pie.

However, many pumpkin pie recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and a full cup of refined sugar.

In contrast, this healthier version is naturally sweetened and packed with the same spiced cinnamon pumpkin flavor as the classic holiday dessert.

Serve it for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and leave all of your guests speechless. This may just be the creamiest pumpkin pie you will ever taste.

You may also like this Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie topping ideas

The healthy pumpkin pie is wonderful on its own.

But if you really want to take it to epic heights of deliciousness, top each slice with gooey vegan marshmallow fluff or homemade Coconut Whipped Cream.

Pumpkin pie plus whipped cream equals Thanksgiving in a dessert.

I can also vouch for the healthy pie topped with Coconut Ice Cream.

Healthy pumpkin pie recipe video

Above, watch the full step by step video.

Holiday healthy dessert ingredients

The filling calls for pumpkin, coconut milk, oats or flour, flax, unrefined sugar, spices, salt, and pure vanilla extract.

Pumpkin – Look for pumpkin puree as opposed to canned pumpkin pie mix. The latter already includes added sugar and spices.

Sometimes grocery stores run out of canned pumpkin puree during the holidays. If this happens, buy a sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin and roast it at home.

Coconut milk – For the richest, thickest dairy free pumpkin pie, I recommend full fat canned coconut milk.

Lite coconut milk, skim milk, low calorie almond milk, or oat milk yield a thinner pie that is harder to slice. It still tastes delicious if you go with one of these substitutions.

Oats or flour – Try whole grain spelt flour, white flour, oat flour, all purpose gluten free flour, or almond flour. Coconut flour requires less, so feel free to experiment.

Rolled oats are a fantastic option with fiber, antioxidants, and other health benefits. Quick oats or instant oats can be substituted.

Steel cut oats will not thicken the pie and yield smooth results.

Flax egg – For an egg free vegan healthy pumpkin pie with no cholesterol, use ground flax. Non vegans can add one egg instead.

Spices – Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice give flavor without extra fat and calories. If you cannot find pumpkin spice, replace it with additional cinnamon.

Or make homemade pumpkin pie spice. Combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, and optional 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.

Refined sugar free pumpkin pie

My favorite refined sugar free options are coconut sugar and date sugar.

While they are more highly processed and lack the trace amount of nutrients present in unrefined sugars, traditional brown sugar or white sugar also work.

Use xylitol or a monk fruit erythritol blend for a pie with no sugar added.

I have not yet tried swapping the sugar for pure maple syrup or honey. If you try one of these options before I do, please let other readers and myself know how it goes.

Still craving pumpkin? Make a Pumpkin Spice Latte

Healthy pumpkin pie crust

You may use your own favorite pie crust recipe or a store bought crust.

I like the following homemade whole wheat pastry crust. Unlike many refrigerated or frozen crusts, this one is free of ingredients high in saturated fat like butter, lard, hydrogenated oil, and shortening.

Even though you are making a baked pumpkin pie, I recommend prebaking the crust first. This step ensures the finished crust will taste flaky and buttery, not soggy from the weight and moisture of the pumpkin.

1 1/2 cups all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 to 4 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add oil and stir. Add water as needed until it just sticks together but is not gummy. I normally need about 3 tablespoons. Press evenly into a well greased 9 inch pie pan. Put the crust into the preheated oven and immediately increase the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The bottom of the crust will rise, so either use pie weights during baking or just press the pie crust back down afterwards. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool while you prepare the pumpkin pie filling.

Readers also love this holiday Vegan Pecan Pie

How to make healthy pumpkin pie

Begin by preparing your pie crust of choice. Set this crust aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using rolled oats instead of flour, blend them in a food processor or blender until they reach a fine flour consistency.

Add all remaining filling ingredients, and either blend again or stir very well in a large mixing bowl with a spoon.

Once the filling is thick and completely smooth, carefully pour it into your prepared pumpkin pie crust. If needed, use a spatula to spread it evenly into the crust.

Place the pan on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 27 minutes. The texture should still look quite underdone when time is up.

Remove the pie from the oven and let cool. Once the pan is no longer hot to the touch, refrigerate it uncovered (or very loosely covered with paper towels) at least 5 hours or overnight.

During this cooling stage, the pumpkin pie will thicken considerably and set to an easily sliceable texture.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. While you can technically slice and freeze the pie, its texture will be nowhere near as creamy once thawed.

Serve to family and friends after a healthy holiday feast of stuffed butternut squash or lentil loaf, cranberry sauce, green beans, and Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole.

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

This holiday favorite healthy pumpkin pie recipe is rich, creamy, and naturally sweetened!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy, pie, pumpkin

Prep Time 45

Total Time 45

Servings slices

Calories 130kcal

Ingredients

15 oz pumpkin puree
13.5 oz canned coconut milk
1/4 cup rolled oats or 3 tbsp flour of choice
2 tbsp ground flax or 1 egg (for flax free, try this Vegan Pumpkin Pie)
1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 pie crust (or use the crust recipe included above)

Instructions

Prepare your pie crust in a 9 inch pan, then set it aside. To make the healthy pumpkin pie recipe, preheat the oven to 400 F. If using oats, blend them first into a fine flour consistency, using a blender or food processor. Then stir or blend all pie ingredients together until smooth. Pour the pumpkin filling into the crust. Bake the pie for 27 minutes on the center rack of the oven. Its texture should still look underdone after this time. Let it cool, then refrigerate at least 5 hours uncovered for the pie to thicken and set.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

Also be sure to make this healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread.

Nutrition

More About The Cookbook

More Healthy Holiday Desserts

Healthy Chocolate Cake

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Vegan Cheesecake Recipe

Healthy Apple Pie

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

The post Healthy Pumpkin Pie appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegan Pecan Pie

Katie Higgins — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:17:38 +0000

Make this southern style vegan pecan pie recipe for dessert, with gooey pecan filling and no corn syrup or refined sugar. You’ll never miss the eggs!

The best vegan pecan pie

Some recipes turn out perfectly on the first try.

Then there are other recipes, like my Vegan Brownies or this Thanksgiving classic vegan pecan pie, that need a little bit more work.

When you are making up a recipe completely from scratch, all bets are off the table, and my first healthy pecan pie experiment burned to a crisp.

The second trial was so awful even my dad would not touch it, and he will eat anything.

Happily, this story ends well and the third time was the charm.

This is without a doubt the richest, gooiest, and best plant based pecan pie I have ever tried. I hope your family loves it too!

Trending recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dairy free and healthy pecan pie

Since I already mentioned ingredients the pie does not contain, let’s talk about all of the good things it does include.

Pecans are packed with nutrition and over 19 vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron, and calcium.

They are also high in heart healthy unsaturated fats and fiber.

In place of eggs, I chose to use flax eggs. Superfood flax seeds offer a healthy dose of Omega-3s and have been shown to reduce cholesterol and inflammation.

And I replaced the unhealthy corn syrup of traditional pecan pie with another nutritional powerhouse: blackstrap molasses.

Try topping the pie with Keto Ice Cream or my favorite Coconut Ice Cream.

It is also fantastic liberally topped with Coconut Whipped Cream.

Recipe ingredients

The pie calls for pecans, molasses, liquid sweetener, dairy free butter, ground flax, pure vanilla extract, salt, and optional bourbon.

Pecans – You need a heaping one cup of chopped pecans.

I usually use raw pecans since they are often less expensive. If you prefer, you may use roasted pecans instead.

Or swap out some of the pecans for an equal amount of walnuts or cashews.

Molasses – This ingredient gives the pie its classic thick texture and adds the rich flavors of caramel and gingerbread.

If you can find blackstrap molasses, I highly recommend it because it is a natural sweetener that is actually healthy, with over 20% of the RDA for both calcium and iron in just one tablespoon of molasses!

However, original molasses will also work in the vegan pie recipe.

Liquid sweetener – Since molasses is only slightly sweet, you need a second sweetener to ensure the results are not bitter tasting.

Pure maple syrup is my go to choice here. Agave is another great option.

While honey is often interchangeable in recipes that call for maple syrup, it is not considered a vegan ingredient and therefore should not be used if you will be serving the pie to strict vegan guests.

Vegan butter – You can either buy a plant based butter like Earth Balance or choose a neutral nut butter like almond butter, nut free pumpkin seed butter, or pecan butter.

The butter or nut butter adds richness and depth of flavor to the pecan pie filling.

Margarine or shortening work if they are all you can find. For healthier baking, I try to avoid any margarines with hydrogenated oils.

Chocolate chips – The ingredients note that you can add chocolate chips to the pie if your heart desires, and I like using mini chocolate chips because you get more chocolate in every bite.

However, I actually did not add any chocolate chips to the pie this time, because I already have an actual Healthy Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe on the blog.

Vegan pecan pie recipe video

Above – watch the video of how to make vegan pecan pie.

Plant based pie crust

Feel free to use any nine inch store bought or homemade pie crust recipe you want, especially if you need a gluten free pecan pie crust.

Directly below is my personal favorite vegan pie crust, which I prepared for the base of the pecan pie in the photos.

Easy Vegan Pie Crust

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
1/3 cup cold water, or more as needed

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then stir in all remaining ingredients to form a dough. If the dough is too dry, very slowly add more water or oil. Or if the dough is too sticky, add a tablespoon more flour at a time. Press firmly into a pie pan.

Optionally, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prebake the pie crust for ten minutes. Or if you are in a rush, you can skip this step and simply bake the crust along with the filling.

You may also like this Vegan Cornbread

How to make vegan pecan pie

If using a homemade crust or the recipe below, prepare it ahead of time, and set aside.

Whisk all pecan pie ingredients together except the garnish, and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. This step can be done the night before if you want to let it sit overnight.

As long as your flax is good, the mixture should be noticeably thicker when you remove it from the fridge after sitting.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the filling into either a store bought pie crust or prepared pie crust. Arrange the extra pecans on top as desired.

Place on the oven’s center rack, and bake for thirty five minutes. Without opening the oven door even a crack, let the pie sit in the turned off oven for an additional ten minutes before removing from the oven and letting it cool.

Slice and enjoy.

Once cool, store leftover vegan pecan pie in an airtight container or covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to around five days.

Vegan Pecan Pie

This homemade vegan pecan pie recipe is the perfect vegan dessert for any holiday party.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas, holiday, party, pecans, Thanksgiving

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices

Calories 180kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave
2 tbsp molasses or additional pure maple syrup
3 tbsp almond butter or vegan butter
1/4 cup ground flaxmeal whisked with 1/3 cup water
2 tbsp bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
1 handful whole pecan halves for garnish
1 9 inch pie crust or use the vegan pie crust recipe included above in this post

Instructions

To make vegan pecan pie, first whisk all ingredients except the whole pecan halves, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. During this time, the filling will gel thanks to the flaxmeal. As long as your flax is good, the mixture will be noticeably thicker when time is up. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour filling into your crust. Arrange the halved pecans over top as desired. Bake on the center rack for 35 minutes, then do not open the oven door but let sit in the now-turned-off oven for an additional 10 minutes to slowly cool down.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

Readers also love this Thanksgiving classic Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole.

Nutrition

More Vegan Pie Recipes

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Cheesecake Recipe

The post Vegan Pecan Pie appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Katie Higgins — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 22:05:01 +0000

These vegan chocolate cupcakes are deep, dark, rich, moist, and fudgy, with no dairy and no eggs required for the recipe!

Chocolate cupcakes without eggs

Do you know the simple secret to making cupcakes rise without eggs?

The answer is sitting in your kitchen.

This basic chocolate cupcake recipe combines common kitchen pantry ingredients, vinegar and baking soda, to create a bubble forming acid-base reaction.

The bubbles cause the cupcakes to rise beautifully as they bake in the oven.

Remember that famous volcano experiment from elementary school?

Unlike many other vegan chocolate cupcake recipes, this one does not include tofu, black beans, avocado, or flax eggs.

In fact, it calls for just a few basic ingredients you might already have at home.

This has been my foolproof chocolate cupcake recipe for over three years now, and it is incredibly versatile.

Every time I serve the cupcakes, they are always completely devoured by vegans and meat eaters alike!

Also try these Vegan Brownies

The best vegan chocolate cupcakes

These classic chocolate cupcakes will take you right back to childhood.

Irresistibly light and fluffy, they hold their own against any box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix, with none of the unhealthy corn syrup or artificial ingredients.

And even if you are not a vegan, it is a good idea for everyone to have a go to vegan cupcake recipe. You never know when you will need it!

For example, have you ever been asked to make a last minute dessert for a potluck, party, or school bake sale when you had no eggs on hand?

Or maybe you needed a recipe suitable for a child with dairy allergies or a surprise vegan guest.

Perhaps you just want a basic one bowl cupcake recipe that is super quick, easy to make, and turns out perfectly every single time.

Trending now: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients for the recipe

You need cocoa powder, flour, sugar, water, applesauce, oil, pure vanilla extract, vinegar, salt, baking soda, and optional mini chocolate chips.

Cocoa powder – To achieve the best results (i.e. the richest, most chocolatey cupcakes that taste like they came from a bakery), use both Dutch cocoa powder and regular unsweetened cocoa powder.

If you only have regular cocoa at home and do not wish to make a trip to the store, you may replace the Dutch processed cocoa with additional unsweetened.

Flour – I recommend either spelt flour, white flour, or Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour. I also give a keto option for those eating low carb and vegan.

Use whole wheat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, or any other option not listed here at your own risk, because I have not tried these substitutions.

Sugar – The recipe asks for three fourths cup of sugar. This can be plain white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or granulated xylitol for sugar free cupcakes.

You can technically go with pure maple syrup or agave. The cupcakes will just have a gummy texture and will not rise as much.

Applesauce – This ingredient adds moisture and structure to the vegan cupcakes.

Instead of applesauce, you may choose an equal amount of plant based yogurt, pumpkin puree, or sweet potato puree.

Oil – My favorite option is melted coconut oil. However, vegetable oil works as well.

For oil free chocolate cupcakes, use softened peanut butter or almond butter.

Chocolate chips – These are optional. I often like to include them, turning the recipe into double chocolate cupcakes, or triple chocolate cupcakes once you add frosting.

Mini chocolate chips give you more chocolate in each bite.

Salt – Just a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and heightens the chocolate flavor.

Also make Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes or Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

Vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe video

Above – Watch the video how to make vegan cupcakes

How to make dairy free cupcakes

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a typical cupcake pan or muffin pan with liners, or grease each tin well.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the water, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Optionally, sift the flour to ensure it is free of lumps. Then add the flour, cocoa powders, sugar, salt, baking soda, and optional chocolate chips to the bowl.

Stir until just evenly mixed. It is important to not overmix the batter, because overmixed cupcakes may yield a tough texture, or they can deflate in the oven.

Tip: If your cupcakes do sink in the middles for any reason, just hide the undomed tops with frosting or nondairy Coconut Whipped Cream.

Fill up each lined cupcake tin about two thirds of the way, leaving space for the chocolate cakes to rise.

Bake on the center rack of the oven for twenty minutes or until fully cooked in the centers. A toothpick inserted into the center of a cake should come out mostly clean.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let the vegan dessert cool.

If you can wait, the dark chocolate flavor is much bolder and the cupcakes are even more delicious after sitting on the counter overnight, very loosely covered with a cloth.

Liners should peel off easily after sitting for a day as well.

Chocolate frosting and flavor ideas

Once cooled, ice the recipe with store bought or homemade chocolate or vanilla frosting. Or spread them with a layer of peanut butter or almond butter, or dust with powdered sugar.

Garnish with raspberries, sliced strawberries, cherries, or bananas.

A great vegan frosting hack is that many brands of store bought frosting are accidentally vegan. This includes some milk chocolate and cream cheese frostings as well as more traditional frosting flavors. Check the Pillsbury containers at the grocery store, and you might be surprised!

If you feel fancy, pipe the frosting through a pastry bag fitted with a 1M star tip, effortlessly turning the cupcakes into a culinary work of tasty art.

You can easily turn the basic chocolate cupcake into new flavors by using different extracts, fillings, or frostings.

Try peppermint extract to make mint chocolate cupcakes, or replace the applesauce with banana for chocolate banana cupcakes.

A few drops of maple extract or almond extract are also wonderful variations.

*For the recipe in the photos, I used my vegan Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

The recipe was adapted from this classic Vegan Chocolate Cake.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

This vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe is dark, rich, moist, and fudgy, with no dairy and no eggs required!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, cupcakes, dairy free, egg free, vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings – 10 cupcakes

Calories 134kcal

Ingredients

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup applesauce or nondairy yogurt
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour (Spelt, white, or Bob’s gf flour) (For low carb: Keto Chocolate Cupcakes)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp Dutch cocoa powder or additional unsweetened
3/4 cup sugar or coconut sugar or xylitol
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 tsp salt (just over level)
1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

*I've included a few of my favorite vegan frosting recipes earlier in this post, or use your own favorite frosting.
To make vegan chocolate cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, whisk liquid ingredients. Let sit at least ten minutes, then stir in remaining ingredients until just evenly mixed. Smooth into the liners, filling each cupcake tin about two thirds of the way to the top. Bake twenty minutes on the oven's center rack. Let cool. If you very loosely cover cooled cupcakes with a cloth and let them sit on the counter overnight, these taste even richer the next day. Liners peel off easily after a day as well.
View Nutrition Facts

Video

Notes

For a single serving option, try this Chocolate Mug Cake.

Nutrition

More Vegan Chocolate Recipes

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Black Bean Brownies

Healthy Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter Brownies

Vegan Hot Chocolate

Chocolate Truffles

The post Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes appeared first on Chocolate Covered Katie.