Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake

Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake

 

Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake

Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake has all the creaminess, none of the dairy!

The Facts

It is National Oreo Cookie Day, so of course we had to figure out a delicious recipe that incorporated Oreos! We were also feeling a little “green” this month of March, so we decided it had to be Mint Oreo based versus regular Oreos. This Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake tastes just as creamy and delicious as regular cheesecake, but without all the dairy.

Recently, we have quite a handful of friends and family that have either chosen to remove dairy products from their diet or cannot eat dairy due to an allergy. It is because of this we set on a quest to make a creamy dessert that they would still be able to eat. Fortunately, these alternatives are becoming much more available compared to before.

Even though this Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake could be made from mostly store-bought ingredients, we highly suggest taking the extra time to make some of the components from scratch instead. This gives you full control of the flavor and the ability to know exactly what goes into this cheesecake.

The first component and a very simple one, is the Oreo crust. Yes, you could buy the premade Oreo crust from the bakery isle of your grocery store, but we have found those to be not be as reliable. In fact, they are often slightly stale and just do not provide the freshness of one made from scratch. We also made the decision to use Oreo Thins (the dark chocolate ones) for the crust since we really need just the cookie part of the Oreo to create a crust, not the filling. Oreo Thins are newer product offering and help us easily solve this problem. But again, if all you have on hand is regular Oreos they will also do the job if needed. The process is simple, all you have to do is pulverize your Oreos, mix it with some melted Coconut Oil, and bake it for just 8 minutes. Just like that you have a homemade Oreo crust that is fresh, flavorful, and only made of Oreos and Coconut Oil.

The second component that is made from scratch is the Coconut Whipped Cream. This does take some pre-planning since we do need to separate the liquid from the Coconut milk to concentrate the fats so that we get a nice and fluffy whipped cream versus a watery one. All you have to do is chill the Coconut Milk in the fridge for a couple hours or the day before. But, by doing this process you now have full control on the sweetness and flavoring of your whipped cream. You could add more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter, more vanilla if you wanted, or do another flavoring extract altogether.

That is the nice part of this cheesecake, it can be completely customizable. There are countless flavors of Oreos nowadays and flavoring extracts. We simply focused on peppermint for the winter season and the green for St. Patrick’s Day!

Did you fool your dairy-obsessed friends or provide delicious creaminess to a dairy-free family member? We would love to hear how your Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake turned out!

 

Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake

Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake

All the creaminess of cheesecake without the dairy, plus a hint of peppermint!
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Chill Time 2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs 28 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 452 kcal

Equipment

  • 9in Pie Pan

Ingredients
  

For the Coconut Whip Cream:

  • 1 13.5oz Canned Full Fat Coconut Milk chilled in the fridge
  • 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Oreo Crust:

  • 30 Dark Chocolate or regular Oreo Thins*
  • 1/8 cup Coconut Oil - melted

For the Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake filling:

  • 1 8oz Vegan Cream Cheese (we used the Daiya brand) softened
  • 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2-1 tsp Peppermint Extract
  • 8 Mint Oreos
  • 1 cup Coconut Whip Cream (ingredients above or store bought)
  • Green Food Dye optional
  • 4 Mint Oreos for decoration

Instructions
 

To make the Coconut Whip Cream:

  • Multiple hours prior to making the whip cream or the day before, place the can of Coconut Milk into the fridge to chill.
  • After chilling, carefully remove the can of coconut milk from the fridge. Making sure to not shake up the can.
  • In a bowl of a stand mixer, scoop out the hardened coconut milk. Leaving as much of the separated liquid in the can (you only want the solids).
  • On a medium speed, begin to cream the coconut milk until it begins to soften. Then add the 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract.
  • Turn the speed up to medium high, scraping down the sides as necessary. Allow to whip together until firm peaks form - about 6-8 minutes.
  • Once stiff peaks are visible and whip cream is light and fluffy, scoop it into a separate bowl and set aside.

To make the Oreo Crust:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a food processor or a Ziploc bag, pulverize the 30 Oreo Thins until they are a sand-like consistency.
  • In a small bowl, add the pulverized Oreos and pour the 1/8 cup melted Coconut Oil stirring together to evenly distribute oil.
  • In a 9in pie pan, evenly press the Oreo mixture across the bottom and up the sides of the pan using your fingers or the back of a spoon.
  • Bake for 8 minutes to set the crust and then remove to cool while you prepare the filling.

To make the Dairy-Free Peppermint Oreo Cheesecake filling

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened 8oz of vegan cream cheese. On a medium speed, begin to cream the cream cheese until it begins to soften. Then add the 1/4 cup of Powdered Sugar, 1 tsp of Peppermint Extract and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract.
  • Turn the speed up to medium high until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as necessary.
  • While the cream cheese mixture is mixing, in a food processor or Ziploc bag, crush 8 mint Oreos to small chunks.
  • Once the cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy, manually fold in the 1 cup of Coconut Whip Cream and crushed Oreos with a spatula or spoon.
  • If using green food dye, add 5-8 drops now and stir in to incorporate.
  • Once the mixture is uniformly combined, scoop into the Oreo crust and smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
  • Cut the 4 Mint Oreos in half, placing them equidistance apart on top where each slice will be.
  • Cover with saran wrap or foil and place in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
  • After the initial freeze time, it can then be moved to the refrigerator until it is time to serve!

Notes

*We used Oreo Thins for the crust to cut down on the filling which is not needed for the crust, but you can use regular Oreos instead if that's what you have! You'll probably only need 20-25 instead.
Keyword cheesecake, dairy-free, oreo, peppermint


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