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Boozy Frozen Margarita Cheesecake Cups

“Boozy Frozen Margarita Cheesecake Cups” … do I really need to say anything else about this one?

Layered on top of a raw date-nut crust, the flavors in this margarita cheesecake filling are ridiculous. Cashews and nutritional yeast provide a non-dairy cheesecake base. It’s sweetened naturally with maple syrup or agave. Then tequila, lime, and salt seriously bring out the margarita flavors. These are so, so good. In addition, the light green color is actually coming from matcha (green tea) powder, which adds its own complimentary flavor, kind of like matcha ice cream. Serve these cups with a sprinkling of salt around the edges and I think it’s one of the best desserts that I’ve ever made.

The texture is a bit softer than cheesecake and that means they need to be stored and served frozen. I thought that was a negative thing at first, but honestly, being frozen and having that slightly ice cream-like texture only makes these cheesecakes better.

Another cool thing about this recipe is that you can make it in pretty much any form you want. Once you have the crust and filling, I made a few cupcakes and a mini cheesecake in a springform pan, but you can also use any kind of dish you want.

Makes about 10 cheesecake cups

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1/2 cup silken tofu
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup (or agave)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2-3 oz tequila
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Lime wedges, for garnish
  • 2/3 cup any mixed nuts
  • 1/2 cup dates
  • Pinch of salt

Prep: Soak the cashews and macadamia nuts for at least 5 hours to soften before blending.

Step One

To start, make the simple date-nut crust by combining the final three ingredients – 2/3 cup mixed nuts (I used raw cashews, pecans, and almonds), 1/2 cup pitted dates, and a pinch of salt – in a food processor and pulsing repeatedly until the nuts are completely broken down. If you pinch a bit of this crust between your fingers and it sticks together, you’re good. Use your fingers to line this crust into your cupcake molds, a springform pan, or whatever mold you’re using and set them in the freezer to firm up while making the filling.

Step Two

To make the cheesecake filling, combine all the remaining ingredients (minus the lime wedges), in a blender: cashews, macadamias, silken tofu, non-dairy milk, sweetener, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, tequila, lime juice, matcha powder, and salt. Blend until completely smooth, then give it a taste and adjust as needed (more sweetener, salt, or lime juice would be fine – just be careful not to add too much liquid).

Step Three

When it’s ready, pour the filling on top of the crust, cover, and freeze for at least four hours so that they can firm up. Again, you’ll want to keep these frozen to maintain a firm texture. When ready to serve, garnish with (what else?) a lime wedge and some salt around the edge. Seriously, don’t forget the salt on top – it really brings out the margarita flavors and the sweetness.

Store in a sealed container / bag in the freezer and they should keep for several days.

6 Comments

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    • Nice! 🙂 If you can’t find matcha or don’t want to buy it (it can be pretty expensive, especially if you only want a tablespoon for this), you could leave it out. I used it just to add a green color, then realized it was nice flavor as well, but it would be fine without it.

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