CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN CHEESECAKE (VEGAN)
This vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake is irresistibly delicious and surprisingly easy to make! I went with a tofu base here… my favorite way to make dairy-free cheesecake! It combines the rich flavors of peanut butter and cocoa with just a hint of soy flavor. Think dense and creamy cheesecake with a crumbly chocolate peanut butter cookie crust. I drizzled melted chocolate and peanut butter on top plus some crunchy roasted peanuts for the ultimate decadence. So good! You might also like my vegan Carrot Cake Protein Cheesecake!
Did you know? Tofu is a very nutrient-rich food, containing complete protein, manganese, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, iron and zinc. (source)
Protein powder recommendations
To add protein to this delicious cheesecake, I used LIV Body Lean Vegan Protein, a pea protein that’s low in carbs, free of artificial ingredients and tastes fantastic! I used Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor in the crust and Cake Batter in the cheesecake itself. PS… you can use my code “NOEXCUSES” for 20% all LIV Body products.
If you don’t have this particular brand, any plant-based protein should work so long as you like the flavor. You can also try substituting whey concentrate or whey-casein blend. It should work although I haven’t tested it! If you don’t have protein powder, substitute one-third cup of starch (arrowroot, cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca starch).
For the cheesecake
For the cheesecake, you’ll want to use an extra firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu brand), which can be typically found in the Asian foods aisle. The key to making awesome tofu cheesecake is rinsing the crumbled tofu thoroughly, then pressing all the water out! I like to do this in a fine colander, but a sieve or strainer should work, too.
If you prefer not to use tofu, try substituting vegan cream cheese, or reduced fat dairy cream cheese. You can also substitute the soy yogurt for dairy-based yogurt.
For the crust
I used coconut flour in the base because I’ve found it pairs well with plant-based protein powders, and keeps the carbs down (you only need half as much coconut flour compared to other flours). If you don’t have coconut flour, feel free to substitute twice as much all-purpose flour, gluten free baking flour, cassava flour, or oat flour. If substituting almond flour, you may need up to three times as much!
Sweetener substitutions
To sweeten this creamy dreamy cheesecake without adding any sugar, I used my favorite organic stevia blend, a calorie-free blend of stevia and erythritol that’s twice as sweet as sugar. If you substitute baking stevia, granulated erythritol, or granulated sugar like coconut sugar, you will need about twice as much to achieve the same level of sweetness. If using stevia extract or drops, please refer to the brand-specific conversion chart.
Feel free to drizzle some melted chocolate and peanut butter, then sprinkle with some roasted peanuts if you like. I just melted the peanut butter and chocolate separately in the microwave using 30-second intervals until liquid.
Now, here’s the printable recipe for this Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake! I’d love for you to rate and/or comment below if you try it 😉
This post contains affiliate links and is sponsored by LIV Body.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake (Vegan)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup (60g) chocolate protein powder
- 1/4 cup coconut flour*
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. calorie-free sweetener* I used one that's twice as sweet as sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt optional
- 6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter*
- 1/4 cup water more as needed
Cheesecake
- 1 1/2 cup (12 oz.) extra firm tofu*
- 1 cup (8 oz.) vanilla dairy-free yogurt* I used soy
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter*
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. butter extract optional
- 1/3 cup (40g) vanilla protein powder*
- 1/4 cup calorie-free sweetener*
Toppings (optional)
- 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 oz. dark chocolate chips melted
- 1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter melted
*See above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Combine protein powder, coconut flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and salt for the crust.
- Add peanut butter and water, mix until a crumbly dough forms (add more water if necessary to get it to stick to itself).
- Press crust mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8" or 9" cake pan lined with parchment paper or lightly coated with cooking spray.
- Crumble extra firm tofu into a fine colander or sieve and rinse thoroughly (this helps get rid of any tofu aftertaste). Then, using paper towels, press water out of tofu over sink.
- Blend tofu, yogurt, nut butter, and extracts until smooth. Add protein powder and sweetener and blend again until smooth.
- Pour cheesecake batter over crust and spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the center jiggles like pudding and the edges are lightly golden and puffed (if you see cracks, it's gone too long).
- Remove cheesecake from oven and let sit at room temperature for about half an hour.
- After about 30 minutes, transfer to the fridge and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
- If desired, melt chocolate and peanut butter separately and drizzle over cheesecake, and sprinkle with peanuts.
- Slice into eight pieces and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge up to one week or in the freezer up to one month (thaw at room temperature).
Notes
Also in Blog
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PUMPKIN CHIP PROTEIN BREAD (GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE)
This Pumpkin Chip Protein Bread has a rich, tender texture full of pumpkin spice and chocolate chips (no dry protein bread here). The kids and I can't get enough! Best of all, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and easily made egg-free and vegan.
