Vegan Mango Caramel Cheesecake. Homemade vegan mango caramel is swirled throughout a delicious coconut butter and cashew butter no-bake cheesecake made with fresh mangos and then topped with more caramel. The result is pure cheesecake bliss that will fool the biggest dairy lovers. Oil-free!
VEGAN MANGO CARAMEL CHEESECAKE
Thank you so much to Sprouts for sponsoring this post!
We’re making a Vegan Mango Caramel and a cheesecake today and combining the two!
I’m so beyond excited to share today’s recipe, as Sprouts contacted me to create a creative recipe for a very exciting contest between myself and just 2 other bloggers. To say that I was deeply humbled and excited to be chosen to partake in this contest out of thousands of vegan bloggers, would be an understatement.
The contest is called their School Fuel Challenge, it’s amazing, as the other bloggers and I will compete to see who has the best creation using the ingredients given by Sprouts.
For the contest, Sprouts only gave me 7 ingredients to choose from, which 3 of them had to be used in my recipe. Mango was the only fruit in the list, so I took that as a challenge to create something amazing. However, since I have never actually eaten a mango before and do not really like fruit all that much, I knew this would be interesting. I also chose the Vega “French Vanilla” All In One Nutritional Shake and it is honestly the best tasting protein/nutritional/powder shake I have ever tried in my life. It is made from all plants and quality ingredients as well, so I was ok using it. I do not ever use protein powders anymore like I did in the past, but this stuff is so delicious, I will be making some smoothies a bit more often.
VEGAN MANGO CARAMEL
Well, the idea of a vegan mango caramel almost immediately popped into my head. Based on the ingredient list, I decided to do a cheesecake and base it off of mango. I thought creating a mango caramel, then swirling it throughout the cheesecake, then more caramel on top, would be delicious. The fact that my vision turned out even beyond what I had hoped, was so exciting.
This is the most amazing cheesecake I have ever made. I am not even kidding when I say I was blown away by the taste, texture and tang. If I hadn’t made it myself, I would seriously think it was a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, it tastes that authentic. The secret to both the amazing tang is using just enough of mango in the base to give flavor, but not for the actual cheesecake to be screaming “mango!”.
The trick for the ridiculously, smooth and creamy luscious texture, is thanks to a combo of both cashew butter and coconut butter. It makes this vegan cheesecake so silky smooth and incredibly creamy, as well as making it firm up. I hope you love it!
MORE VEGAN CHEESECAKE RECIPES
- The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
- Vegan Mocha Black Forest Cheesecake
- Vegan Cinnamon Spice Cheesecake Tart
- Cinnamon Coconut New York Style Cheesecake
- Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake Ice Cream
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Mango Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
MANGO CARAMEL
- 1/2 cup (75g) chopped mango chunks
- 1/2 cup (165g) pure maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp (48g) raw cashew butter
FOR THE CRUST
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) pecans
- 2 tablespoons Vega “French Vanilla” All-In-One Nutritional Shake (See Notes)
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 1/2 cup (120g) lite coconut milk, room temp
- 1/4 cup (80g) pure maple syrup, room temp
- 1/2 cup (128g) raw cashew butter
- 1/4 cup (38g) chopped mango chunks
- 3 tablespoons (45g) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120g) melted liquid coconut butter (I always use Dastony from Whole Foods, it's completely smooth and leaves no coconut bits behind, also found on Amazon here)
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Make the caramel first. Add all the "mango caramel" ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix) and blend until completely smooth. Pour into a small pot and turn to medium heat. Once it is boiling around the edges, cover and turn down to low and let it cook 3-5 minutes until it has thickened and reduced about half. It should look similar to the photo. Don’t worry about it getting chunky, it will smooth back out. Whisk well until smooth and set aside to cool. Keep in mind it will thicken more upon cooling.
- Next make the crust in a food processor. Add the pecans, vanilla shake powder and salt and pulse until a fine meal texture. Add the syrup and pulse a few times until the mixture turns into clumps, just a few seconds. Be careful not to over-process it. Line a 6 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Press the crust on the paper flat and even and around the edges, make sure to press tightly and secure any crumbs.
- Make sure your filling ingredients are not cold, or it can make the coconut butter to seize up. Add all of the “cheesecake filling” ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, except the coconut butter. Blend until completely smooth. SEE NOTES below on coconut butter first. Add the coconut butter to the processor and blend once more until completely smooth.
- Place your springform pan onto a flat plate before proceeding so that you are transferring the whole plate to the freezer and not just transporting the pan, which can easily bust. Pour about half the filling over the crust. Drop spoonfuls of the caramel over the top and gently swirl the caramel around with a knife, creating swirls. If the caramel has thickened up too much, just add a tiny amount of water to slightly thin it out. Pour the remaining batter over and repeat with more caramel swirls. Don't overdo it or you will have less of a swirl effect. Make sure to reserve some for drizzling over after the cheesecake freezes. There should be plenty of caramel. Store the extra in the fridge.
- Transfer the plate with the pan to the freezer to set overnight so that it is totally solid. Doing this will ensure that you can enjoy it at room temperature the next day without it melting immediately. After freezing overnight, remove about 10-15 minutes to soften slightly before releasing the pan. Carefully release it and slide a knife around the edge if necessary. If it messes up the sides at all, just take the edge of the knife and drag it along the side of the cake and smooth it right back up. Use a super sharp knife to slice, serve and enjoy! Garnish with thinly sliced mango, if desired. Drizzle with the extra caramel. Place the cake back in the freezer after slicing, covered in plastic wrap. It will get too soft stored in the fridge, but is perfect kept in the freezer.
Notes
- PROTEIN POWDER: If you do not have this, simply sub with oat flour instead. Since the protein powder is vanilla and sweet, you may want to add 1 tablespoon sugar as well and a scant 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- COCONUT BUTTER: It is imperative that your coconut butter is properly mixed before measuring. If you are using a brand new jar, you will notice that the oil and coconut meat separate in the jars, so you will need to mix it back together. If your coconut butter is already mixed thoroughly from previous use, then no need to premelt it from a new jar, just scoop it out and weigh the 120 grams. Just place the bowl of melted chocolate onto your scale and scoop it directly in the bowl. This is what I did since I keep a container of stored coconut butter in my pantry.
- If using a new jar, you will see the coconut butter is super hard, I like to slightly warm the jar for a few seconds in the microwave, empty all of it into a separate glass container and stir until fully mixed back up. You will want to briefly heat this container, 15 seconds or so, just until soft chunks are able to be mixed thoroughly. Overheating will burn and ruin the coconut butter. Stir the chunks several times until it's evenly mixed. Heat another 5 seconds or so, if needed. Once it's smooth, then measure the 120 grams. If using a 1/2 cup measure instead of weight, make sure the coconut butter is melted into the liquid form before measuring, as pictured in the post.
This cheesecake looks like a dream! It has all my favorite flavors, Brandi! I know I would eat the whole thing by myself, I don’t want share anything, haha! Your pictures are just stunning, make me want to dig in into this cake, now. Using cashew butter is amazing, it adds creaminess but it isn’t overloaded or dominant. Mango is truly one of my favorite fruits. I associate this with spring and summer which are my favorite seasons. I’m in love with this cheesecake, such a wonderful and fantastic idea to combine mango and caramel. Good luck with the contest, fingers crossed.
Thank you so much Florian, you are so sweet, so glad you like these photos! Yes, I’m obsessed with cashew butter, it is a dream for vegan desserts because it has a natural vanilla-ish sweet flavor and you know it is the ultimate creamy texture that can’t be beat! Glad you like the caramel…I was curious if it would work, but I made a pumpkin caramel and a sweet potato caramel before, so I figured mango caramel would work too!
WOW! You continue to impress me, Brandi! I wish you the best of luck on this contest (and for myself since I entered – LOL)! But in all honesty, your recipe is the most creative. And, you used such few ingredients. SCORE! You certainly have my vote!
Hahaha, you totally made me laugh Nicole! You are so sweet, thank you so much for your kind words! I really had fun creating this recipe….and eating it, lol! Honestly, it was such a challenge keeping the entire thing at 8 ingredients, but in the end, it all worked out and it’s the best tangiest cheesecake I’ve ever made!
Wow this could not look anymore perfect it looks heavenly. You certainly created and presented something beautiful, its definitely something you and Sprouts can be proud of. You are a culinary genius. You never fail to amaze me. I will definitely vote for your recipe and support your blog. I will always support your blog because you are awesome your recipes are amazing. Besides your blog is the best blog in the world so clearly it deserves to win. I really want to make this recipe for friends and family because I am sure it will knock their socks off. Sadly it will have to wait until I have some weekends off in December but for sure it is on the list. Good luck and I am keeping my fingers crossed I hope your recipe wins.
Thank you so much Christina for such sweet words, they really mean so much to me! You are always so kind and supportive and I love seeing all of your pics of my recipes on Instagram, they always look so good! This recipe will be ready for you whenever you are!!
Hi……it looks divine an what timing..I have all those ingreds..guess what i’m making this evening..can’t wait to share it with some friends..then spring it on them that it’s vegan..Thanks for all the recipes……….Wende
Yay! Oh I cannot wait to hear what everybody thinks, let me know!
This cheesecake is gorgeous! I’m sadly allergic to mango. I can sometimes do dried mango in very small doses without a reaction, but I rarely chance it anymore. However, I bet it would be awesome with peaches or papaya too. I voted for you. Good luck!!
Thank you so much for the vote Jenn, I really appreciate it! Yes, I think peaches is a fantastic idea!!
Fantastic, Brandi! That mango caramel sounds amazing! And the whole cake is packed with so much goodness! Wozza!
Thank you so much Rebecca!
This is stunning Brandi! Nothing beats vegan cheesecake! The mango caramel sounds absolutely amazing, and I love that you used cashew butter to make it! Yum yum yum! Voted for you too! <3
Thank you so much Harriet!!
Such a shame your Canadian fans can’t vote for you!
I’m sorry, it’s just nationwide contest, but thank you!
Is there somewhere I can sign up to have this cake delivered for my birthday every year from now until forever? This is pretty much my idea cake!!! I may have mentioned this before, but I adore mangoes. My favorite fruit, I have 10 ripening on my counter right now! And then with the creamy and the drippy and the vanilla…omg I have never wanted a slice of anything through a screen more <3 You didn't just nail it, you knocked it out of the park with this one Brandi, of course I will vote for this beauty! Pinning and saving for my next bday 🙂 Good luck!!
That looks so delicious, Brandi! I love mango anything!
Thank you Becky!
Brandi your cheesecake sounds amazing and is by far the best recipe and should win! You have my vote :)!
Such a sweet compliment coming from you Amy, thank you!
AMAZING and GORGEOUS! Just looking at these pictures, confirms to me that you have a beautiful gift. You can create anything healthy and delicious on the fly, and that is talent! I have no doubt that you’ll win this! Your recipes truly are the BEST, ever! Voted!
You are so sweet Jessica, thank you so much for your kind words! Thank you, thank you! By the way, are you not on Facebook anymore? I was looking for you the other day because I hadn’t seen any new posts in a while…can’t find you now…
I am so excited to try this. I’ve only had amazing experiences when making your recipes. They always turn out simply delectable!
2 questions:
1. Would Nutiva’s coconut Manna be the same as the coconut butter?
2. Do you make your own cashew butter or purchase it from anyone in particular?
Thank you so much! I love your work!
Kimberly
Hi Kimberly, so glad to hear that! Yes, I believe they are the same, just make sure it’s only coconut and no added coconut oil and that it melts down to a complete smooth liquid. Yes, I make my own cashew butter most of the time since it is really hard to find some that doesn’t have added oil (so annoying!). And storebought is more expensive. Here is how I make mine. Just add 2 cups RAW, unsalted cashews to a food processor and process for about 10 minutes or so. You will need to scrape the sides down a few times during. Process until completely silky smooth, do not stop until it becomes almost pourable like almond butter and smooth like a buttercream frosting. Then just use the amount called for in the recipe. Otherwise, if you can find it, Dastony brand at Whole Foods is the only cashew butter that doesn’t have added oil that I’ve found locally.
Awesome! Thank you so much. I will let you know how it turns out.
This looks absolutely heavenly. I voted for you, but where can I find cashew butter???? I don’t live near a Sproats…I am in California, USA.
Hi Deborah! I make my own, it’s rather difficult to find cashew butter that doesn’t have added oil. It’s really easy if you have a food processor. Whole foods does sell it but sometimes it’s hard to find it without oil. The Dastony brand is oil-free and delish but very expensive, so I just make my own. Just add 2 cups RAW, unsalted cashews to a food processor and process for about 10 minutes or so. You will need to scrape the sides down a few times during. Process until completely silky smooth, do not stop until it becomes almost pourable like almond butter and smooth like a buttercream frosting. Then just use the amount called for in the recipe.
It looks amazing, Brandi! I voted for you. Good luck, lady!
Thank you, Linda!!
you nailed it on this!! I will most certainly be making this….I am a bigtime user of all VEGA products so how cool that you utilized it in such an awesome way! Great stuff as always
I was sooo impressed with the Vega ingredients and the TASTE, omg, the taste. Incredibly delicious, which was a surprise because it didn’t smell too good, haha, but it IS delicious!
This is gorgeous!!! I’m so excited that you love a new fruit!!! LOLOL!!! I love how you used it, mango in a cheesecake sounds phenomenal. I’m totally putting this on my list!! And obviously I will be voting for you…*goes to library and uses whole row of computers*
Thanks friend!! I’m absolutely DYING laughing at your computer comment, freaking hilarious!!
How creative! And I’m so intrigued by the combination of mango and maple in this. That isn’t a pairing that I’ve tried.
Thank you so much Alisa!! It is divine, I assure you, haha!
Brandi, this is GORGEOUS!!!! What an amazing opportunity for you – and so convenient that you already shop there. I’m laughing that you’re not really a fan of fruit. Mango is one of my favorites – dried, frozen, fresh, it’s always in our house! What a creative use of it, too! That caramel looks and sounds heavenly and the cheesecake itself is perfection – so creamy! Love that beautiful swirl and generous drizzle of extra caramel <3
I'm off to vote for you! Good luck!!! xo
Thank you so much my friend!! So sweet! It is soooo good!! Thank you for the vote girlfriend!
Cheesecake is my weakness and I am all about mangos since I came back from Hawaii a few weeks ago. I ate my weight in them and still can’t get enough now I’m back. It’s s hame I can’t vote for you as I am in Canada but best of luck!
Thank you so much Mel! I’m in love with them now and can’t wait to use them for more recipes!
This looks absolutely delicious, Brandi!! Such a creative combo! 🙂
Thank you so much!
Brandi, you are a genius! That maple caramel glaze, well, it’s divine! The crust, oh just absolutely fantastic. And the main star of the show is creamy, silky smooth and to-die-for filling. This cake is 10 stars in my book. Thank you so much for your recipe! I will be making this cheesecake again very soon!
Thank you so much Lana! I’m ecstatic you loved this cheesecake so much! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback!!
What a beautiful cake! This contest sounds like so much fun!
Thank you so much Bianca!
Wow, wow, wow. This cheesecake should be part of the Cheesecake Factory vegan option. Brandi, you really should contact them. It’s super easy to make. I did not have protein powder so I used 1 Tb of powdered vanilla and 2 Tb coconut sugar. And I used frozen mangos thawed overnight and dried off with papertowel. Both of my neighbors LOVED it. Mango caramel, genius. I couldnt stop eating it.
Thank you so much Estee! I’ve actually had that VERY thought…they really need vegan options! I’m so very happy you loved this cheesecake so much, thank you for the feedback!
My husband loves both mango and caramel, so I knew I had to make it for his birthday today! We’ll share a picture on your Facebook page. He’s on his way home from work right now, so I am very excited! Thank you for sharing your creativity!! Oh! He’s driving up the driveway!! Gotta go!
He loves it! As do I, and 3 out of 4 kiddos!
Thank you.
Yay! So so happy to hear it was a hit, thank you so much Dawn for the feedback!
Hi Brandi,
Thank you for this recipe. It is delicious. I just made the second one yesterday. And just for me.
My friends that tried the first one, Love it!!!
The first one I made it for a friend that came for dinner last Monday, because her Birthday was on Tuesday, and she Loves it!!! She started trying eating vegan a few months ago because of me.
I will try other recipes, I am allergic to chocolate. I discovered 3 years ago. Not happy at all, but I have already gotten used to it.
Thank you Brandi for sent me different recipes and options without chocolate.
Have a nice weekend.
Margarita Rosa
Yay! This feedback makes me so happy Margarita! I’m so thrilled to hear all your friends loved this cheesecake so much! Thank you very much for leaving this comment!
Hi Brandi,
Thanks for this recipe. It is great. I made it last night and it didn’t look good but taste was delicious.
I shared on twitter and my friend interested this food
Hi Laura, glad you liked it! What do you mean it didn’t look good? Did you sub an ingredient? I’ve had a lot of remakes from readers and they all look just as good as mine, if not better, haha. It’s pretty straight forward by just blending up the mix and pouring it in the pan, so it shouldn’t really look too different. Did you follow the recipe measurements?
This looks fantastic (as always) , I’ll try it tomorrow for my husbands birthday !!
Do you think I can substitute the mango with raspberries ? ( I know you don’t like if we substitute ingredients – that’s why I ask your permission first 😛 )
Thank youuuu !!
Hi Lena! Haha, it’s not that I don’t like subs, I just hate to say if something would work without testing it and then a reader waste their time and ingredients 🙂 However, with something like subbing a fruit, I’d imagine it would work well. Of course, I have only tested these with mango, so not sure how much more liquid raspberries would yield, but I honestly think it would be fine. I know raspberries can be quite gritty, so just make sure they are really blended up. I bet it would give a beautiful color, too. Please come back and let me know how it turned out with the raspberries! 🙂
Hi Brandi! Is coconut butter coconut oil? Ir is it coconut manna? Like coconut flesh?
Hi Sarita! Yes, coconut manna! I make my own coconut butter here:
https://staging.thevegan8.com/2013/10/14/homemade-coconut-butter/
This is absolutely delicious!!! The hubs and I had a hard time eating just one slice. We were both licking our plates while telling the kids it wasn’t very good. Ha! So yummy! Thank you Brandi!
Hahaha! Sounds like something I would do! Say it’s bad so I can hoard it all myself, lol! Thank you so much for making it! Your pic looked beautiful on IG and I’m so glad y’all loved it!
Oh my gosh – this is AMAZING. The consistency of the filling is perfect. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s considering making it. It’s so impressive and so pretty and delicious, and easy to put together. And taking it out of the freezer for that 10-15 minutes before eating is perfect for bringing the filling back to a still-solid but soft-enough-to-put-a-fork-in-it texture.
I’ve also tried this with an equal measure of strawberries in the filling with the same great result as the mango version. And I’ve used a 9” x 5” loaf pan (halving the crust ingredients but keeping everything else the same) and that worked just as well as the springform pan you suggest, without the fear of busting open!
That is so wonderful to hear Laura!! So thrilled to hear how much you loved this cheesecake, thank you so much for making it! Great to know about the loaf pan too!
Hi Brandi! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! I’m from Germany and although I wasn’t able to use the same brands of the ingredients this cheesecake turned out perfect! It’s friend AND kid proved!
How did your cheesecake come out white? Mine was brown from the cashew butter 🙁 anywho it tasted good thanks!
I used raw cashews and raw coconut butter. Did you use roasted cashew butter by chance?