This rich, creamy no bake vegan Milo cheesecake is SO DECEDANT you’ll never know it was vegan! Made with the bold flavours of chocolate malt thanks to the addition of plant-based Milo, this cheesecake tastes like everyone’s favourite childhood drink and is made with simple, easy to find ingredients.
I know what you’re thinking, Milo cheesecake and vegan aren’t really words you’d expect to go together. But thanks to the release of Milo’s plant-based version, vegans and those dairy-free can now enjoy their favourite childhood chocolate malt drink.
As for the cheesecake, well with just a few ingredients it’s really a lot easier than I expected to make a delicious cheesecake without any dairy products.
When Milo first released their plant-based version, the first thing I did was make these easy Milo biscuits which instantly reminded me of being a kid. I’ve always liked baking with Milo a little bit more than drinking it, or eating it, depending on the milk to Milo ratio that you use.
To be honest I wasn’t sure I could make a really creamy vegan cheesecake that actually had the taste and texture that was a rival of the real deal. I didn’t want to make something that people who follow a vegan or dairy free diet would feel like is just good enough, I wanted a cheesecake that anyone would happily eat, vegan or not.
This cheesecake is that. It’s creamy, soft, not too sweet and has a buttery, crumbly chocolate biscuit base that’s just so good.
Key Ingredients
Often vegan cheesecake recipes will have you running around looking for specialty ingredients that will ensure the success of your recipe. And while that is the case for this one as well and I don’t recommend any substitutions as that can and will change the texture of the cheesecake, all of the required ingredients can be found at any Coles or Woolworths grocery stores.
Also a note to any international readers, this is a very Australian specific recipe and all suggestions are for products easily accessible in Australia. Unfortunately I cannot make suggestions for overseas substitutions.
- Plain chocolate biscuits – I always use Arnott’s Chocolate Ripple biscuits because they are delicious and I’d happily just eat them on their own as a snack, but also because they are one of Arnott’s accidentally vegan range of biscuits.
- Plant-based Milo – this is the key to the flavour of the cheesecake. It’s going to give us that wonderful chocolate malt flavour, all without the dairy thanks to this new plant-based version of our favourite childhood drink!
- Vegan butter – I always use Nuttelex for the best taste and texture, and using vegan butter here for the base just gives us that delicious buttery base that we expect from a cheesecake.
- Cashews – now usually I wouldn’t tell you to soak your cashews if there was any other way, but in this case it’s so worth it for the texture you get with this cheesecake. You can soak them for 4 hours in tap water OR just 1 hour in boiling water. I know what option I’m choosing! Don’t skip this step though!
- Vegan cream cheese – I only trust one brand of vegan cream cheese and that’s Sheese which I can get at my local grocery store. This is going to give our cheesecake that classic tanginess and creamy texture so it’s important we use a vegan cream cheese that tastes good!
- Maple syrup – for the sweetener in this cheesecake, it gives a subtle flavour that really works well with the chocolate malt without being overly sweet which is perfect.
- Coconut oil – living in Brisbane in summer it’s hard for me to keep coconut oil solid, but it’s solid we want for this recipe, so don’t melt it. The coconut oil is an essential ingredient in helping the cheesecake set firmly so I do not recommend any substitutions.
- Malted barley – personally I find the added malt flavour that you get by adding just a tablespoon of malted barley so delicious and definitely worth it, but I’m adding it as optional as I know it’s a whole ingredient that you probably won’t really use for much else. If you do buy a tin (and again, it’s an ingredient you can get at the grocery store) make sure you also put my homemade vegan Tim Tams on your to make list as they require the malted barley as well.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this no-bake vegan cheesecake you’ll need a couple of things that will make your life a bit easier.
First let’s talk about the pan. I’m using a 20cm round springform pan but ideally you’d actually use a round pan with a removable base. The reason is the latter has a nice flat base making it much easier to remove the cheesecake.
If you, like me, only have a springform pan, my hot tip is to put the base in UPSIDE DOWN. This will give you a nice flat base and remove that little lip that the cheesecake base tends to get stuck in. Also make sure to line the base and sides with baking paper as this is going to make releasing the cheesecake so much easier.
You’ll also need a food processor and a blender. The food processor is optional as technically the base can be made by hand but the blender is absolutely essential to getting the texture of the filling correct as we need to blend the cashews to be super creamy.
To make the cheesecake, start with the base. Pulse the chocolate biscuits into a fine crumb using your food processor or even by hand by hitting them with a wooden spoon in a large ziplock bag. I’ve also crushed them using a mortar and pestle before!
Once the biscuits have been turned to crumbs, mix through the Milo and then the melted butter until you get the texture of wet sand. Place this mixture into the prepared tin and press down with your hands and/or a glass until it’s evenly across the base. Place into the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Make sure you’ve rinsed and dried your soaking cashews and then throw them into the blender with all of the other filling ingredients. Your vegan cream cheese can be room temperature or cold, it doesn’t matter.
Blend it up until super creamy. You’ll know it’s ready when you rub a little bit of the mixture between your fingers and it doesn’t feel grainy. Depending on the strength of your blender will depend on how long this takes but mine is around 5 minutes of blending.
Once the filling is done, pour the mixture into the prepared base and smooth out the top. Place the cheesecake back into the freezer to set overnight.
It’s so important that this cheesecake is allowed to set in the freezer first before we transfer it to the fridge. If you just keep it in the fridge it won’t get the desired texture.
The next day, you can remove the cheesecake from the pan and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. To serve I like to sprinkle over a little extra Milo on top for decoration.
This cheesecake keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge and to be honest, is probably at it’s best on day 3. The added time in the fridge allows the filling to get a little more creamy and the texture is perfect.
More Vegan Desserts:
Vegan Sticky Date Pudding With Caramel Sauce
Amaretto Tiramisu (Vegan)
Vegan Caramel Slice
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Glaze
Vegan Brownies
No-Bake Vegan Milo Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the base:
- 165 grams plain chocolate biscuits see notes
- 2 tablespoons plant-based Milo
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter melted
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups cashews soaked for 1 hour in boiling water
- 255 grams vegan cream cheese
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon malted barley optional
- ½ cup plant-based Milo
Instructions
- Line the base and sides of a round 20cm springform pan with baking paper (place the base into the springform pan upside down so the base is flat). Set aside.
- Start by making the base of the cheesecake. In a food processor, add the chocolate biscuits and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the plant-based milo and mix through to combine. Add in the melted butter and mix until you get the consistency of wet sand. Place the biscuit mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly with the bottom of a glass (or your fingers) until it’s evenly covering the base. Set aside in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes while you make the filling.
- Make the filling by adding the soaked cashews (drained and rinsed well), vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, coconut oil, malted barley (if using) and plant based milo to a blender. Blend together until really smooth and creamy. Depending on your blender this may take 5 or so minutes. You know it’s smooth enough when you rub some of the mixture between your fingers and there is no graininess.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the mixture over the base. Smooth out the top evenly so you have a flat surface and then place the cheesecake back in the freezer overnight to chill.
- The next day, you can remove the cheesecake from the freezer, release it from the pan and place it in the fridge for about 4 hours until ready to serve. To serve, I just sprinkled some extra Milo around the top to decorate. Continue to store the cheesecake in the fridge covered for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Sherry M
I love Milo!