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These mini hot cocoa cheesecakes are the perfect fun dessert to mix it up for the holidays! They’re dairy & gluten-free, paleo and easy to make AIP.

Hot cocoa and cheesecake is basically a match made in heaven. How can it get better? It has all of the flavors you love of hot chocolate and cheesecake together in one recipe! Make it into a mini, single-serve dessert and you have a super impressive holiday dessert for not too much effort.

I started seeing recipes like this that use actual cream cheese, and such online and I decided I had to make my own version! This recipe is a no-bake recipe that’s paleo, AIP, gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of refined sugar.

How to make Hot Cocoa Cheesecake

For the crust

• Using a muffin tin, line 6 tins with muffin liners and set aside. Add the cookies to a food processor and crumble. Combine with the coconut oil.
• Use a spoon to add the crust to the bottom of the muffin liners.
• Transfer to the freezer and allow to harden for 15-20 minutes. Remove when ready to add the cheesecake filling.

For the cheesecake filling

• Clean out the food processor and add the coconut cream, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.
• Prepare the gelatin egg and add to the food processor. Pulse for 3-5 seconds to combine.
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, evenly filling the muffin cups. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set for 3 hours, or overnight. The cheesecake should be firm. To serve, carefully peel back the muffin liners. Top with coconut cream and marshmallows.

Can you use a real egg instead of a gelatin egg? What about agar?

Since this is a no-bake recipe, a real egg wouldn’t work. It would really just be a raw egg and wouldn’t set the cheesecake. I haven’t tried anything like agar as an alternative and still recommend the gelatin egg first.

Can you make this recipe coconut free?

I have not found any alternatives for this particular recipe that would still make it dairy-free and AIP friendly.

Can you make this a full-size cheesecake instead?

I haven’t tried to make this into a full-size cheesecake, but you would need to use a fairly small pan to make it thick since it’s makes small servings.

The Ingredients You’ll Need for the Hot Cocoa Cheesecake

Chocolate cookies

I love the simple mills chocolate cookies for this recipe! For AIP you can use my oreo cookie recipe, or if you want this to be a peppermint hot cocoa cheesecake, you can use my thin mint cookies.

Coconut cream & coconut oil

I love this brand of coconut cream.

Maple syrup

I think maple syrup gives this cheesecake the right amount of sweetness without refined sugar.

Gelatin 

Gelatin is what sets the cheesecake without baking or eggs! Collagen will not work.

You’ll also love…

• DIY Hot Cocoa Mix & Marshmallows
• Hot Chocolate Brownie Bites
• Paleo Spritz Cookies

Hot Cocoa Cheesecake

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• Author: Michelle
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

These mini hot cocoa cheesecakes are the perfect fun dessert to mix it up for the holidays! They’re dairy & gluten-free, and paleo.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the crust

• 1 cup chocolate cookies of choice (I used 8 of these cookies. For AIP, you can also use this or this for a mint flavor)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

For the cheesecake

• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (sub carob for AIP)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (use alcohol free for AIP)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp gelatin powder

For the topping

• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 6–8 marshmallows (homemade or sweet apricity)

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Instructions

For the crust

1. Using a muffin tin, line 6 tins with muffin liners and set aside.
2. Add the cookies to a food processor and process until they’re finely crumbled. Add the coconut oil and process for 5-10 seconds to combine.
3. Use a spoon to add the crust to the bottom of the muffin liners. You’ll have about 2 tbsp of crust in each muffin cup. Press the crust down so it’s even.
4. Transfer to the freezer and allow to harden for 15-20 minutes. Remove when ready to add the cheesecake filling.

For the cheesecake filling

1. Clean out the food processor and add the coconut cream, cocoa powder, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.
2. For the gelatin egg, pour the water into a small saucepan and evenly sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Allow to sit for 2-3 minutes to allow to harden. Place on the stovetop set to low heat for 1-2 minutes until the mixture comes to liquid. Remove from heat. Use a whisk or milk frother to blend the gelatin mixture until frothy.
3. Add the gelatin egg mixture to the food proecessor and pulse for 3-5 seconds to combine.
4. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust, evenly filling the muffin cups.
5. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set for 3 hours, or overnight. The cheesecake should be firm.
6. To serve, carefully peel back the muffin liners. Top with coconut cream and marshmallows.

Notes

All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.

• Prep Time: 20
• Category: Dessert
• Method: no bake
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 412
• Fat: 24.2g
• Carbohydrates: 28.9g
• Fiber: 4.9g
• Protein: 4.5g