Super Easy No Bake Choco Taco Cheesecake- Dairy Free!
Remember the iconic Choco Tacos with the waffle taco shells, fudge ripple vanilla ice cream, and crunchy chocolate peanut coating? We’re taking that and turning it into a NO BAKE cheesecake recipe! This no bake choco taco cheesecake features an easy 2 ingredient waffle cone crust, vanilla and fudge ripple swirled cheesecake batter and a crunchy peanut chocolate ganache on top! Choco Taco officially got an upgrade- and it’s unbelievably dairy free and vegan!
Forget the ice cream truck- this copycat no bake cheesecake is even better! And it’s dairy free!
The Choco Taco has been discontinued, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy it! If you miss that crunchy waffle taco shell with fudge ripple vanilla ice cream and crunchy peanut chocolate coating, then let me introduce you to your new favorite no bake treat.
And the best part? You won’t even know it’s dairy free and vegan. Yep, so even my vegan friends (like myself haha) can enjoy the childhood nostalgia of the Choco Taco.
Like my strawberry crunch bar cheesecake, we’re taking the best of the classic ice cream treat and turning it into cheesecake form: a waffle cone crust with a fudge ripple vanilla bean creamy cheesecake batter that sets beautifully creamy in the freezer and topped with a crunchy peanut chocolate coating!
All no bake. Just 8 ingredients. And you only need a food processor. Let’s make this!
How we’re making this Choco Taco Cheesecake dairy free:
Cream cheese: Instead of cream cheese, we’re of course using vegan cream cheese! I personally prefer using Kite Hill (contains nuts) or Tofutti (contains soy). I also have made this cheesecake with my homemade vegan cream cheese here!
Dairy free yogurt: I really like using Forager Project’s new Greek-style yogurt, as it’s super thick and helps with setting. Kite Hill also has another great Greek-style yogurt that’s also super thick!
Vegan heavy cream: Trust me, you won’t even know the difference. This goes into both our cheesecake batter and chocolate coating topping, and it is LOVELY. My cashew cream recipe also works as a great vegan heavy cream, but I mainly just use store bought for nut-free. I really like Silk and Plant Crock. Califia will work as well. Avoid using coconut milk, as you’ll get a coconut flavor in your choco taco no bake cheesecake!
Vegan butter: Miyoko’s is my favorite here for that (but it does contain nuts!). You can also use Plant Crock here for nut-free. Earth Balance is another option, but not my favorite (as I think it tastes a bit processed).
How to make and assemble a no bake choco taco cheesecake:
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
Making the mini choco taco decorations:
This isn’t a requirement of course for your beautiful no bake choco taco cheesecake, and it’s definitely a little bit of extra work!
But if you REALLY love choco tacos, like I do, then to me, it’s so worth a little bit of extra work.
Now, stroopwafels are not traditionally vegan; however, I found this amazing vegan stroopwafel brand, Stroop Club, that has plant-based stroopwafels. AMAZING.
So to make them, I simply:
- Heat: Warm the stroopwafel in the microwave for 10 seconds. This helps make it flexible enough to mold.
- Mold: Form the stroopwafel into a taco shape, and let it rest and chill on a mold, such as the handle of an ice cream scoop, in the fridge to set quickly.
- Assemble: Scoop about 1-2 tablespoons of ice cream into the molded waffle taco shell and place into the freezer to chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Top with the peanut chocolate crunch! When you’re topping your no bake choco taco cheesecake with the peanut chocolate crunch, you can also do so for your mini choco tacos! And now they’re 100% vegan 🙂
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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Super Easy No Bake Choco Taco Cheesecake- Dairy Free!
- Prep Time: 10
- Chilling Time: 240
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Remember the iconic Choco Tacos with the waffle taco shells, fudge ripple vanilla ice cream, and crunchy chocolate peanut coating? We’re taking that and turning it into a NO BAKE cheesecake recipe! This no bake choco taco cheesecake features an easy 2 ingredient waffle cone crust, vanilla and fudge ripple swirled cheesecake batter and a crunchy peanut chocolate ganache on top! Choco Taco officially got an upgrade- and it’s unbelievably dairy free and vegan!
Ingredients
Waffle Crust:
- 24 cones (250 g) of organic waffle cones
- 1/3 cup (76 g) vegan butter, melted
Fudge Ripple (inspired by Crowded Kitchen’s Fudge Ripple):
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp vegan heavy cream
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Cheesecake batter:
- 36 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream or cashew cream
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) dairy-free yogurt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean seeds
Peanut Chocolate Coating:
- 1 batch vegan chocolate ganache
- 3/4 cup shelled salted peanuts, chopped finely
Instructions
- Prep: Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, including along the walls.
- Make the crust: We’ll make the crust in a food processor. Pulse the waffle cones until they resemble a fine crumb. Then add in the melted vegan butter and pulse again until you have a wet crumb. Pour the crumbs into the springform pan, and press the crust firmly into the base of the pan. You can also work part of the crust up the walls of the cheesecake pan or just leave it as one even layer. Place the crust into the freezer to chill while you make the filling.
- Make the fudge ripple: In a small bowl, whisk together all fudge ripple ingredients. Set aside.
- Make the vanilla cheesecake filling base: In a food processor, blend the vegan cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, yogurt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste together until you reach a silky consistency. You can pause the food processor to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Finish assembling the cheesecake: Pour half of the vanilla cheesecake batter into the crust. Place about 4 dollops (half of the fudge ripple sauce) on top, and swirl them around with a butter knife or toothpick. Then top the remaining vanilla bean cheesecake batter, followed by the remaining fudge ripple in dollops. Swirl the batter again.
- Chill: Chill the cheesecake in the freezer for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve: Carefully remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. Make the peanut chocolate coating by preparing the vegan chocolate ganache then stirring in the chopped peanuts. Allow the cheesecake to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. During that time, you can top the cheesecake with the peanut chocolate crunch coating. Slice when ready and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
See blog post for how to make the mini choco tacos on top!
