Vegan Baked Cheesecake (no vegan cream cheese)
This vegan baked cheesecake is creamy and rich and uses NO dairy-free cream cheese! It is easy to make and you even don’t need a water bath. Also, the cheesecake can easily be made gluten-free, refined sugar-free and coconut free.
Why you’ll love this cheesecake
ACCESSIBLE INGREDIENTS: This vegan baked cheesecake uses no vegan cream cheese, which can be temperamental and difficult to find. Instead, I used more common ingredients that are found in many countries.
TASTE/TEXTURE: Creamy, sweet, tart and indulgent vegan dessert.
DIFFICULTY: Easy to make, with the help of a blender! You DON’T need to bake the cheesecake in a water bath or deal with a tray of hot water.
If you prefer cheesecakes WITH cream cheese, see my no-bake vegan strawberry cheesecake, baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake or baked vegan gingerbread cheesecake.
Ingredients you’ll need
Ingredient notes
Flour, vegan butter and sugar for a crunchy cookie-style crust. Almond flour makes the crust richer and ‘buttery’. The crust will work with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Cashew nuts add richness to the filling whereas silken tofu makes it creamy and not too heavy. You don’t need coconut cream for this baked vegan cheesecake!
Thick dairy-free yogurt adds a tartness to the filling that is typical of cheesecakes. I recommend using a thick yogurt, whether it’s oat yogurt, soy yogurt or coconut yogurt!
Cornstarch (or corn flour in UK/Australia) makes the filling a little more smooth.
Maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla and salt provide depth of flavor. Don’t skimp on these ingredients otherwise, your cheesecake won’t have much taste!
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Tips for making the crust
The crust is easy to make as you just need to mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, food processor or stand mixer. The final mixture should be a cookie dough consistency.
Then transfer the crust mixture to your springform pan and press it against the bottom and sides. You may want to use a spoon or spatula to smooth the surface! Finally, we’re par-baking the crust to make sure it’s crunchy and not soggy for the final cheesecake.
Tips for making the cheesecake filling
The cheesecake filling is easy to make as you just add all the ingredients to a blender and blend. The filling mixture should be runny and similar in consistency to a thin pouring custard. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend using a food processor as it will not blend the cashews well enough.
Finally, taste test the cheesecake mixture and add more sweetener, vanilla, lemon juice or salt to taste. Feel free to add some fresh lemon zest if you’d like a more zesty acidic flavor that’s typical of cheesecakes.
Serving suggestions
This baked vegan cheesecake is best served with slightly acidic fruit such as raspberries or passionfruit (fresh or a compote) as it helps cut through the rich filling!
Some other delicious toppings for your vegan cheesecake are:
- dairy-free whipped cream (such as coconut whipped cream)
- chocolate ganache
- vegan caramel sauce
- pecan caramel topping, from my pumpkin cheesecake recipe
Customizing this vegan baked cheesecake
Whole or chopped fruit, such as blueberries or stewed apples would complement this cheesecake well!
I don’t recommend adding strawberry puree to the filling as it makes the cheesecake an unpleasant brown color.
Yes! I have tried this and the cheesecake filling still has a similar consistency to the original. When the sugar comes in contact with the liquid ingredients in the filling, it liquifies and behaves similarly to maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners.
More vegan cheesecake recipes
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Vegan Baked Cheesecake (no vegan cream cheese)
Ingredients
Crust (note 1 for alternatives)
- 1 ½ cups (240g) all-purpose plain flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50g) almond flour / blanched almond meal, or substitute with more flour
- ¼ cup (40g) granulated sugar, or coconut sugar
- ¾ cup (180g) vegan butter, or solid refined coconut oil, room temperature
Cheesecake filling
- 2 cups (260g) raw cashews, (note 2)
- 1 cup (250g) firm silken tofu, also known as 'traditional tofu' (note 3)
- ½ cup (170g) maple syrup, or any light-colored sweetener, or 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, to taste
- ⅓ cup (80g) dairy-free yogurt
- ¼ cup (60g) dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon (20g) lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar, or to taste (note 4)
- 1 tablespoon (7g) cornstarch / corn flour, optional but creates a smoother cheesecake
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
To decorate
- 1 ½ cups (225g) frozen or fresh blueberries and raspberries
- 3 tablespoons (64g) any light-coloured sweetener, such as rice malt syrup or maple syrup, optional and to taste
- 1 tablespoon (7g) cornstarch / corn flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line the bottom and sides of a springform or loose-bottom cake pan with parchment paper. I used a tall 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan.
To make the crust:
- In a large bowl or food processor, mix all the crust ingredients until well combined. It should stick together if you pinch it between two fingers. If the mixture is a little dry, add a dash of water and mix until it comes together. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of your cake pan so it's about 1/3 inch (8 mm) thick.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until slightly golden and it's dry to the touch. Set aside.
To make the filling:
- Add all of the cheesecake filling ingredients to a blender and blend until there are no lumps. Taste test the mixture and adjust the level of sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, if desired. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.
- Tap the cheesecake firmly on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
Baking the cheesecake:
- Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes or until just before the filling sets. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover the cheesecake with aluminum foil. The cheesecake is ready when the filling is no longer liquid but the filling still 'jiggles' in the middle. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the oven door ajar for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Let it come to room temperature, cover the cake tin and chill it in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, prepare the berry topping:
- Add the berries and the topping ingredients to a small saucepan. If you're using fresh berries, reserve a handful for later. Mix the saucepan ingredients until combined. Place the saucepan over medium heat and mix for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Remove the cheesecake from the cake pan. Top the cheesecake with the berry compote and reserved fresh berries. Cut and serve!
- Store the cheesecake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- For a graham cracker crust, blitz 300g graham crackers in a food processor until it resembles fine crumbs. Add 40g sugar and 90g melted vegan butter and pulse until combined. Firmly press the mixture against the bottom and sides of your cake pan and bake for 10 minutes. If the crust collapses during baking, press it back while it’s warm.
- If you have a high-powered blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews beforehand. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak the cashews overnight and drain them before blending.
- Traditional tofu is halfway between extra silken tofu and extra firm tofu. It often comes in a tub and wobbles a little when you shake it. When you blend it, it will completely break down into a creamy mixture compared to firm tofu which will stay in small chunks.
- Do not omit the lemon, vanilla and salt as they help this recipe taste like a regular cheesecake.
This post was originally published in July 2019 and updated a few times to provide an improved recipe and helpful process images.
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Love this easy recipe that is both healthy and not too heavy! I used 120g maple syrup instead and it turned out not too sweet, just the way I like it.
We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and that the maple syrup adjustment worked perfectly for your taste!
I am making this cheesecake this Easter. Can I use all almond flour instead of the all purpose flour for the crust? Would dairy yogurt work as well? The cheesecake sounds amazing!
Hi Deedee, sorry for the late reply! Unfortunately all almond flour won’t work as it won’t stick together. Dairy yogurt should work but I’m not 100% sure as I haven’t tested it. Enjoy!
Good morning. Can I substitute the plain flour for oat flour?
Good morning Anna. I haven’t tested the crust with oat flour, but I think it will work similarly. If the mixture is a little dry, you may need to add a dash of water.
Made today and came out amazingly. I was thinking of making for Christmas Day and I wanted to turn it into a biscoff cheesecake- using biscoff biscuits to do a high crust and then add some of the spread to the actual filling- just not sure how much to add if you had any advice? 🙂
Hi Carla, I’m so glad that you enjoyed this cheesecake! Ooh, a Biscoff cheesecake would be delicious. For a high base, I would use around 350g Biscoff biscuits and 140g melted vegan butter, then blend 150g Biscoff spread into the the filling. I think the cheesecake would be also be lovely topped with melted Biscoff spread and crushed biscuits. It might be worth doing a very small test before Christmas Day. I hope that helps!
I baked it for my non vegan brother’s birthday and he loved it!
Baking it now for the second time.
This time I had run out of yoghurt so I subbed it with more silken tofu and it’s working out well too. Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s amazing, Cristina!! And so glad that it worked with tofu instead of yoghurt – I’ll keep that in mind whenever I don’t want to go to the shops for yoghurt! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here :).
Made my first vegan baked cheesecake, love the creamy texture!! I was really wondering if it would set, and it did! This recipe is a keeper thank you! Greetings from the Netherlands 😉
Aw, that’s amazing to hear, Corinne! Thanks so much for making my day!
I would love to try this recipe but I would like to be able to have the classic broken biscuit base. is it possible to do without the sides?
Hi Alanah, yes you can! However, from memory, the cheesecake sort of ‘slants’ in without having a crust on the sides. I hope that helps!
I believe I made this years ago what year did this recipe come out? 2013 or 2014? It is Divine warmed blueberry topper Mm Thanks Marianne 💕😊
Oh that’s great to hear Marianne! I published this recipe in 2019, which is around 4-5 years ago. Warm blueberries would be so delicious with this! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Do you have any experience substituting the same weight of cashew butter for the raw cashews? Unfortunately my food processor isn’t up to the task of making nuts smooth.
Hi Kath, that’s a good question – I haven’t tried cashew butter for this one, but I’ve used cashew butter in similar types of cheesecakes and it always worked similarly (use the grams amount). If your cashew butter is roasted, your cheesecake may just have a ‘nuttier’ taste. I hope that helps!
I’ve tried many vegan cheesecake recipes before this one, and they were all meh. This one is AMAZING. So creamy, great texture and flavor!! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!
Hi Shara, awww that’s the best news!!! I’m so thrilled that you enjoyed this cheesecake and thanks a million for your kind feedback!
Can I freeze this cheesecake without the topping? I am wanting it for 6 weeks time.
Hi Zoë, unfortunately I haven’t tried freezing this cheesecake so I’m not 100% sure if the texture will change.
I’m thinking of making this recipe as individual cheesecakes in a cupcake tray. Do you have a suggestion for how long I should bake them for?
Hi Rach, try baking them for around 20 minutes. The edges of each cheesecake should be set, whilst the middles should be a little jiggly. I hope that helps!
Hi,
Love your recipes for my dairy allergy child. They are so good. My child is also allergic to cashews so For this cheesecake can I substitute almonds for the cashews? Will it change the cheesecake a lot? I know the texture is very different but almonds and hazelnuts are the only nuts she can have. 🙁
Hi Lubna, I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed my recipes so far! With this cheesecake, I think almonds will still work and the cheesecake will set (the final texture might just be a little different). I’ve made other cheesecakes with almonds and I soaked the almonds for a little longer as they’re firmer than cashews. Also, if you use almonds with no skin, the filling will be smoother! I hope that helps!
Just made it. Nailed it from first try, taste heavenly. Thank you so much for the recipe. One suggestion for you guys , you don’t need to apply oil in the baking dish before you put the crust. It has sooo much butter in it. I tried without baking paper/hate the edges it creates /and I was afraid to add additional oil. It turned out perfect, nothing was stuck, came out without any issue.
Can this be frozen? I made this for my son’s birthday – he said it was his best ever birthday cake! We all enjoyed it, however it is very rich and can only manage small portions (we’re such lightweights!)
Hi Heather! So glad you all enjoyed this cheesecake :). I honestly haven’t tried freezing it so I’m not 100% sure. However, based on other similar recipes, I think it should be fine!
Yum! Tried this one and I love it! Definitely recommended. Perfect combination for my hemp coffee.
That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for your feedback Joy!
Wow! I’ve been vegan for 8 years and tried many vegan cheesecakes. THIS one is incredible! The taste and texture is restaurant-quality. I used ¼ cup date sugar and ¼ cup cane sugar instead of maple syrup, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Soooo good! Printing this and adding it to the recipe book right now. Thanks so much 🙂
Aw thanks so much for your feedback and what a compliment! I’m so happy you enjoyed the cheesecake and that date and cane sugar worked too 🙂
For the first time I made a vegan baked cheesecake. I have made vegan cheesecakes befor,but in the fridge or freezer. This recipe is easy to follow and the result is really delicious. I will certainly use this recipe more times. Thanks for sharing Anthea!
Wilma from @justnutsandplants
Aw I’m so happy you enjoyed this cheesecake, especially as your first time! Your cheesecake on Instagram was beautiful! Thanks so much for your lovely comment Wilma x