The easy vegan cheesecake recipe that even non vegans LOVE… with no cashews, and no tofu required.
Vegan cheesecake with no cashews
This vegan cheesecake is so out-of-this-world delicious that I have yet to bring it to any party where both vegans and non vegans haven’t raved about it!
Even people with no interest whatsoever in healthy or vegan eating go crazy for this cheesecake every time I serve it.
When creating the recipe, my goal had been to make something that tasted so similar to classic New York cheesecake that—if you didn’t already know it was egg free and vegan—you would absolutely never be able to tell.
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I’ve had way more than my fair share of bad vegan cheesecakes in my life, so I know exactly what comes to mind when people picture vegan cheesecake: chalky texture, unpleasant artificial aftertaste, disappointingly non-cheesy flavor, or lack of any flavor at all.
As a huge cheesecake lover, I have exorbitantly high standards for the perfect baked cheesecake, and those high standards were front and center when I set out to make a vegan version that tasted just as good as the original.
This dairy free cheesecake is so rich and creamy, no one ever believes it isn’t full of heavy cream and sugar!
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When I finally perfected my cheesecake recipe, it was time to test it out on a group of non vegans.
I brought it to a party and quietly set it down with all of the other desserts, without mentioning to anyone that it was vegan.
While I’d hoped people would like it, I’d never in a million years expected the entire cheesecake to be completely gone in under an hour!
That’s when I knew the recipe was definitely a keeper.
*For chocolate cheesecake, try this veganBrownie Cheesecake Recipe
Cheesecake ingredients
You have multiple options for the cream cheese, yogurt, and sweetener in this recipe, so choose ingredients that fit your own dietary and taste preferences.
The recipe works with store-bought vegan cream cheese, such as Trader Joes vegan, Tofutti, Miyokos (soy free), or Kite Hill (soy and cashew free).
Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can make your own homemade cream cheese with cashews or macadamia nuts.
And have fun decorating your cheesecake, with sliced strawberries, bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips or coconut milk chocolate truffles.
I topped the vegan cheesecake in the photos with toasted coconut and homemade vegan cream cheese frosting (4 oz cream cheese, 2 oz vegan butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract).
Use a prepared crust, cookie crust or graham cracker crust; or follow the optional crust recipe below. The entire cheesecake, from the filling to the crust, is completely vegan.
Leftover cream cheese? Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
How to make vegan cheesecake
Gather all of your ingredients, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fill any baking pan about halfway up with water, and place the pan of water on your oven’s lower rack.
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature, then beat cheese cake ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Be sure not to over beat, which could cause air bubbles to form that might later burst and cause cracking.
Smooth the filling on top of a prepared vegan crust, place on the oven’s middle rack, and bake 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door.
When time is up, keep the oven door closed but turn the heat off. Leave the cake in the closed oven for 5 additional minutes, then remove and let it cool 20 minutes or more before placing the still-underdone cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up.
These steps are important because letting the recipe cool gradually, instead of exposing it to harsh temperature changes, is another trick to prevent cracking.
The cheesecake will be considerably firmer in texture after 6-8 hours. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, or it can also be sliced and frozen.
Above, watch the vegan cheesecake recipe video
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The easy vegan cheesecake recipe that even non vegans love, with no cashews required.
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Print Recipe
Prep Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 7 hours hours
Yield 8 – 12 slices
5 from 255 votes
Ingredients
- 24 oz cream cheese, such as TJ vegan or Tofutti OR vegan cream cheese
- 2 cups plain yogurt, such as coconutmilk, almond, soy, or cashew yogurt
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tsp cornstarch (or here's a Keto Cheesecake Recipe)
- 2/3 cup sugar or pure maple syrup, or xylitol for sugar free
Instructions
Optional Crust (or use your favorite crust): 1 1/2 cup raw nuts of choice, 1 cup pitted dates, 1/8 tsp salt. If dates are not soft, soak in boiling water until soft. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until fine crumbles form. Add water very slowly (1 tsp at a time) only if needed. Pour into a lined 9-inch springform pan, press down evenly, then set aside while you make the filling.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill any baking pan about halfway with water and place it on the oven’s lower rack. Bring cream cheese to room temp. Beat all cheesecake ingredients with a blender or food processor just until smooth. (Do not overbeat, which would introduce air bubbles that might burst in the oven and cause cracking.) Smooth on top of the prepared crust. Place on the middle rack, above the rack that has the water pan. Bake 30 minutes, and do not open the oven door during this time. When the time is up, still do not open the oven even a crack, but turn off the heat. Leave in the closed oven for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove the cake—it will still look underdone—and let cool at least 20 minutes before placing the still-underdone cheesecake in the fridge. It’s important to let it cool before refrigerating, because you want it to cool gradually so it doesn’t crack. Chill at least 6 hours or overnight, during which time it firms up. Store leftovers covered in the fridge 3-4 days, or you can also freeze slices if desired.
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Notes
Also try these popular Vegan Brownies.
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