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This baked vegan cheesecake is made without cashews, nuts, and without tofu, but you’d never tell- It’s so rich, thick, and creamy! No fancy kitchen mixers needed.
It’s no secret that I love cheesecake. Although up until now, they’ve been of the no bake variety. We’ve had the classic no bake cheesecake and the chocolate version, but now? We have, what I consider, the BEST Vegan Cheesecake.
No seriously, I dare you to find a better baked cheesecake out there, especially one with such a simple ingredient list! Unlike many vegan desserts, this cheesecake is made with no dairy, no nuts, and definitely no tofu.
It’s thick, creamy, and rich, without being heavy at all. This vegan cheesecake recipe was actually inspired by the Cheesecake Factory’s New York Style cheesecake, which has the most delicious flavor (and also was the only vegan option available there!).
Not only is this cheesecake vegan, but it can easily be made gluten free and sugar free.
I made my non-vegan friends try it out, and no one could tell- it tastes like the real deal!
How to make a vegan cheesecake
The Ingredients
- Dairy free cream cheese– Use a good quality vegan cream cheese, preferably one with minimal or no added water in it. This will ensure the cheesecake remains creamy once it has been baked. You want your cream cheese to be softened.
- Sugar– Either white sugar or unrefined white sugar is best. You can try to keep it sugar-free, by using erythritol or monk fruit sweetener.
- Corn starch– Allows the cheesecake to remain intact, and holds it all together. You can also use arrowroot starch.
- Dairy Free milk– I used unsweetened almond milk, but you can also use oat milk, coconut milk, etc.
- Lemon Juice– Reacts with the cream cheese and sugar to give the cheesecake a slight tang. You won’t taste the lemon at all.
- Vanilla Extract– Always add it to my baking!
- Pie Crust– Use your favorite homemade or store-bought 8-inch pie crust. I made a simple vegan graham cracker crust, but any will work.
The Instructions
Start by preparing your pie crust, or using a store bought crust. Next, prepare your cheesecake filling mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese with sugar until smooth and creamy. Now, add the milk, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Continue beating on low, until combined, before turning it up and beating on high, until smooth and creamy. Be sure to regularly scrape down the sides. Transfer the cheesecake filling into the pie crust and spread out the top, using a rubber spatula. Bake the cheesecake for 40-45 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool in the cake pan completely. Once cool, place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
How to make a vegan graham cracker pie crust
As mentioned before, any pie crust will work. As I want the cheesecake to be the center of attention, I used the simple graham cracker crust.
To make– 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup vegan butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
In a large mixing bowl, add your ingredients and mix well, until combined. Transfer to an 8-inch pie plate. Refrigerate while you prepare the cheesecake mixture.
Cheesecake Tips
- If you use a store bought crust, be sure it is vegan friendly and made without eggs. Also be sure it has no nuts, to keep it nut free.
- You must regularly scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl when blending the cheesecake mixture. Sometimes, the cornstarch can stick to the sides, which will cause the filling to be less stable. Remember, the cornstarch is what thickens the cheesecake.
- If possible, refrigerate your cheesecake overnight. This gives it the best firm texture, especially when it comes to slicing the cheesecake.
- To slice the cheesecake, use a slightly wet and extra sharp knife.
- While perfect on its own, feel free to dress up the cheesecake with fresh berries, whipped cream, or even serve it with some ice cream.
- For a gluten free cheesecake, swap out the cornstarch or tapioca starch or arrowroot starch.
- For a sugar free cheesecake, replace the sugar with a sugar free alternative, like erythritol.
Storing and Freezing Tips
To store: Store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator, either in a sealable container or covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerated cheesecake will keep well for up to 7 days.
To freeze: Freeze individual slices of cheesecake in a freezer friendly container. They will freeze well for up to 6 months.
More Vegan Desserts to make
Vegan Cheesecake (No tofu or nuts!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 8-inch pie crust Homemade or store bought * See notes
- 16 oz vegan cream cheese room temperature ** See notes
- 2/3 cup sugar *** See notes
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch can use tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- 3 tablespoon milk of choice I used almond milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare your pie crust in an 8-inch pan, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your softened cream cheese with sugar and beat on low, until smooth and creamy. While still on low, add in the cornstarch, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Continue beating on low until combined. Once combined, turn up to high and continue beating, until smooth.
- Transfer your cheesecake into the prepared pie crust. Bake the cheesecake for 40-45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Hello I have made several vegan cheesecake recipes. This one by far hats off, boots kicking and fingers licking the best one ever made! It’s creamy, flavorable and certainly worth making. I burned my graham crackers a bit on the side but that was my own fault! Next time I may add a bit more lemon juice to give it a little more tang. 😋 DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks so much, Lelisa!
Would honey work as the sweetener? Thanks!
I haven’t tried, but you are welcome to experiment and see!
best vegan cheesecake I’ve ever tasted!
Hi, there
Can I use the lactose free cream cheese for this recipe?
Thank you so much
I don’t see why not!
Hi! Do you think I could use Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese? Thank you!
I haven’t tried that, but let me know how it goes!
Truly the best vegan cheesecake recipe I’ve ever made!!! Even better than a standard cheesecake.
Hi! I’m so excited to try this vegan cheese cake recipe! Do you think I can use date syrup or coconut sugar inplace of monk fruit?
Thank you!
Coconut sugar is the best sub for any granulated sweetener 🙂
My son who has no allergies said it was amazing and I thought it was wonderful. Thank you so much. I can’t have dairy or gluten. This was so good!
I think I forgot to add my stars in my last comment.
I did not have the same experience as other commenters as my cheesecake did set up in the oven and with just a few hours of refrigeration, it was ready to serve. Not sure what I did differently from others who reported that it was still custard-like after baking and that it required overnight refrigeration to set. I served this to people who I was meeting for the first time and who are not vegan and although I disclosed that no dairy was involved in the recipe, they exclaimed that if I hadn’t told them, they would not have known. They even kept the leftover slice for later consumption! I will share this with others and will absolutely make it again. I used Miyokos cream cheese and otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written.
Just a reminder that you should edit this recipe and remove erythritol from substitution notes since the FDA issued a warning about that sweetener saying that it has been linked to strokes and heart attacks. Monkfruit does work well, as does pure stevia extract, both of which are natural and safe. By the way, I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but will do so soon, and thanks!
Yes! We are changing all our recipes to feature our new, favorite tested sweetener, allulose.
That is great! I love using allulose and BochaSweet in all my baking, but unfortunately it doesn’t crisp. Finding recipes that specifically use these sweeteners are very helpful rather than finding out that it doesn’t work out. I really appreciate this, Arman!
I have had to greatly alter the way I eat whwn I found out that I have several food sensitivities. The journey in finding foods I can prepare and eat has proven quite difficult. But to my great surprise, I was so excited when I found your recipes! Super big YAY!
I do have a question about this recipe. I use arrowroot powder (starch) on occasion but not enough to completely know how to use it. Do I need to turn the arrowroot starch into a slurry first before adding it into this recipe?
Thanks so much!
I was very skeptical about this recipe, because eating vegan teaches you to lower your expectations when it comes to trying to match a non vegan food. I love eating vegan, but the matching game is often a flop…I thank those who left comments about the weird consistency of the cake when it comes out of the oven. I would have totally dumped it in the trash otherwise! LOL! After a night in the fridge, the end result was absolutely amazing! The texture was my biggest surprise! So similar to the dairy version! I used vegan cream cheese from Trader Joe’s made of coconut cream. I used arrow root starch, and all came out great! Thanks so much! This will become my go to dessert to share!!
Yes! This is why I make it a point to say chill it first- it makes all the difference 🙂
I’m happy to report the cheesecake came out beautiful. I definitely recommend to leave it in the fridge overnight. I use Violife cream cheese and it worked perfect. I only have one question regarding the taste, in my opinion doesn’t taste really cheesy maybe because I used a little bit more of cream cheese and vanilla and the rest of the ingredients because I had a 9 in baking pan instead of eight but I didn’t add more lemon. My husband absolutely loved it and I did too but for me tastes more like a custard than cheesy.The texture was excellent. This recipe is a keeper, so yes! Violife works as long as you eat the cheesecake next day.
Omg. I just to get it out of the oven is not even golden and is really loose but I use Violife cream cheese I’m just hoping to leave it overnight in the fridge and I will do the trick😢😱
Hi, I just have a 6″ round pan with a removable bottom. Could I make this cheesecake in that size, and if so, how long would I bake it? I would be using half BochaSweet and half allulose, but powdered. Also, instead of using tapioca starch or cornstarch, is it possible to use bamboo fiber?
Thank you.
Absolutely delicious! I used Philadelphia vegan cream cheese for the first time (it has only just become available here in Luxembourg). Pie crust with homemade digestive biscuits. I used lime juice and added lime zest. It looked a bit weird and wobbly just out of the oven but quite perfect once cold. Thank you for this recipe and Happy New Year!
Thank you so much, Sue!
This was, hands down, the best and easiest vegan cheesecake ever. I make it for my non-vegan friends too.
This was the best vegan cheesecake that non-vegan friends love it.
the best cheesecake I’ve made, vegan or not.