Creamy Vegan Cheesecake? YES! Count me in! 🙂 My #1 all-time favorite cake has been reevaluated and improved – for all the beautiful souls craving some real cheesecake goodness. Let’s be honest, raw cheesecakes are fine and delicious on their own but they’re miles away from the experience you get when taking a bite of that creamy baked cheesecake! While my Baked Cheesecake recipe is coming pretty close to that experience, it just can’t compare to this one. This Creamy Vegan Cheesecake is everything you wish for and more (not exaggerated here)!
Trust my word – as a compassionate cheesecake lover! 😛 If you’re looking for the real deal, but vegan and healthier, without refined sugars and all that dairy-crap, look no more and immediately try this creamy vegan cheesecake! You can thank me later… 😉
The secret ingredient for its amazing texture and creaminess is a combination of chickpeas (YES!) and cashews – an idea I got from the wonderful Mel over at A Virtual Vegan. If you don’t know her blog yet, make sure to check it out, like her on Facebook & Instagram and show some love!
CHICKPEAS?! – you might think… YES! If you follow me for a while you’ll know that it’s my favorite ingredient to secretly incorporate into healthy desserts. Ranging from cookies, cookie dough, cakes and pancakes, I’ve tried it all! Chickpeas are not only super nutritious but you won’t taste them at all in desserts as the sweet flavor completely takes over!
For more chickpea inspiration and in case you haven’t tried them yet, check out my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites – and prepare to fall in LOVE!
For this creamy vegan cheesecake, I’ve created an incredibly healthy raw crust, replacing the usual expensive Medjool Dates (getting too many complaints there) with dried figs and topped it off with a delicious, naturally-sweetened cherry sauce. Since it is still the last week of cherry season here in Cyprus, it seemed liked the perfect fit!
I’ve made this cake about 4-5 times by now and it just keeps on getting better. I tweak the recipe every time, make it more lemony or less, but it always turns out delicious! It easily has become my boyfriend’s favorite and has been approved by his whole non-vegan office + his mum! 🙂
If there is one cake I’d recommend to win over non-vegan folks, or people who don’t believe in healthy plant-based baking (for some weird reason) it would be this one! 100%!
If you decide to give this beauty a try, let me know! Leave a comment and rate it – it’s so helpful to me and other readers. And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me (@thetastyk) and #thetastyk on Instagram! I love seeing what you come up with. Love and enjoy! ♥
- Crust:
- ¾ cup oats
- ¼ cup almonds
- 1 cup dried figs/Medjool dates/raisins
- dash of water
- dash of sea salt
Filling:- 2 cups soaked cashews
- 1 (14oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1-2 Tbsp almond/cashew butter (I also used tahini before and you can't taste it)
- zest of 2 lemons
- juice of 1.5 lemon
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk (to keep it lower in fat you can use ½ can coconut milk + ½ block/100g silken tofu - it adds nutrients and the result is even more creamy)
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Cherry sauce:- 1.5 cups frozen unsweetened cherries
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- For the crust, place the oats and almonds in your high-speed blender or food processor and pulse until you have a fine flour.
- Add the remaining crust ingredients and blend until you have a sticky dough.
- Line a round cake tin with parchment paper and press the dough into the bottom of the tin.
- Use your fingers and eventually a bit of water to evenly press it down and put in the fridge to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
- Prepare the filling by simply adding all ingredients to the blender and mixing on medium speed until smooth (use your tamper tool to mash it down).
- Once smooth, pour the filling over the crust and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes. If your oven is very strong like mine and browns the surface too fast, make sure to turn the cake once in a while so it browns evenly.
- Once it's done, take it out, let cool down and store in the fridge overnight (it will firm up).
- The next day, prepare the cherry sauce. Add all the ingredients into a small sauce pan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir once in a while and serve on top of the cake.
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Yum this was my first time trying vegan cheesecake and when it was baked and cooled it tasted alot like baked ricotta. So delicious. I will try cold as well one day.
Oh yay! 🙂 Happy you liked it! It’s amazing how creamy it gets, right?!
yer im guessing it would be creamier if not cooked which i will try next time but very tasty with the cherries.Im only a family of 2 so sliced and placed a few in containers in the freezer 😉
Should I bake the cake or let it freeze in the freezer ? Which one do you recommend?
I never tried freezing it so I’d definitely go with baking 🙂
Just put this one in the oven and realised that I had not greased the Tin…. oops! Hope it comes out ok?
I usually just put parchment paper on the bottom and don’t grease the sides and it turns out great every time 🙂
Has anyone found vanilla powder in Canada?
Try vanilla essence as a substitute if can’t find the powder 🙂
If you have a Pomme Market around you, they carry vanilla powder. I’ve seen some only at one of the Whole Foods locations around me. You can also make your own, there are recipes online.
Didn’t have a food processor so used a hand blender. Didn’t go smooth, but it was still super delicious. Also used strawberries blueberries and raspberries as the topping and it was also delicious.
Yummy
I imagine it tough with a hand blender but great that it still turned out good 🙂 sounds delish!
Made this cake yesterday, kept it it in the fridge overnight to eat today, it’s delicious! Super creamy! A very different taste and texture to other vegan cakes I make. Quite big though for 2 of us, so I’ve put slices in the freezer.
Is it essential to leave it overnight or can it be eaten once cooled from the oven? 🙂
That depends on your texture preferences 🙂 If you can’t wait you can of course eat it straight from the oven, but if you leave it overnight it will firm up more and become ever creamier!
Have to say it sounds and looks amazing!
Will try it out soon…
Yay! It definitely is 🙂
What can I use instead of the coconut milk?
Try another plant-based milk that is high in fat, or some sort of creamer. The coconut milk is what makes the cake super creamy because it’s high in fat. I haven’t tried it with soy milk, but a combination of soy milk + soy yogurt should work fine 🙂
This was really fantastic! I didn’t know what to expect from vegan cheesecake, but it was so easy to make and the texture is the real deal. I also added some homemade coconut whipped cream to the top. My diabetic mother ate it and it didn’t spike her blood sugar at all. Thanks for perfecting such a great recipe! Your cookie bites were also delicious!
Oh that’s so amazing to hear!! 🙂 Means the world to me!! <3
How long does this stay good for in the fridge?
I’s say for around 4-5 days (but honestly it never lasted more than 2 days in my household) 🙂
How long do you soak the cashews? The directions didn’t say.
Minimum 6 hours, preferably overnight 🙂
Can I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch? And can the almond butter be replaced by hazelnut butter?
I’ve never tried but I think it should work! 🙂
Is it sweet enough if you don’t add the berries on top or is that needed
It’s not needed! 🙂 You can totally eat it plain 🙂
This looks delicious! I will try to make this today…I was just wondering…it is quit hard to find almond butter where I live…can I substitute almond butter with something else instead or just leave it out completely?
you can totally sub any other nut/seed butter you like (tahini, peanut butter, etc.). You can also leave it out and just add the same amount of coconut cream instead 🙂
I’m sorry, Are the almonds and cashews on the recipe required to be “raw”? And for the crust, i can use either of the dried fruits? Or is it a cup of each one of them?
Yes the cashews and almonds should be raw (not salted or roasted) and for the dried fruit it’s either or 🙂
Thank you! Can’t wait to try your recipe!☺
What can be used in place if nut? Son has nut allergies.
I’m sorry, I’ve never tried a nut free version of this particular cake, but check out my Baked Cheesecake recipe (use the search function), which is nut free 🙂
Hello, I must say this cheesecake looks superb!I can not wait to make it but was wondering if you have ever tried swirling in a fruit as in other non-vegan cheesecakes? I wonder if it would change or effect the consistency – perhaps by adding too much moisture? I normally make my family a cheesecake with a homemade strawberry puree that I swirl in , is the only reason I am asking 🙂 . Thanks again for the recipe and info! Wish me luck it looks as beautiful!
Thanks so much! 🙂 I’d say that would definitely affect the texture, so I’d probably swap the strawberry puree for less liquid! 🙂 Hope it’ll work!
Thank you so much! I will experiment and let you now how it works out! So excited – I bake today! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I’d like to try it but don’t have access to vanilla powder. Will the same amount of vanilla extract work? If so, should I do anything to make up for the added liquid? Thank you again. 🙂
Yes, will totally work! But I’d take slightly less vanilla. It shouldn’t affect the texture though 🙂
Would you recommend using a water bath when baking the cheesecake? I’m going to make this for my workplace holiday party and can’t wait to try it out!
What do you mean with water bath when baking? 😀 I honestly have no clue what that is…
Basically, it’s just a bowl of water that you put in the oven with your cheesecake. The steam is supposed to help your cheesecake from cracking, but I’m not sure if it’s necessary when using these ingredients.
Oh that’s interesting 🙂 as far as I remember the cheesecake never cracked 🙂
I made this with strawberries instead and it is delicious. I was wondering whether I could make a choc or cookie version of this but put it through the filling instead. Would I leave oh the lemon and apple cider vinegar?
Oh yum! That sounds awesome! 🙂 Sooo for chocolate you would probably add cacao powder and a bit more sweetener (to balance the bitterness of cacao). So I would leave out the lemon but keep the apple cider vinegar 🙂
can i replace cornstarch with tapioca?
I haven’t tried it yet to be honest. Tapioca might give a slightly stretchier result, but it should firm it up quite the same! 🙂
Can I sub the coconut cream for cashews and how much ?
I’ve never actually tried leaving the cashews out so I’m not sure if it will yield the same consistency, but please let me know if you try!
It’s my first Vegan cake I ever made and I love it !!! I think I will repeat it again and again. I am not vegan but you convinced me that it can be even better than traditional one.
Thank you for that.
Oh wow! That means so much to me! Thank you so much! 🙂
Would the Cherries and syrup on top make the cheesecake “soggy” if left on for 3 days or so?
Thanks
yeah probably, i’d still prepare the cherry sauce and just leave it in the fridge and warm it up again the day you want to eat it and serve on top 🙂
Looks amazing!I’m going to use canned coconut milk, do you recommend using it directly from the refrigerator or at room temperature?
Thanks for share!
I usually use it from the refrigerator to make sure the top fatty part gets firm! 🙂
Hi, I am planning to make this in a 4 inch round pan. How long should I bake? Any idea? How would I know if the cake is baked enough?
Thanks
Vani
Anyways I tried with 4 inch pan, baked 47 min at 320f. Texture is good almost like a real cheesecake, however it lacked the taste of a cheesecake. So maybe I should increase the sweetness , tanginess, and add salt.
Hey Vani, sorry for the late reply as I was on vacation! Glad it worked out well with the 4 inch pan and feel free to adjust the sweetness, lemon, apple cider vinegar to your liking 🙂 shouldn’t change the texture too much!
Hi! This looks delicious! Quick question…. do I just use the hard part in the canned coconut milk or the whole can including liquid part?
Thank you!
Thanks! 🙂 The whole can including the liquid. Just make sure it’s full fat!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was recently diagnosed with alpha-gal meat allergy and can’t eat dairy too! My cheesecake is in the oven as I write and if it tastes like the batter no crumbs, this is a keeper! I’ve never baked vegan before and the cheesecake is for my sons vegan girlfiends birthday cake! I’m going to top with halved strawberries and drizzle with dairy free chocolate sauce….yummm!
ohhh I hope you were happy with the results! 🙂 It’s one of my absolute favorites! xx
Hi!!! I made this and its amazing!! Thanks for the recipe
I was wondering just for curiosity, there is another ingrediente to substitute the coconut milk?
Thanks!!
Oh yay! Happy that you like it! 🙂 I’ve honestly never tried it without the coconut milk. The high fat content of the coconut makes sure it get nice and creamy so if you were to replace it it should be something equally high in fat
My cake never got brown on the top. I left 50 min then kept adding 5 min and checking, with a total of 15 more minutes, as it was still not brown I decided to take it out. Did this ever happen to you?
I am making this for my son’s birthday tomorrow. One of my sons is vegan. It looks delicious, I hope it comes out good!
Hey Anna! My oven gave me only the opposite problem 🙁 that it got too brown too quickly… I think that’s definitely a problem of the oven calibration. There are videos online on how to properly calibrate your oven… but I hope it comes out great despite it! Tell your son happy birthday! xx
Hi there! Thanks for the recipe. Is it a can of cooked chickpeas? How do I substitute with soaked / home cooked ones?
yes I took canned ones! You can simply use dry ones, soak the overnight and cook the next day and take the same amount that goes into a 15 oz can. usually thats around 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas 🙂
HI just wondering should the cake be removed from the oven when it is still joggling in the middle, like with normal cheesecakes etc. or should it be completely set and firm in the middle?
Many thanks 🙂
Mhhh it should bake until its golden brown on top and set, but it will also firm up slightly more in the fridge overnight!
Made this just now. Next time I’ll add way more lemon/lime juice for more zing. Some salt to bring out the flavours too. Personal touches :). Could easily pass for a real cheesecake in look and texture. And the cherry sauce. I added some maple syrup just to sweeten it up a bit.
10/10 for this recipe. Thanks.
Ohhh that makes me so happy! It’s also my and my family’s favorite! xx
I tried making this for my mom-in-law’s birthday, and while it tasted great, the consistency was closer to a spongecake 🙁 Do you have any idea what I might have done wrong?
Hey Samm! Hm – I’ve never encountered this problem before, rather the opposite that it became too firm. Did you use full-fat coconut cream? That would be my only guess right now..
Can I sub the chickpeas water? Maybe for coconut cream?
Hey! 🙂 There is no chickpea water in the recipe. If you use canned chickpeas you drain the water and rinse them properly first…
Good night!
Question- Can I sub the chickpeas water? Maybe for coconut cream?
Thanks for the speedy response!
Ah I see. I read the directions wrong. Thank you. If I did still want to leave it out….. is there an equal substitute for the chickpeas?
Not in this recipe as it’s pretty much based around the chickpeas. Check out my other baked cheesecake recipe though: https://www.thetastyk.com/2017/02/05/raspberry-vanilla-cheesecake/
You guys. This cheesecake is so. freaking. good. And the texture is spot on. I was worried about the coconut flavor being too overpowering but I decided to go ahead and try it since my kids would eat it even if I didn’t like it, but even with the full can (I used Whole Foods brand) it wasn’t super noticeable. The next time I make it I will do the silken tofu substitution and add just a little more lemon juice, vanilla, and maple syrup to see if that masks it completely. But even if it doesn’t this recipe is still a keeper.
(Oh, and I was feeling super lazy so I just used premade graham cracker crusts for my first try. The filling is enough for two. I’ve got a chocolate version with oreo crust in the oven right now. Come on tomorrow!)
Wow! Thank you so much for the positive feedback! 🙂 The oreo and graham cracker version sound amaaaazing!
Hi! do you think I could substitute the coconut milk for the same amount of vegan yogurt? Forager cashew yogurt is what I have. Or should I try half silken tofu half yogurt? Thanks!
Hey! 🙂 I’d try half silken half yogurt! It’ll probably come out a bit less firm so I’d make sure to chill it in the fridge overnight to firm up
I was planning to make this cheesecake for such a long time but was afraid what if it doesn’t turn out good… well…. i should not have waited that long… this cheesecake is AMAZING!!! The taste, the texture, how it looks….everything is just perfect. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
ohhhh yay this makes me so happy! 🙂
Hello 🙂 your recipe looks wonderful and I want to try it. However I just had a few questions before. I can’t have cashews, can I sub them for macadamia nuts, or any other nut or seeds? For the full-fat coconut milk can, I am not sure about the texture, is there a “cream” and a water part, or is it just like a unified milk texture? If there is a cream and water part, which part do I have to use; all of it? Thank you in advance for your answer. 🙂 Elena
Hey Elena! 🙂 I have never tried it with any other nuts. The thing about cashews is that they yield a very creamy result. I know that almonds and macadamia, not matter how long you soak them will be a bit more grainy in texture but if that doesn’t bother you go for it! 🙂 The coconut cream you need the whole can (both liquid and firm part) unless specified in the recipe! Hope that clarifies things 🙂
Hi! Can vinegar be substituted with something? What is its purpose in this recipe? Thank you!
You can replace it with an equal amount of lemon juice. It’s added for that tangy cheesy aftertaste 🙂
Hey, do you think it would come out okay using only silken tofu (no coconut milk)? My local store’s run out of it :/
The coconut milk gives it substance and creaminess so I’m not quite sure how it would work without it to be honest. Don’t want to recommend something I haven’t tried myself so I guess it’s just trial and error
Soy allergy here, any suggestions for a silken tofu substitute? Bio cheese feta? Coconut yogurt? Or chickpea brine to bind
1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk
Did you use the entire can, or only the hard cream (1/2 of the can usually)? 🙂
I guess that you have used a tall 7 inch springform and not a regular? I will have to edit to recipe in order to use a tall 8.6 inch springform, right? 🙁
I’ve used a regular 7.8inch (20cm) round cake pan, so 8.6 shouldn’t be too far off! 🙂
I’m thinking of making this for Christmas and was wondering if you make this in a spring form pan and what diameter should the pan be? Thank you very much! Mary Beth
Hey! So sorry for the delay – I’ve used a 20cm spring form
hi there
I am not vegan, but I am curious about vegan desserts (and not just now, but for a long time). I eat very little meat in general, but still too many dairy products.
I made this one to the letter but unfortunately it was not my cup of tea. I found it pasty and not creamy. I also found it not sweet enough, but it is the lack of creaminess my main issue. I wonder if coconut cream might help.
I think that despite the cashewnuts and coconut and tahini, there is not enough fat. I am glad I tried it though – otherwise, how would one expand one’s knowledge.
thanks
stefano
Hi, does this cheesecake taste like lemon?
When you say high fat coconut milk, do you mean coconut cream in a can?
yes! Or full fat coconut milk with 80% coconut, not the light version at least!
I have made this recipe 3 times already and it is always a winner. This time around I’ll try to add strawberry for a strawberry cheesecake!!
Thank you for this beautiful & yummy recipe ❤️.