Both vegans and non vegans love this delicious vegan cheesecake recipe, with just 6 ingredients and no tofu or cashews required!
The best vegan cheesecake
If you are searching for a plant based cheesecake recipe so good it can hold its own against any non vegan cheesecake, this is the one to try.
In the past six years, I’ve brought this cheesecake to dozens of events, and every single time it’s received glowing reviews and multiple requests for the recipe.
In fact, I have yet to serve it at any party where both vegan and non vegan guests have not raved about the cheesy flavor and opulent texture.
This classic vegan cheesecake is so rich and creamy, no one ever believes it isn’t full of heavy cream and dairy!
You may also like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
New York style vegan cheesecake recipe
As a long time vegan and huge cheesecake lover, I’ve tried way more than my fair share of truly bad dairy free cheesecakes.
So I know exactly what comes to mind when people think of vegan cheesecake: spongy or chalky texture, unpleasant artificial aftertaste, disappointingly non cheesy flavor, and a cardboard crust.
Having spent a considerably amount of time growing up in New York City, my standards are exorbitantly high for the perfect baked cheesecake.
Those same high standards were front and center when I set out to make a vegan version that tasted just as good as the original.
When creating the recipe, my goal was to make something that tasted so similar to classic New York cheesecake that, if you did not already know it was egg free and vegan, you would never be able to tell.
I went through a few iterations before arriving at perfection. Then it was time to test it out on a group of non vegans.
A friend’s potluck birthday brunch presented the ideal opportunity. I packaged the cheesecake up and quietly set it down with all of the other desserts, not mentioning to anyone that it was vegan.
My hope was that people would like it, but never in a million years did I expect the entire cheesecake to completely disappear within a half hour!
That’s when I knew for sure, this recipe was definitely a keeper.
Also try these party favorite Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Vegan cheesecake flavors
Use plant based lemon yogurt and add the zest of two lemons for lemon cheesecake.
Carefully stir in twelve crushed chocolate sandwich cookies after blending for OREO cookies and cream cheesecake.
Make a delicious holiday vegan pumpkin cheesecake by replacing half of the yogurt with canned pumpkin puree. Add two teaspoons of ground cinnamon and half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Or substitute one cup of the yogurt for softened cookie butter. Top your cookie butter cheesecake with crushed Speculoos cookies or vegan caramel sauce.
For vegan chocolate cheesecake, increase the sugar to 3/4 cup and add 3/4 cup of cocoa powder. Omit the cornstarch, and bake Vegan Brownies instead of a crust.
And have fun decorating the cake with sliced strawberries, bananas, blueberries, Homemade Cherry Pie Filling, mini chocolate chips or Chocolate Truffles.
More Vegan Cheesecakes
Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake (plant based)
Plant based cheesecake ingredients
The recipe gives you multiple options for dairy free cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar. Choose brands and ingredients that fit your own taste and dietary preferences.
Cream cheese – My favorite choices here are Tofutti or Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese. Miyokos (soy free), or Kite Hill (soy and cashew free) also work.
If you are feeling adventurous, you can make homemade Vegan Cream Cheese with cashews or macadamia nuts instead.
Yogurt – Any nondairy yogurt is fine, including almondmilk, coconut milk, or soy yogurt. For extra protein, go with vegan Greek yogurt.
Or change up the flavor by replacing half of the yogurt with mashed banana, softened peanut butter, or pumpkin puree.
If using vanilla yogurt, cut back on the amount of pure vanilla extract in the recipe.
Lemon juice – This simple ingredient imparts a delightfully cheesy tang.
If you do not have any lemons on hand or wish to omit the lemon juice, the finished vegan cheese pie is still quite tasty without lemon.
Cornstarch – Since this recipe naturally contains no eggs, I use cornstarch as both a thickener and binder.
For those who want to make cheesecake without cornstarch, swap it for one fourth cup of almond flour or a half cup of your favorite protein powder.
Sugar – Any all purpose sweetener is fine, including both liquid sweeteners and traditional granulated sugar.
I like to use unrefined coconut sugar or pure maple syrup or agave.
For a low carb vegan cheesecake with no sugar added, choose a sugar free substitute like granulated erythritol or xylitol.
Leftover cream cheese? Make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Vegan cheesecake recipe video
Above, watch the step by step video showing how to make the recipe.
Vegan graham cracker crust
I like to make a simple 2 ingredient graham cracker crust for my cheesecakes, because the sweetness of the cookies perfectly balances the tangy cheesecake filling.
(If preferred, you can opt for a traditional pastry crust, a keto crust, or a store bought crust to save time. This cheesecake recipe can also be crustless.)
To make a homemade graham cracker crust, start with three cups vegan graham crackers. Biscoff cookies, OREOs, or gingersnaps all work here too.
Pulse the cookies in a food processor to form fine crumbs. Then stir six tablespoons melted nondairy butter or coconut oil into the crumbles by hand.
Press very firmly into the bottom of a nine inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling. There is no need to prebake the crust.
How to make vegan cheesecake
Start by gathering all of your ingredients and preheating 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.
Prepare a vegan crust of choice in a round nine inch springform pan. Set this pan aside.
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature, then beat all 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 cheesecake filling evenly on top of the crust, and place the springform place on the oven’s middle rack, directly above the rack with the water.
Bake for thirty minutes. It is important to never open the oven door while the cheesecake bakes.
When time is up, keep the oven door closed but turn the heat off. Leave the cake in the closed oven for five additional minutes.
Use pot holders to carefully remove the pan from the oven. The cheesecake should still look underbaked and jiggly.
Let it cool on the counter for about twenty minutes before refrigerating for at least four hours to firm up.
These cooling steps are important because they allow the recipe to cool gradually. Not exposing your cheesecake to harsh temperature changes is another great trick to prevent cheesecake cracking.
The vegan dessert will be considerably firmer in texture after chilling in the refrigerator and should be easy to slice once cold.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. Or freeze individual slices in an airtight covered container for up to two months, and thaw frozen cheesecake fully before serving.
- 24 oz vegan cream cheese
- 2 cups plant based yogurt
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 tsp cornstarch (or here’s a Keto Cheesecake Recipe)
- 2/3 cup sugar or pure maple syrup, or xylitol for sugar free
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
- 1 pie crust (store bought or my homemade vegan pie crust recipe above)
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To make vegan cheesecake, first preheat the oven to 350 F. Fill any baking pan about halfway with water and place it on the oven’s lower rack. Prepare your crust in a 9 inch springform pan, and set aside. Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Beat all cheesecake ingredients in a blender or food processor just until smooth. (For best results, do not overbeat, which can introduce air bubbles that might burst in the oven and cause cracking.) Smooth the filling on top of your prepared crust. Place on the middle rack, above the rack with the water pan. Bake 30 minutes. When the time is up, keep the oven door completely closed but turn off the heat. Leave the pan in the closed oven for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove the still underdone cake and let cool at least 20 minutes on the counter before refrigerating until chilled. It is important to let the vegan cheesecake cool gradually so it does not crack. The cake firms up considerably as it chills and will be ready to slice after a few hours. Or you can make it the day before and let it firm up overnight. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.View Nutrition Facts
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