Ultra-rich and creamy baked Vegan New York Cheesecake made with no cream cheese or tofu! It's sweet but not too sweet, tastes amazing, and can be served with your choice of topping. I love it with some berry compote!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"Not even joking, this cake is amazing! I am a huge cheesecake fan and this consistency is right on the money...Amazing. Great flavor, and fantastic texture...you can’t even tell it’s vegan, it just tastes like a homemade cheesecake. I’m in love."
- Al ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
It doesn't get better than this Vegan New York Style Cheesecake! It is just like a "real" baked cheesecake in texture. Dense, rich, super creamy, very satisfying, but completely dairy-free, and unlike most vegan cheesecake recipes you don't need any vegan cream cheese or tofu.
To get the perfect baked cheesecake texture I tested and retested with many different ingredients and methods and found that the unlikely combination of chickpeas and cashew nuts gave amazing results.
Please don't let that scare you off though. You would NEVER know! The cashews give the filling its creaminess and the chickpeas give the denseness, which means you don't need to use vegan cream cheese or tofu.
Prefer a no-bake cheesecake? Give my very popular Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake or Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake a try, or if you're really pushed for time I have a single-serve Emergency Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl recipe!
Mel x
Let's Make Vegan New York Cheesecake!
Can't wait to make it? Here's a quick summary of how it's done:
- Make the crust- For this, you need some cookies. Either digestive biscuits or graham crackers. Store-bought or homemade. I have recipes for both. To make the crust blend the cookies with some vegan butter or coconut oil in a food processor then press into a loose bottom pan and refrigerate.
- Make the filling - Blend all of the filling ingredients together. I recommend soaking the cashew nuts in boiling water before blending even if you have a high-powered blender.
- Bake the cheesecake - Pour the filling mixture over the crust then bake. No water bath is required.
- Refrigerate - After baking the cheesecake needs to be refrigerated for at least a few hours before serving.
Do not try to make this cheesecake in a cake pan without a removable bottom. You need to use either a spring-form cake pan or a loose-bottomed cake pan or you will never get it out in on piece.
Serving Suggestions
Here's the cheesecake in all its naked glory:
It is delicious on its own. That BISCUIT BASE is so good! A topping or sauce of some kind is highly recommended though. Not only does it make the cheesecake look beautiful, but it also adds flavor and contrast.
The topping can be as simple as a pile of fresh berries or some vegan caramelized bananas, or you can get creative with any of these:
I love a lemon curd and fresh raspberry combo, or a berry compote and fresh mixed berry combo like in the pictures.
Readers have had so much fun with this recipe over the years. One very popular riff, which I haven't yet tried myself but sounds amazing, is to use Oreo cookies for the base, with chunks of broken Oreo stirred through the batter and lots of chocolate syrup or sauce to drizzle.
Recipe FAQs
I have never tried freezing it so can't be sure how it will hold up. I think it should be ok though as long as it is wrapped very well.
To make this recipe gluten-free you'll need to find some gluten-free digestive biscuits or graham crackers. The filling is naturally gluten-free.
Recipe
Vegan New York Cheesecake
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
FOR THE BASE
- 23 (350 grams / 12 oz) digestive biscuits , or graham crackers
- 4 tablespoons melted vegan butter , or coconut oil
FOR THE FILLING
- 2 cups (300 grams) raw cashews ,soaked in boiling water for 15 mins then drained (measured before soaking)
- 1 cup (175 grams) canned chickpeas , drained & rinsed well
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
- ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup , (real maple, not pancake syrup!)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 x 14oz (400ml) can full fat coconut milk , it must be full fat not light (if your can is only 398 ml that's fine).
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 320F (160°C) and line a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan that is at least 3 inches deep. First grease it with vegan butter or a little oil so the paper sticks. Then draw around the bottom of the cake pan on parchment paper, cut it out and put that in the bottom of the pan. Line the sides of the pan with a long rectangular strip of baking parchment.
- Put the digestive biscuits (or graham crackers) into a food processor with the butter/coconut oil and blend until well combined and in clumpy, fine crumbs. Then press into the bottom of the cake pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour over the crust then sit the pan on a baking tray.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until set well around the edges with a tiny bit of a wobble in the middle. Time will vary depending on your oven and the pan you use.
- Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours or overnight. Don't put it in the fridge while hot/warm.
NOTES
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Anisia Stephenson says
Hi, my husband is allergic to coconut. What other milk substitute would you recommend to keep it creamy?
A Virtual Vegan says
The coconut also helps with the setting because of the fat in it. I wouldn't like to suggest a sub as without testing it I wouldn't be sure it would work. Silken tofu might work instead or using another plant milk and increasing the arrowroot, or adding some agar agar. But I don't know quantities etc as i haven't tried it. Sorry!
Anaïs Maes says
Hi Anaisa!
Have you tried it with something else than coconut milk :)?
Lav says
That's a lot of vinegar for one cheesecake. Does it taste especially vinegar-y?
A Virtual Vegan says
Not at all vinegar-y and it's not really all that much. Only 3 tablespoons and it's a big cheesecake. Regular cheesecakes have the tang from the cream-cheese. This one needs the vinegar to give it that slight cream-cheesy tang. It's had nothing but positive feedback. Everyone that makes it loves it!
Melissa McDaniel says
I am so excited I found this, my boyfriends favorite dessert is cheesecake and he isn't vegan but I'm trying to persuade haha. I was wondering if I can replace arrowroot with corn starch since I already have that, and if it's possible to replace the coconut milk with another thick fatty milk? I'm just always weary of the coconut flavor coming through, unless you can't taste it? This looks so amazing I'm so excited to make it!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Well if anything will persuade him cheesecake will! ;O) Yes you can replace the arrowroot with cornstach but you MUST use canned full fat coconut milk. That's what helps it to set properly. Other milks won't work. It really doesn't taste coconutty at all though. Good luck and I hope you win him over!
Alexis says
This cheesecake looks great and I can't wait to try it, but is the tahini necessary?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could omit it if you really wanted to. It will still technically work without it. It's there to help with the cheesecake tangy flavour.
Aloisio Santos says
The BEST OF ALL. Congratulations and gratitude for sharing this wonderful recipe with us. All the best from Brazil.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome! Thank you. So glad you are enjoying it!
Shannon says
I never comment but I felt one was due in order to let everyone know that this is by far the best vegan cheesecake I've ever encountered. And. Thank you so so very much for not keeping it to yourself, and sharing such a masterpiece. Thank you ♡
A Virtual Vegan says
Oh wow! I am thrilled you enjoyed it so much. And thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. It's much appreciated!
sophi says
Do you think I could take this recipe and turn it into a bunch of individual cheesecakes (using a cupcake tin)?
I'm going to try this out this weekend and let you know how it turns out. I was googling "tahini cheesecake" as I will be making it for a friend who loves both.
A Virtual Vegan says
I wish I had a friend who made me cheesecake!
It will definitely work that way. I would cut rectangular strips of baking parchment and lay one across the bottom of each section of the tin so that you can easily lift them out otherwise it might be difficult. I'm not sure on baking times though as I have never made them that small. I would think 15-20 mins, possibly a little more. Just keep an eye on them and wait until they have firmed up around the edges and have a very slight wobble in the middle. Good luck!
sophia says
Thanks so much, will give that a try!
yui says
hi! thank you for sharing this amazing recipes! I can't wait to make it. I'm wondering if I want to make it with a 5 inch pin, how long should I bake for it? Thank you!!
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome! It probably won't all fit in a 5 inch pan but you could half the recipe. If you do that it would probably take a little less than the time stated. I would start checking it after about 40 minutes. It doesn't hurt to open the oven quickly to look at it. It should be set well around the edges and have a little bit of a wobble in the middle when done.
Cyndi says
Is there any chance this recipe can be made without the tahini? My man is allergic to sesame...
Jen says
I made this awesome cheesecake today. I made it with an oatmeal and almond crust because I couldn't find organic graham crackers without either honey or palm oil. I added extra lemon juice and zest to the batter because I love a lemony cheesecake. I topped it with a blueberry lemon and orange juice sauce. This recipe smelled like heaven while it was cooking and I can't tell you how hard it was to wait for it to cool on the counter then chill in the fridge but oh my gosh it was well worth the wait! This is hands down the best vegan cheesecake I've ever had. I can't wait to try making it in muffin tins to take to my next pot luck, I know it's going to blow everyone's mind!
Jane says
Do you measure the chickpeas before or after cooking them?
A Virtual Vegan says
Measure them cooked :)
Rachel says
Looks amazing, I'm going to be making this tomorrow, I'm just wondering if it would be possible to make mini ones in a muffin tray, and do you think I'd have to change the cooking times? Thank you so much for this though, I'm super excited!
Khulood says
OH MY GOD !!! i just can't thank u enough ! I mean it's the best vegan cheesecake EVER .. i onle made the felling and use it in a healthy pancake "Ihop new york cheesecake pancake" and it came out SUPER delicious like the real thing !! Thank u thank u
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! I am so thrilled you enjoyed it! How inventive to use it in a pancake! I have never ever had a cheesecake filled pancake but it sounds amazing. My mouth is watering at the thought....????
Gesal Zalmai says
hi,
do you think guar gum instead of arriw riit works too?
thank you!
Justine says
I made it! Tastes amazing thank you for sharing
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Justine. So pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Vikky Lara says
I just served the New York cheese at family Christmas get together. Of course I didn't tell them exactly what the ingredients in it before they ate a slice, served with mixed berries syrup.It was a success, everybody loved it afterward I explained more how it made. Thanks you, I have been looking for baked vegan cheese cake for a while and this one ticked all the boxes especially in taste.
,
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome! My family still don't know it has chickpeas in it! ;O) I am so glad it was a hit and thanks so much for letting me know. Happy new year!
Melissa says
This cheese cake is a serious show-stopper! I'm from NY and this is just as creamy & decadent as a NY-style cheesecake. Those chickpeas worked their magic again along with your talent. Nice work, Melanie :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Melissa. I didn't know you are a New Yorker so that's quite the compliment coming from you!
Sarah says
Love the hidden use of chick peas! They are seriously a "Super Bean!" We go through tons of them in our house :) Love this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Cadry! You would never ever guess the chickpeas were there if you didn't know. They are such a magical ingredient!
Orley Ringering says
Hello, your cheese cake recipe calls for vinegar. could we substitute lemon or lime ? we don't use vinegar as it is hard on the liver. Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
You can omit the vinegar. There is lemon in it already so I don't think you need to replace it with anything. It is there to give the cheesecake a bit of a 'cream cheese' type tang but will still be great without it :O)