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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Kayla Moon says
Made this for my dairy loving husband for Father’s Day and he was shocked it was not dairy!! So very good!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Kayla. I'm glad it was a hit!
Irina says
We made it yesterday and it is soooooo good, we all loved it. We also made the 5 minute vegan caramel sauce and it was perfect. Thank you!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Irina. I'm thrilled you enjoyed them both!
Angela Capaz says
Just pulled my beauty outta the oven. Can’t wait to see how it cools! Such an exciting adventure. I added the whipped aquafaba so has to cook it a bit longer. Also used peanut butter instead of tahini, and honey vs maple. The color is golden. Any suggestions to mimick that smooth, white sour cream top cheese cake sometimes has? Sweetened plain soy yogurt?
Angela Capaz says
Thank you!! Will give that a try for round two. Will come back after teeth have been sunk in tomorrow ❤️
Angela Capaz says
Oh yeah!! Amazing! The texture is perfect. And the coconut in the crust is delish! This will definitely do the job for my cheesecake-craving vegans. Thank you, thank you!! (Wish I could show you a picture. Turned out beautiful as well!)
Abby says
Oh my days... This cheesecake is the business... Ive made it twice in a week and it's worthy of awards ???? but in my oven it is definitely done by 50 minutes! .... I am thrilled to have a pudding that can be changed up with a fruit topping or sauce and that is so cheap to make, I mean, most of this is vegan storecupboard staples.. 10/10
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Abby. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much!
Karen says
This turned out perfect! Everyone at my event loved it — vegans and non vegans alike. The texture was much better than other vegan cheesecakes. I topped it with freshly made strawberry rhubarb compote and some “coco whip.”
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Karen! Thanks you so much for letting me know. Strawberry rhubarb compote as a topping sounds so good!
Jess says
I can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing :)
I'm wondering what other things I could use for the base. A lot of vegan cheesecakes seem to use a date/walnut or date/oat mixture for the crust, but they are usually the frozen style...Do you think a date-based crust would be ok to bake for this recipe? I'm afraid of burning it! Not sure what happens to dates when you bake them :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Traditional cheesecakes have a cookie base which is why this one does and I have never tried it with anything else. I'm not sure what would happen with a date base. The oven temp is pretty low so they might be ok, but you're right, they do burn easily because of all the sugar in them. It would be a case of trial and error I'm afraid.
Jess says
Thanks for the advice - it's probably not worth the risk! I just got some dates so am excited to use them, but I'll make the base with digestives as you suggest and find another tasty alternative for the dates :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I have loads of date-y recipes. I can highly recommend these! https://avirtualvegan.com/healthier-chocolate-caramel-cookie-cups/
Jess says
Thanks for the suggestions! One more question about this cheesecake...I've realised that my blender/food processor probably isn't powerful enough to blend raw cashews :( Do you think that using cashew butter could work (made from pure cashews)? I read an article online that said if replacing with cashew butter, use 1/2 the amount of raw cashews - so in the case of this recipe that would be 1 cup cashew butter.
A Virtual Vegan says
I think that would definitely be ok and your measurement sounds spot on!
Joe says
What is the purpose of the tahini? Allergic to sesame sigh. Can a substitute such as almond butter be used?
A Virtual Vegan says
The tahini adds a bit of richness ad smoothness and it also gives a bit of tang to the flavour. It will still be good without though. Almond or cashew butter could be used instead.
Sara says
I'm going to make this today and I'm scared hahaha don't want to mess it up! This dessert is a splurge as here in Colombia coconut milk and cashews are very rare and expensive. But I hope it turns out great. Great recipe, I can tell that you did research a lot to make it. Congrats ????⚘
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Sara. I hope you enjoy it!
Adriana Kassay says
Not only did I make this, I taught it to my cooking class!!
I did however use a different gluten free pie crust made of oatmeal, but it is Fantastic! I will say however that I only cooked mine 35 minutes. I used the pumpkin caramel sauce recipe with it and it was a HUGE hit!
Best vegan cheesecake EVER!!
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes!!
A Virtual Vegan says
How awesome! I'm so glad it went down well. My favourite way to eat it is with that pumpkin caramel. So good! It makes me happy to know that people are out there teaching and learning how to cook vegan recipes. Thank you too!
Deborah says
Made this last week and it is amazing. Tastes just like a traditional baked cheesecake. Baked in slightly bigger pan ( 10 inch ) for 55minutes and it was perfect consistency. Gave a piece to my very non vegan father, without telling him its vegan, and he loved it. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. Will certainly be making this again.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Deborah. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!
Rowan says
Hi there....I made this a couple of weeks ago and was wondering if I doubled the recipe io make a larger one if it would work. How much would I have to adjust the cooking time or would I just have to eyeball it to see when it's ready? Thanks.. super excited to be making a boysenberry one tomorrow. :)
A Virtual Vegan says
It would definitely work! The time it would take though would depend on the depth and size of the pan so it would be a bit trial and error, but as long as you keep an eye on it you will be able to tell when it's done. The beauty of this recipe is that opening the oven door doesn't do it any harm like it can do with a cake so as long as you have an hour or two to kill and hang around checking it every so often it will be fine. It starts coming away from the sides a bit and firms up to touch on top with a bit of a wobble in the middle when it's done. You will be able to compare it to how yours looked last time too. Good luck!
Rowan says
Awesome! Thanks for the speedy reply. Last one I made was an astounding success. My very non vegan bother and sister in law and best friends absolutely RAVED about how amazing it was. This time I'm going to cut the Tahiti down to a quarter of what's needed though cause my taste buds are super sensitive and I could taste it. My partner couldn't though. Can't wait to show this recipe off again to another bunch of non vegans. Thanks so much for sharing it and not keeping it a secret!
Jenna says
I'm not even vegan but I've been wanting to make a vegan cheesecake for a while after having it in a restaurant. I'll just say... it was a hit! I made it for an Easter get together and pretty much everyone there was weary of a "vegan cheesecake", but nobody was disappointed! Some people even asked me for the recipe (not a single person at the party is vegan by any means). The consistency is exactly like a traditional cheesecake! I think next time I may swap out the tahini for almond or peanut butter and see how I like that... the I think I noticed the tahini flavor more than anything. It was delicious - tahini or not - I will definitely be making this again.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you all enjoyed it Jenna! I love winning over people who aren't vegan with vegan food, and good for you for giving it a chance when you could have made a traditional cheesecake. Peanut butter would be great in it, particularly with some chocolate sauce whens serving or if you used chocolate-y cookies for the crust! Thank you for stopping by to leave feedback. I appreciate it!
lisa says
My vegan son and I made this for Easter and it was wonderful! Thank you for such a great recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you both enjoyed it Lisa!
Anna says
I made the cake with the roasted strawberries for our Easter family lunch and it was a success! When I asked what was it made of, everyone answered ricotta :) it's really delicious and although mine turned out really dense and a bit dry (I think it was slightly over cooked) the strawberry sauce made it perfect.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Anna. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. The texture is somewhat like ricotta so I can understand why they thought that. It does sound like it was a little overcooked if it was dry. It should be creamy. Next time keep checking it and take it out when it has a bit more of a wobble. It continues to cook a little as it cools, then firms up a bit more in the fridge too so don't worry if it looks a little underdone. It's great you made the roasted strawberries with it. I love it served with those! And thank you so much for coming back to leave feedback. I really appreciate it!
Jess says
Wow! This was sooo good. The only thing I did differently was only use 1/2 T vinegar, because I had juiced a very large lemon. Our non-vegan friend said she couldn’t tell the difference from regular cheesecake. Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Jess! I'm so glad it went down well. Thank you for stopping by to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
evie says
Wow, if you're curious to try this definitely give it a go! My 12 year old brother (who is the most fussiest boy I have ever met.. especially when it comes to me trying to make healthy recipes) said it is so yum and tastes like a regular cheesecake and I love it too!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's so good to hear Evie. I'm glad you both enjoyed it!
Rowan says
Oh my lord!! I just tried the filling before cooking it and it is unbelievable! So so similar to cream cheese. Cannot wait to eat it. WOW!
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope you enjoyed it as much once it was baked up!
jacob anciso says
This is an amzing recipe!
I did leave it out overnight after baking it (by accident! I fell asleep) will it still be good if i put it in the fridge for several hours still?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! Yes it should be fine. Let it chill then enjoy it!
Mel says
Would it be possible to make this in an instant pot? & if so how would you do it?
Bailey says
I followed the instructions exactly and this turned out great! I think next time I would use half the lemon because it really tastes very lemony. Or maybe just omit the zest and do the juice only.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for stopping by to leave feedback!