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 and fresh berries.
Love cheesecake? Be sure to try my very popular Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake and Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake next!
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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 flavour, 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, completely dairy-free and unlike most vegan cheesecake recipes, you don't need any vegan cream cheese or tofu to make it.
This recipe is such a popular one with AVV readers, with 5-star reviews aplenty, and it comes highly recommended on Reddit too. One user commented, "I have made this one multiple times and always get rave reviews from non-vegans. It tastes and has texture like a real baked cheesecake. I can't recommend it more."
To get the perfect baked cheesecake texture, I tested and retested this recipe dozens of times with many different ingredients and methods and eventually found that a very unlikely combination of chickpeas and cashew nuts gave amazing results, and that tried-and-true version is the one you are seeing here today.
Please don't let the cashews and chickpeas scare you off, though. You would NEVER know! The cashews give the filling its creaminess and the chickpeas make the filling dense and creamy, which means you don't need to use vegan cream cheese or tofu.
I hope you love it!
Mel x
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS Vegan New York Cheesecake
- Easy - Simple instructions and quick to prepare.
- Delicious - It tastes just like regular cheesecake and even impresses non-vegans.
- Great for making in advance - It keeps really well for up to a week in the fridge. Perfect for a stress-free dessert when entertaining.
- Customizable - Make the cheesecake and choose your own topping.
- No vegan cream cheese - Most plant-based cheesecakes need store-bought cream cheese for the filling. This recipe doesn't, which means it's cheaper to make and more accessible for people who can't easily buy vegan products.
- Soy-free and dairy-free - Perfect for people with allergies or intolerances.
- Naturally sweetened - Instead of refined sugars, the cheesecake filling is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which gives it a balanced, not-too-sweet flavour.
- Family-friendly - This is a vegan dessert recipe the whole family will love. It's perfect for holidays and dinner parties.
Serving Suggestions
It's delicious as it is, but a topping or sauce not only makes the Vegan New York cheesecake look beautiful, it also adds flavour and contrast.
In my pictures, I topped it with my easy frozen berry compote (blended and sieved to make it smooth) and piles of fresh berries.
Other toppings that work really well include:
- Vegan caramelized bananas and coconut whipped cream
- Vegan Lemon Curd (amazing with some fresh raspberries too)
- Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
- Roasted Strawberries
- Blueberry Lavender Sauce
- Frozen Berry Compote
- Healthy Caramel Sauce
- Melted Biscoff spread (you could even use Biscoff cookies instead of digestives or graham crackers).
Readers have had so much fun with this recipe over the years. I love seeing your remakes! 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 personally never tried freezing it, but several people in the comments have said they have with success. Be sure to wrap it very well if you decide to try it.
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.
You can use either a springform pan or a cake pan with a loose push-up style removable bottom. I do not recommend trying to make this cheesecake in a cake pan without a removable bottom, or you will never get it in one piece.
Sorry no. The full-fat coconut milk is important for setting the cheesecake.
Recipe
Vegan New York Cheesecake
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
FOR THE BASE
- 23 (350 grams or 12 oz) digestive biscuits, or graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons (90 ml) 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 melted butter/coconut oil and blend until well combined and looking like crumbly damp sand. Press very tightly into the bottom of the cake pan to form a thick crust layer. 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 set 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 slightly 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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Demelza Randall says
Made this yesterday and IT'S LOVE! I've been Vegan since January (2020) and cheese (and by association, cheesecake) has been something that I've been missing so THANK YOU Mel for working so hard on perfecting this recipe (and your feta cheese too, made that as well yesterday and it's scrummy.)
I was a little unsure about the whole chickpea thang but they are undetectable (as proven by my extremely picky kids devouring it) and create such an authentic New York cheesecake texture. Simply delicious!!!!
As a fellow Devonian (from Kingskerswell who used to live In Victoria, BC and is now based in Surrey, BC) I can't wait to try out your English Veganised recipes (I'm looking at you perfect Yorkshire Puddings) and ALL THE THINGS you have on your blog until my copy of your cookbook arrives on my doorstep. :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you and your family enjoyed the cheesecake and the feta.
And it's a small world! So funny you're from Devon too. You'll love the English recipes in my book!
Laurynas says
Wow! Amazing! What can I say! I am so happy I encountered this recipe. It feels really like original cheesecake. And I guess most of the people wouldnt feel the difference. The most amazing thing is that when I tasted the batter before the baking, it didnt resembled the real cheesecake, but then some magic probably happened in the oven ? Me and my wife enjoyed it a lot. And I will be doing it again and again. Thank you so much! ?
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you both enjoyed it and thanks so much for stopping by to leave a rating/review. It's much appreciated!
Amy Rose says
Excellent made this many times on special occasions! This time wanting to make but have everything except cashews. Just wondering if could use a plant based milk in place of cashews? or what else could use in place of cashews?
A Virtual Vegan says
The cashews make up too much of the filling to leave out. They make it creamy and and they thicken it and help it set too. I wouldn't want to offer up a suggestion without having tried it. Definitely not milk. That would make it way too thin. Maybe more chickpeas? Maybe firm tofu? I can't guarantee how it would turn out with either of those though as I've only tried it with cashews.
Happy cat says
Hi, can I use peanuts instead of cashews?
Celia says
Can I leave out the tahini I can't find it where I am living
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes that's fine. If you have some cashew butter use that instead, otherwise omit it.
Joy S Kessler says
Could this be made with a food processor instead of a blender?
A Virtual Vegan says
I actually made it in my food processor at Christmas because my blender died and it was fine. Make sure you soak your cashews really well. I soaked mine for about an hour so they were really soft, then I recommend starting with just the chickpeas and the cashews and a bit of liquid (either part of the maple syrup or part of the coconut milk), just enough to get it all moving. Just keep them going until they are really smooth then add the other things after that and keep going with them until it's absolutely smooth. There is a lot of mixture. You might need to split it into 2 if your food processor isn't a large one. Mine is a 14 cup one and it fit in there just right without losing some of it through the hole in the middle when I took out the blade! Hope that helps!
Danielle says
Wow, this is the best vegan cheesecake I’ve ever had!! I didn’t think it would be good based on the ingredients list but it’s amazing, even people who are super picky think it’s good! And I’m so happy it’s healthy too! It is very filling so you can’t eat much of it though but it’s so good! It also freezes well!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you're enjoying it and it's good to know it freezes well!
Gigi says
Thanks for recipe. Filling tasted really good. I followed recipe exactly. Unfortunately, the 50 minutes wasn't long enough and I didn't realize until it was cut at the omnivore potluck, (soupy cheesecake). Will try again and cook longer. I used a thermometer to be sure the oven was the exact temperature since oven temperatures varies.
A Virtual Vegan says
Cooking times are never exact. It will vary depending on your oven and the colour/material of the pan you use and the depth of the pan etc. So many factors. That's why I say "about" 50 minutes and give a description of how it should appear when done. It should only have a very slight wobble when you remove it from the oven. If it was soupy then it must have been more than a slight wobble. The minimum of 4 to 5 hours setting time in the fridge is crucial too. The full fat coconut milk is also essential for this recipe to set properly so don't be tempted to use another kind. Hope that helps!
Rachel SAG says
Amazing. Everyone loves it and everyone can eat it and have seconds. Made twice in three weeks!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! Glad everyone is enjoying it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Marsha Robinson says
Perfection...!!
Izabela says
Amazing!!
Pam Stenquist says
I do not have maple syrup, but I I have agave. Also, I want to bake individual portions in cupcake liners, what do you think?
A Virtual Vegan says
It has never been tested with agave but I would think it will technically work. However maple syrup has a much better flavour. It plays a big part in making this recipe taste good. I personally wouldn't use agave instead.
As for cupcake liners I'm sure that would be fine as long as they are resting in a muffin pan, but as I haven't tried it I don't know about timings. You will need to bake until the edges have set and the centre just jiggles a tiny bit. I would guess probably about 20 minutes but it's so hard to tell without having tried it.
Hope that helps!
Cecilia says
Do you think this would turn out well if I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews? My child is allergic to them...
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't know. It would technically work if you soak them first, but I don't know how the flavour would be. It's not something I've ever tried.
Wendy says
Does it tastes like coconut?
A Virtual Vegan says
No it doesn't.
Cathy Klovski says
Sooooo, I ran out of tahini! Help! I have used white miso in other recipes but I worry about the stronger taste of the miso over powering it all.
Thank you.
Cathy
A Virtual Vegan says
Don't use white miso. If you have some natural cashew butter use that instead, or just omit it.
Evie says
Don’t let the liquid filling fool you!
After 50 mins in the oven it will come out perfect, solid and creamy!
Great recipe!
Campbell says
Amazing! This is my go-to cheesecake recipe! I made this for a teenagers birthday party and they all loved it and had no idea it was vegan! Best cheesecake I have ever had! It is so easy to make and it is such a crowd pleaser! You need to try this recipe!!!
Brianna says
I am definitely trying this recipe! It looks amazing! I usually use great northern white beans instead of chickpeas, because I think they tend to be creamier and less “beany.” Do you think they would work in this recipe? ?
A Virtual Vegan says
I've never tried it with great northern beans so I'm not sure how it would compare. It gets great feedback as it is though. Hope you enjoy it whatever you decide!
Caryl says
This would make a great chocolate cheesecake with some cacao powder added to the mix!
A Virtual Vegan says
I do plan to make an adapted chocolate version one day!
Caryl says
That’s great. Until you do, I’m going to experiment myself ?
Carol says
Thinking the same thing...and curious how. Cocoa powder? Added sweetener for the cocoa powder?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes probably cocoa powder just added in. Probably a tiny little bit of instant coffee or espresso powder as it enhances the chocolatey flavour. It might need some extra sugar to balance out the bitterness. With this recipe it's easy to taste the mixture in the blender and adjust it though. You could also maybe half the batter and add cocoa to just one half then swirl them together. Hope that helps!
Tami says
Would you be so kind as to figure out how to make this in an instantpot? I LOVE my instantpot! Thank you !
A Virtual Vegan says
I won't try it in an Instant Pot. The biscuit base would end up really soggy with it being steamed/pressure cooked. It really wouldn't be at it's best. Sorry!
Rebecca says
This will be my first cooked cheesecake too!! But I'm wondering if coconut thickened cream (ingreds: coconut, native starch, live vegan cultures) would work instead of coconut cream in this? Would it still set in the oven or would it be a runny mess?
Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
You need to use full fat canned coconut milk for this to get the right texture. Hope you enjoy it!
Kyla says
My first cooked cheesecake!!!!!!
I'm so happy!!!!! I've done raw ones a few times but this looked simple enough for me to be adventurous enough to try.....it smells gorgeous and I can't wait to try it I'm waiting impatiently for it to cool down ?
Thankyou so much for the recipe ???
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm excited for you! Hope you enjoy it!
Nicole says
Hello! This is a great recipe, I chose it because most cheesecake recipes can get fairly expensive with buying store-bought imitation cream cheese. I just made this and I’m noticing that I can still taste the tahini. I’m using sesame king brand, and it has no seasoning it’s just pure ground sesame. I used less than 2 tablespoons and it’s still fairly noticeable. Is this normal? With the recipe be affected if I didn’t use it at all next time?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can safely omit the tahini or reduce it.