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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Vee says
Can you freeze this?
Melanie McDonald says
I have never tried freezing it.
Melané Fahner-Botha says
Yes definitely!
Deb says
This was really amazing!!! I made it yesterday and my daughter's were seriously impressed. I made 2 slight changes. (1) for the biscuits I used 200 grams of tea biscuits. (2) for the filling I used 300 grams of silken tofu and 150 grams of cashews because we always prefer tofu over cashews in recipes and baked it for 65 minutes. It turned out so so good. None of the chickpeas, coconut, or tofu flavors could be detected at all. Can't wait to have another slice tonight. Thank you!
PK says
Hi,
I want to make an Oreo cheesecake and was wondering if would this recipe go well with Oreos?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes for sure! I've had lots of readers do it and send me pictures and they've looked awesome!
Helen says
I’ve made this a few times and love it. I’m making it now and was wondering if you think a blood orange and rhubarb curd (based on your lemon curd recipe) would be too rich? Maybe I should just do a compote...
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm probably the wrong person to ask because I love "rich". Nothing is too rich for me! I think that idea sounds amazing. I think the tartness of the rhubarb will cut through it all nicely. You've made me want to make rhubarb orange curd now.
Jennifer P says
I was shocked at how good this was, how easy the recipe was to follow, and how chickpeas could make this the most authentic vegan cheesecake I've ever eaten. My husband had no idea of the chickpeas, and my daughter's loved it, i also did not detect the taste of them. I made a strawberry topping (strawberries, sugar, pinch of salt, lemon juice, on low heat) and it was dreamy. I'm not vegan, but i am highly lactose Intolerant, so this was a treat and I will keep the recipe forever! Thank you :)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Jennifer. I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it!
Rhys ans says
This was my first time making a cheesecake or following a vegan recipe! It was easy to follow, and the result quite delicious! Not overbearingly sweet, and a perfect texture!!
Lupe Vargas says
Hi Melanie! Was wondering if they're is something I can substitute for the coconut milk? I am allergic but this looks amazing!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm sorry but coconut milk is essential in this recipe because it's what helps it set. I hope you find another recipe you like the look of!
Jacqui says
Hi Can I make it strawberry flavour by adding fresh puréed strawberries. Would I need to reduce the other liquids.
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tested it like that. It would likely need altering a bit elsewhere to make up for it but I can't say how without trying it. To be honest though, to get any significant flavour, you would need to add a lot of pureed strawberries. That would affect the texture significantly and it would likely end up not setting properly. It would be better, tastier and safer, to make it as it is and just make an awesome strawberry sauce to serve with it. These saucy roasted strawberries are perfect with the cheesecake. It would give you all of that lovely, rich, strong strawberry flavour you are after, be much less risky and it looks awesome too! https://avirtualvegan.com/vanilla-roasted-strawberries/
Emily says
Hello! Would I be able to sub for tahini one this recipe? I don’t have any on hand
A Virtual Vegan says
It adds a bit of sharpness to the cheesecake. You could omit it if you want to. It will still work technically without it.
Lora says
Hi Mel! I have used a few of your tofu recipes in the past and they have been absolutely wonderful, thank you! I have been hesitant to try desserts though, especially ones with coconut ingredients, as I've never been a fan of the flavor. So this may seem a silly question but I'd rather ask it then try it, will this cheesecake end up tasting like coconut cheesecake because of the coconut milk or just regular ( I hope, I hope!)?
Thank you!
Lora
A Virtual Vegan says
I honestly can't detect coconut flavour in this recipe and in all the years it's been published have never had anyone say they could. I hope that alleviates your fears and that you enjoy it Lora!
Rei says
Is there something I could substitute the apple cider vinegar for, can't find it in any shops near me?
A Virtual Vegan says
Not really. Just omit it. It makes it a bit tangier that's all.
Rida says
Hey Mel! I am planning to make this cake today. But I have a 6 inch springform pan which is 3 inch deep. Is it okay if cut down the recipe to half? If yes, how long should I bake it?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes I think that should be fine. I haven't tried it so the cooking time will be a bit of trial and error. I'd start checking it from 30 minutes. It should be set around the edges and coming away from the sides of the pan slightly, and be slightly wobbly in the middle. It will set up properly as it cools. Good luck!
Rida says
I baked it for about 30 mins. Substituted Sugar for Maple syrup.
It was soooo good!! Can't taste Chickpeas at all. It is smooth and so yum. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed it Rida!
Rida says
Hey, Lovely recipe. Can't wait to try! Can I use sugar instead of maple syrup ?
A Virtual Vegan says
Maple syrup is the best choice because it gives a much better flavour. Sugar would technically work I'm sure but I haven't tried it myself. You might need to add a little less as sugar is sweeter than maple syrup.
Erin says
For the coconut milk do you use the whole can or just scrape the solid fat out of the can? Can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
The whole can.
Kate says
This was amazing! I made it last night and ended up eating it for breakfast today..oops. I was wondering if I'd be able to freeze it? Thanks so much for a great recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it! I haven't tried freezing it myself but I have been told by a reader that it froze well.
Rosalinda says
Hello,
Can I omit the chickpeas? Is there an alternative? My partner can’t have the chickpeas for allergy reasons.
Thank you
A Virtual Vegan says
The texture would really suffer without the chickpeas. I haven't tested it with anything else so can't offer an alternative I'm afraid.