I don’t make claims like that without knowing for certain they are the truth.
I searched high and low for the perfect cheesecake recipe. But in the end, I went with my gut (and my taste buds).
You see the cheesecake had to be better than good, it had to be “the best.” Why? Because it was specially requested by my coworkers who were dying to try some of my vegan baking. Opportunities like these don’t come often. In fact, I can’t remember anyone at my old job making a special request for vegan treats. Or ever actually. So it would be a real shame to bring anything sub-par. Heaven forbid I blow my one shot at showing off how delicious veganism can be.
As you can imagine, the hype surrounding my goodies made me slightly nervous. I like my food, but I like healthy things. Kyle likes my food, but he’s my husband (and therefore required to like what I make).
I’m happy to say, both the cheesecake and the cookies I brought were HUGELY successful. Knocked their socks off. I couldn’t have been more pleased.
So, for the vegans out there looking to wow your non-vegan family/friends [or for anyone trying to make a delicious dairy-free dessert] here’s the play-by-play.
Vegan Pie Crust (raw, v, gf)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nuts (I used a mix of walnuts, brazil nuts, and pecans)
- 8 medjool dates, soaked
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
Soak dates in water (a few minutes is all they need). Meanwhile, blend nuts, cinnamon, and coconut together.
Once that blend is thoroughly mixed, add in the dates (without the pits of course).
You’ll know when it’s done because it will go from a crumble to a sticky lump.
Then press it into a pie mold and you’re done!
No need to pre-cook it. It’s ready to go just as it is. Just add the pie insides! Truthfully, the raw crust was tasty enough on it’s own, so I took the extra and made it into balls.
Raw, vegan, gluten free and delicious, thankyouverymuch.
Next up, the cheesecake!
Vegan cheesecake (v, gf)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup soaked cashews
- 1/4 block (~4 oz.) firm tofu
- 4 oz. vegan cream cheese
- 4 oz. vegan sour cream
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
*I used Follow Your Heart’s vegan products, and I think they are great, but if you aren’t able to buy these where you live you can simply double the cashews and tofu and it will work.
Directions:
Drain cashews and add them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
Pulse until everything is perfectly pureed.
Then pour into the pie crust.
Spread it evenly, making a nice swirl with the spatula.
Gorgeous!
Then bake for 20 minutes at 350, then 20 minutes at 250 (so the crust doesn’t burn).
‘Aint she a beaut?!
I stored it overnight in the fridge, covered in saran wrap. The next day I brought it to work for the party, along with a lot of cookies.
Talk about competition! In addition to my desserts, there were 5 cakes and a few dozen Diddy Riese cookies. And lots of food. Lots and lots of non-vegan eats (think fried chicken). The only things home-made were one Filipino noodle dish and my desserts.
I felt like they were the underdog items on the table. So I pimped them out a bit. Instead of letting people choose what they wanted, I started plating and serving up my vegan treats (pushy vegan agenda much?). Since there were so many people at the party, I was fairly selective at first, giving them to the coworkers who knew that I brought in desserts (after all, they were the most excited to try them). Just a few bites and I knew my work was done. These babies sell themselves! Word taste of mouth spread fast, and I actually think they were the most popular items of all. My cookies were gone before any other food!
One person actually thought they were store made and was shocked when I said I made them. Several other people asked what was in them. I was so happy!
I smuggled one slice home so Kyle could taste my dessert success.
Operation vegans-take-over-the-hospital is now officially under way!! [kidding]
If you were wondering how to wow your non-vegan friends/family/colleagues, this is the answer. I promise it will work.
I’m sold. This looks AMAZING. Thank you very much Elise for wowing the crowd with specialty diet baked good. They can taste good, so thank you for letting the world know! By the way, your pictures are beautiful, what kind of camera do you use?
ahh looks amazing thank you! is there
a sub for the cashews? my aunt and brother can’t have nuts 🙁
I would have never thought to add lemon juice to a cheesecake recipe! What a great idea! Any topping ideas for this? Vegan whipped cream recipe please ? 🙂
Friends have been asking me to cook with them & teach them how vegans eat…I think I’ve found a winner! 🙂
Glad you impressed them and I have a no bake vegan GF cheezecake recipe Ive been doing for years and impresses people every time.
That and raw vegan chocolate mousse, i.e. avocado in disguise.
No one ever suspects!
You treats look great!
so fun to wow non-vegans with plant-based food! and I LOVE this recipe–particularly for the crust! yummm. I can’t wait to try. I may need to make this for my boyfriend’s bday next month. he LOVES cheesecake and I made him a vegan one last year that wasn’t up to his standards. this one looks like it’ll definitely pass the test!
Nicely done! I’m glad they were a hit, not that I had any doubt. Who cares about coworkers? I want these desserts for myself!
Yum! It sounds like a Larabar and cheesecake rolled into one! What could beat that? 🙂 I wish the manfriend wasn’t allergic to nuts! He misses out on all of this good stuff!!
Oh gosh. Yes, looks like a combination of my 2 FAVORITE cheezecakes! I used to eat a tofu cheesecake, nearly daily, from “The Tofu Cookery” and more recently Raw cheezecakes from Sweet Gratitude. I have kind of given them both up, but this is tempting!
hes allergic to every kind of nut? peanuts? tree nuts? if thats the case, i bet sunflower seeds would work then.
i know, right? i semi-wish they hated it so i could have the rest all to myself! haha
is their allergy for any/all kinds of nuts? or is it tree nut specific? maybe a sunflower seeds would work in the crust? as far as finding a cashew replacement, im not totally sure about the exact details of nut allergies, but maybe pureed coconut [coconut butter] or avocado? i think macadamia nuts are a no go, because those would be my first choice replacement. i think avo would work well though. obviously it would change the color and i have no clue how it would cook, but i use it in raw puddings all the time. good luck??
ohhhh…ill get right on it! that sounds yummy 🙂
Yum that looks great! 😀
For some reason, it really can surprise people how good vegan food can be!
That is so exciting! I can’t wait to give this recipe a whirl. I’m not vegan but dairy and my tummy are usually at odds. So I’m always on the hunt for dairy free recipes. Genius! Silly question, how necessary is the baking? My oven is crud and I know sometimes desserts like this can be set in the freezer/fridge.
i want!! will have to make this for the next gathering we go to.
Oh dear. I just finished dinner, but suddenly I have a very strong desire for cheesecake!
That sounds and looks fantastic! Although I can´t make this myself, because half the ingredients are non-existent here :(( Still, amazing work 🙂
Hahaha! Love this so much…your commentary and tongue in cheek style totally cracks me up every time I read your posts…love it! <3 and i have to say, that cheesecake looks awesome! 😀 so glad your mission was a success! I think I will have to make this for Tom's birthday as a surprise…so tempting! <3 xyx
my brother can’t have tree nuts, as for my aunt..not sure. i just know nuts in general but maybe shes not sure if peanuts are a go or not since they’re technically a legume?
the coconut or avo could work! thank you! can’t wait for there to be an occasion to try this on them 😉
Yay! Vegan win.
I could use a Vitamix. And a bigger grocery budget. And less drool over this recipe.
Wow. This looks delicious! I love the little specks from the vanilla beans. I love the idea of dates in a crust!
He’s allergic to all tree nuts! Peanuts would be a good fix too! 🙂
oh yum! I want some 🙂
wow! That looks amazing! And so true about only having one chance to impress. I served up some really so-so treats to my uncle once and he now is terribly scared of vegan stuff. Wont go near almond milk even. Ugh! I’m going to have to coax him back into it…prolly with this cheesecake. 🙂
This one I’ve got to tried. I think Granny’s going to love it. She simply love my cheesecake but oftentimes maybe due to her age, she’s having problem with dairies. Anyways, I can’t wait to try this one and wow my Granny again! Just the other day I cooked my own version of her beef casserole recipe, apparently she said it taste even better that hers, lol!
Woo hoo, first the hospital, then the WORLD!! Haha! So glad your desserts were such a success! I LOVE baking treats for our department’s potlucks and then hearing the “shock and disbelief” from my co-workers when I tell them that it is “healthified”!
I made this for my floor at the hospital today and they loved it! Nobody believed me when I told them what was in it. We had a huge labor day potluck and my food was totally gone in an hour. Thanks for the great recipe! Yay for nurses turning hospitals vegan 🙂
yea!!
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canon rebel
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I just wanted to say Thank you!!! I have just made the change to Vegan a week ago, and had my Dad’s birthday dinner this past weekend. My family was having cheesecake, and I didn’t want to be desert-less, feeling like I was missing out, so I gave your recipe a try… It was my 1st “Vegan baking experience” and it rocked my world!! I’m making all my friends and co-workers try it so I can show them that Vegans still eat delicious food! Thanks again! Can’t wait to try another recipe!
im so glad you had a yummy option that allowed you to enjoy the birthday festivities as well!! keep spreading the vegan love!
How long do you soak the cashews for?
i soak them overnight, but anything over an hour will do. it mostly depends on how good your processor is because the soaking helps them get a silky smooth texture.
Hi – can you tell me a variation that doesn’t use vegan creamcheese or and vegan sour cream. Such items aren’t readily available here in New Zealand.. thanks
maybe more of the cashews and tofu?
Hi Elise,
It was my mums birthday a few weeks ago and since i’m vegan, I decided i’d make her a vegan cake. Her favourite type of cake is cheescake. So as I searched and searched I came across your blog, which might I add is amazing! I can’t wait to try out all of your recipes. Anyway back on topic, I didnt have time to go out and get the sourcream and cream cheese so i ommited for more tofu and cashews like you did. It ended up turning out great. I made a blueberry topping for the top so it tasted more like blueberry tart. Thanks for the great recipe.
hi demi! you are so sweet to make that for your mom. im glad it turned out well…a blueberry tart sounds awesome too…
thanks for the sweet comment about the blog too 🙂
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This looks amazing!
And it’s nearly fodmap free, no? (other than the tofu?)
I love your both this and your fodmap free blog.
no i think theres inulin and chicory root in the vegan sour cream and vegan cream cheese, so i think it has a fair amount of fodmaps. in small servings its tolerable…but good luck sticking to a small slice 🙂
I made this cheesecake with a slight twist-I adapted Nadia G’s Habanero Key Lime Cheesecake into this recipe. Basically I used your filling and added key lime and habanero–and it was AWESOME! My non-vegetarian boyfriend barely finished his first piece before demanding another. Thanks for proving that vegan baking can be delicious!
that does sound awesome – well done! glad you could lure more people to the veggie side 🙂
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omg made this…..SO GOOD
hooray!!
🙂
I’m getting a little emotional reading this post. 🙂 If this cheesecake is as delicious as you say it is, I really will cry! I recently found out that I am lactose intolerant (and have a wheat allergy, boo!), and the thought of giving up cheesecake was a very, very sad thing to me. I will be trying this asap!! Thank you!
get some tissue ready because its really really delicious 🙂
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I’m trying this for mother’s day 2012. Thanks so much!
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I’m totally going to make this for my dad for Father’s Day. Hopefully I can find all of the ingredients at Whole Foods.
hooray! hope it turned out well 🙂
great! howd it turn out?!?
i just popped your vegan cheesecake recipe in the oven and i can tell from tasting the crust and filling on their own that this will be amazing! I have a co-worker who has recently joined the vegan team and I’m so excited to bring this into work (I’ve never had a vegan buddy to share recipes and swap baking with before) 🙂
Hi! I just finished baking my cheesecake (my first VEGAN cheesecake) I’m so excited, I’m letting it cool down before I put it in the fridge but I’m dying to try it already!! I tasted the crust by itself as well as the filling before baking it and both tasted yummy! The only modification I had to made was to the crust because it wasn’t moist enough or sticky like you said it should be so I added 2 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup and Voilà, I got the desired consistency 😉 Can’t wait to try it !!!
yea! i cant wait to hear how you like it?!?!
sweeeeeeet 🙂 hope it was a hit!
I made this for my 4th of July cookout and its deliciousness brought people to tears! Needless to say it was a huge hit. And it was so easy to make! Will definitely be making this often. Thanks so much for the great recipe.
yea! glad it was a hit!
I am going to try this recipe this evening… my dates and cashews are soaking as we speak! Two things – I only have herb and chive vegan cream cheese, should I probably not attempt with that? And if not would you suggest still using the sour cream? I also was thinking about adding some cocoa powder to it… good or bad plan you think? 🙂 I’m also making this for my non-vegan co-workers and not letting them know what its made of!
yes on the chocolate.
NO on the herb and chive sour cream.
id still have to say yes to finding plain vegan sour cream…i cant vouch for how itll turn out any other way.
good luck!
Yea I didn’t think so! I might have to run in the store on my way home and grab a plain brand! I have plain vegan sour cream that I honestly never thought I would find a use for so this is perfect!! Thanks for the quick reply!
I made this recipe with a few modifications for the nuts in the crust and added avocado (1 avocado, and only 0.5 cups cashews) no complaints from anyone in my office! will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
awesome!
Thanks for the recipe! I did as suggested – replaced the cream cheese and sour cream with more tofu and cashews, and it turned out ok. Not like a cheesecake though, more like a regular cake. Still yummy though. Don’t know where I went wrong with the filling? Next time I’ll go for the cream cheese and sour cream!
hi anna. next time try it as per the recipe…its very cheesecake like 🙂
what can i use in replacment of the coconut? any ideas?
i suppose you could try dried fruit, like apricots or dates (maybe more nuts too?) – not sure how it will turn out that way so i cant vouch for it. if you try it let me know.
thanks for the tofu cheesecake recipe, mine is in the oven as i write, i have sent this site to two of my sisters and i am going to send it to my daughter
i returned from a 2wk trip to chula vista where my 3 sisters live
i was there for my sister to help me take control of my eating and exercise since living in the pac nw is similar to what youve said about ny, we’re originally from buffalo, ny… anyway, now i’m back in olympia, an hr from seattle, and continuing to work on the eating better and exercise, thanks for your great website and the inspiration you are giving those of us who are coming across it and enjoying it, you have a beautiful family and you are radiating health and beauty, some of what i am aspiring to – my daughter is 25 and i’m 56 now, so the battle is on for me against the yrs taking their toll … God Bless you and thanks for all the time and effort you’ve put into this !
I’m not to fond of tofu so is there anything I could use besides tofu? Could I use a banana maybe?
you could try increasing the nuts, but i havent tried this myself so i cant vouch for it working or not. i think there were people who tried this (check the comments above) so ask them and see if it worked out for them.
other things you may want to try could be pumpkin puree and/or banana, but those would definitely change the flavor of the cheesecake.
good luck and let me know how it turns out if you do try it without tofu.
hi lela!
thanks so much for your kind comment. its so encouraging to hear stories like yours – it makes me want to continue this little blog forever.
i think its so wonderful that you have a supportive family, too. good luck!
It looks great right now as its cooking, but what’s the cool off period?
as long as you can stand it? i let mine chill in the fridge overnight. i guess as long as it has cooled to at least room temp it should be good to go, but the more you let it chill, the easier it will be to slice.
Hi!
I just made this crust recipe, but I wonder how many cups the dates add up to? (I couldn’t get my dough to stick together with the number of dates recommended.) Maybe my dates weren’t fresh enough? I ended up adding a little bit of coconut oil to bind it. Waiting to eat it, now! Thanks for the great recipe!
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hi roxy! the recipe definitely needs fresh fat plump dates, but adding coconut oil certainly doesn’t sound like a bad alternative 🙂
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Have to share my substitutions, ’cause it turned out great!!
1. Added a little coconut oil to my crust (my dates weren’t the moistest)
2. Used a full tub of tofu cream cheese instead of the sour cream (didn’t have any) and used agave instead of maple syrup.
3. Used almond butter instead of cashews, and instead of lemon, added in two tablespoons of cocoa to compliment the flavor.
It’s EXTREMELY decadent and a HUGE hit! Will try the original version, but my vegan boyf and myself are plenty thrilled with this chocoholic version. 🙂
yum! i want your chocolate version!!
The recipes looks good. My girlfriend has an issue with cashews. Can you replace them with something else, almonds perhaps?
Have you experiemented with a chocolate version?
I am transitioning to (mostly) vegan on Oct 1.
check out the comments above for some ideas on substitutions. i cant vouch for tweaks since i havent tried them but i know others have successfully. i think macadamia nuts would be a nice alternative to cashews – does she tolerate those?
i know theres a chocolate version someone commented on above too.
oh and congrats on the vegan transition!
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Hi I am deaf. I am making it right now. I hope I will like it. I hope your receipe works for me.
I have a question about the cashews: is it one cup of cashews before soaking or after? I have heard they plump up when soaked.
1 cup measured pre-soaking.
hi! this looks amazing! in the picture of the ingredients in the processor (before the pureed pic) it looks like there are black specks (in the vanilla?). Are there any spices you left out or is it just from the extract? or syrup? i can’t wait to make this!
Hey, I LOVE this website. All of the recipes look fantastic.
My next shopping trip is gonna be very expensive XD
One question though: Is there something you can use instead of dates? My partner doesn’t like them, and I’m not a fan of dates or raisins.
Thanks.
nope thats just vanilla. i use madagascar vanilla paste so it may look different to you if you are used to the syrup.
hmmm…you could try subbing any dried fruit is suppose, but im not sure how it will turn out. it needs to be able to hold the crust together and provide a sticky texture…dried apricots? prunes? pears? if you try it out, let me know how it goes.
Coconut cream makes a decent whipped cream. I haven’t played with it much, though, so I’m sure it can be even better than what I’ve had.
Didnt make the cheesecake, just made the crust and rolled it up into balls as you did. Polished off the whole thing in one sitting. Thanks for the idea.
i do that all the time. 🙂
They are basically the same as larabars..which are really delicious 😉
Made this last night except I didn’t have vegan sour cream 🙁 Will probably omit the tofu next time, but the base was amazing!! Will def make again minus tofu 😛 (it may have been a stronger tofu flavor due to no sour cream…) Goes lovely with fruit salad 🙂
hi ashleigh,
yeah definitely use the sour cream next time. it gives the cheesecake that tangy quality that its known for and neutralizes the tofu. anytime you omit a major ingredient without subbing anything else it throws off the balance of the whole recipe, so dont skip tofu next time either. make it as is, you wont be disappointed.
Do u have the recipe for the aforementioned cookies?
the cookies are linked to in the post. if youre talking about the ones mentioned by the commenters a few up from this one, its simply the recipe for the crust rolled into balls.
I made this a few months ago, and even my dairy fanatic husband went back for seconds. I am avoiding wheat to lose weight, and was so glad to find a healthy crust. I think it would be good for many different types of fillings. Thank you!
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awesome connie. glad you guys liked it 🙂
Also, I am making it for Thanksgiving. Got some medjool dates and nuts from http://www.nuts.com. If you haven’t checked them out, you shouid! Their nuts, etc are very fresh and delicious, and they have a huge selection of organic stuff.
love nuts.com – i am a frequent customer. 🙂
Hey there! You have a wonderful blog. I want to make this recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and I have all the ingredients, except I want to add pumpkin so it’s more of a pumpkin cheesecake. I saw the pumpkin cheesecake pie recipe you have in another post, but I really want to do this one specifically. Can you tell me how to incorporate the canned pumpkin in measurements? Would I just add a cup of pumpkin, or do I have to subtract other measurements of ingredients as well?
Thanks so much!
I also want to incorporate canned pumpkin into this recipe. Any suggestions? Hoping to make this tomorrow!
hey nicole – i thought about it for a while and my best guess would be to add in more cream cheese by the same amount you increase the pumpkin. i wouldnt do much more over 1/2 (each). a whole can of pumpkin will be way too much for this recipe for sure. even with the adjustments i guessed above, im not sure how it will turn out (im afraid it will be too liquidy if you just add pumpkin and dont increase the thicker ingredients as well). you may have to increase the baking time by a bit too. hope that helps?!
hi angie. see my reply to the commenter above. im not totally sure how it will turn out, but thats my best guess. good luck! and let me know how it turns out if you do try it.
Vegan nurses unite!
Gonna try your cheesecake recipe for Thanksgiving this year…the pumpkin one I’ve made is good, but this looks better, and this crust looks like an improvement over the gluten free graham cracker crust I make
the crust on this one is phenom. but so is the filling. enjoy 🙂
Hey Nicole, this might be a little late for you, but I just attempted a pumpkin cheesecake. I used this recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cooking-live/pumpkin-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/index.html as a guide for the pumpkin layer, which was the bottom layer. And then I used this recipe for the cheesecake top layer. It’s in the oven now, fingers crossed!
Elise…was the mixture really liquidy when you poured it in? Also, I tasted the mixture pre-baking and the maple syrup taste was pretty heavy. Does some of it bake off, or does it end up with a maple flavor?
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Elise,
Just wanted you to know that I took inspiration from your pie to make a triple layer Thanksgiving Pie: http://kelly-mo.blogspot.com/2012/11/vegan-triple-layer-thanksgiving-pie.html
And you were right, vegans and non-vegans alike loved it!
yum! yours looks seriously awesome!!!
hi heather! i dont remember thinking the maple flavor was overly strong. nor do i remember the mix being very liquidy. that said it does solidify after baking once you chill it in the fridge.
so how did it turn out??
Elise, thank you for the recipe. I would like to convert it to mini cakes (muffin cup sized). How long do you think i should bake the minis? Thank you!
hi Yuliya,
to be honest, im not really sure. the size will really alter the baking time as well as the temperature so to be safe, start with something like 25 minutes?? i really dont know though.
I can’t wait to give this base a try! I’m going to use it for a lemon slice though, with a few different ingredients. Fingers crossed it turns out ok.
Will this recipe be as delicious with Tofutti’s creamy smooth and yoghurt instead of sour cream?
i dont know, ive never tried it. if you do, let me know valerie!
Looking forward to making this for the holidays. I just purchased some strawberry balsamic vinegar that I am looking forward to topping it with!
Also, can you make the cheesecake without the crust- or will it get too soupy?
Thank you!!!!
You don’t even need to cook the filling to know it’s good – the “batter” is delicious!
It is difficult to cook with maple syrup (recipes are often runny), but this one works. Sometime I will try it with the yummy looking crust. (I used frozen gluten-free crusts – which I already know are too hard. I was in a hurry.)
But, this “cheese” cake has the right texture and is really delicious. I feel for the folks with tree nut allergies, because I think the cashews are probably the magic ingredient of this recipe. I have made half a dozen different vegan, faux-cheesecake recipes, and this one actually is the best. Thanks for taking the time to post it, Elise!
hey here is a recipe you can make yourself for vegan sour cream (i have to drive an hour to get it already packaged so yeah lol) http://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-sour-cream-441071
Tofutti ‘Better than cream cheese’ is pretty popular here in Australia, its usually in the cheese isle in Woolworthes or Coles but yeah, not sure about New Zealand… here is a recipe for cream cheese although i haven’t tried this one… http://www.peta2.com/blog/recipe-of-the-week-tofu-cream-cheese/
both are pretty much blend and refrigerate 🙂
hi nicole – sorry i couldnt respond sooner. i think it would still work without a crust, but you couldn’t really slice it to serve…maybe in individual ramekins to each with a spoon?
let me know if you give it a shot!
thanks dennis. im really glad you liked it. 🙂
Hello, I wanted to thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. This is the first time I try baking, especially, vegan cheese cake. I couldn’t stop tasting both the filling and the crust as I was preparing it. This is amazing!!! (Even better than cheese cake for my taste :-). Thank YOU
Hi Elise! I am Elise, an RN, and a semi-vegan as well (I eat seafood. I live in south Louisiana..what can I say). Can’t wait to try this great looking cheesecake recipe!
hi fellow elise! enjoy the cheesecake!!
so glad you liked it claudia!!
Is there a substitute for the coconut? Or can this be made without it and still be good? -I really cannot stand the texture of coconut!
if its the texture not the taste, you may try using coconut butter or coconut oil. since i havent tried it myself, i cant vouch for how the crust will work without the coconut or with a substitution. if you dont want to try it with coconut oil or butter, id imagine increasing the amount of nuts and dates may be okay? perhaps browse the comments above to see if anyone else did a similar swap successfully.
good luck!
I’ve missed cheesecake since my change to a vegan diet and this is fantastic! making my 2nd one now
thats so awesome matt! glad you like 🙂
how long should you soak the cashews?
overnight is best…but the time difference really has more to do with what kind of appliance you have. if you’re using a food processor, you can afford to soak for a shorter amount of time but if you have a regular blender or magic bullet soaking longer will lend itself to a smoother texture. go for >2 hours regardless. good luck and enjoy!
Hi Elise, I’m fairly new to your wonderful and informative blog and I’m also a nursing student. I have tried out many of your recipes and they came out delicious. I want to try this vegan cheesecake next, but I was wondering if this recipe would work well without any nuts. Is there something else that could replace them and keep the great flavor. I ask because my daughter has a nut allergy along with milk and some fruit. I know, crazy right. But she has a major sweet tooth that is hard to indulge because of these allergies. Any ideas? Thanks in advance and congratulations on your soon to be bundle of joy. Ciao.
its hard to say because i havent tried it but you may try doubling the cream cheese, sour cream, and tofu. i think that would be equivalent to 1 cup of soaked nuts, but again, i havent tried it so htats just my best guess. good luck and let me know how it goes.
Hi Elise. I just tried this recipe today. Actually my first time ever baking anything. It was almost perfect but I had to add more ingredients for a 9 inch baking dish. What size did you use? I think i could have blended it a drop more as well. Also i preheated the oven a bit hotter and so i may have overdone it. It had a denser consistency. And how long will this cheesecake keep refrigerated? It’s really delicious. Thank you. Regine
i used a 7 inch i think? it was one of the foil ones you get at the store.
fridge – a week im guessing. you can freeze it too though before it goes bad. ive frozen slices individually – works great.
Hi Elize, this look amazing!!!! I’m defentely going to try this any time soon. But before, I have two questions for you! First of all, do you think that I can use 8oz of vegan cream cheese instead of the vegan sour cram (I couldn’t find any in my local store); and second of all, I used to freeze the firm tofu (I just like the chewy texture that this give to it), so if I thaw it first and use it my cheeese cake, it will change the consistency at all??
Thanks in advance 🙂
Thanks so much Elise. I can’t wait to try it again. By the way I used organic raw agave to sweeten instead of maple syrup. Was delicious. Regine
Hi Elize, Do you think I could double the filling and use a 9″ springform pan instead of a pie plate?
hmmm…i dont see why it wouldnt work that way. may need to “set” longer (chill) in the fridge. the other wild card would be how the crust works in that instead of a pie pan.
i think that thawing the frozen tofu will definitely change the consistency. it wont be as creamy and smooth.
also omitting the sour cream will alter the taste as well. it may still work but it wont be quite the same.
good luck!
Thanks Elise, I will try it and let you know how it works. I have a 7″ springform so I think I won’t double the filling.
My boyfriend found this recipe for me. I modified it slightly (I upped the lemon juice and cream cheese, and added lemon zest), and made mini cheesecakes in cupcake liners for my birthday party. My guests, including a lactose intolerant person, a vegan baker, a person who only eats sugar (pretty much), a 4-year-old, and a hand-ful of omnivores all LOVED them! Most importantly, I loved them!!!!! Thank you for the best vegan cheesecake I’ve ever had!
I just wanted to let you know that this cake is truly amazing. I’m not a vegan, but I love to bake and try new things. I think you did a fantastic job creating this. You should be very proud of yourself! Thanks for sharing.
thank you levi – glad you all were fans 🙂
thats so kind of you jai! im glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hello there. I just wanted to let you know that I made this cheesecake on Saturday for my family party yesterday. It was a success and there were no leftovers. After the party I wanted more and even had enough ingredients leftovers to make another one. So I did and just had a piece of it a few minutes ago. I have to say I am not began and this really did WOW me!!!
awesome izzy!
I’ve been auditioning cheesescake recipes for Easter dinner, and have yet to find the game changer. Your recipe and all the comments seem very promising. Will the cheesecake set up enough so that I can use a springform pan?
i think someone in the comments section said it had worked for them, but i havent tried it myself.
Delicious!!! I was so eager to eat it that I didn’t refrigerate it long enough before eating my first slice, but I waited a couple of days for the next one, and it was just perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
its hard to wait!!! i totally get it 🙂 glad you liked it.
I want to make this but there was no vegan sour cream available at the stores near me, and I don’t have apple cider vinegar to make my own – suggestions?!? (Need to make asap…nom nom nom)
Update: I’ve only made the crust so far, but now I’m not sure if I’ll get to the center…Delicious!!
It’s quite difficult to find medjool dates, though. Do you recommend a substitute? I like prunes but i’m not a fan of raisins…
i was going to suggest raisins, but since you dont like them…i suppose prunes (but it will taste differently). you can find both the vegan sour cream and dates online. i realize thats not very helpful at the moment…
maybe you could try increasing the cashews and adding in some lemon juice to get the sour cream flavor? another option is swapping the sour cream with an equal weight of pureed macadamia nuts. again, add some lemon juice though to sour it up a bit.
let me know if you try those and if they work!
I just made this for my dad for his birthday tomorrow. He and my mom are vegan (I am not). I am looking forward to sharing this with them tomorrow night! I will let you know how we like it (including my major meat eating brother in law!). Thanks for a great recipe. It smells absolutely great!
how did it go amanda?!
So nice to see a healthy cheesecake vegan style. I think it would be great to try this recipe and add some DoMatcha green tea powder. Also it would nice to put it in a pretty dish and maybe make it deeper to serve up baked cheesecake style. Thanks for the great recipe, can’t wait to try it.
sounds awesome! i have been wondering about matcha powder…lemme know how it goes!
http://www.domatcha.com has the best I’ve tried for matcha.
Here’s a coupon code from AcrossaBlueSea.com’s website that is a 15% off too, it’s a really good discount. I like to make matcha and fix it with vanilla soy dream as a hot latte. You can add matcha to desserts, breads, and muffins too. Hope you get to try it! 🙂
Here’s the CODE – travelwithmatcha
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I made this cheesecake last night and it was amazing!
I made a simple crust using honey-free graham cracker crumbs and Earth Balance butter spread, but followed your recipe for the filling, adding in swirls of vegan friendly dark chocolate. My boyfriend recently went back to being vegan and I decided to give it a try with him. I was a vegetarian for 6 years so it hasn’t been too difficult for either of us haha. It’s been fun trying to vegan-ize some of my favorite recipes, cheesecake being one of them! My boyfriend tried this cheesecake and LOVED it. I’m already being being asked to make more and bring them for parties and dinners 🙂
Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes and play around with them!
hi Kourtney! thats awesome! so glad you both enjoyed the cheesecake 🙂
My daughter has a malabsorption issue so in addition to having to be vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, the gi has just recently put her on the FODMAP diet because her health situation is quickly becoming life threatening. She is a dietetics senior at ASU and is pretty knowledgeable about diets but even her situation stumps most if not all professionals. We are going to try your quinoa granola today, but I was wondering your thoughts on what we could substitute for the cashews in many of your recipes like this cheesecake filling above? She can have seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, but they are usually strong flavored. I was wondering if we could substitute the cashew for pumpkin and then make the filling more of a pumpkin spice flavor using maple, cinnamon, and I’m not really sure of what else or how to adjust quantities. She is autistic also so texture is a big deal. Right now she is losing weight like crazy and has no energy because she doesn’t know what to eat. Thank you for any input.
hi kris,
if you read through the comments you may get some good ideas for subs. i havent made it without cashews, so i cant verify how it would turn out but trying a combo of either more cream cheese or pumpkin could probably work.
im hesitant to give much more advice because if her condition is as you say life threatening, i think you should seek a professional not a blog. if you dont have a current MD who is knowledgeable about nutrition, i implore you to seek an RD who can work with you. if you go to patsy catsos’ site i think theres a link for RDs who are knowledgeable about fodmaps.
good luck!
Amazing! Thank you! Baking in the oven right now. I added Berries to mine as well.
berries sound like an awesome addition – perfect summer dessert!
Neither I nor my family are vegan, but I made this cheesecake with strawberries to celebrate the coming of summer and it was fabulous! I love the idea of using nuts and dates and coconut and tofu and other things of that nature as healthy substitutes for their traditionally high-calorie alternatives. This wonderful recipe perfectly exemplifies why I love vegan cooking so much: rather than restricting, the demands of a vegan diet open up so many possibilities for nutritious and delicious foods! Thank you, this is genius, and I have bookmarked this blog for further browsing.
thanks jen!!! im so glad you liked it and found my blog 🙂
hi.
my partner and I are not Vegan, But we are super excited to make this!! my sister is Vegan and i have tried some dishes of hers in the past and they were ALL FANTASTIC! I am starting to get serious about my health and well-being and find new alternatives to eating those bad foods that i love. thank you for this recipe i shall let you know what we think ekkkk so excited oh i live in Australia and i couldn’t fine this sour cream i looked in coles so until i find it i will have to make do without but i will try some of the advice you left for others 🙂
good luck and thank you!
Going to try to make this tomorrow. I was wondering if the texture ends up a little on the firm side as a regular cheesecake? Very much looking forward to it.
yes, just make sure you chill it overnight to let it set before digging in. its very important in making sure its texture is right!
Hi! – I found your blog while looking for the best vegan cheesecake recipe. It’s in the oven now, twist: subbed 1/3 cup of maple syrup for espresso and two tsp of raw cacao powder. It will be a tiramisu cheesecake. I had to add a bit more tofu so it wouldn’t be too liquid with the change in ingredients but the flavor is fantastic, I’ll be very excited to try it tomorrow for breakfast… And will let you know. Thank you for sharing your recipes, I have been vegan for 5 years and love to cook, I will be snatching a few ideas from here for sure.
I made this last night and it turned out very grainy. What did I do wrong?
hi katy. its kinda hard to say without any info. maybe you didnt puree the cashews well enough. if you dont have a high quality blender/food processor it may not get it as sily smooth. try soaking them longer? be sure to blend really well.
cool! hope it was a winner 🙂
This recipe is amazing! And so is this blog, I love it
You could always make it with what we in the UK know as digestive biscuits (I have in my head that these might be like graham crackers, but not really sure?!) It wouldn’t be raw but as it is baked afterwards anyway that may not be a problem for you. I think you can get gluten free ones and definitely vegan ones. That’s a standard cheesecake base: a mix of biscuit crumbs and fat of some kind which could be coconut oil/butter? Or you could try an oat mix of some sort maybe? Or even pastry, some cheescakes come with a sweet pastry base I think…
Oops, sorry, was only talked about the nuts in the crust there and you meant the nuts in the filling, duh…the only version of a nut free vegan cheesecake I’ve come across is a coconut one, like Elise said, blended till smooth. That was a chilled not baked one so it doesn’t set as well, but perhaps if it needed more setting you could use agar agar?
I think I might try making a baked version with straight swaps between non-vegan and vegan ‘dairy’ products actually, you’ve inspired me!
Hello-
Just making sure I am understanding correctly- you say to double the amount of cashews and tofu (if you don’t have the Follow Your Heart’s, brand)? Does this mean double, then soak? Thanks;)
yes. good luck!
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Hello! I just becan a vegan in September 2013 and am excited to try all vegan friendly recipes. I am making this tonight, and i have two questions. Does the filling taste a lot like cashews, or does it just have a nutty hint to it? i need to WOW my co-workers. I am very highly criticized for my eating habits, as they think no meat, no dairy is just plain crazy. My second question is, i dont have a food processor, but i have a blender, do you think this will work the same? i am very excited to try this!
This vegan cheesecake is amazing. It’s actually pretty easy to make and tastes great. Even our carnivore friends liked it. They were surprised that it tasted so good and wanted to know how we made the crust (we used walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts). We didn’t have vegan sour cream so we made our own and it was super yummy. We are actually going to make this again for Thanksgiving.
I made this yesterday and it is is incredibly sweet. It tastes good but the sweetness is very overpowering. I think I’ll make it with half the maple syrup next time.
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I cannot wait to make this recipe for the family over Christmas!
I have to go gluten and dairy free (as a lifestyle choice) but I also can’t have soy. Is there a soy free cream cheese and sour cream alternative out there?
dont quote me but i think daiya recently came out with one. i think its soy free? I’m pretty sure their other cheese products are so look into it, but i don’t know about a sour cream. I will say, however, that I’ve been using Green Valley organic lactose free sour cream recently and although it’s not vegan, it is lactose free, and it tastes AMAZING. Good luck!
I am familiar with Daiya products. As someone who was brought up on dairy and loves it, I find that their “cheese” is quite inedible. But I will happily look into the cream cheese product and I have been asking around about soy free sour cream. Maybe a coconut version exists somewhere? ^-^
Thanks for the suggestions. I hope I can find them at my local nutrition store! 😀
My coworker is Vegan and I made this for her Birthday celebration today…I have a crappy food processor and wanted to make a bigger ‘cake’ since it was going to work. Here’s what I did:
I doubled the crust recipe (kinda) since I was using an 8in springform pan with 3in sides. I used 7oz of coconut, 2C of mixed nuts and about 20 dates (they were dried and I soaked them for about 30min in hot water) along with a heaping tsp of cinnamon. It covered the bottom perfectly at about 1/4in.
I kept forgetting the tofu, so I ended up not using it at all and didn’t read the oz amount on the tubs so I ended up using 24oz of vegan cream cheese, and 12oz vegan sour cream. I used 1C grade B maple syrup. I soaked the cashews for a half hour, but microwaved them for 2 minutes before hand. My processor couldn’t process the cashews smooth, but it helped with I added the (thin) maple syrup before adding the thicker ingredients. I also found out last minute I had no lemon juice so used 2T apple cider vinegar
I also totally brain froze that it would set as it cooled, so I baked it for an additional 40 minutes at 250…. aaaaaaaaaaand
IT TOTALLY WORKED!!! I am so thrilled that this recipe is verstile enough to stand up to Christmas Brain Mush…sooo many compliments (even with the occasional softened cashew peice instead of a perfectly smooth consistancy) and the Birthday girl is thrilled she got to have her ‘cheese’cake. Definitely lives up to the ‘wow non-vegans’ (ME!!!) part of the name. The only thing I wasn’t thrilled about was the calorie count (about 900 for a 12th) but then I checked the dairy cheesecake and its compareable. So there is literally nothing for non-vegans to complain about 🙂
Thank you again so much for posting this recipe!!
IT TURNED OUT GREAT. I know we can’t vouch for everyone’s substitutions, but
Great recipe! Just made this for Christmas. The crust is amazing! As good if not better (and certainly healthier) than the traditional Graham cracker and butter crust. The cheesecake itself was also quite good. I generally don’t like vegan dairy but you really nailed it.
How long do you soak the cashews? This sounds delicious! can’t wait to try it.
OH MY GOSH! I found the cream cheese!
Got some, and it’s… okay. Better than the other Daiya products that’s for sure.
It doesn’t say how long to soak the cashews…
This cheesecake is beyond amazing. I made it for Christmas, and although I didn’t plan it out well enough to share it with my family, I had only been vegan for a month and remembered the taste of dairy. This is as good if not better than traditional non vegan cheesecake. I am eating a piece (a month later, frozen) and it’s still fantastic. Amazing recipe, thank you for sharing!
the recipe says firm tofu, but the picture has extra firm? which is it? or are they interchangeable for this recipe?
either will work
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WOW! I was skeptical at first, but this cheesecake really is as good, or better, than the “real” thing.
I have made it twice now- the first time exactly as instructed, and it was *amazing*.
The only negative I can point out has nothing to do with the flavor- it’s just, the cost of all the ingredients makes this about a $20 cheesecake. I keep a tight grocery budget, so the second time I used a pre-made crust (there are multiple vegan options) that I got for $1.87. I think it cut the cost by about $8.
I also added a cup of shredded coconut to the filling and add 4 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 TSP lemon zest to the second cake- it came out reallllly good; I really like lemon cheesecake.
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Can I take out the coconut? Or maybe replace it with something else?
hey cris!
in the crust im pretty sure you could swap the coconut for more dried fruit and nuts, but i havent tried…read through the comment section because there may be others who have done so and left their feedback. good luck!
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I made this with my mom today for easter and we decided to give it a shot. Just to make it clear, I made 3 other cakes with her that taste amazing, but this one tastes like garbage. The consistency resembles pudding and the crust does not compliment the bland mass of vegan goo inside. Please put more work into recipes before you post them so I don’t waste my time and money. The only part of this recipe that “wow’d” me was how badly vegan desserts can taste.
I’m really sorry you didn’t enjoy the cheesecake. I have made it several times and it has always received rave reviews – and judging by the rest of the comments most others have had similar experiences. I apologize that you felt your time and money were wasted.
My Mom is feted @ a vegan potluck, for aging animal rights actvists, so wanted something classic, beautiful, gluten free, raw and vegan, so will try your recipe. I just want to add some rainbow colored stripes of fruit on top, and maybe double the recipe, so can make a lasagne size huge cheez cake. She’s 88 and a lifetime veg*n, so we figured she’d save well over 2,000 animals having never even tasted meat! I’m sure it will be great, and don’t care if I have leftovers, I want to sneak some home for my guy too. My only question is how do you figure it’s raw if you bake it? Well it’s all good anyway, so maybe someday we’ll run into a recipe that doesn’t require and oven or nothing over 110 degrees. (Or whatever the number is to be considered raw.)
The crust is raw, as indicated in the description, but the cheesecake inside portion isn’t. Of course once you bake the inside in the crust it’s no longer raw, but I have used the crust recipe separately (to make snack balls, bars, or as a crust for a raw dessert) so that’s why it’s described that way. I hope that made sense! Either way, enjoy!
Hi Elise,
Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is not a vegan recipe!!
VEGAN means NO animal products WHATSOEVER…
NO DAIRY…NO EGGS
Coconut oil can substitute for dairy and eggs and it helps set things…
You can call it gluten free and vegetarian. but NOT VEGAN
You are misleading people
It’s like saying your vegetarian when you eat FISH!!
TRY AGAIN
hi caro – there’s no dairy or eggs in this recipe. there are no animal products in it at all.
I have to say that I am not a vegan, but had a vegan guest. So I decided I would really make an effort to accommodate everyone – Which turned out to actually not be an effort at all. This cake is simply amazing (also I must add that I am celiac and so the dinner choice was already being limited by me, adding a vegan into the mixture I thought was going to be impossible). So made this cake, and I must admit I’m tempted to turn vegan – and even though I am not (ATM) I would happily pick this cake over a dairy/ cheese filled one. It’s light, but creamy and just amazing – I know I already said it was amazing above but I really can’t get over how much I liked it. Also just a note I added cocoa powder melted and swirled it through to make a marble chocolate effect – I am addicted to chocolate so this just added that extra moorishness!
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I made the cheesecake in a cupcake tin. They puffed up a bit. Not sure why though. Smelled really good.
I didn’t have your brand of vegan ingredients. I didn’t double the amount of tofu and cashews. Was I supposed to?
As a non vegan, (bacon is my favorite food), I have 2 vegan roommates who never get to try my baking. Found this recipe, waited until I had the money, (the ingredients cost me about $50) I finally did it. Easy, amazing, vegan and non vegan approved. *applause*
Can you use this recipe raw – no baking at all – by just adding clear gelatin to set and refrigerating?
Interesting idea…I have never worked with gelatin personally, so I can’t say, but I could see it being possible. Agar flakes are a vegan option as well. If you give it a shot let me know!
Thanks for the recipe! The mix for the crust didn’t get sticky at first. I added some more dates and raisins + a little bit of water. I also added a rhubarb jam topping after it was cooked. Turned out great.
Thanks for the sharing recipe. Vegan cheesecake tastes the same as regular and you can save the lives of countless cows. I would like to share my recipe to fellow vegans and lactose intolerant people.
http://vegancheesecake.net/pages/healthy-vegan-cheesecake-recipe
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