This baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake features a crispy cinnamon streusel and uses a full can of pumpkin puree to bake into a silky and rich pumpkin cheesecake that’s perfectly spiced! No eggs, and entirely dairy free, yet you’d never know!

sliced vegan pumpkin cheesecake on a plate

The very best baked pumpkin cheesecake recipe:

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you might be scrambling for the perfect pumpkin recipe to place on your Thanksgiving table that’s also vegan, dairy free, and no eggs.

Of course, this one bowl pumpkin cake or even pumpkin cupcakes are so fun to make, along with the classic vegan pumpkin pie.

But cheesecakes are some of my favorites to serve this year. I recently took a spin off of my vegan pecan pie and turned it into a vegan pecan pie cheesecake, and it is drool worthy. (Similar to my vegan pecan pie cheesecake bars in my cookbook!).

So, let me introduce you to this show stopping baked vegan pumpkin streusel cheesecake recipe.

sliced baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Unlike my no bake pumpkin cheesecake, this baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake is topped with a crisp pumpkin spice streusel that adds the perfect crunch to the creamy and silky perfectly set pumpkin cheesecake batter.

It fits right into some fall classics, like apple crumble cheesecake and brown sugar maple mascarpone cheesecake (YUM).

And yes, this baked pumpkin cheesecake is entirely dairy free and made without eggs. You’re honestly not going to believe it with one bite, and I can guarantee you, the non-vegans at your holiday table will be SHOCKED!

This vegan pumpkin streusel cheesecake is a must-have for your holiday table!

Do I really need a water bath for this cheesecake recipe?

If you’ve never baked a cheesecake before, then you might be wondering what the heck even is a water bath and why does a cheesecake need one?

A water bath is essentially a tray of water that goes onto a low rack in the oven while your cheesecake sits above it on a middle rack. The hot water evaporates in the oven, keeping it moist. As cheesecakes love moisture, this will help keep the cheesecake moist while also setting it perfectly.

Otherwise, you’d end up with a really dry cheesecake, which wouldn’t be good! I go over all of the ins and outs of water baths in my classic baked vegan cheesecake recipe.

For this recipe, I do recommend a water bath for this baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake recipe. Even though pumpkin puree adds a ton of moisture, you’d be surprised at how good an oven is at evaporating all of that liquid. Stick with the water bath (it’s easy, don’t worry!).

slices of vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Overview: Step by Step How to make a vegan pumpkin cheesecake:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

streusel in a bowl
First we’ll make the streusel by combining all streusel ingredients and mixing together. Then set aside to move onto the crust.
pumpkin cheesecake batter in a bowl
The crust and the cheesecake batter can both be prepared in a food processor. The crust will bake while you’re making the pumpkin cheesecake batter!
pumpkin cheesecake before baking
To assemble, pour the cheesecake batter into the baked crust, then top with the streusel. Bake with a water bath for 65-70 minutes. Then let the cheesecake cool in the turned OFF oven cracked for 1 hour.
pumpkin cheesecake after baking
Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge, covered, and set for 4 hours or overnight!

Can I skip the streusel topping?

Absolutely! If you just want to make this a classic baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake (that’s different from my no bake pumpkin cheesecake), you absolutely can!

The bake time is similar, you might find it bakes a bit quicker, so just keep an eye on it around the hour mark.

Can I make this vegan pumpkin streusel cheesecake no bake?

I know what you’re thinking- because there are no eggs in this cheesecake recipe, is it necessary to bake it?

Well, because we’re topping it with a streusel, unfortunately you would definitely need to bake it. Plus, you would need to omit the cornstarch if you’re not baking it. However, I do have a no bake pumpkin cheesecake recipe that’s absolutely lovely!

If no bake is your style, definitely check out that recipe 🙂

slice of vegan pumpkin cheesecake with bite taken from it

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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sliced vegan pumpkin cheesecake on a plate

Baked Vegan Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Recipe

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 75
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Cheesecake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake features a crispy cinnamon streusel and uses a full can of pumpkin puree to bake into a silky and rich pumpkin cheesecake that’s perfectly spiced! No eggs, and entirely dairy free, yet you’d never know!

Ingredients

Scale

Streusel:

  • 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
  • 5 tbsp (70 g) vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt

Biscoff Cookie Crust:

  • 1 250 g-package Biscoff cookies
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) vegan butter, melted

Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter:

  • 32 ounces (4 8-ounce containers) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) vegan sour cream or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 cup (240 g) coconut cream or vegan heavy cream
  • 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 9 tbsp (90 g) organic cornstarch or arrowroot starch
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper both on the bottom and walls of the cheesecake pan. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet, and make sure you have a separate second baking sheet for the water bath.
  2. Make the streusel: Whisk together the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, flour, pumpkin spice, and salt until it resembles a crumble. Then set aside.
  3. Make the crust: Add the graham crackers or cookies to a food processor, and pulse until you reach a fine crumb. Then add in the melted vegan butter, and pulse again until you get a wet crumb. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of your cheesecake pan, working up the sides of the pan as well. Place the pan into the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes to par-bake. While the crust is baking, make the filling.
  4. Make the cheesecake filling: In a large food processor, stand mixer with whisk attachment, or large bowl with hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, pumpkin pure, and dairy free yogurt until smooth. Add in the light brown sugar, sugar, cream, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and cornstarch. Cream together again until smooth. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, and smooth the top. Top with the streusel topping. Make sure the cheesecake pan is still on its baking sheet (SEPARATE from the baking sheet used for the water bath- this cheesecake baking sheet just helps to transport the cheesecake to and from the oven).
  5. Create the water bath: Be ready to move to the next step immediately after finishing this step. Make sure that you boil the 3-4 cups water prior to pouring the water into the pan. Pour the boiling water into the pan.
  6. Bake the cheesecake: Carefully place the water bath baking sheet into the oven on the low rack. Then place the cheesecake baking sheet onto the middle rack and quickly close the oven to bake for 65-70 minutes, or until the the top of the streusel golden. The center is set but still wiggly. Turn off the oven, and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 1 hour with the door slightly cracked. The water should also be completely dissolved. Please see the video tutorial. The cheesecake should still be wiggly. This is completely fine and should be that way. This cheesecake will not seem cooked at all when you first turn off the oven.
  7. Chill the cheesecake: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then cover and place the cheesecake into the fridge to chill for 4 hours, or overnight.
  8. Serve: Carefully remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, top with vegan whipped cream, slice and serve!

Notes

Pie crust cut outs: These I made using pie cutters and with leftover pie dough I had while making another pie!