This ultra creamy and rich baked vegan New York style cheesecake tastes just like the classic yet is entirely egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free! No cashews needed!
The Best Vegan New York Cheesecake
Before going vegan, the only cheesecake I actually enjoyed was a New York style cheesecake. It’s so much creamier than regular cheesecake, and has the most irresistible crust.
I wanted to finally create a vegan baked cheesecake that tasted nearly identical to the classic New York cheesecake while being entirely dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, lower in sugar, and gluten free.
Well, we have it, folks.
This is my all time favorite baked vegan New York style cheesecake that’s ultra creamy and decadent yet doesn’t weigh you down. It’s slightly tangy with notes of vanilla, and is undetectably gluten free with the sweet oat crust.
This cheesecake is baked to perfection, with that classic golden brown edge and is perfect when topped with some fresh or warmed berries or coconut cream!
What’s the difference between New York cheesecake and baked cheesecake?
You might be wondering what’s really the difference between a New York cheesecake and a regular baked cheesecake.
Well, New York cheesecakes tend to be much larger, richer, and creamier than regular baked cheesecakes. That’s why I actually think that vegan baked cheesecakes are already naturally more like a New York style cheesecake rather than a classic cheesecake.
New York style baked cheesecakes also have the addition of heavy cream and more sour cream (not to mention more cream cheese) than a regular cheesecake.
Of course, in our case, the heavy cream is actually coconut cream and the sour cream is vegan! Yes, there is a vegan sour cream, and I talk about that in the recipe card, so don’t worry!
Equipment you’ll need for this cheesecake
We’re keeping this New York style cheesecake really simple, down to the equipment needed.
Before beginning, make sure that you have:
- 8″ or 9″ springform pan
- Deep baking sheet
- Large food processor (you can also use a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer)
How to make a baked vegan cheesecake (EASILY!)
Now, traditionally, you’ll use a water bath for baked cheesecake. However, I found that with this cheesecake, you really don’t need it to achieve that ultra creamy and smooth texture that accompanies a vegan baked cheesecake!
If you know that your oven runs slightly drier than most or you have a hard time retaining moisture in your bakes, you can try a water bath here for your vegan cheesecake. It won’t hurt the cheesecake if you use this method!
I just wanted to keep everything simple for you 🙂
In terms of ingredients, we’re keeping the tradition of incorporating both cream cheese and sour cream into this vegan cheesecake…only, ya know, dairy free 😉 For this vegan New York style cheesecake, you’ll need:
Crust:
- Oats: make sure they’re gluten free certified if needed.
- Vegan butter: you can also use coconut oil here if it’s easiest for you. I recommend Miyoko’s, Forager Project, or Flora Plant Butter for vegan butter here.
- Coconut sugar: you can also use regular granulated sugar. Just make sure it’s vegan!
Vegan Cheesecake Filling:
- Vegan cream cheese: it’s crucial that you use the right brand of dairy free cream cheese here, as some brands are good, while others are….eh. I recommend Miyoko’s regular cream cheese. They’re my absolute favorite dairy free cream cheese. I’ve tried both Trader Joe’s and Kite Hill, and while they’re good, they’re not my favorite.
- Vegan sour cream: you can also use dairy free yogurt here, as I’m sure Forager Project isn’t quite nation wide yet with this sour cream. It’s really good though, so keep an eye out for it!
- Coconut cream: I recommend coconut cream from the can for ultra creaminess.
- Maple syrup
- Arrowroot starch: you can also use cornstarch here if you can’t find arrowroot!
Please keep in mind that the full ingredient measurements are found down below in the recipe card. This is just a summary! Next we’ll go over how to make this baked vegan cheesecake!
Step 1: The gluten free vegan cheesecake crust
I could eat this crust by itself, it’s so good! Plus it’s so easy and really quick to make.
Simply pulse the oats into a flour in your food processor. Add in the melted vegan butter along with the coconut sugar, and pulse again until it forms a dough.
Press the dough into your prepared springform pan and bake the crust on a baking sheet to par-bake it.
Remove from the oven and set aside so we can prepare the creamy vegan cheesecake filling!
Step 2: The vegan cheesecake filling
Again, I could eat this filling with a spoon, and it’s just as simple as the crust. No need to soak any cashews or anything. The only thing you need to make sure you’ve done is allow both the cream cheese and sour cream to come to room temperature so that they’re easy to cream.
Cream together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Then add in the coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and arrowroot. Pulse again until smooth, then pour the filling over the crust.
Bake in the oven! Once baked, you’ll remove the cheesecake and allow it to cool and set.
Baked New York Cheesecake Tips & Tricks
While I want to emphasize that this baked vegan cheesecake is extraordinarily easy, that doesn’t mean we can get sloppy with technique! Here are a few tips to make sure that your vegan New York cheesecake comes out perfect every time:
Allow the cream cheese and sour cream to come to room temperature. You will have a really hard time creaming together the ingredients if you don’t do this! Give the ingredients a few hours to soften. You should be able to indent a fingerprint into the cream cheese easily.
Give your cheesecake time to cool at room temperature first. This will ensure that everything cools evenly. It’s also good to not put something piping hot into the fridge!
How to slice your cheesecake: once your cheesecake is ready to be sliced, you can run a butter knife along the edges of the pan to release the cheesecake from the spring form pan. Then carefully undo the buckle and place your cheesecake onto a serving platter!
Top your vegan New York cheesecake with fruit: this is my all time favorite way to serve cheesecake, especially because it’s such a rich and decadent dessert, you need something slightly lighter to balance the flavors, textures, and density. I recommend fresh strawberries, or a berry jam!
I hope you absolutely love this baked vegan New York style cheesecake as much as I do! If you try it, make sure to leave a comment and a review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find this recipe!
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy cheesecake baking!
More vegan cheesecake recipes you’ll love
Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
Instant Pot Caramel Cheesecake
Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Baked Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
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This ultra creamy and rich baked vegan New York style cheesecake tastes just like the classic yet is entirely egg free, dairy free, gluten free, and refined sugar free! No cashews needed!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups oats
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
Vegan Baked Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 oz vegan sour cream (such as Forager Project) or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (from can)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup arrowroot starch*
- Berries for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a 8 or 9″ springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the edges of the pan with a bit of cooking or coconut oil as well.
- In a food processor, pulse the oats until they’re a rustic flour (you can still have some oat pieces partially whole).
- Add in the melted vegan butter and coconut sugar, and blend again until it becomes a sticky dough.
- Press the dough onto the bottom of the springform pan. Place the pan into the oven with a baking sheet underneath it to prevent any drips. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust turns lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.
- In a large food processor or stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), cream together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
- Add in the maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla, and arrowroot. Pulse again until smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, and smooth the top. Make sure the springform pan is still on the baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven to bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake have completely set and slightly turned golden. The middle can be set, but if it’s slightly wiggle still, that’s fine.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then place the cheesecake into the fridge to chill for 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, top with fresh berries or jam, and enjoy!
Notes
Arrowroot Starch: make sure that your arrowroot starch (also called powder) is stored properly and is still active. Improperly stored or expired arrowroot will not work. You can also swap in an equal amount of cornstarch.
Sour cream: Currently the only dairy free band I know that sells a vegan sour cream is Forager Project, which is what I used here. I’ve also tested this with plain unsweetened coconut milk yogurt, and got very similar results!
Maple syrup: if you don’t want to use that much maple syrup (it is a lot, I totally get that), you can swap in 1 cup regular sugar or coconut sugar. Keep in mind that using coconut sugar will make this cheesecake look tan in color rather than cream colored.
Keywords: new york cheesecake, new york style baked cheesecake, vegan new york baked cheesecake, vegan baked cheesecake, vegan vanilla cheesecake
i hope you meant vegan cream cheese!
Ha yes! 🙂