Description
This ultra creamy and rich vegan cheesecake tastes JUST like classic New York baked cheesecake, and it only needs 7 ingredients (NO tofu, no cashews though!). And it’s SO easy to make with my simple steps to ensure you get the creamiest and perfectly tangy vegan cheesecake ever!
Ingredients
Vegan Graham Cracker Crust:
- 18 sheets or 1 batch (300 g) vegan graham crackers or Lotus Biscoff Cookies
- 1/2 cup (113 g) melted vegan butter
Vegan Cheesecake Filling:
- 32 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt or dairy free sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream, cold
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 9 tbsp (90 g) cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 cups boiling water, for water bath
- Fresh strawberries, for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the edges of the pan with a bit of cooking or coconut oil as well, and line with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil while you make the recipe (for the water bath).
- 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 7 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven.
- Important: Reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, or large bowl with hand mixer, cream the cream cheese until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the dairy free yogurt, sugar, vanilla extract, and cornstarch. Cream together again until smooth. Then pour in the vegan heavy cream and whisk again for about 2-3 minutes to integrate. Scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl in between mixing to ensure everything is incorporated. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, and smooth the top. Place the cheesecake pan onto a baking sheet.
- Create the water bath: Place a large casserole dish onto the low rack of the oven. Pour the boiling water into the casserole dish. Close the oven door.
- Bake the cheesecake: Place the cheesecake baking sheet onto the middle rack and quickly close the oven to bake for 75 minutes, or until the the top of the cheesecake lightly golden. The center is set but still wiggly. Once baked, turn off the oven, and keep the cheesecake in the oven but crack the oven door. Allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 1 hour. The cheesecake will still be a bit 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.
- 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.
- Serve and enjoy! When ready to serve, top with fresh berries, cherries, or jam, and enjoy! Store any leftover cheesecake in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Cornstarch Starch: make sure that your cornstarch or 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.
Vegan heavy cream: If you can do cashews, you can use cashew cream.
Water bath: Using a water bath is extremely important for a moist cheesecake! Please see blog post for all tips.
Gluten free: Swap in gluten free vegan graham crackers or gluten free homemade biscoff cookies!
Please read the above blog post for all tips & tricks on how to make this baked vegan cheesecake, as well as watch the quick YouTube tutorial! Thank you!