Description
This lush and creamy cannoli cheesecake tastes like cannoli- yet somehow better! With a crispy oat crust and easy creamy “mascarpone” cheesecake filling, you won’t believe that this cheesecake is vegan, dairy free, contains no eggs, and is gluten free. You’ll fall in love with this spin on a classic Italian dessert!
Ingredients
Scale
Oat crust:
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) oats*
- 1/4 cup (55 g) melted vegan butter
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Cannoli Cheesecake filling:
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy vegan cream or coconut cream
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (70 g) cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups mini vegan chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Measure out all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375F, and line an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with parchment paper.
- Make the graham cracker oat crust: In a large food processor, pulse the oats, sugar, and cinnamon together until the oats are almost a fine flour. Pour in the melted vegan butter and mix together until you get a sandy clump texture.
- Bake the crust: Press the oat crust into the springform pan, working the dough partway up the sides of the springform pan (about an 1″ high) to create a rustic crust. Place the crust into the oven to bake for 10 minutes while you make the cannoli cheesecake filling. Remove from the oven and place the crust onto a baking sheet for ease in place the pan back into the oven later.
- Make the filling: In a stand mixer with whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the vegan cream cheese and yogurt until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add in the remaining ingredients, and continue mixing until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Fold in the chocolate chips: Remove the bowl from the stand mixer if necessary, and add in the mini chocolate chips. Fold in the chips to distribute evenly.
- Fill the cheesecake: Pour the cheesecake filling into the baked oat crust, and top with more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake: Place the cheesecake on the baking pan into the oven to bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake is slightly golden brown, and the middle isn’t wiggling AS much, but it’s still a bit wiggly. It will set after chilling.
- Chill: Once baked, remove the cheesecake from the oven, and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then cover the cheesecake, and allow it to set in the fridge for 3 hours, or overnight.
- Serve and enjoy: When ready to serve, carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the springform pan to remove the cheesecake from the sides. Carefully remove the springform pan side and serve the cheesecake. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar, slice and enjoy!
Notes
Oats: If you’re not gluten free or cannot tolerate oats, you can swap in an equal amount of graham crackers or gluten free graham crackers, and omit the sugar.
Keywords: vegan cheesecake, cannoli, cannoli cheesecake, gluten free, oat flour pie crust