Super Creamy Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust
This ultra silky pistachio cheesecake is made in just a food processor with the simplest dairy free ingredients- and no eggs nor pudding mixes! Baked in a graham cracker pistachio crust and topped with pistachio cream cheese frosting!
A jaw-droopingly creamy pistachio cheesecake:
Pistachio desserts are truly some of the best tasting desserts around- and we have a plethora of vegan desserts here on the blog (and of course, in my vegan dessert cookbook!). One bowl pistachio cake, pistachio filled cookies, pistachio butter cake, and pistachio chocolate sweet rolls, to name a few!
So of course, we needed an ultra creamy pistachio cheesecake recipe to add to the collection. And let me tell you, it’s one of my favorite creations yet. Honestly, probably my favorite cheesecake recipe currently.
The super nutty, rich pistachio flavor is complemented with a touch of almond extract and loads of ultra creamy pistachio butter baked in a nutty graham cracker crust and topped with a rich creamy pistachio cream cheese frosting.
If you love pistachios, then this recipe is for you.
And what sets this pistachio cheesecake apart from the rest is two fold– first, you don’t need a stand mixer nor even a hand mixer. JUST a food processor for both the crust and pistachio cheesecake filling!
Next, this cheesecake is unbelievably dairy free and eggless- so you bet, it’s vegan! No instant pistachio pudding mix nor dairy is required here. We’re using the most minimal ingredients that somehow yields the creamiest, perfectly sweet yet tangy and ultra silky cheesecake that tastes like a pistachio dream.
Trust me, you’re going to be speechless.
How is this cheesecake vegan?
If you’re new here, then let me introduce you to the world of vegan cheesecakes- a world in which the richest, creamiest, and most decadent cheesecakes are made unbelievably without dairy nor eggs.
I’m serious, you can achieve this too. We just need a few simple swaps to ensure that it’s possible!
First, vegan cream cheese: I use homemade vegan cream cheese or store bought vegan cream cheese. Either works here. The brands are so good these days, you truly will be in awe. For store bought, I like Oatly or Kite Hill.
Dairy free yogurt or dairy free sour cream: Either works here. I like Forager Project best, but Kite Hill works great too. I would caution against a true coconut yogurt (the super high fat ones), as those tend to separate in the baking process and yield a really greasy cheesecake.
Vegan heavy cream: This is either cashew cream, homemade vegan heavy cream, or store bought heavy cream. I recommend not using coconut milk, as again, it can yield a greasy cheesecake, as the oil separates from the fat in the baking process. For store bought, I like Silk or Plant Crock!
Vegan butter: We’ll need just a touch for both the pistachio graham cracker crust and of course, the pistachio cream cheese frosting on top (but you can use just whipped cream!).
Overview: How to make pistachio cheesecake step-by-step
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.
Store bought pistachio butter vs homemade pistachio butter:
It’s a bit tricky to find a single ingredients pistachio butter, as typically, store bought pistachio butter is based off of the Italian pistachio crema (sometimes called pistachio paste)- a sweet creamed pistachio butter filled with milk, sugar, and white chocolate.
For our purposes, we need only true pistachio nut butter, like a cashew butter or peanut butter. I used Blue Mountain Organics pistachio butter, but it is very pricey for a jar of pistachio butter.
Typically, I’ll make my own homemade vegan pistachio butter using the method of my cashew butter. It’s very easy, and requires just pistachios, a bit of coconut oil, and sea salt. You do need a high powered food processor in order to get that super creamy texture.
Can I make this vegan cheesecake gluten free as well?
Absolutely! I made this pictured vegan pistachio cheesecake with homemade vegan gluten free graham crackers, which is found down below in the recipe card. However, if you’re not vegan and simple gluten free, you can use store bought gluten free graham crackers.
The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free!
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Super Creamy Vegan Pistachio Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 75
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This ultra silky pistachio cheesecake is made in just a food processor with the simplest dairy free ingredients- and no eggs nor pudding mixes! Baked in a graham cracker pistachio crust and topped with pistachio cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
Pistachio graham cracker crust:
- 1 batch homemade graham crackers or 250 g store bought graham crackers (make sure they’re vegan)
- 1 cup (148 g) lightly salted shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup (57 g) vegan unsalted butter, melted
Pistachio cheesecake filling:
- 4 8-ounce containers vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) vegan dairy free yogurt or dairy free sour cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (250 g) pistachio butter*
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 8 tbsp (80 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Topping:
- 1/2 batch vegan cream cheese frosting
- 1/3 cup (84 g) pistachio butter
Instructions
- Prep: Line an 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.
- If making the graham crackers: You’ll need about an hour and a half for making the graham crackers prior to making the cheesecake. Or you can make the graham crackers the day before. Follow the instructions below in the recipe card notes section to make the graham crackers.
- Make the crust: Add the graham crackers and pistachios 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.
- Make the cheesecake filling: In a large food processor, cream together the cream cheese and dairy free yogurt until smooth. Add in the pistachio butter, sugar, vegan heavy cream, vanilla extract and paste, almond extract, and cornstarch. Cream together again until smooth. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, and smooth the top. Place the cheesecake pan onto a 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).
- Reduce the heat of the oven: Reduce the heat to 350F.
- 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. This is essential for keeping the cheesecake moist and preventing any cracks.
- 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 72-75 minutes, or until the the top of the cheesecake lightly 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.
- 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.
- Make the frosting: When ready to serve, make the cream cheese pistachio frosting! Start by making a half batch of the cream cheese frosting. Then add in the pistachio butter and fold into the frosting until incorporated. Remove the springform pan from the cheesecake, and plate your cheesecake. Spread the frosting on top.
- Serve and enjoy! Sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios, slice, and enjoy Store any leftover cheesecake in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Pistachio butter: This is NOT pistachio cream- make sure that your pistachio butter is a single ingredient (pistachios- or at the very most pistachios and salt). Pistachio butter can also be a dairy based sweet pistachio cream. You can also simply blend your own pistachio butter using my cashew butter method. Make sure you’re using 250 g of pistachios.
Loved this recipe. this was my first cheesecake ever and it turned out beautifully.
Some notes:
1. my cheesecake was done baking after 62 minutes. It came out with some minor cracks but they weren’t too bad, especially bc there was going to be frosting on top anyway. When me and my family tasted it, it was perfect (very moist)! I’d keep an alarm for about 60 minutes to check if your cake might already be done. I let it cool for about an hour and then put it in the fridge over night.
2. Frosting: I made my own frosting out of left over cheesecake batter that I had. The recipe left a good amount batter left. Since none of the batter ingredients need to be cooked to be safely eaten, I added more vg cream cheese and pistachio butter, vg whipping cream, a spoonful of vg butter, about 2 cups of powdered sugar, a spoonful of cornstarch, as well as some green food-dye mixed with some cream cheese. I wanted that green color and the pistachio butter was more of a light brown color. I mixed it all in my food processor with a couple pulses and folded it with a spatula.
3. My frosting was pretty liquidy, but I poured it over my cheesecake (still in its springform pan) and let it cool/set for a couple hours. Then, I put the crushed pistachios on top right before serving! The frosting set perfectly and wasn’t liquidy at all after a couple hours of chilling in the fridge!
4. everyone in my fam enjoyed it!! people actually had seconds. I was so proud 🙂
Some things I would do differently next time would be to put some food dye in the batter to make it green (just aesthetic preference). For the crust, I’d make sure to ground up my graham crackers to be finer, add more butter to the mixture, and bake it for less time since the crust was a little hard. Something I may try, is to add silken tofu instead of yogurt/sour cream.
Great recipe!
I made this for my partner’s birthday and it was absolutely delicious! I varied the recipe somewhat when I realized I made only half the vegan creamcheese needed (oops!).
So I used mascarpone for the frosting and reduced the powdered sugar a little. I also made a fruity middle layer to add some tanginess – a jam made from blackberries, chia seeds, maple syrup and a little lemon juice. I’m proud to share my result here!
Oh my goodness it’s beautiful!! I just love how you decorated it!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 Absolutely perfect!!
This was sooooo good! The pistachio flavor really comes through. A little labor intensive since I made the pistachio butter rather than store bought but was worth it! Definitely one I will be making again and serving to my non- vegan family.
Oh my goodness it’s absolutely beautiful!!! Thank you so much for sharing!! And so glad you all enjoyed 🙂