Baked Vegan Cheesecake! Rich & creamy with a crumbly crust. Unlike most vegan cheesecake recipes, it doesn't contain any cashews so its lower in fat and totally nut free!
YOU GUYSSS!! I am so excited to finally share this recipe with you. I have tested this recipe so many times because I LOVED cheesecake when I was younger (despite my lactose intolerance) and wanted to get the right balance of flavours and textures. After some time in the kitchen, I finally got it down (if I do say so myself ;)).
Most vegan cheesecake recipes that I have seen use a ton of nuts, in particular cashews. Now I have nothing against cashews, I mean I love cashews but they can get expensive and a ton of nuts at once don't seem to sit well in my stomach. I was playing around with my Tofu "Yogurt" recipe and added some maple syrup and lemon... and it oddly really reminded me of the flavour of cheesecake. Then I saw a cheesecake recipe using yogurt in a food magazine I happened to be browsing when waiting for my appointment at the dentist.
My first attempt was just baking some blended tofu, lemon juice, sweetener and flour over a graham cracker crust and it was meh. There was a ton of flavour elements still missing so I went back to the drawing board and did a little research. I ended up deciding to add in more lemon juice for tang, nutritional yeast for a cheesy note, miso paste for a hint of savoury and my favourite ingredient that I think ties this cheesecake together: sake kasu (aka sake paste).
Now, I know sake paste is not the most easiest ingredient to find but I highly recommend you to check the asian grocery store the next time you're there. You can totally skip the sake paste if you can't find it or want to keep it alcohol free but it does add a depth of flavour to the cheesecake which I personally love.
As a final touch, decorate and enjoy this cheesecake with some coconut cream and fruit! They pair magically with this cheesecake giving it more decadency and freshness.
I hope you make this vegan cheesecake & love them as much as I do because it's:
- vegan & vegetarian friendly
- nut free
- low in fat without compromising flavour
- only 8 ingredients
- simple & easy to make
- & so light, creamy and satisfying
If you make this delicious vegan cheese cake please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @lisakitahara, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
PrintBaked Vegan Cheesecake (nut-free!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3.5 tbsp (50g) vegan butter
- 7 rectangle (100g) honey-free graham crackers
- 2.5 cups (600g) silken firm or soft traditional tofu OR coconut yogurt
- 3 ½ tbsp (53ml) neutral oil
- ½ cup (100g) cane sugar
- ½ cup (65g) corn starch
- 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of half a lemon
- 2 tsp vanilla
Optional ingredients to add for a cheese-like flavour:
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp (18g) miso paste
- 2 tbsp (20g) sake lees
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 160 C (350 F)
- meanwhile, in a food processor, process the crackers until fine then add the vegan butter until incorporated. In a lined cheesecake pan press the crust down flat evenly
- blend tofu, oil, sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and vanilla (+ optional ingredients) into a high speed blender until smooth and then pour it over the crust
- place into the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.
- let it cool and sit over night
- serve with your choice of toppings! (whip cream goes amazingly)
Tom Brown says
Hi, my cheesecake looks like it’s sweating! I baked it yesterday, then today there is a layer of condensation on top. Any idea why?
Hazel Rogers says
Hey! Mine did that too, but it didn't impact the flavour at all! Sooo good. I can't BELIEVE this is vegan, and it's so much cheaper than any other cheesecake recipe I saw! I added a cap full of sake instead of the sake paste, and it worked just fine!
★★★★★
Claire says
The soft tofu is like silken tofu or no?
Lisa Kitahara says
It can be called "soft tofu" or silken firm tofu 🙂
Margaret says
I made this today and added a few tsp of matcha powder to make a matcha cheesecake. It is delicious- great flavor and texture! I used an 8 in springform and it's a pretty thin layer so I think next time I'll make it in a smaller pan. Definitely making it again though!
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Margaret,
Thanks so much for sharing, I'm so glad you enjoyed! Adding the matcha is such a great idea-- i'll have to try!
Veronica Donato says
Would it be okay without the miso? Should I replace it with something else? And does this cheesecake have more of a gelatin-y/bouncy texture?
Lisa Kitahara says
Yes! It just adds flavour. This has a more mousse-cheesecake like texture slightly springy 🙂
peter says
loooove this recipe, thanks so much for sharing! one note: you may have forgotten to include nutritional yeast in the instructions part
Rachel Chia says
Im lactose intolerant too! So happy to finally seem one that is so easy to make!
Can't wait to try!
★★★★
Esther A says
Hi Lisa, hope you see this!
Just wondering if you could advise me on how to create mini cheesecakes from this recipe eg. adjust the cooking time/ingredient proportions?
Thank you so much!
Esther
Carrie Xie says
Unfortunately, 100g of crackers was not even close to enough to line the bottom of my pan. I even googled what size pan to use. I ended up probably using close to 200g of crackers and the crust still did not look as thick as the one in your pictures.
★★★★