Vegan Cheesecake Recipe: How to Make Vegan Cheesecake

Traditional cheesecake is a layered dessert with a cheese-based top layer consisting of cream cheese, ricotta, quark, or a similarly soft cheese blended with eggs and sugar, set inside a thin pastry crust. Similar to regular cheesecake, you can make vegan versions of baked cheesecake and no-bake vegan cheesecake (raw vegan). The main difference is that vegan dessert recipes rely on vegan cream cheese and other non-animal products like vegan butter, coconut oil, raw cashew cream (made from soaked cashews), and egg replacements, like hydrated flaxseed meal.

There are two main types of cheesecake: baked and no-bake:

1. 1. To bake New York-style cheesecake, bakers use a bain-marie, or water bath, to gently cook the dessert in the oven. Once the cheesecake has firm edges with a slight jiggle, the bakers place it in the refrigerator to chill and achieve its signature creamy consistency.
2. 2. No-bake cheesecakes feature whipped heavy cream folded into a cream cheese filling, smoothed over a cookie, pie crust, or graham cracker crust, and set in the refrigerator for an extended period, to produce an effect similar to a mousse. This cheesecake type doesn’t contain eggs, so baking is not necessary for safe consumption.

Vegan and non-vegan cheesecakes may seem straightforward, but there are a few ways to ensure a near-flawless result:

1. 1. Use a springform pan. A springform pan—a pan with an interlocking base that fits into an expandable rim, equipped with an outer latch—allows you to release the cheesecake for a neat finish after it has set. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges before unlatching. For individual-sized cheesecakes, divide the crust and filling between the cups of a muffin tin.
2. 2. Master the water bath. A bain-marie, or water bath, is the preferred method for baking cheesecakes because it gently cooks the filling. Steam from a base pan partly filled with hot water keeps the surface from drying out as it bakes and conducts heat evenly.
3. 3. Prevent cracks. When a cheesecake cools too quickly or overcooks, cracks can occur. To prevent cracks, allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven before chilling: Prop open the oven door and let the heat slowly escape, instead of introducing a cool draft straight to the surface of the cake. Avoiding overbaking can be challenging, especially if it’s your first time baking the dessert. However, there are ways to prevent cracking, such as limiting the number of times you open the oven door during the baking process. You can also avoid overbaking if you know what a perfectly cooked cheesecake looks like: it should puff in the center and firm around the edges with a slight overall jiggle.
4. 4. Prevent lumps. To prevent lumps, ensure your vegan cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing. Allowing cream cheese to soften will create a smoother batter. While softening the cream cheese doesn’t affect the quality, it can add a level of finesse in the texture department.
5. 5. Leave time to chill. Chilling cheesecake is an essential part of the process: The custardy, creamy interior needs time to set to hold its shape when sliced.
6. 6. Make a gluten-free cheesecake. Using a nut-based crust instead of a graham cracker crust and swapping out all-purpose flour for cornstarch to thicken the cheesecake are easy changes to make gluten-free vegan desserts.
7. 7. Add vegan toppings. Instead of milk chocolate or whipped cream, you can add fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries to vegan recipes. You can also top your vegan cheesecake with whipped coconut cream (from full-fat coconut milk) or vegan caramel sauce. Or, stir pumpkin purée into the cheesecake base for a pumpkin cheesecake, cocoa powder for chocolate cheesecake, or peanut butter for a peanut butter cheesecake.
8. 8. Make it nut-free. Vegan cake recipes often rely on nuts to provide creamy richness, like a cashew cheesecake. Instead of a nut-based crust, opt for a crushed vegan graham cracker or cookie crust. For a no cashews cream cheese filling, use coconut milk.