Incredible Vegan Cheesecake

Is cheesecake a cake or a pie? That is the question that we so often think about, but does it really matter? Your first bite of this incredible vegan cheesecake will have you wondering why you never attempted this before.

There are very few ingredients and the process to whip it together is simple; however, it does take time and patience.

The one thing that you don’t want to do is rush this process or skip any steps. We spent a lot of time on creating this recipe to something that we thought would be easy and accessible for most people to make while still creating the perfect flavor, texture, and taste.

Cheesecake dates back to 5th century BC Ancient Greece, so it’s nothing new. Recipes have been past down for centuries now and everyone has their own subtle difference.

When making a vegan version, the issue arises with the base of many cream cheeses being so oil heavy that it’s hard to get the same texture. We highly encourage you to follow all the steps in this recipe for perfection

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INCREDIBLE VEGAN CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS:

Below are notes about the ingredients before we get into the full recipe located lower in this post on how to make this dairy free cheesecake:

• vegan graham crackers –  finding vegan graham crackers can be a challenge; however, Nabisco original are vegan friendly, or if you have time you can make our homemade vegan graham cracker recipe
• vegan sugar – Cane sugar is what we are using. If you want to learn more about why your sugar may not be vegan, you can learn more by clicking on the link.
• salt – to help the flavors pop and really bring out the flavors
• nutmeg – this is just a subtle addition to the crust; however, it’s really great and we highly recommend
• vegan butter – We are using vegan butter for richness and to help combine our ingredients for the crust. It’s easy to use and delicious
• vegan cream cheese – Our favorite vegan cream cheese is Wayfare and after testing many times, it’s our favorite to make vegan cheesecake with also
• vegan sour cream – sour cream is traditionally added to many cheesecakes for tang and texture and we are adding it here today
• cornstarch – this is helping bind our ingredients together while keeping the recipe smooth and not flavored by any other ingredient like flax
• vanilla – cheesecake and vanilla goes hand in hand but in order to get a superior flavor, vanilla powder is our favorite way to get the vanilla. Vanilla bean is more accessible and that’s why we list that in the ingredients first.
• oat flour – again to help with binding and smoothness, we really like the addition of oat flour in our version of vegan cheesecake; however, it’s completely optional.

SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS:

• vegan graham crackers – sub for hard cookies like vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits
• vegan sugar – brown sugar could be used in the crust and you could do half cane and half brown for the actual cheesecake. We have not tried, but things like coconut sugar and date sugar should also work
• vegan cream cheese – While Wayfare is out favorite, we would next recommend Tofutti and then Violife. We love the flavor of the Violife, however, it’s heavily oil based and because of that can affect the texture of the cheesecake if not followed precisely. The Wayfare is bean based and the Tofutti tofu based which really seem to help the texture and binding process.
• vegan sour cream – you can sub the sour cream with non-dairy vanilla yogurt or coconut cream (thick part of canned coconut milk)
• cornstarch – sub with tapioca starch if needed
• vanilla – while we recommend vanilla powder or vanilla bean first, vanilla extract can also be used
• oat flour – we prefer oat for the texture and taste, however, you can use All Purpose Flour, almond flour or tapioca starch). We recommend that you measure out 32g for any substitution since weight can vary for these other ones.
• lemon juice – this ingredient is optional because we only recommend adding if you aren’t using sour cream. If using the sour cream it already has the tang; however, if you use yogurt or coconut milk, add the lemon juice.

How do I make the best vegan cheesecake recipe?

1. Follow the instructions pretty please. Baking is a science, especially when making a dairy free/vegan cheesecake. Every step has a purpose to ensure the perfect vegan cheesecake.
2. Spoon the dry ingredients (like flour) into the measuring cups for accurate measuring, then use a butter knife to evenly level the flour. This ensures the right amount of flour has been added.
3. We highly recommend sifting the ingredients into the bowl. This loosens the ingredients and make sure there are no clumps leading to the perfect vegan cheesecake.
4. Make sure to line with parchment paper and grease your pans. No one likes a cheesecake that can’t come out of the pan. It’s one of the most frustrating things and doing these two things will help. 
5. Do not, do not, do not be tempted to open the oven during the hour that it is in the oven but the oven is turned off.
6. When the cheesecake is removed from the oven,  place on a cooling rack to allow the cakes to cool evenly to room temperature. Do not be tempted to rush this process or throw it in the fridge early.  
7. Let the cheesecake cool as instructed. DO NOT RUSH. Let it cool completely.

How do I make this vegan cheesecake faster?

Everyone wants the best vegan cheesecake but doesn’t want to take the whole day to make and let it cool. Unfortunately, after much testing, we have found that this is currently the best way for us to recommend making.

If you want a faster cheesecake, we recommend making one of our no bake cheesecake recipes below:

• No Bake Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
• No Bake Vegan Pumpkin Cheese

What is Andrew’s favorite vegan cheesecake version?

In the video (shown below), we mention that there’s a favorite Andrew version. This is the exact version and brands that we found to create an epic vegan cheesecake.

• Use Wayfare cream cheese for the base of the cheesecake batter. It’s our favorite!
• In the batter, to do 1 cup vegan cane sugar and ½ cup brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar make the cheesecake richer and adds a deeper flavor.
• Instead of sour cream, use Yoplait Oui Non-Dairy Vanilla Yogurt – it’s smooth, no weird artificial taste, and adds even more vanilla flavor to the cheesecake. Since using this, we do add the lemon juice.
• We love using vanilla powder – it uses a superior flavor and is worth ever penny. It does add specks to your cheesecake though.
• Add 2 pinches of salt (¼ teaspoon) instead of ⅛ teaspoon to bring out the flavors even more.
• Add in the oat flour. It provides for better binding, more smoothness and a better thickness.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What other vegan dessert ideas could I make?

If you love this vegan dessert, you will love some of our other ideas! Want even more inspiration? Check out all our vegan dessert ideas.

• Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie
• The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
• Vegan Caramel Apple Pie
• No Bake Vegan Chocolate Fudge
• Traditional Vegan Apple Pie
• Vegan Blueberry Pie
• Vegan Pecan Pie
• Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Brownies
• No Bake Vegan Smores Bars with Dark Chocolate Mousse
• Vegan Chocolate Cookies and Cream Milkshake

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