Welcome to the Best Vegan Cheesecake Recipe Ever!
No seriously! I repeat it really is the best vegan cheesecake recipe ever!
My famous vegan cheesecake recipe is luscious, creamy and dense at the same time!
Just like a perfect New York style cheesecake should be and this vegan version is unmatched!
It’s a very simple food processor or blender recipe that is ready in minutes
Pour the batter into a 7″ cake pan, yes that’s right I bake all of my cheesecakes in cake pans, never spring form pans; Believe me once you try it, you won’t go back!
For more information on that sensitive topic click through to find out my reasons!
With a classic graham cracker crust and homemade recipe for fresh strawberry compote
You will be begging for more!
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Notes for success:
In the video you will notice that I used frozen strawberries for my fruit compote.
I always use frozen berries over fresh because I find that frozen berries have a brighter taste and I do not have to add any water to help the cooking down process
If you do use fresh just add some sugar and a few tablespoons of water to help it cook down to a sauce
Tofutti Cream Cheese is my choice for my BAKED recipes. *not sponsored
I have not had success with any other brand in BAKED recipes, for some reason some other brands I’ve tried have broken down into an oily mess when baked.
Until more recently I tried Violife again and it works! Although I still prefer the Tofutti brand
Cornstarch is a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume spoons measure
So while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.
Lactic acid gives vegan cheesecake that authentic tang and it really is unmatched, but if you do not want to buy another ingredient simply sub in apple cider vinegar
One last thing! Nabisco Graham Cracker are VEGAN!
There’s No Honey in the recipe, so be sure to check your ingredients list when buying your crackers if you cannot find Nabisco Brand *not sponsored
More about Vegan Cream Cheese:
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE MY VEGAN CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Tools I Use for this Recipe
The Best Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- Graham Crackers 1 package = 10 sheets (140g)
- Vegan Butter melted 4 tablespoons (56g)
For the Cheesecake:
- Vegan Cream Cheese *see notes 12ounce (339g)
- Firm Tofu 4ounces (113g) * see notes
- Vegan Butter melted 2 tablespoons (28g)
- Granulated Sugar 1 cup (200g) *see notes for sugar free
- Cornstarch 4 Tablespoons (32g) *see notes
- All Purpose Flour 3 Tablespoons (24g) *see notes for gluten free
- Plant Milk 6fl oz (177ml)
- Vegan Lactic Acid or apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon *see notes
- Salt ¼ teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract 3 teaspoons (15ml)
For the Strawberry Compote/Glaze:
- 1 pound fresh or frozen strawberries (454g) *see notes
- Sugar as needed 1/4 - 1/2 cup *optional or sugar free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
Grease & parchment line a 7" cake pan *8" cake pan will also work fine your cheesecake will just be slightly thinner than mine- no change to the recipe needed - First prepare the graham cracker crust by crushing the graham crackers in a food processor to fine crumbs.
- Add the melted vegan butter and pulse until it resembles wet sand
- Press the crumbs into the prepared greased & parchment lined cake pan evenly on the bottom and up the sides.
- Freeze while you prepare the cheesecake batter
- Placing all of the cheesecake ingredients into the work bowl of your food processor and pulse to blend
- Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix then blend again to a smooth mixture
- Pour the batter into the crust and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F and bake for 60 minutes
- After 60 minutes turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door cracked open to cool slowly for another 60 minutes
- Remove the cheesecake & cool completely at room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set or overnight before unmolding.
- For the strawberry compote place the fresh or frozen strawberries with the optional sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pot and cook over low to medium heat
- Bring to a low boil stirring often to prevent scorching
- Cool compote and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week before using
- Loosen the sides and bottom of the cheesecake pan with a blowtorch or by submerging the pan into hot water and running a small spatula around the edges
- Vegan Cheesecakes unmold very easily so flip int out onto your serving platter then add the cooled strawberry compote to the top
Notes
Cheesecake must be kept refrigerated at all times, I do not like to freeze cheesecakes as I think the texture changes on the thaw; but this cheesecake will stay fresh wrapped loosely to prevent drying for up to 10 days in the refrigerator
The absolute best cheesecake recipe in the universe. And then add in that it’s earth saving plant based!
Great recipe 🙂 What’s the temp of the water for the water bath when you pour it in? Boiling or room temp?
Thanks much!
Hi! Good question! I should be more clear! I just use hot water from the tap, I do not boil it first.
not sure this is earth saving. with all that goes into processing packaging at the plant that it came from, but hey it’s healthier for you and delicious
Do you pour that compote over whole strawberries because it looks like your strawberries in the compote are broken down but yet on the cheesecake they’re beautifully whole and glazed
Yes that’s correct, I had extra whole strawberries that I thought would look beautiful on top – alternatively if you wanted to skip the strawberry compote altogether you could just melt some apricot jelly & brush that over top of whole strawberries- that’s what we did in the bakery
You realise that dairy containing cream cheese and other similar ingredients also go through processing and packaging right ? The only other alternative is to grow all things yourself and process it yourself. We both know you are aren’t doing all that.
The difference is the plant based cream heese comes from plants while the dairy containing items caused great harm to cows and their babies. Not to mention the pollution and run off from factory farming. It also took up all kinds of resources growing food for the cows in the first place when we could just …grow plants and make food from it instead.
Yes, but destroying the habitat of certain endangered animals IF you use graham crackers containing palm oil, so pay attention to the ingredients of the graham crackers you buy : )
I loved cheesecake before going vegan and would love to make this at home, only I cannot get the Toffutti brand here and had a similar experience with an alternative breaking down when baking. Gretchen, do you have any cheesecake recipes for those of us (I can’t be the only one) who can’t get toffutti? I can get silken and firm Tofu, soya milk etc. I would love to be able to make something close to the cheesecakes I remember. Thanks in advance!
Best cheesecake and really delicious you’ll be amazed!!
Since I live in Germany and this brand doesn’t exist here, I just used a high fat soy yoghurt. Works perfectly! I’m using alpro skyr nature. Dunno if that’s available for you tho 🙂
Oh wow great to know! Thankyou!
If not using tofu, do you just add an extra 113g of cream cheese?
Could dairy-free yogurt be used too? ^-^
Try Treeline or Miyoko’s?
This recipe looks wonderful, will be making it tomorrow. One question though: if I am not using the tofu do I just add an extra 113g of cream cheese? I didn’t quite understand how you had it worded above 🙂
Thank you for your response
Gretchen I own your book and it is WONDERFUL! I was wondering if the firm tofu should be pressed and drained for this recipe or just add it straight out of the carton? I am making this tonight and I am so excited for the outcome!!!! Thank you❤️
HI! THANK YOU!! I do not press the tofu before using it. Definitely drain it but dont bother to press it
OMG! I made this and it was PHENOMENAL! I paired it with an excellent lasagna recipe that I finally perfected and the omnivores I served it to were in love and totally convinced that there was no way that this was a vegan meal. I opted to top the cheesecake with dark cherries, so so good! The center didn’t quite set, I suspect my oven temp is a bit off. So I’m off to the shops to buy an oven thermometer and for strictly research purposes must make this cheesecake again this weekend. I haven’t tried the similar recipe from your book yet, but this one was a real winner, even with the center slightly unset. Thank you so much Gretchen!!! I did give all cheesecake props to you and showed off your book “Modern Vegan Baking” I am going to have to order more copies of your book to give to people when they ask for your recipes after dessert.. Thanks a million! Shine Bright sweet Gretchen, you are a flippin Rock Star!
Ok ! This cheese cake recipe, is pretty much heaven on earth. Love, love it!
Excellent prep instructions (see comments).
Original recipe (reads like a short story, enjoyed thoroughly).
Followed direction (measurement, brand, oven temp and timing), however the top of my cheese cake turned dark gold; texture and taste unaffected. How can I improve ?
Hi Natalie! thank you for the review! So if I am reading correctly everything was great you just didn’t like the look of the darker top? I would say next time to either lower the oven rack so your cheesecake is not so close to the top heating element. ALso not sure if you are using convection setting? (forced fan?) I should probably note that I never use convection setting unless specified (*for example Eclairs recipe I will for added “ooomph!”)
And last, you could drape a tin foil over the top at the last half of baking to make sure it doesn’t over brown
You are a vegan cheese cake genius! I have duly noted the recommendations and am eager to try again (and again).
Hi Gretchen,
Do the cream cheese, tofu and butter need to be at room temperature before I get started?
Thank you,
Maxine
Nope! I never bother! This recipe is soooo easy! 😀 **However the butter is melted, so there’s that…..
Love all your vegan and non vegan recipes. Can you send me your non vegan NY style vanilla cheese cake recipe please? I lost it and I absolutely loved it too?!
HI Lisa thank you! Since December of 2019 my non vegan blog has shut down.I couldn’t keep up the cost to host it on the internet and maintain it monthly anymore
The cost to host such a huge database online was close to $400 a month with tech support monthly to keep it clean & safe and smooth.
I certainly do not (did not) make that much in adsense revenue through Youtube & Google.
That became a pretty steep price to pay for a website that had been conflicting me financially & emotionally for so many years,
so after 5 years of keeping it free & open to the public I finally decided to shut it down.
I did not keep any of the recipes for myself when I shut down the database
(which was the only place the recipes were stored)
I just did (do) not feel comfortable anymore sharing recipes laden with animal ingredients promoting the very industry I loathe
so it really didn’t make sense for me to keep them nor keep open and available such an expensive website.
I do thank you so much for your support and encouragement through the ages,
I have stunned NON Vegans with my vegan recipes, perhaps you could try to do the same?
If not, I am sure there are tons of great (if not better than mine) recipes out there for you to use!
Thanks again~ Best, Gretchen
Hi Gretchen sorry for late reply.Understood and thank you for explaining. I thank you also for the free availability of your non vegan recipes for that many yrs. I will not be stunned when trying your vegan recipes because you are great at what you do. Keep it up!!!
Absolute fantastic recipe! No one tasted the difference to a non-vegan cheesecake. How happy I am to have this wonderful treat again! We had it with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries.
As described in the recipe, I used a kitchen scale.
Instead of the plant milk and vinegar, I used vegan Cashew Kefir, which delivered the cultured tangy taste of cream cheese (and a bit of health in contrast to the very artificial Tofutti cream cheese- but hey it works wonders!).
Because my pan was 9″, I multiplied the recipe with 1.5x, prolonged the baking time by 20 minutes and was just amazed.
This was also the first time baking a cheesecake in a water bath in a closed baking dish. I was nervous if I would really get it out, but it worked just as described!
Thank you so much for this well-written recipe and all the great tips – I learned a lot!
excellent! Great tips and feedback!
Is the tofu silken or regular?
I use firm, not silk. It does say firm in the recipe ingredients list just FYI 🙂
Perhaps in USA we only have grades of tofu?? IN other places it is just regular or silk?
Let me know if that is true? I will update the post to be more clear
Here we have soft, firm, and extra firm silken varieties, just like for regular. The cheesecake is so smooth I wanted to be sure.
Hi! Me and my wife are making this recipe very soon! However, I’m curious to know what would be the process if we decided to make mini versions of your cheesecake for a kids party? Any ideas suggestions or alterations? Thanks in advance!
Hey great! Yes you can totally bake this recipe into mini pans~ I did that HERE with My Mini Easter Cheesecakes!
I’m making both your strawberry cheesecake and your chocolate mousse cheesecake for holiday parties. I’m thinking of making one of each and splitting them/putting them back together so I can bring half of each to each Christmas party. Not sure if this will end in a disaster. I’ll probably add the strawberries after I cut the cake, not sure about the mousse. Any thoughts you have are appreciated.
My question is really about the cheesecake base. I notice the recipe here is different than the cheesecake base for the chocolate mousse cheesecake. Was this to accommodate the use of the Plant Based Egg? Do you have a preference between the two cheesecake bases? It would be easiest to make the bases the same for both cheesecakes and simply change the crusts/toppings. If I go with one or the other, which do you suggest? And does Ener-G work as a good swap for the Plant Based Egg? Thank you in advance!
Hey! Great Idea! If you are wondering about whether the mousse will stand up to cutting? YES! it will it is very firm and sturdy after each slice so to cut it in half, it would be totally fine!
As for the cheesecakes being different! yes you are totally correct! This one was one of my earlier creations and I was indeed using the PBE~ thank you for pointing this out as I have been trying to update all my older posts to reflect this change (that I no longer use it)
Whenever I spinoff a cheesecake recipe NOW~ I always use the Best Cheesecake Ever (which is the strawberry topped one)
AS for EnerG egg repalcer- funny you ask because in my very first vegan cheesecake recipe back in 2016! I was using EnerG egg replacer because there was really nothing else on the market yet!
BUT EnerG is mostly leaveners and will cause the cheesecake to rise which is NOT what we are going for, needless to say my cheesecake recipe has come A LONG WAY since 2016! So basically what I am saying is STICK TO THE BEST VEGAN CHEESE RECIPE EVER RECIPE which is now my only base recipe for all my cheesecake going froward!
Hello! Wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I need to make a 10 inch. Should I double the recipe ? How long should I bake it for? THANKS
You’re welcome! Yes double! I would probably bake for an additional 15 minutes? Basically I’ll turn the oven off when it is jiggly not liquidy in the center
SKIP TO 4:09 in this video for a visual
I love all your recipes that I have tried. When I use one it never goes wrong. These cheesecake tasted amazing!! We all loved it. Specially my toddler. She kept asking for more. Thank you for sharing all your recipes 🙂
Oh and I gave a piece to a few of my neighbors (non vegans) to try and they all said it was the best cheesecake they ever had.
I did not use the strawberries because I was out. So it was new york style.
Oh and I gave a piece to a few of my neighbors (non vegans) to try and they all said it was the best cheesecake they ever had.
I did not use the strawberries because I was out. So it was new york style.
WOW! Awesome! Thankyou for the comment! 🙂
Would I simply double the recipe for a 9 inch Cheesecake? Can’t wait to make… looks really great!
Double would probably be a bit too much, but then again you can always bake the extra in a ramekin for Chef’s Tasting portion! 🙂
I just made this but I followed the recipe in your book. It called for silken rather than firm tofu. I also only had a 9-inch round pan, so it came out thinner than it should have. It tasted great, but was not as firm as in the pictures. The recipe in your book has different amounts, as well. I’m a little confused as to which to follow next time I make it.
OH.MYGOD. I am a former cheesecake snob and this recipe is PHENOMENAL. Thank you! Cheesecake was my favorite dessert from my pre-vegan days and I’ve tried MANY vegan cheesecakes but this one… RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. My husband and I both devoured it. I can finally enjoy my favorite dessert again! 🙂 Anyone reading this and contemplating trying this recipe, JUST DO IT!!! Thank you again!
YAY!! awesome thank you so much for the comment! I’m glad you love it as much as I do!!
I haven’t had a cheesecake in a long time but this seems just like what I remember- absolutely delicious! And I made all kinds of mistakes too😆
Hi Gretchen, would it be okay to halve the amount of sugar for the cheesecake batter? I’d love to make this for my sister’s family and they’re not a fan of desserts that are too sweet.
I also wanted to say I absolutely love your recipes. I’m not a vegan myself but I do make your recipes for my mom who is a vegetarian with some variations. I hope that’s not offensive to you and I apologize if it is. I wholeheartedly respect what you stand for, thanks for everything you do!
In your New York style cheesecake, do you press your tofu first?
I do not, I squeeze it gently to drain any excess water, but otherwise just straight in!
I made this cheesecake tonight as a test for the weekend. It worked perfectly and was so easy. We couldn’t wait the whole 2 hours to let it set and either that or maybe I could’ve let it cook for an extra minute as it was a tiny bit soft in the middle but we didnt care, it was still amazing.
YAY! thank you for the review!
I just made this for Thanksgiving! I used a 9” cake pan, 1 container and 1/2 container Kite Hill (because the store was out of Miyokoks)! The taste is very good, however even using the water bath, the top of cheesecake cracked quite a bit. I wonder if I baked it too long at 60 minutes! Any other suggestions as to why it cracked!
Hey there! I scrolled through all the comments because I felt like we talked about this? But I may be confusing it with someone else who recently asked me about baking this recipe in a different sized pan.
At any rate, I use a 7″ cake pan for all my cheesecakes. I do note in the notes section about using an 8″ pan that there would be no change in the recipe, but I did not note for a 9″ pan.
I suppose I should update the post, since a 9″ pan is going to give you a much thinner cheesecake than the thick 7″ that I use.
So (like any cake batter recipe really…) the bake time depends on the thickness of your batter in your pan.
A thicker cake naturally takes longer to bake than a thinner cake.
So this would also be true here for the cheesecake since a 9″ pan is going to spread that batter much thinner (with a resulting thickness of probably 1¼ inch? guessing…. versus my thick 7″ pan that will result in at least a 2″ thick cake)
This was most likely the problem since I would say the cake probably would have been baked through at 40-45 minutes?
I could not find Tofutti brand anywhere near me (Large city in NC) I was able to find Kite Hill and the consistency was perfect, however not quite as tangy as I would have liked. Myokos is one I love for spreads and it’s much more tangy than Kite Hill. Have you had any success with Myokos? Neither are oil based like Violife.
Hey that’s great news! I will note that in the recipe! thanks for letting me know!
I cannot find ANY vegan cream cheese near me anymore!
Hi! Can you substitute corn starch for arrowroot powder?
Thanks(:
yes
If I use a six inch pan, do I reduce the baking time any?
Well first of all the batter won’t fit in a 6″ pan, this recipe is worked out exactly to fit in a 7″ pan
That said, you can of course use the 6″ pan if that is all you have and bake the remaining cheesecake batter in cupcakes or some other tiny vessel
So to answer the question of the bake time for a 6″, I doubt it would be much less, better to stay on the safe side and do the full hour, so ensure it gets baked through
Do you think you could make this gluten free and also use coconut sugar rather than white sugar? Looks so yummy, but I am gluten free also.
Yes to all!
Can the cornstarch be substituted for arrowroot or potato starch? Same grams?
Yes to arrowroot same quantity
I’m confused how to get the cheesecake out of a cake pan if I’m not using a springform pan. The instructions appear to be that I’d flip the cheesecake out. Is it really firm enough to work the cheesecake out of a cake pan?
Hi Nicole as long as your cheesecake is fully set to firm & very cold, it will be a dream, if you watch the YouTube video tutorial for this recipe at 1:09 minutes in I show you how easy it is to get the cheesecake out of the pan. I am using a blowtorch to loosen the fats from the sides & bottom of the pan, but you can simply submerge JUST THE PAN in hot water for the same result. Believe me the cheesecake will pop right out! You can also take a small spatula to the inside rim to loosen as well before flipping it out. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I love this cheesecake recipe and have made it many times with the tofutti cream cheese as suggested and it always turns out amazing!! I just made it with Wayfare dairy free cream cheese and it also turned out really well.
Excellent! thanks for the info! I have not heard of that brand!
Hi, just would like to point out that if you are a vegan for ethical reasons, you should avoid ANY products containing palm oil like the pest (for ex. Nabisco Graham Crackers) because of the deforestation of the world’s most biodiverse forests and therefore destroying the habitat of Orangutans, Elephants and Rhinos, which are already endangered! There are brands that don’t use palm oil, it just takes a bit of research/effort to find them. I am sure your cheese cake recipe is delicious and I’m going to try it this weekend : )
Thank you for your cheesecake recipe! Before I make it, can you see a way to use stevia instead of granulated sugar?
Thanks!
Hi Peter, Sure thing! I would recommend to use a 1:1 baking blend for Stevia and even then they advise not to sub ALL the sugar in the recipe since it can alter the taste~ the texture is not concerning in a cheesecake recipe as it would be in a cake recipe (made with flour)
Can this be made in a typical cheesecake spring pan?
Yes! I just do not prefer to use them! Click here for why! 🙂
How would you modify this recipe if you only had 8oz of cream cheese?
I would probably cut the recipe in half so you have the correct ratio of ingredients, but you will of course get a much smaller cake (maybe a 5″ pan?) Since I already have an addition of tofu in there *which if you read my notes for success is not 100% necessary but I like the addition to cut some fat calories and to give it a more NY style texture which is typically more dry than creamy”
So to add even more tofu in place of the cream cheese could “work” but I think it will not be the greatest and it will compromise the texture, You could alternatively add in 100 g of soaked cashews in place of some of the cream cheese though
Finally made it this week and it was SOOO good! Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, and I’m so happy to have an easy and amazing baked cheesecake recipe!!
Dear Gretchen! This cheesecake tasted like heaven. But I wanted to ask a question! Can I half the sugar amount? Should I tweak the recipe in any way?
Yes sure you can leave out half, this is a very forgiving recipe it will be fine
I forgot to bake it in a water bath😩 is there any saving it?
I’m late to this message, so I am sure you have already done it. SOme people do not bake in water baths by choice, so I am sure it is OK just not as great (delicate of a bake) it would be if you used a water bath
Gretchen, I cannot wait to bake this ASAP! I did not see this question asked yet so please accept my apologies if this is a duplicate! You note “plant milk”, do you prefer a nut milk, soy milk, rice milk? I’m assuming unsweetened would be best? I make my own milks so I wanted to be sure any version would be suitable for this cheesecake? Thank you so much!
Hi! Great! Ah yes all good questions!
I use Soy Milk- it’s just my preference for everything especially baking.
The higher fat milks tend to work best in baking~ yes your homemade version would be great!
And yes to unsweet!
This cheesecake is absolutely amazing!! I did use only 260g of creme cheese and approx. 180g of firm tofu and it worked wonders. I also substituted around 1/4 of sugar with protein powder. And also added ground almonds to the crust and used coconut oil instead of butter. And just amazing! Thanks for the recipe
WOW! Thanks for the feedback with those changes! I LOVE it!