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This Vegan Baked Cheesecake (New York Cheesecake) is seriously rich and creamy and has a crunchy, "buttery" crust. It's perfectly sweet, a little tangy and just as good as the real thing! It's easy to make with simple ingredients and is gluten-free and refined sugar free too. A great make-ahead dessert for any occasion!
I've made no-bake vegan cheesecakes before (like this Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake and this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, but this is the first time I've made a Vegan Baked Cheesecake. It took a lot of testing and trial and error, but I finally got the taste and texture I wanted!
What is New York Cheesecake?
There are many different types of baked cheesecake, including Japanese baked cheesecake and burnt Basque cheesecake, but this one is a New York-style baked cheesecake.
New York-style cheesecake consists of a buttery crust topped with a dense, rich, smooth and creamy cheesecake filling.
Can you make baked cheesecake without eggs?
Eggs are a crucial ingredient in traditional baked cheesecakes, so it might sound impossible to make one without eggs! However, it is possible to make an egg-free cheesecake: the firming agent in this cheesecake is cornflour (cornstarch), which means the cheesecake filling holds together without having to use eggs.
Do you need to cook baked cheesecake in a water bath?
Baked cheesecake is often cooked in a water bath, which means putting the cheesecake in a baking tray filled with hot water, so the steam cooks the cheesecake too. I tried making this with both methods and the results didn't vary much either way, so I went for the non-water bath method as it's easier.
Do you need to leave baked cheesecake in the oven with the door open to cool down?
Usually baked cheesecake is left in the oven with the door open slightly so that it cools down slowly, which means the surface of the cheesecake doesn't crack, which can happen if there is a sudden drop in temperature.
However, I didn't think that was necessary for this vegan baked cheesecake as the ingredients are different from the traditional version, which means it already does crack on the surface while baking.
What type of tofu should you use for vegan baked cheesecake?
You must use soft, silken tofu for this cheesecake recipe, NOT firm tofu!
The cheesecake filling
I experimented with lots of different ways to make the cheesecake filling, and I discovered that the best combination was cashew nuts and tofu. Cashew nuts add richness whilst tofu creates a light, creamy texture, and they're both good sources of protein too.
And don't worry, it doesn't taste of tofu, which took me several attempts to get right! The taste of soy is masked by the cashew nuts and lemon juice.
The crust
Inspired by my Vegan Shortbread Cookies, I used a combination of ground almonds (almond meal or almond flour) and brown rice flour for the crust. The ground almonds create a crumbly texture, whilst the brown rice flour creates a crispy, crunchy texture.
Why brown rice flour?
You can usewhite rice flour or gluten-free flour, but I found the texture was much better with brown rice flour. If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.
How to make the crust
Scroll down to thebottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together the ingredients for the crust in aglass mixing bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin.
Tip:Line the bottom and sides of the tin with greasedbaking paperto make it easier to remove the cheesecake afterwards.
- Use your fingers to push the dough all the way to the edges, then use the bottom of a glass (make sure to use one with a flat bottom!) to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!
How to make the cheesecake filling
- Place the cashew nuts, tofu, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornflour (cornstarch) and vanilla in a food processor or blender.
Tip: Make sure the cashew nuts are soaked to make them easier to blend. Soak them overnight in cold water or in boiling water for at least 15 minutes.
- Whizz until completely smooth.
Tip: You will have to mix it around a few times to make it easier to blend up.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.
Tip: Gently tap the baking tin on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the surface is golden brown. It will be a bit jiggly when you take it out, but will firm up as it cools.
- Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the baking tin and slicing, putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Tips for making this recipe
- Make sure to bake the crust and the filling at different oven temperatures - you'll need to bake the filling at a lower temperature to ensure it cooks evenly without burning.
- I'd recommend using a springform baking tin with a clasp, which makes it much easier to remove the cheesecake from the baking tin.
- Make sure to line the bottom and sides of the baking tin with baking paper to make the cheesecake easier to remove from the baking tin.
- You'll want to remove the cheesecake from the oven when it's turned a golden brown colour, but make sure to watch that it doesn't burn.
- The cheesecake will still be soft enough to jiggle a bit in the middle when you remove it from the oven - it will firm up as it cools down.
- The cheesecake will sink a bit as it cools down - this is normal, so don't worry about this.
- Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the baking tin and slicing, putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
How long does this keep for?
This cheesecake tastes best eaten on the day or the day after it’s made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Substitutions you can make
- You can replace thecoconut oilwithcoconut butter.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- The ground almonds (almond meal) can be replaced with ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
- You can replace the brown rice flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- You can replace the cornflour (cornstarch) with arrowroot.
- You can replace the tofu with a thick plant-based yogurt, but the texture is better with tofu.
Substitutions to be careful of
- You can usewhite rice flour or gluten-free flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.
- You must use silken tofu, NOT firm tofu.
Topping ideas
This cheesecake is delicious by itself, but you can add some toppings if you like:
- Fresh fruit.
- Coconut whipped cream.
- Sliced baked apples.
- Vegan lemon curd.
- Vegan caramel sauce.
- Fruit compote or sauce - you could use the blueberry sauce from my vegan blueberry cheesecake recipe.
More vegan dessert recipes
- Chocolate Lava Cake
- Apple Crumble Bars
- Coconut Macaroons
- Lemon Bars
- Strawberry Trifle
- Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Yule Log
- Blueberry Crumble Bars
- Lemon Pudding
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Coffee Cake
- Lemon Cheesecake Crumble Bars
- Churros
- Apple Snack Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog,I’d really love to hear anyfeedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes onInstagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
This Vegan Baked Cheesecake (New York Cheesecake) is seriously rich and creamy and has a crunchy, "buttery" crust. It's perfectly sweet, a little tangy and just as good as the real thing! It's easy to make with simple ingredients and is gluten-free and refined sugar free too.
4.44 from 71 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free baked cheesecake, vegan baked cheesecake, vegan new york cheesecake
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 309kcal
Author: Rhian Williams
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
- 40 g (⅓ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 40 g (¼ cup) brown rice flour ** (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- Pinch salt
For the filling:
- 150 g (1 cups) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
- 300 g (10.5 oz) silken tofu *** (NOT firm tofu)
- 14 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
- 8 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch) (or sub arrowroot)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
Add the maple syrup, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add a splash of any plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry to combine.
Transfer the dough to a round springform baking tin (I used a18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin) - line the bottom and sides of the tin with greasedbaking paperto make it easier to remove the cheesecake afterwards.
Use your fingers to push the dough all the way to the edges, then use the bottom of a glass (make sure to use one with a flat bottom!) to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!
For the filling:
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit).
Drain the soaked cashew nuts.
Place the cashew nuts, tofu, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornflour (cornstarch) and vanilla in a food processor or blender.
Whizz until completely smooth - you will have to mix it around a few times to make it easier to blend up.
Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.
Gently tap the baking tin on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until surface is golden brown - it will be a bit jiggly when you take it out, but will firm up as it cools.
Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the baking tin and slicing, putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Tastes best eaten on the day or the day after it’s made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
*You can alternatively usealmond flour.
**You can use white rice flour, but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.
***You can replace the tofu with a thick plant-based yogurt, but the texture is better with tofu.
Top tips:
- Make sure to bake the crust and the filling at different oven temperatures - you'll need to bake the filling at a lower temperature to ensure it cooks evenly without burning.
- I'd recommend using a springform baking tin with a clasp, which makes it much easier to remove the cheesecake from the baking tin.
- You'll want to remove the cheesecake from the oven when it's turned a golden brown colour, but make sure to watch that it doesn't burn.
- The cheesecake will sink a bit as it cools down - this is normal, so don't worry about this.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 309Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 3g15%
Sodium 9mg0%
Potassium 317mg9%
Carbohydrates 42g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 75mg8%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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