Learn how to make the best vegan cheesecake ever! No, really! This cheesecake is light, creamy and smooth with no dairy or nuts. Plus, it’s easy to make and you don’t need a high powered blender!
With over 150 5-star ratings, this has become one of my most popular recipes. Since creating this recipe, I have also made a Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake and Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake that I think you’ll love!
Meet the vegan cheesecake of your dreams. Seriously, I was blown away by how delicious this turned out! No one would guess this cheesecake is vegan. It’s smooth, rich and creamy but also light in texture.
It took me SEVERAL attempts to get this recipe exactly like I wanted, and I finally achieved success! It reminds me of New York style cheesecake, and no one ever guesses it’s vegan.
What makes this vegan cheesecake the best?
- The texture and flavor is incredible – Truly. This is the cheesecake that tastes like the original, but better. Often when I buy a slice of cheesecake, it’s disappointing, but not this one!
- Nut free – A win if you have nut allergies! Many recipes call for nuts, but this vegan cheesecake is nut free.
- Easy to make – Putting this cheesecake together could not be easier. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill before you can dig in!
- No high powered blender needed – That’s right, unlike cashew based cheesecake recipes, you only need an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer). No fancy blender needed.
What’s in vegan cheesecake?
- Graham crackers – For the crust. To keep it vegan, use honey free graham crackers. You can also use Oreo cookies.
- Melted vegan butter or coconut oil – Also for the crust.
- Sugar – For the crust and the cheesecake filling.
- Vegan Cream Cheese – This is the key ingredient! I ONLY recommend using Tofutti cream cheese, as it provides consistent results. Other brands may work, but definitely not Violife or Trader Joe’s. Luckily Tofutti brand tends to be the least expensive and easiest to find.
- Coconut Cream– For the cheesecake filling. You need canned coconut cream, or you can use canned full fat coconut milk and only use the thick white part (you will need a few cans to get enough cream).
- Cornstarch – This helps thicken the cheesecake and makes it set up properly. Do not omit. Arrowroot or tapioca starch might work, but I haven’t tried it.
- Vanilla Extract – For flavor.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh is best, this adds to the tangy flavor.
How to make vegan cheesecake
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Make the crust with vegan graham crackers, melted butter or coconut oil and sugar. Simply mix them together in a bowl.
Press the crust mixture into the pan, firmly and evenly, coming up the sides just a little. Most graham crackers have honey, but Nabisco graham crackers do not. If you can’t find those, you can use vegan gingersnap cookies, Oreos or another similar vegan cookie/biscuit.
Make the cheesecake filling. First, beat the vegan cream cheese until smooth. Then, add the rest of the filling ingredients (coconut cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and lemon juice), and beat until very smooth.
Pour the smooth filling over the crust and spread it evenly.
Yes, I know it’s a LOT of vegan cream cheese, but this makes a large cheesecake! You will have 12 good sized slices. It’s perfect for holiday get togethers or birthday parties. If you’d like, you can cut the cheesecake filling ingredients in half, and bake it in a regular 9 inch pie pan instead.
Bake for 50 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit in the oven without opening the door for another 10 minutes. It will look jiggly and undercooked in the middle, but don’t worry. It will firm up perfectly after cooling.
Chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. It will be soft if you try to serve it too soon. The texture is the most firm and perfect after about 24 hours, so plan ahead if you can.
Frequently Asked Questions
Run a large, sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry with a clean towel, and then slice. Repeat with each slice for very clean cut pieces of cheesecake.
No, cheesecake is not usually vegan because it’s made with dairy and often eggs. My recipe is 100% vegan and dairy free, of course!
This recipe cannot be made without vegan cream cheese, and homemade versions do not usually work. I do have a version without cream cheese here: Baked Cashew Cheesecake.
You can, yes! Simply cut all the ingredients in half, use a 9 inch pie pan and bake for 40 minutes instead of 50.
Yes, it can be frozen. Let it chill for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator before wrapping well and moving to the freezer. Or simply freeze slices to easy grab and go desserts.
It will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Gluten free vegan cheesecake
Substitute gluten free graham crackers or Oreos to make the cheesecake both gluten free and vegan.
Optional cheesecake toppings
Serve plain, with fresh berries or one of these:
- Vegan Caramel Sauce
- Vegan Lemon Curd
- Vegan Salted Caramel
- Vegan Chocolate Ganache
- Strawberry Sauce (recipe included below)
- Vegan Whipped Cream
More vegan cheesecake recipes
- Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake
- Vegan Oreo Cheesecake
- No Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- No Bake Layered Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake
- Oreo Mug Cheesecake
The Best Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs*
- 5 tablespoons melted vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
For the filling
- 32 ounces (4 8-ounce packages) Tofutti vegan cream cheese See notes, do NOT use Trader Joe's!
- (1) 13.5 ounce can coconut cream
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, from about 2 small lemons
Optional fresh strawberry sauce
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap a 9 inch springform pan with 1-2 layers of aluminum foil, covering the bottom and the sides. Cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan, and spray lightly with oil.
For the crust
- In a medium bowl, add the cookie crumbs, melted vegan butter and sugar. Stir well to combine, then press down into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press down firmly and evenly, going up the sides a little. Set aside.
For the filling
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the vegan cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Now add the rest of the filling ingredients and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Once it’s completely smooth, pour into prepared pan over the crust and spread evenly.
To bake
- Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time. Turn off the heat, and let it sit in the oven for 10 more minutes. The cheesecake will be slightly jiggly, and not look very done in the middle. That is correct, it will firm up when it cools.
- Remove from the oven, and let it cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature before moving to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before slicing and serving. When ready to serve, slice and serve with any optional toppings.
Optional fresh strawberry sauce
- In a food processor, add 1 1/4 cups of the sliced strawberries (reserving 1/4 cup), sugar and lemon zest. Process until smooth. Toss with the sliced strawberries in a small bowl and chill for at least an hour before serving.
- Storing: Leftover cheesecake will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen.
Video
Notes
- Graham Crackers – Most graham crackers have honey, but Nabisco brand is vegan if you can find it or order it online. If not, you can also use vegan gingersnap cookies, Oreos or another similar cookie. Just simply add them to a blender/food processor and then measure 1 1/2 cups crumbs.
- Cream Cheese – I prefer Tofutti brand vegan cream cheese here, it’s the only brand I’ve had consistent results with. Trader Joe’s brand no longer works either, as they changed the formula. I would not recommend Daiya brand as it doesn’t turn out well for some reason. Violife also does NOT work here, so don’t try it! Some people have reported success with Kite Hill brand.
- If you can not find canned coconut cream, you can use 1 can of full fat coconut milk, just don’t use the light coconut milk. Plant based yogurt also works pretty well for a coconut free option.
- If you don’t have a springform pan, or want a smaller cheesecake, you can cut the cheesecake filling ingredients in half and use a regular 9-inch pie pan instead. It will still need about 40 minutes to bake.
- Additional toppings/flavors: Vegan Caramel Sauce, Vegan Chocolate Ganache or Vegan Whipped Cream.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted October 2018 and has been republished with new photos and simplified recipe process. I’m always working on improving my recipes and website. Thank you!
Help ! I made this exactly as directed – except I used one violalife cream cheese – after 50 minutes in the oven it was completely liquid – I’m trying to cook it longer- any suggestions?
Oh no! I have never had good results making this cake with Violife, as I note in the post above, and I’m sure that’s why it isn’t baking properly. If it still doesn’t set after baking for longer, you could try leaving it in the fridge anyway, kind of like a no-bake cheesecake. I’m not sure it will work or help with the consistency/flavor, though. Sorry!
Hi Nora, do I need to start off with room temperature ingredients like a tradition cheesecake, or can I go straight from the fridge to the pan?
You can go straight from the fridge. Thanks!
Have you tried this with miyokos cream cheese? I am going to make it for thanksgiving. Trying to decide on what got use for crust (gluten free)
I haven’t tested it with that brand of cream cheese. I love Miyoko’s but I don’t personally like the flavor of their plain cream cheese. It might make the cheesecake taste sour, but I’m not sure. It also just might not work.
Hi Nora, Thanks for all your hard work making great recipes. I wonder could i blend blueberries or other berries into the mix before baking?.
Hare Krsna 🙂
It might work but don’t add too many or the cheesecake won’t set up right. Thank you so much!
Hi Nora! Can we freeze it if we don’t have enough time to let it sit overnight?
You could try but I don’t know that it will work very well. The outside will get very hard but the inside might still be soft and runny if you don’t give it enough time. It may speed up the process, but I haven’t tried it. Thanks!
Thanks! I put it in the freezer for an hour after letting it sit in the fridge for 3 hours… but then I got nervous lol So i let it sit in the fridge for another 2 hours and it was amazing!
I’m so glad the cheesecake turned out great and was amazing! Thank you for sharing!
I absolutely love this recipe!! It’s so easy and so delicious. My question for you is, could I use a pie crust in lieu of the graham cracker crust that’s in the recipe? I found a maple pecan pie crust recipe I’d like to use. Could I skip baking the crust and use it in your recipe?
I’m so happy you love the cheesecake, Cathy! I think making this recipe with a pie crust would work, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
I’ve come across a vegan sweet potato cheesecake at a vegan restaurant and it was delicious. I want to try to make it myself using your recipe as the base. Any suggestions or ideas about how to make this work? Would I need to add more cornstarch or coconut cream?
I wonder if you could make it like my Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake, but use cooked sweet potato puree instead. It would work well I think! Sounds great.
Thanks Nora! I’m going to give it a try!
You are welcome!
Hi! I am super excited to try this recipe! I just want to confirm you do not use a water bath??
Thanks!
Hi Kristen! No, a water bath isn’t necessary (but you can still try it if you want)! Enjoy!
Okay, Nora, I goofed and need some help troubleshooting. I tried to get fancy and turn these into mini cheesecakes so I did everything as told by the recipe (and used Tofutti cream cheese – they changed their packaging, not sure if they also changed their recipe? The ingredients listed aren’t *exactly* the same as they were before). I put the crust and filling into lined cupcake pans, took them out after about 25 minutes and they had risen a lot, then sunk a lot. After cooling, they were tasty little craters lol. They were also not very firm after refrigerating overnight (which doesn’t surprise me, wondering if something was up with the cream cheese or coconut cream?) What do you think I did wrong?
Hi Kelly, I still use the Tofutti cream cheese, I just used it even though the packaging is new and it worked fine. I’ve never tried making this recipe into mini cheesecakes so it’s hard for me to say how to do this correctly. I’ll have to test it sometime!
I’m so sad. I used 32oz Good Planet Cream Cheese, Aroy-D coconut cream, and followed the recipe TO THE LETTER. One of my coworkers suggested adding pumpkin, and I told her “No, I want to make it exactly as written first before I start customizing.”
I’m a professional baker. I have a really good knack for baking chemistry, I even weighed out my cream cheese and coconut cream. I cannot figure out what went so horribly wrong. But man, totally wasted a ton of expensive ingredients.
My “cheesecake” filling tasted amazing before I baked it—really should have just scooped it into a pie crust and chilled it, serve as a no-bake cheesecake. Because when I baked it (350, 50 minutes), it boiled over, developed a wrinkly, nasty brown ring on top, and basically looks like cream cheese soup.
What on earth did I do wrong??
Hi Charlie, I’m sorry to hear the cheesecake didn’t turn out for you! I’ve never tried that brand of vegan cream cheese, but I’m positive that’s what went wrong. I tried to give warnings in the notes and the post that I have ONLY had success with Tofutti brand. Trader Joe’s used to work but I guess they changed their formula and it doesn’t work well anymore. I can tell you Daiya doesn’t work, or Violife. But I haven’t tested every other brand out there. I’ve actually never seen Good Planet brand. If you can find Tofutti, I’d use it over anything else. It’s usually the most common one folks can find. Hope that helps and you’ll try again if you can find Tofutti brand!
Hi Charlie,
I tried my luck with the brand kitehill and was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely only fill to the half point since they did get a bit bigger than regular cheesecakes but they worked out great.
Great to hear, thanks for sharing!
Hello Caroline. How many kitehill cream cheese packages did you use. I want to do it for thanksgiving dessert today
I feel your pain! I used the Trader Joe’s brand, because it was less expensive than Tofutti at Whole Foods, and it tasted amazing before baking. I checked it about 15 minutes before needing to turn the oven off and let it sit and it looked good. I should have looked at it again before turning off the oven and maybe taken it out then. It’s like everything suddenly separated and turned to liquid. I don’t know if it will set back up again as it cools. Supposed to be for an event tonight. Now I’m off to Whole Foods to get the tofutti and try again.
I like your idea of trying it as a no-bake cheesecake. I wonder how that would turn out?
I tried so hard, I really did. But I can safely say to anyone from the UK attempting this… Don’t use Tesco’s own vegan soft cheese. You’ll end up with coconut oil soup. Going to source some Tofutti and try again. ?
Amazing – best cheesecake ever. I used kitehill cream cheese for this and it turned out great.
Hi Nora this is my first cake ever. You would not believe the mistakes I made.
I tried to make it with Tofutti whipped cream cheese and the batter came out thin. I had to shore it up with 48 oz. and extra corn starch to get to how the picture appeared, then I subtracted the extra when I poured it into the pan.
I missed the part about parchment paper in the pan. I thought the Instructions part 1 was it.
The cream cheese I bought has somewhat of an off-taste; this is my first cream cheese tasting since I was a child but I remember it being a bit more mild in flavor; this one seems gamey.
I also used stevia instead of sugar; hoping it is not a baking sin. It’s in the oven now! I wish I still had a dog because I believe this one will be a practice run. Good times!
My cheesecake turned out amazing. I’m making another today. It was a big hit with everyone who tried it.
I topped it with a layer of pureed fresh mango.
I used a high grade stevia which instead of sugar (on Amazon: Natural Mate Zero Calorie Sweetener – Organic Stevia (48oz was the cheapest by far). Although stevia does not have the mouthfeel of sugar it wasn’t noticeable.
It released perfectly from my springform pan without grease or use of parchment paper.
Thank you!!!!!!
This cheesecake is absolutely delicious! Would I need to adjust the baking time or make any other changes to the recipe to make mini cheesecakes? Also, could I make these two or three days ahead of time? Thank you!
Hi Effie. I’m thrilled you are loving the cheesecake! Mini cheesecakes are going to take less time to cook and less time to chill. Though I have not tested this, muffin size will need about 20-25 minutes. The cheesecakes will look cooked, except for maybe the middle, but they won’t be totally firm until they chill. They will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerate, longer in the freezer. Hope that helps! Happy baking!
This came out amazing and was thrilled it did not taste like coconut. I used Tofutti cream cheese and Kara Coconut Cream (Two 6.80 Oz boxes). I used a water bath because I thought that’s what the foil wrap was for. Baked it 1 hour and left it in 10 minutes more with oven off. Middle was jiggly which is what you want. Chilled overnight. It was creamy and delicious and you couldn’t tell it was vegan. Thank you!!
Forgot the stars!
I’m thrilled that you loved the cheesecake! Sounds like it turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and experience with the recipe!
I loved this cheesecake. It was very rich and even my non-vegan parents wanted seconds!
I used pumpkin spice Cheerios for the crust and coconut sugar in the filling. Next time I think I’ll use gf Oreos for the crust and may be a chocolate sauce on top. ?
How awesome that you and your parents loved the cheesecake! You have fun ideas for future cheesecakes! Thank you for taking time to share your great review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Made this today, I had left over ingredients so I decided to make this. But I did make this a bit different. Again I was trying to use up what I had. But I wouldn’t recommend what I did, as it may not work next time. Maybe I just got lucky.
It did set actually in 4 hours too! It could set longer and I think tomorrow would be even better but I was a little surprised it set. This is why, i cut the recipe in half and I didn’t use full fat coconut milk I used a little bit of light, I used silken tofu and I did have some tofutti cream cheese. I also had some oat condensed sweetened oatmilk. So I used a little bit of that as well. I thought I messed it up because I was using way less cornstarch. I noticed in some recipes that uses silken tofu they use a lot of cornstarch. But I used your recommendation. I did cut the sugar as well, since I added the sweet oatmilk. I ended up using biscoff for the crust, But maybe that was a bad choice since the crust is a bit grainy to me, did I not use enough eb? Maybe Oreo next time.
Even though I changed it a bit, I used your method and most of your recipe recommendation and it worked! Oh and one of the RN’s tried to make a vegan cheese cake using agar! My spouse said it was interesting and memorable ?. I will give her your recipe. Best
The recipe was great and easy for me to follow.
Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome! Thanks for sharing your great feedback! I’m glad you loved the cheesecake and found the recipe easy to follow!
Is there a substitute for coconut cream? We can’t have it (IBS – coconut cream/milk is just asking for days of suffering for everyone). It’s so hard to find a good vegan cheesecake recipe that does not involve coconut cream/milk. Thanks!
Unfortunately, the cheesecake just wouldn’t be as thick or sturdy without coconut cream/milk. Sorry!
Turned out so excellent! Made the smaller size. Started dreaming about bringing it in a 13×9 for a covered dish dinner coming up. Anyone know if the recipe should be doubled for that size?
I probably would not double it, and I’ve never made it that way but I hope it works well. Good luck and report back to let us know!
Can I use Arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch??
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure if it will work the same or not. It probably will work!
Do you think this could be baked without the crust? I’m wanting to make a cheesecake layer to put in a cake. Thank you
There could be a chance of it sticking to the pan if you bake it without a crust, but it’s worth a try! Just make sure to let it chill in the fridge for a full 24 hours (or even 48) to make sure it’s firm enough to be layered in a cake.
my cake is baking right now. i wish you had written in the recipe to disgard the liquid part of the coconut cream because i used mine and now im worried it wont set.i think ytou should add that to the recipe
You don’t need to discard the liquid necessarily, but I prefer to use cream. The recipe calls for coconut cream, not milk, but full fat coconut milk will work. I’ve used it before with some liquid and it set fine.
Can this recipe be broken down to cheesecake bites instead of a full cheesecake? It’s only my partner and I so its preferred to haev smaller portions if possible, just for a quick snack. Thanks!
Hi Lakita. I have not tested this, however, for a mini muffin pan, I’d say about 20 – 25 minutes in the oven.
Can you use homemade cream cheese? I have a tofu/cashews recipe I haven’t tried yet. TIA
Hi Kathy. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it would work very well. Homemade cream cheese is usually a little grainy instead of super smooth, so I’m afraid it might not work the same. I could be wrong! If you do try it, let me know how it goes. I’ll have to test it sometime.