Vegan New York Cheesecake (2024)

Published: Dec 1, 2016 · Modified: Jun 12, 2024 by Melanie McDonald · This post may contain affiliate links . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

4.84 from 187 votes

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Ultra-rich and creamy baked Vegan New York Cheesecake made with no cream cheese or tofu! It's sweet but not too sweet, tastes amazing, and can be served with your choice of topping. I love it with some berry compote!

FEATURED COMMENT

"Not even joking, this cake is amazing! I am a huge cheesecake fan and this consistency is right on the money...Amazing. Great flavor, and fantastic texture...you can’t even tell it’s vegan, it just tastes like a homemade cheesecake. I’m in love."
- Al ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →

It doesn't get better than this Vegan New York Style Cheesecake! It is just like a "real" baked cheesecake in texture. Dense, rich, super creamy, very satisfying, but completely dairy-free, and unlike most vegan cheesecake recipes you don't need any vegan cream cheese or tofu.

To get the perfect baked cheesecake texture I tested and retested with many different ingredients and methods and found that the unlikely combination of chickpeas and cashew nuts gave amazing results.

Please don't let that scare you off though. You would NEVER know! The cashews give the filling its creaminess and the chickpeas give the denseness, which means you don't need to use vegan cream cheese or tofu.

Prefer a no-bake cheesecake? Give my very popular Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake or Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake a try!

Let's Make Vegan New York Cheesecake!

Can't wait to make it? Here's a quick summary of how it's done:

Make the crust- For this, you need some cookies. Either digestive biscuits or graham crackers. Store-bought or homemade. I have recipes for both. To make the crust blend the cookies with some vegan butter or coconut oil in a food processor then press into a loose bottom pan and refrigerate.
Make the filling - Blend all of the filling ingredients together. I recommend soaking the cashew nuts in boiling water before blending even if you have a high-powered blender.
Bake the cheesecake - Pour the filling mixture over the crust then bake. No water bath is required.
Refrigerate - After baking the cheesecake needs to be refrigerated for at least a few hours before serving.

Do not try to make this cheesecake in a cake pan without a removable bottom. You need to use either a spring-form cake pan or a loose-bottomed cake pan or you will never get it out in on piece.

Serving Suggestions

Here's the cheesecake in all its naked glory:

It is delicious on its own. ThatBISCUIT BASE is so good! A topping or sauce of some kind is highly recommended though. Not only does it make the cheesecake look beautiful, but it also adds flavor and contrast.

The topping can be as simple as a pile of fresh berries, or you can get creative with any of these:

Vegan Lemon Curd
Easy Frozen Berry Compote
Vegan Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
Roasted Strawberries
Blueberry Lavender Sauce
Five Minute Vegan Caramel Sauce

I love a lemon curd and fresh raspberry combo, or a berry compote and fresh mixed berry combo like in the pictures.

Readers have had so much fun with this recipe over the years. One very popular riff, which I haven't yet tried myself but sounds amazing, is to use Oreo cookies for the base, with chunks of broken Oreo stirred through the batter and lots of chocolate syrup or sauce to drizzle.

Recipe FAQs

Can I freeze the cheesecake?

I have never tried freezing it so can't be sure how it will hold up. I think it should be ok though as long as it is wrapped very well.

Can I make it gluten-free?

To make this recipe gluten-free you'll need to find some gluten-free digestive biscuits or graham crackers. The filling is naturally gluten-free.

Recipe

Vegan New York Cheesecake

Author: Melanie McDonald

4.84 from 187 votes

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COOK TIME 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Serves 12 servings

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Ingredients

FOR THE BASE

▢ 23 (350 grams / 12 oz) digestive biscuits , or graham crackers
▢ 4 tablespoons melted vegan butter , or coconut oil

FOR THE FILLING

▢ 2 cups (300 grams) raw cashews ,soaked in boiling water for 15 mins then drained (measured before soaking)
▢ 1 cup (175 grams) canned chickpeas , drained & rinsed well
▢ 1 lemon zest and juice
▢ 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ 2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
▢ ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup , (real maple, not pancake syrup!)
▢ 2 tablespoons tahini
▢ 1 x 14oz (400ml) can full fat coconut milk , it must be full fat not light (if your can is only 398 ml that's fine).
▢ ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
▢ 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

▢
Preheat oven to 320F (160°C) and line a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan that is at least 3 inches deep. First grease it with vegan butter or a little oil so the paper sticks. Then draw around the bottom of the cake pan on parchment paper, cut it out and put that in the bottom of the pan. Line the sides of the pan with a long rectangular strip of baking parchment.
▢
Put the digestive biscuits (or graham crackers) into a food processor with the butter/coconut oil and blend until well combined and in clumpy, fine crumbs. Then press into the bottom of the cake pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
▢
Add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour over the crust then sit the pan on a baking tray.
▢
Bake for about 50 minutes or until set well around the edges with a tiny bit of a wobble in the middle. Time will vary depending on your oven and the pan you use.
▢
Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours or overnight. Don't put it in the fridge while hot/warm.

NOTES

Storage - Store covered in the fridge for up to a week. Unlike a lot of vegan cheesecakes though it won't melt into a puddle if left at room temperature for a while before serving.

NUTRITION

Did you make this recipe?Rate it & leave feedback in the comments section below. I love seeing your remakes too. Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram! 🌟

Reader Interactions

Comments

Ania says
June 11, 2024 at 4:02 pm

I rarely leave any comments under recipes, but that one deserves all the hype and attention! I've been making this NY cheesecake for a few years now and everyone loves it. It's so worth the time and effort. Creamy, rich and smooth. :) The downside is that now I can't enjoy vegan cheesecakes anywhere else, because I've tasted heaven and I know now that a perfect vegan cheesecake exists :P
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