A rich, delicious, dairy free cheesecake….is that even possible? Yep…it sure is. Look no further because you just found it!
My most popular recipe to date is Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Chocolate Mousse. Some of my readers need dairy free dessert options so I decided to come up with a vegan version of my cheesecake that was every bit as delicious but without any dairy.
Introducing Vegan Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
You can clearly see from the photographs that this Vegan Vanilla Bean Cheesecake has the rich consistency of traditional cheesecake.
This dairy free cheesecake version is so delicious!
I had my “taste testers” try out the new cheesecake recipe without telling them it was dairy free. They all asked for seconds. You’ve got to try this recipe!
Need a spring-form pan? This is the one that I use : Nordic Ware Leak Proof Springform Pan, 10-Cup, 9-Inch, Red (affiliate link)
Vegan Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cups graham crackers, crushed
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted (or margarine)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Filling
- 16 oz. vegan cream cheese
- 16 oz. silken tofu
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, beans extracted or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/2 cup flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and line a spring-form pan with parchment paper
Crust
- In a small bowl, mix the graham crackers, vegan butter, coconut sugar and vanilla bean paste together and then press the mixture into the bottom of the spring form pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven
Filling
- In a stand mixer, beat together the vegan cream cheese, soft tofu, granulated sugar, vanilla bean paste and lemon juice until smooth and creamy
- With mixer on slow, slowly add the corn starch and flour a little at a time until fully incorporated
- Pour the mixture into the spring-form pan and bake for one hour
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool on a counter top for one hour
- Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 hours, to set up.
Amy's Tips
Nutrition
Tala says
04/03/2019 at 9:42 amThis recipe was AMAZING!! I couldn’t stop eating it lol… I would not modify this if you don’t have to. It is not too sweet, the consistency is spot on, and the graham crust is amazing. Absolutely love this and will be making it again and again!
Amy Duska says
04/03/2019 at 10:23 amThank you Tala!
Christina says
03/24/2019 at 8:46 pmHi Amy,
Is it possible to substitute vegan butter with coconut oil in this recipe? If so, do you suggest using the same amount?
Amy says
03/25/2019 at 9:39 amI’m not really sure about that. It would probably work because the coconut oil sets up at cooler temperatures.
Isabella says
02/03/2019 at 9:17 amHow long do you bake the cheesecake in the oven? For some reason I’m missing the bake time once it’s prepared.
Amy says
02/05/2019 at 6:23 amOne hour.
Kimberly says
01/24/2019 at 11:08 pmSo I made this today, and it turned out more like a vegan custard pie. 🙁 taste is good… but texture is not cheesecake-y.
Kris says
12/10/2018 at 6:29 pmCeliac egg allergy gal here. This is the BEST cheesecake I’ve ever had… including the kind for “normies.” Easy to make… top with favorite topping. I made a tart cherry compote for it. My new go to. Thank you!!!
Amy says
12/14/2018 at 10:20 amThat sounds amazing with the cherries! Yummy! 🙂
VeganSweets says
11/09/2018 at 8:54 pmAmazing recipe! I’ve never been able to nail a vegan cheesecake but this was so easy. I subbed half a cup of maple for sugar, half the lemon, half the tofu, pinch of salt and vanilla extract. It was delicious! I could taste a bit of tofu so next time I’ll add some cookie butter. I think I might also put less flour and try it gluten free.
PS. The maple syrup was on point. I used just under 1/2 a cup and I think it’s plenty sweet.
Amy says
11/12/2018 at 8:08 amThanks for sharing the modifications. Making vegan cheesecake can be hard but hopefully these tips will help others too! 🙂
Diana says
09/09/2018 at 6:51 pmOh No! I forgot the flour in the batter…it’s too late now. It’s in oven. Any idea what I can expect?
Amy says
09/15/2018 at 9:58 amHi Diana, I hope the cheesecake turned out ok!
LaToya says
12/14/2016 at 11:52 pmHi! I can’t find vegan cream cheese where I live.
Can I still use cream cheese low fat instead and mix
In the tofu?
Thanks!!
Amy says
12/15/2016 at 9:17 amHi LaToya, are you trying to make it vegan? I’ve never used low fat cream cheese in cheesecakes because I’ve heard that they don’t cook as well.
LaToya says
12/17/2016 at 11:33 pmI would like to be vegan but if I can’t, maybe dairy free?!
Virginia Sharma says
12/04/2016 at 1:43 pmHi Amy!
I’m excited to try this cheesecake for my daughter’s birthday. I’m gluten-free and she is vegan. I wanted to ask about substituting gluten-free flour for the regular flour in this recipe? Have you tried or know of someone that has? I think I can work around the crust with some gluten-free alternatives, but I have no idea about the filling.
Thank you!
Amy says
12/06/2016 at 7:15 amHi Virginia! All you need to do is substitute the flour with corn starch! 🙂
Gerilyn says
11/03/2016 at 5:20 pmI just tried to make this cake. And I could not get the tofu to mix in evenly! I blended it in the processor forever and It’s still super chunky and I don’t know what I did wrong. Any tips?? What does the tofu do in a vegan cheesecake?? Thanks!
Amy says
11/11/2016 at 9:11 amHi Gerilyn, did you use the “silken” tofu? It’s the one that is super soft.
A. says
01/31/2019 at 10:28 pmAmy, i just ran into the same problem. Here’s the thing: “Silken” also means shelf stable, so i think it would be very helpful to include the word “soft” in your description. Thanks!
Amy says
02/01/2019 at 8:34 amThanks Amy, I will do that!
Beck says
10/30/2016 at 7:57 pmHi Amy, my partner cannot eat dairy or citrus at the moment. Do you have an substitute for lemon juice? Or can it be removed from the recipe? Thank you 🙂
Amy says
10/31/2016 at 7:19 amHi Beck! The lemon juice helps to hide some of the tofu flavor. I would remove it from the recipe and maybe add a little more vanilla. Because the recipe does not contain eggs, you can always taste the filling before you bake it to see if the flavor is good. I hope this helps!
Ruth says
02/29/2016 at 11:41 amWe don’t need to press out the water in the tofu? Just drain the excess water??? Just checking before I try this !!
Amy says
02/29/2016 at 12:46 pmHi Ruth, I did not press the water out before I made this. I think the water in the tofu helps to make the filling creamier. Please let me know how it turns out!
Ruth says
03/01/2016 at 9:11 amJust took it out. Like a dairy cheesecake it’s a bit dry/set around the edges but jiggly in the middle. I’m going to assume that will set up in the fridge….. I’m very new to vegan cheesecake. I “gutted” a vanilla bean since I couldn’t get paste locally and I must say it was much easier than I thought!!! I have a bunch of my co workers ready to test it..they’re not vegans but brutally honest. Lol. It’s to be a surprise for my daughters birthday coming up. I’m getting excited…..lol. One of the things she misses the most is cheesecake… I make a great selection of flavor and am excited to be able to make for her again!!!
Amy says
03/01/2016 at 10:07 amI can’t wait to hear what your co workers have to say! Please let me know…:)
Mansi says
07/03/2015 at 3:25 pmThis cheesecake looks really good!
Do you know if it will freeze well?
Thanks!
Amy says
07/03/2015 at 5:06 pmHi Mansi, unfortunately I don’t know if it will freeze well. I will experiment with my next cheesecake and let you know!
Becky says
07/03/2015 at 3:09 pmHi Amy,
I made this today but am a little confused. My batter is brown. I used the coconut sugar and I’m sure that is what turned the batter brown…what is your secret??
Amy says
07/03/2015 at 3:15 pmHi Becky, I apologize that this happened. I actually used regular sugar in the cheesecake batter, not coconut sugar. I only used coconut sugar in the crust. I have corrected the recipe!
Becky says
07/03/2015 at 2:45 pmHi Amy,
My cheese cake batter turned out brown (I think because of the coconut sugar). Any thoughts? Your’s looks like “regular” cheesecake. On a positive note…the flavor is fantastic.
Bridget says
06/21/2015 at 8:06 pmHi Amy, I’m wondering if you’ve tried any other flavours with this base recipe. I’d love to make a chocolate cheesecake!!
Amy says
06/21/2015 at 8:52 pmHi Bridget! I haven’t made any other flavors but I bet it would be easy to make this chocolate flavored. I’ll have to play around with it and let you know. Chocolate Vegan Cheesecake might just be my next dessert post!
Bridget says
07/01/2015 at 9:02 pmThanks Amy. I might try chocolate or mocha. I’ll let you know the result. Looks like a great recipe!
Amy says
06/09/2015 at 5:42 amHi Thao! It definitely has a lot less fat and calories than traditional cheesecake but is really just as rich tasting. Thanks for stopping by!
Tedi says
06/08/2015 at 6:42 pmHi Amy! Wow this looks so incredibly delicious it!!
Amy says
06/08/2015 at 8:00 pmThanks Tedi!
Chelsey says
06/08/2015 at 2:43 pmThis looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Pinned!
Amy says
06/08/2015 at 2:45 pmThanks Chelsey! I appreciate the Pin too 🙂
Anne Marie | ciao-mama.com says
06/08/2015 at 2:21 pmI cannot believe this is vegan! I need to make it for my mom, who loves cheesecake but can’t possibly understand my vegetarian/mostly-vegan eating habits. I’m not going to tell her it is vegan until she tells me how good it is. 🙂 Thanks for creating this! Pinned!
Amy says
06/08/2015 at 2:32 pmI couldn’t believe how good it came out. I thought I would never be able to eat cheesecake again!