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.
Notes
Nutrition
Lola says
I would like to try this recipe, however I don’t want to use tofu. Anything else I can use instead? Can I use eggs? I’m not able to have milk or cheese products, but can have eggs. I’ve seen other recipes with nuts, but I don’t like the idea of cheesecake tasting like cashews. I love cheesecake and want it to taste as close to the New York style cheesecake as it can get. Thanks!
Amy Duska says
Hi Lolo, unfortunately I do not know of anything else to substitute for the tofo.
Megan says
Also, I made the entire thing in my food processor, and I think that’s the way to go! Super easy, very little clean-up, and incredibly smooth texture.
Megan says
Just made this cheesecake for the first time. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (I used far less sugar, and probably not enough graham crackers, as my crust was a bit thin, I subbed corn starch for the flour to make it GF, and I only had normal vanilla extract), but it turned out wonderfully! It has a perfect cheesecake texture, holds together perfectly, and overall tastes very similar to a New York cheesecake. Had I not made the mistake of using Daiya cream cheese for half of the 16 ounces (there was only one package in the store of my preferred brand, Tofutti), which I now know has a distinct extremely processed and overwhelming flavor, I don’t think anyone would be able to tell this cheesecake is non-dairy.
The next time I make this:
– I won’t skimp on the crust, and will probably increase it more than the original recipe. The cheesecake filling itself is very rich but plain, so the crust really takes it up a notch.
– I’ll use a whole vanilla bean for more complex flavor
– I’ll never use Daiya cream cheese again!