A lusciously creamy New York Style Vegan Cheesecake is simpler to achieve than you might realize! My easy recipe calls for fewer than 10 ingredients, takes just 30 minutes of prep and is completely nut free. Yum!
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If you’re in the market for a show stopping vegan dessert, you’ve come to the right place! This recipe for vegan cheesecake is dead simple, completely nut free and is sinfully rich and creamy, all without any dairy whatsoever.
A traditional salty-sweet graham cracker crust is filled with a New York style cheesecake filling made with silken tofu, vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream. The result is a light and luxurious dessert that will trick even vegan skeptics.
Lightly flavored with lemon and vanilla, the dreamy filling makes for a perfect pairing with lemon curd, berry compote, or fresh fruit. It’s also easily adaptable to whatever season you’re in. So what are you waiting for? Make this amazingly satisfying vegan cheesecake today!
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This smooth and yummy vegan cheesecake tastes just like the real thing, but requires fewer than 10 ingredients. Make sure to check out my recommended brands for the following ingredients.
Here’s everything you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Vegan Sour Cream – There are a lot of vegan cream cheeses and sour creams on the market. I suggest looking for Daiya or Tofutti brands. You can also make homemade sour cream.
- Silken Tofu – It’s very important that you use silken tofu. Silken tofu is a shelf-stable product found usually in the international food aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. Like regular tofu, silken tofu comes in soft, medium, firm, and extra firm. For this recipe, I recommend using extra-firm.
- Vegan Cream Cheese – I recommend either Daiya or Tofutti. You can also make homemade cream cheese.
- Cornstarch – This acts as a thickening agent. If corn is off the table, swap in an equal amount of arrowroot powder.
- Graham Crackers – I prefer to use plain vegan graham crackers for my crust. To save time, you can opt to buy graham cracker crumbs instead! You can also feel free to swap in gluten free vegan graham crackers.
- Granulated Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, and a blender or food processor, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
This vegan cheesecake recipe also calls for a 9″ springform cake pan. While a springform pan is somewhat of a specialty piece of equipment, you definitely want to buy one for making cheesecakes. They have an outer ring that removes easily, leaving you with a flawless exterior that is dang near impossible using a regular cake pan.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Prep Equipment
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place on a baking sheet in the lower rack of your oven. Add 1/2″ of water to the baking sheet to give it steam. This will allow the cheesecake to bake uniformly. Line a 10″ springform cake pan with parchment paper and spray the bottoms and sides thoroughly. Set aside.
Step Two – Make the Crust
To make the crust, pulse the graham crackers along with the sugar in a food processor to create a uniform crumb.
Once the crackers are broken down, slowly add the melted butter and process until well combined. The crust should stick together when pressed between your fingers.
Transfer crust onto the prepared cake pan, evenly pressing the crust down around the bottom of the pan with your fingers, and set aside.
Pro Tip: Most graham crackers contain honey. Make sure to look for a vegan variety. This is my go-to brand (which also happens to be gluten free!)
Step Three – Make Filling
Clean out your food processor and then combine cream cheese and granulated sugar, blending until smooth and well combined. Add tofu, and sour cream and blend again, scraping down the sides as necessary. Finally, add the cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Blend again until well combined.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan.
Step Four – Bake & Chill
Bake for 60-75 minutes. Check for doneness after 60. The cheesecake will be wobbly, but start pulling away from the sides and cracking a little on the top when it’s done.
Remove from oven and let cool for 60 minutes before putting in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours. Remove from the springform ring, slice and serve!
Pro Tip: Do not skip the chilling phase! If you try and pull the cheesecake out too early, it will not have set completely and may fall apart.
Serving and Storing
Serving – To remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, run a knife around the outside ring. Gently unbuckle the spring, then lift the ring away. Slice into even pieces and serve chilled with your favorite compote, curd or fresh fruit!
Storing – This New York style vegan cheesecake will last for up to three days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for up to two months! When ready to serve, pull it out and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Tips and Tricks
- Cooking the vegan cheesecake in a water bath might seem like an unnecessary step, but trust me on this one. As with most custards, you want to bake the filling slowly and evenly. The water bath (a.k.a. bain marie) prevents the custard from cooking too quickly, which can result in a rubbery filling.
- To get the most juice from your citrus, give it a firm roll on the countertop for about 10 seconds before cutting and squeezing.
- To properly zest citrus, it’s important to only get the colorful top layer. Once you get into the pith (the white part), the flavor will become more bitter than you want. If you don’t have a zester on hand, use a vegetable peeler to cut away the zest, then mince it super fine before adding to the mixture.
- Do not skip the chilling stage! If you try and pull the cheesecake out too early, it will not have set completely and may fall apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
To ensure that the custard sets properly, you should chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours prior to serving. I generally make cheesecake the night before I plan on serving it just to make sure it gets plenty of beauty rest in the fridge.
Sure! Simply swap in gluten free vegan graham crackers (or cookies).
Yes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good replacement for silken tofu. If you use regular tofu, the filling will end up grainy. Trust me, I’ve made that mistake!
This cheesecake can be made in advance. Once it is completely cool, tightly wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap and store it until ready to serve. If serving from the freezer, give it at least 6 hours to thaw in the refrigerator.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Best-Ever Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Easy Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
New York Style Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
Gingersnaps Crust
- 2 cups vegan Graham Crackers
- 5-6 tbsp. vegan butter, melted
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 32 ounces vegan cream cheese, 4 (8 oz) containers
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 12 ounces extra firm silken tofu
- 3/4 cup vegan sour cream
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 medium lemon, zest and juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place on a baking sheet in the lower rack of your oven. Add 1/2" of water to the baking sheet to give it steam. This will allow the cheesecake to bake uniformly. Line a 10" springform cake pan with parchment paper and spray the bottoms and sides thoroughly. Set aside.
- To make the crust, pulse the graham crackers along with the sugar in a food processor to create a uniform crumb. Once the crackers are broken down, slowly add the melted butter and process until well combined. The crust should stick together when pressed between your fingers. Transfer crust onto the prepared cake pan, evenly pressing the crust down around the bottom of the pan with your fingers, and set aside.
- Clean out your food processor and then combine cream cheese and granulated sugar, blending until smooth and well combined. Add tofu, and sour cream and blend again, scraping down the sides as necessary. Finally, add the cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Blend again until well combined.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes. Check for doneness after 60. The cheesecake will be wobbly, but start pulling away from the sides and cracking a little on the top when it's done. Remove from oven and let cool for 60 minutes before putting in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
Notes
- Cooking the vegan cheesecake in a water bath might seem like an unnecessary step, but trust me on this one. As with most custards, you want to bake the filling slowly and evenly. The water bath (a.k.a. bain marie) prevents the custard from cooking too quickly, which can result in a rubbery filling.
- To ensure that the custard sets properly, you should chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours prior to serving. I generally make cheesecake the night before I plan on serving it just to make sure it gets plenty of beauty rest in the fridge.
- Do I have to use silken tofu? Yes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good replacement for silken tofu. If you use regular tofu, the filling will end up grainy.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Leah says
Hi Sarah. Thank you so much for your sharing. Your recipe is so great. I’d love to give it a try. Can I ask you about the tip “Cooking the vegan cheesecake in a water bath”? I wonder how the water bath you used looks like. It would be great if I can learn from your experience. Love & Hugs 🙂 ! :xxx