January 8, 2022
Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake!
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A deliciously creamy no-bake vegan vanilla cheesecake – with a biscuit base, vegan cheesecake topping, strawberry coulis, and fresh strawberries!
Vegan cheesecake
So, let’s be honest here and say that I am a very big lover of all things cheesecake. I have published well over 70 recipes now that are cheesecake related and I am not sorry about it… I love it. However, none of them are vegan.
So.. I have had request after request for a vegan cheesecake and it is finally here!! Celebrate, party… eat cheesecake! But I will say one thing, this is not a ‘raw’ cheesecake. It is a substitute cheesecake.
This basically means that I have done my absolute best to get this to be as similar to my no-bake vanilla cheesecake as I possibly can, by using lovely supermarket substitutes! However, if you would like a ‘raw’ version, then let me know!!
Vegan cheesecake base
Typically when you make a cheesecake you would use a biscuit base, more commonly digestives, and then butter. This bit is quite easy to make vegan – you just need to use vegan biscuits and vegan butter! I just use any vegan digestives I can find, and then I tend to use Stork Block (not the tub) as my butter personally.
Vegan cheesecake filling
For the filling, you follow the same idea of cream cheese, cream and sugar being the base. As this is a vanilla cheesecake, you naturally add in the vanilla too. I have never found a problem with any vegan cream cheese – some are more solid than others, but most I have tested have worked well.
My personal favourite was the Violife based cream cheese – but I have seen a few more out there. It is more pricey, which is annoying, but you still want to stick to about 500g if you can for the depth of cheesecake!
Vegan cream
I found the cream the hardest part of all of this – as a large number of vegan creams are single cream style, or just don’t work. Recently though, I found Elmlea plant alternative double cream – and that is by far my favourite!
You really do need a vegan cream that can whip (single creams don’t work) – or you can use coconut cream like I do in my Pina Colada Cheesecake, or Bounty Cheesecake – you will just be very coconut heavy then!
Sugar and vanilla
I use icing sugar in my cheesecakes, which if you use the right one (I use Tate & Lyle) IS VEGAN at the time of writing this. I always get comments saying icing sugar isn’t vegan… and some for sure do have a may contain warning, but you need to make sure you aren’t mixing normal icing sugar with royal icing sugar, which will always contain egg.
You can use caster sugar in place of the icing sugar if you prefer it – but I always use icing sugar and prefer it that way. For the vanilla, I used Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste as I wanted the flecks of vanilla in the cheesecake – but any will do!
Method
The process for making it is basically the same, you just have to be more careful. Because the cream isn’t actually ‘cream’, I do whip it separately, and I do find it can be more moussey compared to whip cream, but it’s usually fine once folded into the beaten cream cheese mix.
Setting agent
Obviously, as it’s vegan, you can’t use gelatine to set the cheesecake. I don’t in this recipe anyway, but if you are worried, it’s best to use a vegan alternative such as agar agar, or vege-gel, just to make sure you get the best set. If you find once removing from the tin that the cheesecake is a bit soft, you may need to put it in the freezer for a bit to help serve it, but this is a risk of the lower fat vegan ingredients!
Decoration
Once the cheesecake has set overnight, I drizzled it with some strawberry coulis, added some fresh strawberries on top, and sprinkled with freeze dried strawberries too. All decoration is optional, but I just fancied a fruity theme!
Let me know how you get on with the recipe below in the comments, and definitely comment if you have recommendations for products! x
Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake!
Ingredients
Biscuit Base!
- 300 g Vegan Biscuits (I used digestives)
- 100 g Vegan Butter
Vanilla Cheesecake
- 500 g Vegan Cream Cheese
- 75-100 g Icing Sugar
- 1-2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 250 ml Vegan Double Cream (or coconut cream)
Serve with...
- Strawberries
- Strawberry Coulis
- Freeze Dried Strawberries
Instructions
For the Biscuit Base
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb, or bash up in a bowl with a rolling pin, or in a food bag.
- Melt the butter carefully until it is a liquid, and then mix in with the biscuits.
- Press the biscuit mixture into the bottom of an 8"/20cm deep springform tin, and refrigerate/freeze whilst you make the filling.
For the Cheesecake
- In a large bowl, or stand mixer, add the vegan cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the vegan double cream to as stiff peaks as you can - I find it can be more moussey, but you want it as thick as possible.
- Add the whipped vegan double cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold the mixtures together until combined.
- Once combined, add the cheesecake mixture to the top of the biscuit base making sure to pack the mix into the sides of the tin to prevent any air gaps, and set it in the fridge for 5-6 hours, or preferably overnight.
For the Decoration
- Drizzle over some strawberry coulis, some fresh berries and some freeze dried strawberries - but you can decorate it with whatever you like!
Notes
- For this recipe to be vegan I personally used:
- Violife cream cheese
- Elmlea plant based double cream
- Supermarket own digestives
- Flora plant block butter
- You can use any vegan biscuit as a base, such as Biscoff Biscuits, or anything else!
- In the fridge, this will last 3 days once set.
- I use Nielsen Massey Vanilla Bean Paste in the recipe.
- If you find the mixture a bit soft, you can set the cheesecake in the freezer for about 1-2 hours before removing from the tin!
ENJOY!
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J x
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How much gel agent would I need to use for this recipe?
Lovely vegan cheesecake! I did put a layer of melted Biscoff caramel between base and cheesecake and that was lovely as it solidified in fridge. Go for it- found recipe really easy to follow and used the vegan double plant cream and had no problems with it setting. Thank you!
If I wanted to use vanilla pods instead
of paste, would that work & how many should I use? Thank you
Made this on Christmas Day for my daughter, who is intolerant to dairy, eggs, wheat and soya amongst other things. I was nervous about it, not going to lie, but I needn’t have worried. It was delicious. I put fresh berries on top and it looked beautiful. It was soft so I put it in the freezer for a couple of hours and it was perfect. I will definitely make this again.
Hi, I made the this cheesecake which tasted lovely however when taking it out the fridge to serve, the cheesecake had not set as much as I had thought even though it was sat in the fridge for at least 24 hours the day before and looked like it had set (did the wobble test and even turned it on its side). When slicing into it, it was very soft and started to fall apart. What else can I add into it that is vegan that would help it to set and stay firm enough when serving so it doesn’t crumble and destroy the presentation? Thanks
You can add a vegan gelling agent such as vege-gel and this will definitely help it set x
I added the ‘juice’ of a can of cherry pie filling and swirled it in the mixture. Saving the cherries to add on top with the cream. Also added almond extract to make it a kind of Bakewell flavoured cheesecake. Fingers crossed it’s yummy,
Can you freeze this cheesecake for a month ?
Yes, you can!
Amazing recipe, absolutely delicious! Only thing is my cheesecake didn’t set too well – did you use a setting agent in your cheesecake? How much agar agar would I need to use to set this well? Thank you!
Hiya! You need to check packet instructions as all brands vary! x
i have put crushed raspberries in the mix and used a vegan raspberry jelly made up and mixed into cream cheese mixture to help set it and make it pink. Used another jelly on top with blueberries in it.
If I swapped some of the cream for Biscoff, how much would I need? thanks!
Hiya! Take a look at my Biscoff cheesecake recipe, just use the vegan substitutes and whip the cream before using, then fold in as per the vegan recipe! Hope this helps! x
I made this for Xmas Day using three tubs of vegan Philadelphia as I couldn’t find any of the Violife brand. It turned out lovely, it does go a little soft once it’s been out the fridge for a while, so it’s not ideal as a centrepiece to be left on the table, but fresh out the fridge it’s perfect. So pleased to have found a great vegan cheesecake recipe. Thank you!
Hi Jane, can I halve the recipe to make a smaller cheesecake?
Hiya! I personally have not tried this, though it should be fine! Hope this helps! x
Do you have a recipe for a Vegan chocolate cheesecake
Hiya! Not currently, however it is on my to do list! x
My first attempt of this vegan version is setting in the fridge now…. Fingers crossed it sets properly. I added 50g strawberry nesquik and only added 75g icing sugar to make this a strawberry version and a nice shade of pink!
Great idea with mesquite. Did this work? Thanks
This is a really excellent recipe. I made a couple of adjustments with the flavour though to make it a Lemon, Lime and Ginger cheesecake – I used gingernut biscuits with added lime zest, and then flavoured the cheesecake mix with the juice of 2 lemons and 3 limes, half a teaspoon of lemon extract and 3 tbsps of stem ginger syrup. I only needed it to be dairy free and not vegan so I whipped in half a sachet of Dr Oetker’s gelatine dissolved in a tiny bit of hot water and it set beautifully. My guests were shocked it was dairy free and said it was one of the best cheesecakes they’d ever had! Thanks Jane!
Hi, can you make this into a Lemon Cheesecake? if so, what extra ingredients and quantity do I need?
Hiya! Yes absolutely – just add 1-2 tsp lemon extract, or lemon zest! Hope this helps! x
Hey, if I wanted to make individual cheese cakes in ceramic pots (Gu pudding pot size) roughly how many would the recipe make?
This is in the fridge setting now! I saw this recipe in my emails this morning and new I had to try it for my dad. I managed to get all the vegan items from Tesco. I bought two tubs of the violife creamy spread (£2.50 each) and a tub of Tesco’s freefrom coconut oil alternative to soft cheese (I used 100g and the tub cost £1.60 for 170g). After beating it seemed a little lumpy (done by hand as I wanted to use my stand mixer for the cream). Once the cream was whipped, I added it to the cheese mixture and it became even more lumpier, so I threw it all back into the stand mixer and whisked it again – so much better. The mixture taste nice, can’t wait for it to be ready later. I’m not planning on adding anything else to the top.
Can you put strawberry’s in the cheesecake mix?
In the picture the cheesecake looks a pale pink or is it just the way the photo has been taken?
Hiya! You could try to add strawberries, but the added moisture may make it not set as well. Hope this helps! x