You’ll love this vegan cheesecake recipe because it’s light and creamy, made without blending, without cooking, and without tofu or cashews.
The cheesecake has a crumbly crust and a smooth, fluffy, and creamy filling. Serve it with fresh berries or with your favorite topping.
Table of Contents
Our vegan cheesecake has a rich yet refreshing taste with a slight tanginess and a creamy, cheesy, and fluffy texture.
You can make this recipe in the fridge without turning on the oven.
You’ll need a cake pan – best if with a removable bottom – or to make things easier, you can assemble single-portion cheesecakes into small glasses or jars.
The most important tip to get the best no-bake vegan cheesecake is to let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours to allow the ingredients to set.
Then freeze it for 30 minutes before serving. It’ll cut beautifully!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
For the base
- Cookies: pick your favorite vegan cookies. I use vegan digestives, but you can go for vegan Graham crackers, chocolate biscuits, oat biscuits, or even Oreo shells.
There are no rules except that the biscuits should be dry and crunchy. For gluten-free, pick gluten-free cookies. - Vegan butter: I use one that is made with a canola oil and cocoa butter base. But any will work. Substitute melted coconut oil for vegan butter.
- Salt: this is optional. I like to add a pinch of sea salt to the base to lift its flavor. But that’s entirely up to you.
For the vegan cheesecake filling
- Vegan cream cheese: pick a dairy-free cream cheese whose flavor you like. Some of the best in the US are Tofutti and Trader Joe’s.
- Vegan whipping cream: there are several ones on the market, depending on where you live. If you are unsure, look at this guide for vegan whipping creams. I use one that is already sweetened.
If you cannot find vegan whipping cream, replace it with coconut cream or the solid part of a refrigerated full-fat coconut milk can. - Powdered sugar: if your whipping cream is NOT sweetened, double our powdered sugar quantities.
You could use maple syrup as a sweetener, but it will slightly affect the texture of the cheesecake, making it less firm. - Vanilla: you can use vanilla extract or the seeds of a real vanilla bean.
- Lemon juice is optional, but we add it to give the cheesecake some tanginess. You can also add lemon zest. Substitute lime for lemon.
For the topping
We make a red berry sauce and add mixed berries and mint leaves.
Substitute vegan hazelnut spread, vegan lemon curd, vegan caramel sauce, or your favorite topping.
How to make vegan cheesecake
Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Crush or blend your cookies not too finely, then add them to a bowl with lukewarm melted vegan butter.
Mix with a spoon, then transfer to a springform pan (the one with a removable bottom) that you previously lined with parchment paper.
Press them down with the back of a spoon to make a solid base. Put in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
In a bowl, whip the heavy cream. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract when the cream starts to whip.
Keep whipping till you have a stiff whipped cream.
Add the cream cheese to the whipped cream and whisk to incorporate for just a minute.
Transfer the filling to the base and level with a spoon.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours but best overnight.
When the cheesecake is firm, remove the rim of the springform pan.
If it’s sticky, you can run a knife through the edges of the cake. Transfer onto a serving plate and top with your favorite topping.
Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. It’ll cut beautifully!
Red berry topping
Add fresh raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a small pot. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Mash the berries with a fork or hand blender, then pass them through a sieve if you want a smooth red berry syrup. Let it cool down completely.
Pour the red berry syrup on top of the cheesecake and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.
Garnish with fresh berries and mint leaves, and put the cheesecake back in the refrigerator.
For best slicing results, put the cheesecake in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. Do not keep in the freezer for more than 30 minutes.
Variations
Single-portion cheesecakes
A simpler version of this vegan cheesecake is one in single portions, built directly in a small glass or jar.
Add the crushed cookies to the bottom of the glass, then add the cheesecake filling on top, and set in the refrigerator. Garnish with fresh fruit before serving.
Tips
- Let cool the cheesecake completely before cutting it. Eight hours in the fridge is the minimum, but we recommend making the cake a day in advance for best results.
- Let it set for 30 minutes in the freezer before serving it. This way, it’ll cut beautifully.
- Don’t blend the cookies too finely. It’s best if there are some bigger crumbs. They add a nice texture and crunch to the vegan cheesecake. If you use a food processor is best to pulse.
- The melted butter should be lukewarm. If it’s too hot, the cookies will get mushy.
- For best results, use a vegan cream that is made for whipping. If you cannot find it, the you can replace it with coconut cream. If you cannot find coconut cream, then you can use regular full-fat coconut milk, but only use the solid part, not the watery part.
- I use sweetened whipping cream. If yours is unsweetened, or if you use coconut cream, then you need to double the powdered sugar measurements.
- If you don’t have a spring form pan, you can use small glass jars, or small glasses.
- If you don’t like our topping, feel free to use any other topping of your choice.
Storage
Make ahead: this recipe is excellent for one or two days ahead because the ingredients have time to set in the fridge, and it will be easier to slice the cheesecake.
Refrigerator: store the vegan cheesecake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: let set in the fridge first, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 4 hours, although some like eating frozen, more like ice cream.
More vegan desserts
If you liked the freshness of this vegan cheesecake, you might also like:
For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.
Vegan Cheesecake (No-Bake)
Equipment
- 1 Hand mixer
- 1 Springform pan (9-Inch or 23 cm) the one that opens on the side.
Ingredients
For the base
- 8 ounces vegan graham crackers or other vegan cookies
- 4 ounces vegan butter
For the filling
- 1⅔ cups vegan whipping cream or canned coconut cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar double that if you use unsweetened whipping cream or unsweetened coconut cream.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups vegan cream cheese Tofutti, Trader Joe's, or other
For the topping
- 9 ounces raspberries fresh or frozen
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh mixed berries optional
- 10 mint leaves optional
Instructions
For the base
- Coarsely crush or blend 8 ounces vegan graham crackers, then mix them in a bowl with 4 ounces vegan butter (melted).Transfer to a springform pan lined with parchment paper and press down with back of a spoon. Put in freezer while prepping the filling.
For the filling
- In a bowl, whip 1⅔ cups vegan whipping cream with a hand mixer.Add ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice and keep whipping until well whipped.Add 2 cups vegan cream cheese and whisk for just a minute until combined.
- Transfer the filling onto the base and level with a spoon.Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, best overnight. Even better if you make it a day in advance.
- When the cheesecake is firm, remove the rim of the pan. If sticky, run a knife around the edge. Store in the fridge.
For the red berry topping
- To a saucepan, add 9 ounces raspberries, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Cook 5 minutes on medium heat.Blend berries then pass them through a sift for a smooth syrup. Simmer for longer for a thicker syrup. Let cool down completely.
- Pour syrup on cheesecake and garnish with 2 cups fresh mixed berries and 10 mint leaves.
- Put in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. It'll cut beautifully.
Notes
Nutrition
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Going to try this recipe next time! I usually make it with similar ingredients; coconut cream, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. But it always ends up kind of melting when I take it out of the freeezer into the fridge (out of the mold at least) and it kills me every time 🙁 Fingers crossed that the whipping cream helps fix that!
I got started on this recipe before I noticed the instructions do not include any cream cheese…..only in the ingredients. I put it together the best I can so I don’t know if it will be any good but you need to correct your mistake if you are going to leave this recipe up.
Hi Judi,
thanks so much for your valuable feedback. I fixed the recipe, adding the vegan cream cheese to the instructions.
Hope the cake turned out well!
Have a wonderful day.
Nico
Ive used this recipe before it works very well and is delicious. Hard to tell its vegan!
However, the conversion from US to metric on the ingredients doesn’t fully work, it only converts half the ingredients
Hey there,
thank you so much for letting us know! We fixed the problem now.
Thanks a million.
Nico
Regarding adding the whipping cream to the cream cheese – are you supposed to whip it first and then fold it in?
Hi Jean,
Yes that’s correct. Whip it first, then fold it in with the cream cheese.
Nico
I have one additional question. Is a mixer used to stiffen the whipping cream, also is a mixer used when adding the cream cheese to the whipping cream mixture. Thanks!
Hi Carol,
Yes, and yes 🙂 I use a hand mixer for whipping the cream and for mixing in the cream cheese.
But when you add the cream cheese, mix for just a short minute so that the whipped cream won’t deflate.
Hope this helps!
Nico
This is an update from my November 5, 2023 comment. After allowing the cheesecake to set for 2 days, it turned out really good! The raspberry sauce was really good, and I got compliments on the mixed fruit with the mint. I don’t like cream cheese so I’d never had cheesecake, but this was really delicious! I will definately try this one again and try a different whipping cream.
Hi Carol, happy to hear that the cake finally firmed up 🥳
Maybe with a different whipping cream will firm up faster 🙂
The recipe instructions stated to whip the cream cheese, add the conf. sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Then add the whipping cream. I’m not sure what happened but it wasn’t fluffy like the recipe picture. It thickened a little but it doesn’t look like it will thicken to get firm enough to slice. I’m trying it for my dairy free daughter-in-law’s birthday who loves cheesecake. At best they may be able to spoon ot like a parfait and add fruit. I don’t think I will try the cheesecake again, vegan ingredients are too expensive these days.
Hi Carol,
yeah they are expensive indeed, and depending on the brand they might not work as advertised. It’s possible that your vegan whipped cream isn’t as firm as ours and that’s why the mixture isn’t fluffy as in the pictures. I’d probably freeze the cake for 30 minutes before serving to firm it up and being able to slice it. Alternatively, you can build single portion cheesecakes in small jars and serve with a spoon 🙂
I hope this helps.
Nico
Hi, I made this with both vegan heavy whip and coconut cream but in both recipes I had issue with lumps. I’m assuming this is the cream cheese, any advice? Very new to vegan recipes. Thank you!
Hi Janet,
Sorry to hear, it could be due to a variety of things:
1. When you mix the whipped cream and the cream cheese together, there could potentially be unmixed parts at the bottom of the bowl.
2. The cream cheese, whether vegan or non-vegan some brands tend to get “lumpy”. We’ve tried 3 different ones before we very happy with the texture.
3. The powdered sugar. Sometimes, powdered sugar grains stick together and create lumps (especially if humid outside).
I hope this helps a bit? All the best and happy cooking 🙂
Kindest,
Lousie
I had this problem as well. my coco-whip is pretty forgiving so I actually just whipped it in my stand mixer and it turned out nice and smooth.
Ciao Nico!
Ma quanto mi piace la Tua pagina, e’ bellissima! Volevo chiederti se sai per caso dove si puo’ comprare silken tofu e vegan cream cheese in Italia. Io abito a Roma, pero’ trovare questi prodotti qua, e’ quasi impossibile. 🙁
Ciaooo 🙂 Grazie millleeee! Allora, per il silken tofu a Roma lo trovi nei negozi Cinesi, li hanno veramente tanti tipi di tofu. Se proprio non lo trovi puoi anche prendere il tofu classico alla coop e frullarlo bene per renderlo molto liscio. Per il cream cheese, io lo prendo il valsoia alla coop o all’EMI (emisfero) ma ne trovi anche altri da NaturaSi. Ps. ho visto che hai lasciato il commento sulla pagina in Inglese, magari leggi la pagina in Italiano che li adatto la ricetta ai prodotti che trovo qui in Italia 🙂 C’è il link per cambiare lingua all’inizio della ricetta 🙂
Do you make an Italian cheesecake using your ricotta recipe? Or can you add it to this one somehow?
Hi Joy, I haven’t personally tried yet, but it should work adding it to this one instead of the cream cheese. I made a ricotta pie with my ricotta recipe. It’s kind of a baked Italian cheese cake with a thick crust. And you can even bake the crust and add the ricotta mix raw. It’s sooo good. Here’s the link in case you haven’t seen it yet: https://theplantbasedschool.com/vegan-ricotta-pie/
That looks amazing, I’m going to make it tonight. Thank you for posting the “mistakes” too, I appreciate that.
Thank you Belinda. Hope you like it 🙂