This vegan pumpkin cheesecake is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It’s decadent and totally luxurious. It’s also not too sweet which I hate about most desserts. The savoriness of the cream cheese and buttery crust in combination with the pumpkin puree and fragrant spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove make this cheesecake incredibly rich in flavor. And although the assembly is quite simple, the instructions require lots of attention. So if you want to make this, you must slow down and enjoy the process. By rushing, you will make mistakes and affect the results in a negative way, so please take a chill pill. (Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.)
One of the key ingredients in this pumpkin cheesecake is coconut cream for its rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Notice in the above image, if you place a can in the fridge for a few hours, the cream separates and rises to the top. You simply scrape the cream off with a spoon to use. You’ll want to hang on to the remaining liquid, as you’ll use some of it to loosen the batter when blending, about 1/2 cup.
IMPORTANCE OF THE WATER BATH FOR CHEESECAKES
In the past, I’ve had cheesecakes come out perfect without using a water bath. But sometimes the cracks still came. Is it a huge deal? No, but it’s not very pretty. So after lots of trial and error, I found that baking the cheesecake in a water bath makes for the best cheesecake with perfect results. It is an extra step that requires more work, but the water bath creates a moist environment while baking and also cooks the cake slowly and evenly. The results are firm yet creamy and completely crack free. And to be extra careful, I let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked so there isn’t a rapid temperature change which also creates cracks. Might as well, right?
HOW TO MAKE THE CRUST
The other reason why I love this recipe is for the crust. And although I think a crust made with only with graham crackers is just fine, a graham cracker crust with oats is even better. Once baked, the oats become toasty and nutty. That in combination with vegan butter, and a little bit of coconut oil leaves you with the perfect foundation for this cheesecake.
This is a lovely recipe to make for the holidays. Your family and friends will absolutely love it and everyone will be super impressed. The best part? It stores in the fridge beautifully! I kept this one in the fridge for 5 days, tightly wrapped, and it was amazing. It actually becomes better with time! I’ve also frozen one before and the results were great as well. The point I’m trying to make is that you can absolutely make this in advance so you’re not scrambling. Because the cake must set in the fridge overnight, you kind of have to make it in advance, which I think is a good thing. Preparation is key with this one folks.
INTERESTED IN TRYING SOME OTHER DELICIOUS DESSERTS?
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If you do try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. It greatly helps the health of my site and makes me oh so happy to read. Thank you for being here and happy baking, y’all.
-Timothy
Ingredients
1 sleeve graham crackers (about 2 cups crumbled)
½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
2 cups raw cashews, soaked in boiling water
2 (8 oz) packages vegan cream cheese (16 oz total), room temperature
½ cup reserved coconut water (from the cans below), plus more if needed
2 cups of coconut cream (2 cans full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated)
1 cup organic sugar (or vanilla-infused sugar)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated or ground)
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a 9” springform pan to prevent sticking. Using your fingers, spread a tablespoon or two of plant butter around the edges of the pan to prevent sticking.
- Pulse graham crackers and oats in a food processor until they become small crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and mix with coconut oil and plant butter. Press into the bottom of the springform pan (using the back of a spoon if needed) and refrigerate until ready to pour in the batter. No baking required!
- The cashews need to be raw and soaked in boiling water for about 15 minutes to soften them. Drain the water and place cashews, vegan cream cheese, coconut cream + ½ cup reserved coconut water, vanilla sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, salt, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves together in a high-speed blender. Make sure to use the mixing wand and start at a low speed, slowly turning up. Once ingredients are incorporated, scrape down the sides and blend on high. If needed, add a few splashes of reserved coconut water to help thin out the batter (be careful not to add too much or the cheesecake will be soft, you need just enough to be able to blend the thick batter). Blend until very smooth, making sure the cashews are broken down and creamy.
- Remove crust from the fridge and wrap a large piece of tin foil tightly around the outside of the cheesecake to prevent the water bath from getting into the cake. Pour in the batter and drop gently, a few times, on the counter to release the air bubbles. Smooth out the top with a spatula so that it looks pretty. Place the pan into a large baking dish and place on the middle shelf of a preheated oven. Carefully fill the dish with hot water until it comes halfway up the springform pan. Bake in the oven for 1½ hours, until the top is slightly browned and the cake is firm.
- Once done, do not remove from the oven! Turn off the oven, crack the door open slightly and let cheesecake cool inside the oven for about 45 minutes. This also prevents the top from cracking as it cools. Transfer to the counter until cooled completely. Finally, tightly wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours) or up to 6 days.
- When ready to serve, run a sharp knife around outside of the cake, if needed. Gently remove outside ring of the springform pan, slice, and serve.
notes
For the coconut milk, I like to use Whole Foods Organic Full Fat Coconut Milk or Thai Kitchen Full Fat Coconut Milk.
To make this recipe cheaper, buy raw cashew pieces. They are cheaper than the whole variety and, since you are blending them up, it doesn’t matter.
For the parchment paper-lined bottom of the pan, I work with the whole sheet and close the springform pan around it. Then, using scissors, I cut the excess paper away creating a circle.
This recipe was adapted from the Vegan as Fork cheesecake recipe on YouTube.
22 comments
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts but I have yet to make a vegan version! I need to try yours!
Merry Christmas Timmy!
This looks SO GOOD and I love the artwork ?
Thank you!
I haven’t made this, I definitely will be making it but mostly I’m here to say Merry Christmas and a magical 2020 to you, the original booger, our Main Booger ??
Hey booger! Thank you. 🙂
This looks amazing! How much vanilla should there be? It’s mentioned in the instructions but not the ingredients
OMG! Good catch. 1 tablespoon and I just updated the recipe. Thank you!
I made this & it was amazing! Thanks so much!
Yay! Thank you!
This is similar to my go to pumpkin cheesecake. Because my husband is diabetic I use granulated monkfruit sugar (1-1). I use 4 vegan cr cheeses, soft silken tofu and a splash of cashew milk replaces the eggs. Your methodology of water bath and leaving in turned off oven I also use. I just don’t tell folks the cheesecake is sugar free and vegan. I take it to potlucks all the time. They all LOVE it ?
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it. 🙂
Last year I made your Blueberry Cheesecake and it was amazing! This year, I’m going to try the Pumpkin one. Do you think almond-based cream cheese is needed for this cheesecake as well? Or will any type do? TIA!
Any type will do!
Made this for a Thanksgiving full of omnivores. It was my first cheesecake attempt ever. It was the hit of the evening!!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
yay!!! Thank you!
This cheesecake was incredible! I didn’t have a dish large enough for the water bath so I did get some cracks, but the taste and texture were incredible nonetheless. Perfect sweetness level too. Thanks for the recipe!
Anisha! Thank you so much for letting me know. Love following you on the gram! Happy holidays. -t
I made this last Thanksgiving and it was and is my alltime favorite vegan dessert.
Tina! That makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you. Lots of love, t
My daughter has chosen your pumpkin cheesecake (something I’ve made for the last three Thanksgivings) for her birthday cake the second year in a row 😂 You are truly beloved in this household. Thank you!!!
Erin! This makes me so happy!! I really appreciate your time and am so happy to have you here. Please tell the fam hello and talk soon! xoxo T