Easy No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake
This no-bake vegan cheesecake recipe is made in your food processor with Tofutti® vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, lemon juice, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and refined coconut oil blended together and set in a graham cracker crust. This simple recipe is the real deal and perfect for first time cheesecake makers – it doesn’t even require a springform pan! It’s the ideal no-bake cheesecake recipe for summertime when you don’t even want to think about opening your oven door.
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I love cheesecake in all its forms…and it can take on so many forms! It always thought it was the fanciest dessert when I was growing up and it was ALWAYS one of my favorites. And I know that some cheesecake recipes can be complicated, but now that I’ve got this recipe for no-bake vegan cheesecake, I plan on enjoying cheesecake a lot more often again.
You should probably plan on that too! This decadent vegan cheesecake tastes so good and has the absolute best texture. It may just be the best vegan cheesecake you’ve had!
This classic-style, no-bake cheesecake is made vegan using a few easy swaps and simple ingredients but tastes every bit as fluffy and fantastic as the original, and no need to turn on the oven! We also swapped in some simpler methods like using a food processor instead of a mixer to create a thick luscious texture you’ll want to keep eating and eating.
Perfect for serving just plain “as is” or with summer fruit, topped with dessert cherries, fresh berries (or a simple blueberry compote or berry sauce in a small saucepan made from frozen berries with a little sugar and lemon zest). You’re going to love this creamy and delicious no-bake vegan cheesecake for your next gathering!
Why is this the best cheesecake?
- It’s SUCH an easy vegan cheesecake recipe: No-cook. No baking time. No raw cashews. Just blend, pour, and chill!
- It’s customizable. Use this recipe as-is for a traditional, creamy vegan cheesecake, or utilize it as a base for any vegan cheesecake dream you can dream. Vegan pumpkin cheesecake or chocolate cheesecake, or even little cheesecake bars, anyone?
- The texture is *heart-eye emojis*. I am in LOVE with the texture of this vegan cheesecake recipe. It’s light and fluffy but also creamy and indulgent. And the best part: NO ONE is going to be able to tell it’s vegan!
Pin this cheesecake recipe for later!
No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake Ingredients
You’ll need a prepared graham cracker crust for this recipe. You can either make your own with our homemade graham cracker crust recipe or check out the vegan-friendly options at your local grocery store.
The options may surprise you! Look out for things like added dairy or honey, but many popular brands (like Keebler’s and Shoprite store brand) are “accidentally” vegan!
For the dairy-free cheesecake filling, you’ll need:
- Tofutti cream cheese – We love Tofutti cream cheese for this recipe (plus it’s made locally in New Jersey!). You can also use your favorite vegan, dairy-free cream cheese, just make sure you’re using a plain cream cheese and not some weird chive flavored one.
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice – We used fresh, but bottled will also work!
- Vanilla extract – Always try to use a quality vanilla extract for best flavor
- Vegan butter – For easy measuring, we like to use the Plant Butter sticks from Country Crock! Earth Balance also makes these sticks.
- Refined coconut oil – Make sure you’re using coconut oil that’s labeled “refined” and NOT one labeled “unrefined” or “virgin”. Refined coconut oil has no flavor of smell. If your vegan cheesecake comes out with a heavy coconut flavor, this is where you went wrong.
Substitution Options for Vegan Cheesecake Recipe (Tofutti)
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the above ingredients, here are our best substitution tips. Remember substituting any of the ingredients may lead to a (not always pleasant) change in the final product. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work out for you!
For the vegan cream cheese: You could use another brand (like Kite Hill) or even a homemade vegan cream cheese if preferred, just make sure it has a neutral and not savory flavor. Potentially, vegan sour cream could be used here, but the texture would be a bit softer.
For the powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is best for this recipe, but you could potentially use organic cane sugar or perhaps even raw sugar. I would stay away from brown sugar, coconut sugar, and date sugar because they could alter the color of the final cheesecake. Maple syrup could be an option, but you’d have to play around with the amounts and remember liquid sweetener would affect the final texture making it less firm.
For the lemon juice: If you don’t have lemon juice, mellow white miso paste could also work.
For the vanilla extract: If you don’t have vanilla extract, unsweetened vanilla protein powder could work in a pinch!
Vegan Butter Options: You could get by with using just refined coconut oil instead of the butter / oil blend, but I haven’t tried this. I think it would yield a slightly different texture and flavor.
For the coconut oil: I wouldn’t recommend skipping this. You could potentially replace all of the refined coconut oil with vegan butter, but the final texture would probably be much softer.
How to Make Dairy Free Cheesecake
STEP 1 – MAKE THE FILLING: Add all the filling ingredients to a Vitamix or food processor and mix on high, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, for 2-4 minutes until the mixture is creamy and shiny.
STEP 2 ASSEMBLE AND CHILL: Use a large rubber spatula to scrape the filling into a vegan-friendly graham cracker crust and spread into an even layer, using the rubber spatula to swirl the filling into a circular pattern for aesthetics. Cover and refrigerate until the filling is firm and cold, about 8 hours.
How to Serve Vegan Cheese Cake
Cut the vegan cheese cake into wedges with a clean, sharp knife. You should wipe the knife off with a small, wet towel between slices. (You should really do this when cutting all cakes, pies, etc)
Carefully slide a pie server under the crust, making sure it reaches all the way to the tip of the wedge, and carefully pull upward. The first slice is always the most difficult and messy to remove, so take your time with that one!
TOPPINGS: You can serve this vegan cheesecake recipe (Tofutti) as-is or cover the top of the cheesecake with fresh strawberries, cherry pie filling, shaved dark chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, or crushed peppermint candies around the holidays would be nice!
How to Store Leftover Cheesecake
IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover vegan cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to a week.
IN THE FREEZER: Leftover slices can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks. I prefer to freeze the pie in slices rather than as a whole because it defrosts faster. Plus, I can just pull out what I need and leave the rest in the freezer for next time!
TO DEFROST: Defrost frozen cheesecake slices in the fridge until thawed through which can take several hours.
When you make this easy vegan cheesecake recipe with Tofutti, we’d love to hear what you thought of the recipe!
Leave a star rating and comment below, so we can cheer you on. It also helps more people find our recipes, which we SO appreciate!
Cheers, friend!
More No-Bake Vegan Dessert Recipes
Easy No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 2 8-ounce packages Tofutti cream cheese*
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CRUST
Instructions
- MAKE THE FILLING: Add all the filling ingredients to a food processor and mix on high, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, for 2-4 minutes until the mixture is creamy and shiny. That shiny part is key!
- ASSEMBLE AND CHILL: Use a large rubber spatula to scrape the filling into a vegan-friendly graham cracker crust and spread into an even layer, using the rubber spatula to swirl the filling into a circular pattern if desired (for aesthetics.) Cover and refrigerate until the filling is firm and cold, about 6-8 hours.
- SERVE: Serve as-is or top with fresh fruit and cut into wedges with a large sharp knife, rinsing the knife under warm water between slices. Carefully slide a pie server under the crust of the first slice, making sure it reaches all the way to the tip of the wedge in the center of the pie plate. Lift the slice up and out of the pie gently and serve. The first slice will be the most difficult and messy to remove.
- STORE: Store leftover vegan cheesecake covered in the fridge for up to a week. Leftover slices can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 8 weeks. Defrost frozen cheesecake slices in the fridge until thawed through which can take several hours.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Click here to watch our Creamy Dairy Free Cheesecake Recipe Web Story.
