Vegan Baked Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

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This Vegan Baked Cheesecake (New York Cheesecake) is seriously rich and creamy and has a crunchy, "buttery" crust. It's perfectly sweet, a little tangy and just as good as the real thing! It's easy to make with simple ingredients and is gluten-free and refined sugar free too. A great make-ahead dessert for any occasion!

A sliced vegan baked cheesecake topped with wild strawberries and strawberry flowers

I've made no-bake vegan cheesecakes before (like this Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake and this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, but this is the first time I've made a Vegan Baked Cheesecake. It took a lot of testing and trial and error, but I finally got the taste and texture I wanted!

What is New York Cheesecake?

There are many different types of baked cheesecake, including Japanese baked cheesecake and burnt Basque cheesecake, but this one is a New York-style baked cheesecake.

New York-style cheesecake consists of a buttery crust topped with a dense, rich, smooth and creamy cheesecake filling.

Can you make baked cheesecake without eggs?

Eggs are a crucial ingredient in traditional baked cheesecakes, so it might sound impossible to make one without eggs! However, it is possible to make an egg-free cheesecake: the firming agent in this cheesecake is cornflour (cornstarch), which means the cheesecake filling holds together without having to use eggs.

Do you need to cook baked cheesecake in a water bath?

Baked cheesecake is often cooked in a water bath, which means putting the cheesecake in a baking tray filled with hot water, so the steam cooks the cheesecake too. I tried making this with both methods and the results didn't vary much either way, so I went for the non-water bath method as it's easier.

Do you need to leave baked cheesecake in the oven with the door open to cool down?

Usually baked cheesecake is left in the oven with the door open slightly so that it cools down slowly, which means the surface of the cheesecake doesn't crack, which can happen if there is a sudden drop in temperature.

However, I didn't think that was necessary for this vegan baked cheesecake as the ingredients are different from the traditional version, which means it already does crack on the surface while baking.

What type of tofu should you use for vegan baked cheesecake?

You must use soft, silken tofu for this cheesecake recipe, NOT firm tofu!

The cheesecake filling

I experimented with lots of different ways to make the cheesecake filling, and I discovered that the best combination was cashew nuts and tofu. Cashew nuts add richness whilst tofu creates a light, creamy texture, and they're both good sources of protein too.

And don't worry, it doesn't taste of tofu, which took me several attempts to get right! The taste of soy is masked by the cashew nuts and lemon juice.

The crust

Inspired by my Vegan Shortbread Cookies, I used a combination of ground almonds (almond meal or almond flour) and brown rice flour for the crust. The ground almonds create a crumbly texture, whilst the brown rice flour creates a crispy, crunchy texture.

Why brown rice flour?

You can use white rice flour or gluten-free flour, but I found the texture was much better with brown rice flour. If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.

How to make the crust

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

Mix together the ingredients for the crust in a glass mixing bowl.

Raw baked cheesecake crust dough in a glass bowl

Transfer the dough to a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin.

Tip: Line the bottom and sides of the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the cheesecake afterwards.

Use your fingers to push the dough all the way to the edges, then use the bottom of a glass (make sure to use one with a flat bottom!) to press down on it until the surface is completely even.

Raw vegan baked cheesecake crust in a round springform baking tin lined with baking paper

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes - you'll be baking this again so you don't want to over-bake at this stage!

Vegan baked cheesecake crust in a round springform baking tin lined with baking paper

How to make the cheesecake filling

Place the cashew nuts, tofu, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornflour (cornstarch) and vanilla in a food processor or blender.

Tip: Make sure the cashew nuts are soaked to make them easier to blend. Soak them overnight in cold water or in boiling water for at least 15 minutes.

Cashew nuts, silken tofu, lemon juice and maple syrup in a food processor

Whizz until completely smooth.

Tip: You will have to mix it around a few times to make it easier to blend up.

Blended up cheesecake filling in a food processor

Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.

Tip: Gently tap the baking tin on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles.

Raw cheesecake filling in a springform baking tin

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until the surface is golden brown. It will be a bit jiggly when you take it out, but will firm up as it cools.

Golden brown vegan baked cheesecake in a springform baking tin

Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the baking tin and slicing, putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Tips for making this recipe

Make sure to bake the crust and the filling at different oven temperatures - you'll need to bake the filling at a lower temperature to ensure it cooks evenly without burning.
I'd recommend using a springform baking tin with a clasp, which makes it much easier to remove the cheesecake from the baking tin.
Make sure to line the bottom and sides of the baking tin with baking paper to make the cheesecake easier to remove from the baking tin.
You'll want to remove the cheesecake from the oven when it's turned a golden brown colour, but make sure to watch that it doesn't burn.
The cheesecake will still be soft enough to jiggle a bit in the middle when you remove it from the oven - it will firm up as it cools down.
The cheesecake will sink a bit as it cools down - this is normal, so don't worry about this.
Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the baking tin and slicing, putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

How long does this keep for?

This cheesecake tastes best eaten on the day or the day after it’s made, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

A slice of vegan baked cheesecake on a plate with a fork

Substitutions you can make

You can replace the coconut oil with coconut butter.
You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
The ground almonds (almond meal) can be replaced with ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds.
You can replace the brown rice flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.
You can replace the cornflour (cornstarch) with arrowroot.
You can replace the tofu with a thick plant-based yogurt, but the texture is better with tofu.

Substitutions to be careful of

You can use white rice flour or gluten-free flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.
You must use silken tofu, NOT firm tofu.

Topping ideas

This cheesecake is delicious by itself, but you can add some toppings if you like:

Fresh fruit.
Coconut whipped cream.
Sliced baked apples.
Vegan lemon curd.
Vegan caramel sauce.
Fruit compote or sauce - you could use the blueberry sauce from my vegan blueberry cheesecake recipe.

A slice of vegan baked cheesecake on a plate with a fork cutting off the end

More vegan dessert recipes

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make this recipe

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