Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake is rich and creamy, subtly spiced, and covered in a silky salted caramel sauce. It's perfectly sweet, a little tangy and has a crunchy, "buttery" crust! It's gluten-free and refined sugar free too. A great make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

This Pumpkin Cheesecake was inspired by my Vegan Baked Cheesecake and No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipes. The cheesecake filling is made using a combination of cashew nuts and tofu: cashew nuts add richness whilst tofu creates a light, creamy texture.

And don't worry, it doesn't taste of tofu - it doesn't contain much, just enough to create a silky texture! Plus, the taste of soy is masked by the cashew nuts, lemon juice and pumpkin purée.

What type of tofu should you use?

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

How to make this recipe

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

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

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

• Place cashew nuts, tofu, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornflour (cornstarch), vanilla and spices 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.

• Whizz until completely smooth.

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

• 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.

• 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.

• Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely, keeping it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before removing it from the baking tin (and pouring over the caramel sauce, if using).

Tips for making the cheesecake

• 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. 
• 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 pouring over the caramel sauce, if using), putting it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Tips for making the vegan salted caramel sauce

• Only make this caramel sauce once the cheesecake has been kept in the fridge for at least 2 hours and removed from the tin and is ready for the sauce to be poured over.
• Mix very well before turning on the heat, ensuring that the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely - otherwise the sauce will clump up as you heat it.
• Cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and bubbling gently.
• Pour the sauce over the top of the cheesecake immediately - otherwise it will firm up as it cools and won’t be pourable.
• Leave the sauce to cool slightly and firm up before slicing the cheesecake  - otherwise you will end up with a gooey mess!

How long does this keep for?

This Pumpkin Cheesecake keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

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.
• You can use shop-bought pumpkin purée or make your own.
• You can replace the pumpkin purée with sweet potato purée.
• You can omit the mixed spice.

Substitutions to be careful of:

• You can use white rice flour or gluten-free flour for the crust, but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.

More vegan dessert recipes

• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Apple Crumble Bars
• Coconut Macaroons
• Lemon Bars
• Strawberry Trifle
• Sugar Cookies
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Yule Log
• Coffee Cake
• Blueberry Crumble Bars
• Lemon Pudding
• Pumpkin Bars
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Pumpkin Loaf Cake

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.

Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake is rich and creamy, subtly spiced, and covered in a silky salted caramel sauce. It's perfectly sweet, a little tangy and has a crunchy, "buttery" crust!

4.63 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake, vegan baked cheesecake, vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 280kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the crust:

• ▢ 15 g (1 tablespoon) coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
• ▢ 40 g (⅓ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• ▢ 40 g (¼ cup) brown rice flour ** (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• ▢ Pinch salt

For the filling:

• ▢ 150 g (1 cup) raw cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• ▢ 150 g (5.3 oz) silken tofu *** (NOT firm tofu)
• ▢ 180 g (¾ cup) tinned pumpkin purée
• ▢ 10 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
• ▢ 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 3 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch) (or sub arrowroot)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mixed spice to taste (or sub pumpkin pie spice or a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger

For the caramel sauce (optional):

• ▢ 90 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened cashew milk (or sub any other type of plant-based milk)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch) (or sub arrowroot)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon smooth almond butter (or sub cashew butter or pecan butter)
• ▢ Pinch salt

Instructions

For the crust:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave
• Add the maple syrup, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well – add a splash of any plant-based milk if it’s looking too dry to combine
• Transfer the dough to a round springform baking tin (I used a 18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin) – 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
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes – you’ll be baking this again so you don’t want to over-bake at this stage!

For the filling:

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Drain the soaked cashew nuts
• Place the cashew nuts, tofu, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, lemon juice, cornflour (cornstarch), vanilla, mixed spice and ginger in a food processor or blender
• Whizz until completely smooth – you will have to mix it around a few times to make it easier to blend up
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth
• Gently tap the baking tin on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until surface is golden brown – it will be a bit jiggly when you take it out, but will firm up as it cools
• Make sure to leave the cheesecake to cool completely, keeping it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before removing it from the baking tin (and pouring over the caramel sauce, if using)

For the caramel sauce (optional):

• Only make this caramel sauce once the cheesecake has been kept in the fridge for at least 2 hours and removed from the tin and is ready for the sauce to be poured over
• Place all the ingredients in a pan
• Mix very well before turning on the heat, ensuring that the cornflour (cornstarch) has dissolved completely - otherwise the sauce will clump up as you heat it
• Cook on a medium heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and bubbling gently
• Pour the sauce over the top of the cheesecake immediately - otherwise it will firm up as it cools and won’t be pourable
• Leave the sauce to cool slightly and firm up before slicing the cheesecake - otherwise you will end up with a gooey mess!
• 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

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour.

**You can use white rice flour but the texture is much better with brown rice flour.

***You can replace the tofu with a thick plant-based yogurt, but the texture is better with tofu. 

• Top tips:
  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.
• The cheesecake will sink a bit as it cools down – this is normal, so don’t worry about this.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 280 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 3g15%

Sodium 8mg0%

Potassium 301mg9%

Carbohydrates 36g12%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 3502IU70%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 66mg7%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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