Vegan Maple Cashew Cheesecake

Vegan Maple Cheesecake
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This vegan, gluten-free maple cashew cheesecake is SO creamy and smooth, perfect for traditional cheesecake lovers!

There are so many ways now to make a vegan cheesecake, and I wanted to give it a try. I’m not a huge fan of store bought vegan cream cheese, and wanted to see if I could obtain a super creamy texture by using cashews. I’m so happy to say that this version is super creamy, and has a slight tang from the soy yogurt and lemon juice. 

Vegan Maple Cheesecake

Super Creamy Texture

By soaking cashews overnight in water, they will soften and become much easier to blend. If you’re in a time crunch, try soaking in boiling water for 4-6 hours. Having a high speed blender or food processor will be really helpful to get a super smooth and creamy texture for a cheesecake without dairy.

Non-Dairy Options

I chose to use unsweetened soy yogurt and unsweetened soy milk to add to the creamy texture and tangy flavor, but you can sub for coconut yogurt, or your favorite non-dairy yogurt and milk.

Kind of No-Bake Cheesecake

The gluten-free crust is baked to make a stable base, but it’s soft and not crunchy. The filling is a no-bake cheesecake style, and is poured directly over the fully baked crust. 

Vegan Maple Cheesecake

Vegan Gelatin?

I used the Druid Grove brand of vegan gelatin. It works perfectly and doesn’t require boiling for activation. I like it because it creates a smoother gel compared to agar, it dissolves easily into the liquid, and thickens almost immediately. It helps to stabilize the final product for a super soft and creamy cheesecake. I blend it with a few teaspoons of brown sugar to help it evenly disperse in the liquid. You can find it on Amazon, or buy directly from a site like Modernist Pantry.

Fall Flavors

I used maple here for the sweetener because fall is here! I’m not ready for pumpkin yet, but maple, vanilla and cocoa make a warm and delicious combination perfect for september. If you don’t have maple syrup, agave will work fine here. 

Vegan Maple Cheesecake

Decoration

I reserved some of the filling, and added a teaspoon of purple carrot powder to make it purple. It creates a beautiful and natural way to add some color, and doesn’t have any additional flavor. If you wanted to use blueberries or strawberries to give additional flavor and color, just blend them with the reserved filling and add to the top of the plain filling. 

Now that I have this plain base figured out, I’m so excited to create other flavors of vegan cheesecake! What’s your favorite flavor? Let me know in the comments!

About Danielle

I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Master of Applied Gastronomy: Culinary Arts graduate with a passion for pastry. After years of working in food and nutrition PR and communications, I turned my passion for all things culinary into a career. Now, I create plant-based recipes (mostly desserts) and share the art and science of making delicious recipes without eggs, dairy or gelatin for the home cook and pro. 

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