7-Ingredient Vegan Cheesecakes

I’ve made these about 7 times in the past 3 months. Everyone is obsessed with them! I always use sweetened almond milk in mine instead of coconut cream and they are wonderful – have yet to try with coconut cream. I also use almonds instead of walnuts in the base. My food processor is also not the best so I add 2-3 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter to the mix and it always makes the texture perfectly smooth. I don’t use parchment tabs to get them out, instead I run hot water under the metal base for 1-2 seconds and then put a knife down one side of a cheesecake, lift slightly and it slides out perfectly. I find mine are perfect to eat after 5-10 minutes out the freezer. Such a good recipe!!!

I wonder if I’ve cube trays would work for this.

Hi, unfortunately I have to follow a lowFODMAP diet so dates and cashews off limits – can other lower fructose substitute fruit be used for crust eg banana or peanuts or almonds for ‘cheese’ filling?

This is the best recipe EVER. I’m seriously obsessed with this cheesecake! Thank you!

Dana, I absolutely love each your website! You bring new life to those of us with food allergies so thank you!? In addition to dairy, I am also allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. After reading all of these rave reviews, I really want to try this recipe. Do you have any recommendations to substitute the nuts?

You are a godsend. I have been lactose intolerant for a long time. I would still splurge on the occasional cheesecake. Lately I had to be gluten and dairy free. I have save many of your recipes to try out one day. This one I’m particularly excited about. With my birthday around the corner, I just might have to try these sooner rather than later!

Can I use regular unsalted cashews for the vegan cheesecake instead of raw cashews?

I made these for a bridal shower and they were a hit! Non-vegans grabbed them up and gobbled them down. I made the filling plain, but then drizzled melted dark chocolate (vegan) and chopped almonds on top. So delicious.

I only have a jumbo muffin tin. Do you think k that would work? Thanks (:)

I made these today and they were fantastic.
Read her notes!! I used the coconut “cream” at the top of the can.
I also used aSILICONE MUFFIN PAN to freeze them; so much easier
and eco-friendly.

Thank you so much for this recipe! I am not a vegan but I could not resist trying this recipe after looking at your beautiful pictures and reading your Victoria’s Secrets-like description ; -)

I have made a green version with pistachios and a purple one with blueberries I blended together with the cashews cream. Both variations are beautiful and perfectly smooth and creamy ?.

I am going to try to get a crispy base layer next time by leaving some walnut and/or kosha chunks ?

Can i use regular blueberries

How long do these keep in the freezer?

Pretty good! I think I need to tweak the recipe though as I tasted a lot of cashew flavour…i wonder if you add vanilla essence it would work??

I was in a rush for making a dessert for a party tonight and neglected to read through all the directions. When I got to the “freeze for 4-6 hours” part, I freaked out. I ended up not bringing it to the event (and ate the whole delicious thing the next day) but for future reference, if I baked it would it still work?

Can these be made without oil?

I am not totally sure what went wrong when I tried this recipe but about 2 hours after leaving it to set, I noticed that the filling had solidified like ice and when i went to poke at it, it was like icecream that has melted and then was refrozen. Nothing like cheesecake at all and I don’t know where I went wrong exactly but I suspected that perhaps it was me having skipped the agave ingredient. An additional detail it might be important to mention is that when I blended the rest of the listed ingredients together, it was smooth but didnt look like ur mixture in the tins. It was gritty looking and you could still see the cashew particles. I am waiting for the last two hours although I know this isn’t like to have a dramatic turn around. I am so sad cause I was really looking forward to finding success in this. Any idea how I can fix this or just prevent it from happening ever again?

I used this recepie to make my very first vegan raw cheesecake. The result is more of a cheesecake Icecream, i would say, it melts and does not really feel like a cake. So we ate it as a vegan cashew icecream :) next time ill try to make something non-melting, because cake should not be as cold I think. Good alternative for icecream though! :)

I have all the ingredients ready to go, but I don’t have a muffin tin. Would a 8/9″ (?) round cake pan work? Super excited to try this recipe!

Hi
Looking forward to making your cheesecake for my youngest son who has allergies?
He is allergic to citrus?
Any substitution options?
Thank you…..love your recipes!

Just made these yesterday and everyone (no vegans in my house) loves them! I can’t wait to make them again -far better than paying $10/slice at my local vegan restaurant. Love you guys!

Is there a coconut oil substitute? That is the only ingredient I don’t have!

Hi! I only have roasted cashews. Will that work? Thanks!

Help! MY cheesecakes won’t pop out! I did the tabs and everything. I am waiting them to thaw right now since they froze overnight… any tips?

I made these two years ago and have been dreaming about them ever since. I made a batch today too, cannot wait for them to set! Moving back home for the summer allows me access to a bunch of nuts – without my bank account taking a major hit!

I made three with blueberry compote and the rest with a homemade cinnamon vanilla rhubarb compote as we have so much rhubarbs growing in our garden!
So so so delicious, thank you!

I would like to know after the cake is set and ready to serve. Does it melt like an ice cream cake or will it be stable and easy to cut at room temperature also can I add vegan cream cheese ?

This was the best cheesecake recipe even including real cheese recipes!!! I had never used coconut milk in a recipe before. This tasted just like real ice cream!! It had the consistency or texture of ice cream too!
I followed the recipe to the letter. Thank you for your work in developing the recipe! I’m very grateful. Keep up the great work!!

Sorry for he dumb question but. How do you actually get the little purple swirl? My blueberries just sat there. I tried to heat them up a little to get some purple juice? and that really didn’t work haha

Is the coconut milk from a can or the refrigerated kind?

I went with macadamias instead of the cashews and it came out fantastic! Great recipe!

When you say to scrape the cream off the top of the coconut milk, do you then use it in the recipe to make a crazier texture or discard it?
Carol

We made these this evening for a special treat since a vegan friend came over for dinner and she couldn’t believe it! Sent her home with your website on a slip of paper, hehe!

In reference to my tweaks above-

*1/4 cup of coconut oil

I also squeezed half a lemon into the filling and half a lemon into the crust.

My husband made this (whole cake style) for my birthday back in April and it was devine! He had some leftover ingredients so I decided to make some mini ones last night for our anniversary. I am very calorie obsessed and so I decided to lessen the calorie-blow. The cashew amount stayed the same, 1/3 of coconut oil, only 2 tbs of agave nectar, 1/2 cup of almond milk. For the crust part I halved the walnut and dates amount. I freezed them, made a wonderful raspberry topping and a bit of whipped topping and it was just as good (if not better lol) as my husband’s full fat/calorie cake. He loved them too. My lightened version made 13 mini cheesecakes in cupcake tins. I really like this recipe simply because it is so versatile. Love it! Thank you! The lighter version is 181 calories per mini and 13.2 grams of fat.

Ya It looks so good! You make me hungry and I will try to make it tomorrow. Thanks!

I’m allergic to coconut, is there any other day I could substitute with that’s not coconut oil?

Hi someone please help. I am going to make this Friday for my mums bday. Could I used rice malt syrup instead of agave ?

Hello,

Can you please create sugar free sweetener free treats? My palate has adjusted to really taste flavours and I very healthy but still like treats!

Also I ordered your book in the fall. When can I expect it here in Canada ?

Loved it ! Just made this for my boyfriend, and they are so delicious!

i’m looking to impress my vegan friend for her birthday and want to create a vegan birthday cheesecake. i just have a question about the “cheesecake filling”: does it generally taste like cashews? i’d like to modify the base recipe, but i want to know if the filling has a cashew-y or nutty taste before proceding with what i plan on doing. thanks in advance! i look forward to making more of what you got!

Looks delicious. Can you use soaked macadamia nuts instead of cashews? Thanksxx

I’ve only just become a vegan so have been missing the dairy products in my life but can totally confirm that these are incredible and completely hit the spot.

I was really surprised that they turned out so well. I wasn’t exactly sure how to puree it…I blended it in my food processor for like 2 minutes, but then there was still tiny little bits of cashew that hadn’t liquified yet…I just went with it and they still turned out awesome and smooth once frozen so don’t worry too much if this happens to you too :)

Awesome recipe Dana, thank you so much for running this blog!

Hi, thank you so much for this recipe can’t wait to try it. I have a cashew allergy and to must nuts except walnuts, can I use walnuts instead of the cashews for the filling?

Hi – we have a cashew allergy in our home. Is there an alternative to the cashews? Thanks!

Do I use culinary coconut milk or a canned coconut milk?

To serve, bring to room temp?

Just browsed through the article, so I may have missed this, but readers be aware that caramel isn’t vegan, and the recipe that this uses is not some magical vegan caramel sauce….dobtheyvhave those?…

Can this be put in regular pan versus the cupcake tin?

Could I Sub soaked sunflower seeds for the cashews and pumpkin seeds for the walnuts?
I am looking for a vegan cheesecake recipe for my husband who is allergic to tree nuts

Can I substitute almonds for cashews for the filling? I live in Ecuador and the only cashews I found at the supermarket were salted and like $20 for a little jar!!

Hi there
I made this but mine curdled/separated. The cashews were soaked for an hour but I couldn’t get the mixture smooth so I mixed for quite a while so the mixture separated and became like chunky cottage cheese. Does anyone have any advise? I’m dying to make it again.
Thanks Tammy

Hey,

If I don’t have a freezer, could it work if I put the cake in the regular refrigerator for over night?

Thank you!

Is it possible to over-soak cashews? I have begun to soak them with boiling water but I may need to leave them in there for over an hour just due to being busy. Thank you!

I’ve been on a gluten and dairy-free diet for about two years now, but I’ve been craving cheesecake like mad! I made these last Friday, and though I was a little sceptical, they turned out FANTASTIC. They taste so yummy! I put some blueberries in a few, and strawberries in a few, and left the rest plain. I love all three flavours, and so do other members of my family, who are not intolerant to dairy or gluten. Thanks so much for the easy, delicious recipe!

I also have a question about the coconut based products, as there are food intolerances in my family. Can I substitute the coconut oli for avocado oil, and the cake still hold its shape when it thaws?

Would it be possible to substitute the agave for xylitol or would that mess up the filling?

I’m concerned about the use of coconut based oil and milk, especially when coconut is grown in a way that puts a number of creatures at risk, in danger and possibly to extinction. I want to use almond milk and peanut oil but it won’t be creamy enough. What else can I add to the mix to give it the ‘creamy’ edge.

hi! I just made these and topped them with homemade lemon curd, it was DELICIOUS. If you make these, serve it with lemon curd please!!

I just tried this.?All loved it. Thanks for an awesome recipe

Hi Dana,

My whole family loves this recipe! And most of my family isn’t even remotely close to a plant based diet. They all doubted the “vegan cheesecakes” until they had a bite. They couldn’t get enough of them!!

And finally, MinimalistBaker is my only go-to place for recipes ever since I discover your website two months ago. You make switching to a plant based diet so easy and oh so delicious! Keep up the great work! From the bottom of my heart, thank you. God bless you and your family.

Made these as written, however discovered that my small kitchen aid food processor could not handle the dates and nuts at all so I ended up making a shortbred crust which I baked in the tins for 5 min.
The filling came out smooth as i have a strong blender, however i found the taste so-so. It was too sweet (used maple syrup), too intense for my taste, somewhat nauseating. I really wanted to like this and planned to serve it at a dinner party. I ended up making another dessert along this one instead….

I cannot have cashews. I’m devastated because it’s a staple in my vegan cooking and baking. Is there another nut that can be used or is that wishful thinking? Thanks

Made them. They came out so delicious. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.

Not a vegan, but I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for such a long time!
I’m very pleased with the results! Ran out of walnuts, so I substituted the rest with almonds. The cakes started softening rather quickly as I took them out of the tin, but the inner parts were still frozen, and thus had much more of a “cheesecake” taste. My SO said they tasted like coconut-y Reese’s cups, haha. For me, I think that second tablespoon was too much peanut butter- it overpowered the original taste.
Overall, it’s a great dessert, and I can’t wait to try out some more vegan recipes :-)

Hi Dana!

I just wanted to say I tried your recepie and they were delicious!! I made them with honey instead of agave and almonds instead of walnuts which you had suggested as alternatives. They were sooo insanely good!! Thank you for your amazing creativity and for sharing your recepies!

Hello Dana, I wanted to say thank you very much, I have hope again. I recently found myself lost at the grocery store found myself crying until I stumbled on your site. I’ve been ill this year with intestinal track and stomach issues severe colitis, diverticulitis, post infection, IBS, over active and gastinalitis they still can’t figure it out, they removed so much all seasons no nuts or seeds, gluten free, no dairy, no wheat rye or oats, low residual, no raw fruit veggies or meats, no sauces or chilly, no gassy veggies, and I’m sure im still leaving out stuff but as you can see why I am so lost crying specially sense I’ve been cooking with same traditional ingredients for past 43yrs having to re-learn. I gotta adjust the cheese cake a bit but OMGOODNESS how yummy. I really started to get depressed that I would ever find away to still eat my favorite foods and specially loving to cook or bake. Thank you very much God bless you. Please if you have any recipes that I can use or ideas info anything please email if you can you truly are hope in my life again a god send.

Success! As an avid baker who loves having friends over for afternoon tea, I was stressed about finding vegan, gluten free desserts I wanted to include. These were perfect. Easy and yummy. I followed a fellow reviwer’s advice and used patty pans, and avoided the sticky base problem. After freezing then spending some time in fridge, they unwrapped easily.

Thank you for the excellent article! I have these in the freezer right now, but instead of the suggested toppings above I’m trying banana and / or vegan chocolate. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Can you use unsweetened almond milk instead of the coconut milk?

Hi Dana, I stopped by to tell you that I’ve finally tried one of your recipes and my family and I really liked these vegan cheesecakes. I’m not a vegan, but I find vegan desserts intriguing. I made the recipe without the add-ins and they were awesome. I made them with maple praline syrup, but the taste was a bit overwhelming, so the next time, I’ll either go for regular maple syrup or cane syrup. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes and I look forward to trying more since these vegan cheesecakes turned out so delicious.

I’m craving cheesecake ever since I got to know I have an intolerance problem with dairy. I tried these yesterday and they turned out nice! I didn’t make flavoured ones but next time I will with berries. The only problem was that in the freezer they became too cold like an icecream sandwich but in the refrigerator they became too soft.

At what point do you spoon on the optional add ons? Before you freeze?

Just made these and they are soo cute! I am not vegan but am dedicated to eating a healthful natural food diet. They are tasty, maybe I should’ve let mine thaw a little more, as I was hoping for a cheesecake texture and would’ve preferred a crunchy crust as well. These are very chewy. An easy way to pop them out of the pan is to dip the individual bottoms of the muffin pan into a mug of hot water for a few seconds and lift out easily with a knife! Mine came out without any fuss!

Made these last night for my non vegan husband and friends and they were a big hit. No one can really believe they have no cheese and no dairy in them. Instead of the suggested toppings I just added some cherry preserves and a few sprinklings of the leftover crust on top. I didn’t grease the muffin tins or use the parchment paper technique because I already had non stick pans, and they came out very easily when frozen. As they thawed they do tend to fall apart when you’re prying them out, so best to remove them when still frozen. Very good! Can’t wait to try the chocolate ones.

I made these a few days ago with berry jam drizzled on top and a pecan-date crust. They certainly looked awesome and tasted super delicious, but I felt the sugar to lemon juice ratio was a bit off. Also they have to be eaten very quickly because otherwise they melt! I think I’ll make smaller ones in a mini muffin tin next time, maybe with chocolate drizzled on top :)
Thanks for the recipe and inspiration!

For those who, like me, have limited freezer space, my cheat on these ‘vegan’ cheesecakes that require freezing is to use gelatin. I add a bit (eyeball it). It looks like this recipe makes about a dozen so I would probably add one and a half teaspoons. I’d add it to the lemon juice to soften and blend in and then add it to the blender ingredients. I’ve used it in many ‘vegan’ recipes. Yes, I know it’s not vegan but neither am I. I can’t do dairy in any form……….so it’s a good solution that adds health benefits for our connective tissues. I haven’t made these (yet) so play around with the amount till you get it right but for a large cheesecake, I use a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half……….so for this size recipe I’d use one to two teaspoons. I overdid it one time and my end product was delicious but very stiff. LOL. People ate it all though and I didn’t bring any leftovers home from that potluck. Always sad when I don’t bring at least one piece home. :)

Looks yummy. I am not sure which coconut oil to use. I assume I use the virgin coconut oil, but there is also an expellar pressed refined coconut oil (no virgin) that does not have a coconut taste. Thank you.

I think I goofed and I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong. I don’t cook with coconut milk much (except in curries) so I may have purchased the wrong thing. I bought So Delicious Brand Culinary coconut milk. I chose it because it was in the baking section vs the cooking section. And…it came in a carton vs. a can. When I opened it, it was very thick so I thought that was good because you refer to scooping the thick part off the top of the milk. But – I’m not sure it is the same as the coconut milk you call for here because mine did not taste sweet or anything like cheese cake. They were creamy but tasted like bland nuts :o( I’d love to try it again.

Please consider using a healthier sweetener than Agave nectar. It does liver damage and causes miscarriages in pregnant women.

OMG this recipe has ignited a new found passion for making & eating raw desserts. I adapted the recipe a little and made it a cake to take to a friends for Australia Day party, I had so much amazing feedback and I was so proud how it turned out. I actually posted the cake and recipe on my blog with thanks to this original recipe Dana. I look forward to trying lots more variations of this super easy recipe. Thanks again x

These were absolutely delicious, and so very easy to make, too. Thank you for sharing your recipe! Everyone absolutely loved these. Thank you!

So I decided to make my boyfriend a key lime cheesecake, because he LOVES key lime. Since going vegan it has been a nightmare trying to find a good one (Daiya’s is horrific). I used the recipe for your filling using key lime instead of lemon and made a crust using graham crackers and Earth Balance. Oh. My. Lord. I couldn’t taste the cashews at all and it was super creamy. I am crazy excited to try out different flavor combinations. Thank you for your recipes and dedication to your blog, I am always excited to see what you come out with next! *cough cough* vegan wonton soup *cough cough*

BEST EVER! Love it! Better than the real cheesecake thank you for sharing!!

My friend and I aren’t vegan but we absolutely loved making these glorious cheesecakes! Alas, the title is quite misleading as there is no cheese in them. However, we have a solution! Call them Glorious Cakes because that is what they are! Cheers for the fun we had!
P.S. If you are keen to makes these Glorious Cakes, we recommend that you definately stick to using a food processor, not a hand mixer, as ours decided to explode midway through mixing! HAHAHA good times :)

Hi, is soaking cashews explained on your site somewhere… didnt find anything. Have never soaked nuts before so dont know what a quick soak is (or a long soak for that matter LOL)… thanks!

I am making these for a work party and would like to know how they are stored and how long they last…..and if they are to be kept in the freezer then transferred into the fridge once set and if they fall apart being out of cold temperatures for say an hour and a half?

Sorry for the bombard of questions. :)

xx

Hi! I´ve got question ´bout coconut milk Do you think it would be possible to do this with almond milk?? Because I wana suprise my boyfriend and he´s not the biggest fan of coconut, though he loves almond milk. Do you think I would screw it all if I use almond milk??
And another question. Would it make a difference, if I made it in normal size of cake??
Thanks for recipe, and answer!

Hi! I would love to try this, but I’m allergic to pitted dates. What’s a good substitute? Thanks! Also, I made your vegan meatballs recently. Delish!

Thank you, thank you. thank you!!!

I had NEVER seen vegan cheesecake so I decided to try it; it is SO YUMMY! Thank you so much for what you do =)

btw, my best friend ( who isnt super excited about vegan food) got up extra early, just so she could eat the rest of the cheesecake bites before everyone woke up.

Omg! I love your blog! I’m a Finnish vegan and I think this blog is the absolutely best non-Finnish (mostly) vegan blog I have ever found – ml’s used, simple ingredients with tips how to sub expensive stuff like coconut oil and simple ingredients! Why didn’t I find this blog yesterday while I was totally freaking out trying to find something to bake for my mom?! She can’t have any glutein, soy or inulin and it was really hard to find a simple but delicious recipe with no special ingredients I can’t afford/find easily from a super market.

I just have few questions about this recipe. I don’t have a food processor or a blender, so could I just use immersion blender for the dates and almond flour instead of blending the almonds? I read some of the comments and some suggested using a knife for soaked dates, so I guess immersion blender would be fine. I already have almond flour in my cupboard so it would be easy. How much almond flour should I use?

Hi, I recently made this and it was good but gritty? What did I do wron

Going off of someone’s earlier comment about substituting for the coconut milk- could I just add an equivalent amount of cashews in order to make up for the creaminess? Or maybe tofu?
Thanks!

I made these for a house party/fundraiser. Thanks for the recipe because we raised $2000 for a rescue duck sanctuary. All of the food and drinks were vegan btdubs. Stay cool!

The best cheesecake. I made this (along with Shephards pie) for Thanksgiving dinner and my family loved it. Thanks,

My sister made the blueberry cheesecakes for my birthday. They were so delish!! Wondering if I could make a full size cheese cake with this recipe? Has anyone tried this? Want to make this for my son’s first “birthday cake”. Thanks!

Would it be okay to use almond milk instead of the coconut milk?

Love this recipe! How can you make/find a caramel filling that is vegan? Thanks!

Yes!!! Thank you for this recipe. I’m dealing with a bunch of food sensitivities right now, so this was a great and super easy dessert for my Thanksgiving meal. I used dates & walnuts for the crust, and parchment muffin liners. I also soaked the cashews overnight and they blended up great. The filling, WOW. So delicious!! I split the batch into 3 flavors – plain, some with chocolate chips, and some with pumpkin butter swirled in. Yum!

Hi! Can I use homemade coconut milk? Because here in Argentina just a can is extremely expensive :p

Will this recipe make a whole cheesecake? Will I have to double the recipe?