This vegan cheesecake is the best ever! It’s rich and creamy and topped with a salted caramel fudge sauce. So much like the ‘real thing’ you will hardly believe it.
I am so excited to share this recipe for vegan cheesecake with you. It is so good, sensational really.
Topped with a salted caramel fudge sauce and some sprinkled sea salt it is the perfect contrast of salty and sweet with creamy and smooth.
So, this vegan cheesecake is definitely not my first go when it comes to making vegan cheesecakes. From the first time I made a vegan cheesecake (in around 2009) I fell totally in love, because honestly it’s better than the ‘real thing’.
The only caveat? It’s a little pricey. The ingredients, while quite simple, can get a little expensive.
So it’s probably not what you’re going to make every other week but it’s rich as heck so that’s another reason you’re probably not going to make it every other week.
Of course if you love a good cheesecake then also check out our delicious baked cheesecake recipe!
How To Make No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Spray an 8-inch round springform pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add macadamia nuts, pitted dates and dessicated coconut to a food processor and process into a sticky dough.
- Place into the prepared springform pan and press down firmly into a pie crust. Place into the freezer to set while you work on the filling.
- Add soaked cashew nuts to a blender jug along with water, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla and blend until very smooth.
- Pour this out over the top of the crust in the springform pan and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Place into the freezer to set (around 4-6 hours).
- When the cheesecake has set completely, remove it from the springform pan and place onto a cake stand while you prepare your salted caramel topping.
- For the topping, mix together melted coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt.
- Spread it out over the top of your cheesecake, add a few sprinkles of sea salt over the top and a few macadamia nuts to decorate and you have the perfect cheesecake.
- Let the cheesecake thaw on the countertop for around 30 minutes or so before serving.
The Caramel Fudge Topping
I was at first going to make a vegan dulce de leche for the topping, but at the last minute, had a change of heart.
I was thinking, why cook a topping when you’ve got this whole no-bake thing going on, why go and stand over a hot stove just for the sauce?
So I decided on a salted caramel fudge topping made from melted coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt and it turned out to be the perfect topping.
Recipe Tips
Soak your cashews. It’s important to soak your cashews for this recipe. Ideally, soak them overnight. Place them in a bowl, pour over water, cover and leave them to soak overnight. Then drain and rinse before using.
The reason it’s important to soak them first is that you use a ton of cashews for this cheesecake filling, once all your filling ingredients are in the blender jug your blender will be almost ⅔rds or even ¾ of the way full. It would be very tough for a blender to handle that much volume unless it’s an easy blend. So make it as easy as possible with soaked cashews.
If you happen to forget to soak them, then all is not lost. Place the cashews in a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle and leave them to soak for at least an hour for this recipe. Soaking in hot water reduces the time needed. But any less than an hour will not be adequate because of the volume of cashews that you need to blend.
Be patient. The hands on time for this recipe is actually really short, a bit of processing, a bit of blending, a bit of stirring, really it’s too easy! The time consuming part is waiting for it to set, which takes quite a few hours in the freezer, and you need it to set completely before you remove it from the spring form pan. So you need a bit of patience with this pie, but otherwise it’s really easy and fun.
Vegan Cheesecake Q&A
Walnuts work extremely well for the crust too. Walnuts or macadamias are my usual favorites for a nut/date crust, but nut/date crusts are actually really flexible and forgiving, you can try other nuts or a combination of nuts and it will usually work well.
Yes you can! I like it because it creates delicious flavor and texture but I have definitely made pie crusts without coconut, you can simply leave it out or add more nuts to compensate.
Coconut butter is really the key ingredient in this caramel sauce. And just to be clear it’s nothing like any other nut butter and it’s also nothing like vegan butter. So you can’t switch it for either of those. If you can’t get coconut butter, you could switch the topping to something else completely, or you could make your own coconut butter from dessicated coconut (also known as finely shredded coconut or sweetened coconut flakes).
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cheesecake stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator and serve it cold straight from the fridge. It must set in the freezer but thereafter can be stored in the coldest part of your fridge for around 5-7 days.
You can also store it in the freezer, in which case you will need to let it thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. If you store it in the freezer then it will of course last much longer than if it is stored in the fridge.
More Delicious No-Bake Vegan Desserts
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Vegan Chocolate Tart
- Vegan Banoffee Pie
- Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Key Lime Pie
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 cup Macadamia Nuts (150g)
- ½ cup Pitted Medjool Dates (88g) Packed*
- 1 cup Dessicated Coconut (80g) Finely Shredded Coconut*
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 3 cups Raw Cashews (450g) soaked overnight, drained and rinsed*
- ¾ cup Water (180ml)
- ¾ cup Maple Syrup (180ml)
- ½ cup Coconut Oil (120ml) Melted
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice (60ml) Freshly Squeezed
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Salted Caramel Fudge Sauce:
- ½ cup Coconut Butter (120ml) Melted*
- ½ cup Maple Syrup (120ml)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
For Decorating:
- Sea Salt
- Macadamia Nuts
Instructions
- Spray an 8 inch round springform pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the macadamia nuts, pitted dates and dried dessicated coconut to the food processor and process until it starts to form into a sticky dough. It will start off crumbly, keep going until it starts to clump together in sticky clumps. Transfer to the springform pan and smooth it down into a pie crust. Use the back of a spoon to press it down into a neat flat layer. Place into the freezer to set.
- Take your soaked and rinsed cashew nuts and place them into the blender jug. Add the water, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract and then blend everything together until very smooth. Stop and give your blender a break as needed as this is a lot of volume to blend up. Pour this over the macadamia crust and smooth down with the back of a spoon. Return to the freezer to set completely – about 4-6 hours.
- When the cheesecake has completely set, remove it from the springform pan and put it onto a cake stand to do your topping.
- Add the melted coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt into a bowl and stir it together into a caramel sauce. Spread this out over the top of the cheesecake, working quickly, as the sauce thickens and sets quite fast when in contact with the cold cheesecake.
- Decorate the cheesecake with sprinkles of sea salt and some macadamia nuts.
- Allow the cheesecake to thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Once the cheesecake is thawed, keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer*.
Video
Notes
- Walnuts work great as an alternative to macadamias for the crust.
- Half a cup of medjool dates (packed) is approximately 10 pitted medjool dates.
- Dessicated coconut is also called finely shredded coconut or finely shredded coconut flakes. It’s dried coconut that is shredded very finely.
- If you forget to soak the cashews overnight, then you can take a shortcut. Place the cashews into a bowl and pour over boiling hot water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for 1 hour. Soaking in hot water reduces the time needed for soaking. It is still more ideal to soak them overnight for this recipe though.
- The topping must be made with coconut butter and not coconut oil. If you can’t easily find coconut butter you can also make your own. It’s super easy and fun to make.
- Prep time does not include time spent setting in the freezer.
- If you know when you’re going to be serving this cheesecake, you can keep it in the freezer until you need to serve it and then let it thaw at room temperature and serve. From then on, if stored in the refrigerator, the texture can become a little softer, so you might prefer to let it firm up in the freezer again before serving.
- This recipe was first published in March 2018.
Caroline says
I should have read the comments :-D. Coconut oil and vegan butter do NOT work. LOL! Still tastes good.
But: my cashew creme didn’t really set and I let it set overnight. The cake tastes great but looks awful. Any tipps on how to get it more dense / set better?
Alison Andrews says
Haha, yes it definitely doesn’t work. So glad you’ve got a sense of humor about it! Was it setting in the freezer? That is the best place for it to set. Otherwise, tips are just to make sure your cashews are properly drained, and that you definitely are using a coconut oil that goes solid when cold, and that your measures for the liquid ingredients are properly measured so that you don’t accidentally use too much. All the best! 🙂
Agathe says
Sorry, gibt es dieses Rezept auch auf deutsch?
Alison Andrews says
Sorry no, you would have to use google translate. 🙂
Wendy Wright says
Hi Alison
Help please this is the second time that I’ve made this. The first time it was amazing and couldn’t taste the cashews just tasted like cheesecake but this time I can really taste the cashews which has spoiled it. Don’t know what I’ve done different any suggestions would be appreciated thanks wendy
Alison Andrews says
Were your cashews raw? If they were roasted/salted that would make their flavor much stronger. Raw cashews are very neutral in flavor allowing them to take on the flavors added to it. Other than that, blend very well so it’s smooth and be careful with your measurements and it should work out the same as it did the first time around. 🙂
Nikki says
Is it possible to use coconut cream in place of the water in this recipe?
Alison Andrews says
Sure, I think that would be great! Even richer, which is not a bad thing at all. 🙂
Laurie Logan says
Hi Wendy Wright—What a coincidence to see you made this recipe too! Does seem like something we’d make at Camp Blackhawk!
Chin says
Thank you for this recipe! I want to try it, but my son is very allergic to coconut. Is there an alternative that could replace the coconut oil and butter? He’s also allergic to peanuts and almonds. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Chin, we do have a strawberry cheesecake recipe that doesn’t use coconut oil or butter. 🙂
Cornelia says
REALLY LOVE IT! Made it for Christmas and everybody was delighted- will make it again and again and again… THANK YOU!
Karen Turner says
This looks fabulous! However, I have a bunch of food sensitivities that make life a bit difficult, including cashews. Would I be able to substitute another nut, like almonds or pecans, in the cheesecake filling?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Karen, I don’t know if you can on this recipe. But there is a great cashew free cheesecake recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog, maybe that would work better for you? 🙂
Laurie Logan says
I recommend following the directions! I went rogue and put the caramel topping on before taking it out of the pan. When I removed the springform pan, the caramel stuck to the pan and tried to get pulled off like a table cloth. I rescued it, but it would have looked prettier if I had done it right. I did turn this into a turtle cheesecake by adding some chopped pecans and chocolate bits to the filling and topping it with pecan halves and chocolate drizzle. Timing thawing of it was a little tough too as it is obviously hard to cut if not thawed enough, but I was worried it was going to fall apart if I took it out too early. Also, used almonds in the crust as I didn’t have macedamia nuts. It seemed too crumbly, so I added some peanut oil that helped it stick together a little better. Came out fine when served.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much for sharing Laurie, your changes sound delicious! Yes, it is a bit tricky with the timing for thawing, but so glad it worked out well in the end! 🙂
Aaron says
This recipe turned out fantastic! One thing I need to change for the next time I make it is with the caramel topping. I used earth balance coconut spread, but when I put it in the fridge to firm back up because dinner was delayed, the coconut hardened and separated. What brand of coconut butter did you use? I would like to use the same kind. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Aaron, I have a link in the recipe card to a coconut butter that would work great for this recipe. A coconut spread is likely something different, it has to say ‘coconut butter’ otherwise it’s likely not the right thing. So glad the recipe still turned out well!
Aaron says
Hello again! I want to make this for Christmas Eve and I was wondering if I make it today, after the 4-6 hours in the freezer, should I move it to the fridge until tomorrow evening? I don’t want to lose the thick and creamy texture. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Aaron, keep it in the freezer until shortly before you need to serve it and let it thaw on the counter at least 30 minutes beforehand, though it might need a little longer depending on the temperature of the room it is thawing in.
Aaron says
I can’t find raw macadamia nuts anywhere by me. Would roasted and salted ruin the crust?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Aaron, no, not at all, it would just have more of a roasted/salty flavor, but not an issue at all! 🙂
Taryn says
Could I use almonds in the crust instead of macadamia, and if so 1 cup still okay?
Alison Andrews says
Sure, I think that would be fine, and yes still the same amount, 1 cup. 🙂
Kim says
Sounds fab. I’d like to make it for Christmas Day. I was wondering what other toppings I could use. For example have you any guidance for me using a fruit coulis and say fresh blueberries? TIA
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kim, I think it would be great with any kind of topping. I don’t have any specific recipe for a fruit topping, but I have in the past made a mango cheesecake and I actually just blended up frozen mango and then spread it over the top, it was delicious! 🙂
Sydney says
Hi there, I’m going to make this for Christmas day I’m going to be making it a few days in advance so I intend to keep it in the freezer til Christmas day. I’m wondering if I can put the caramel on too before it goes in the freezer or if it will have to be done on the day as it would be one less job to do?
Alison Andrews says
The caramel can go on as well beforehand, the whole thing will do fine in the freezer. 🙂
Stephanie says
Do you use raw macadamia nuts in the crust? Also, must the cashews be raw?
Alison Andrews says
All the nuts used in this cheesecake were raw. 🙂
Tina says
It is really easy and absolutely delicious.
I love the salty/ sweet contrast.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Tina! Thanks a million for your wonderful rating! 🙂