Rich and decadent vegan pumpkin cheesecake packed with flavor and topped with a caramel sauce and crushed pecans!
Vegan pumpkin cheesecake is here you guys!
I am officially crazy about this cheesecake.
Last time we made a vegan cheesecake we got some feedback on facebook that, even though it was decadent as heck, folks could do with a vegan cheesecake that was less on the healthy side.
They were wanting to see some vegan cookies and vegan butter for the crust, none of this nuts and dates stuff.
Well, we are so happy to oblige.
I like a good cookies and vegan butter crust just as much as the next person.
So this vegan pumpkin cheesecake has a ginger cookie crust that blends so well with the pumpkin flavors in the cheesecake.
And if you love all things cheesecake then also check out our delicious baked vegan baked cheesecake too.
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin 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.
The Crust:
- Add ginger cookies to the food processor and process into crumbles.
- Melt vegan butter and pour this into the food processor with the cookie crumbles and process until well mixed. Spray an 8-inch round springform pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
- Transfer the cookie crumbs and vegan butter to the springform pan and pat down firmly with the base of a spoon. Place into the freezer to set while you work on the filling.
The Filling:
- Add pumpkin purée, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a pot on the stove and gently warm it, stirring all the while until hot. This melts the sugar and blends the flavors.
- Then add this pumpkin mix to the blender jug along with raw cashews (soaked and drained), coconut milk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend very well until smooth.
- Pour the blended mix out over the cookie crust and smooth down. Place into the freezer to set.
The Topping:
- And then for the topping…..a fabulous caramel sauce made with vegan butter, brown sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and sea salt.
- This sauce is heated on the stove to a simmer and then simmered for a few minutes (stirring constantly) until thickened.
- Pour the caramel sauce over your pumpkin cheesecake, top it with crushed pecans and you have a dessert that will wow anyone.
Ingredient Notes & Tips
Ginger cookies: We used vegan gingersnap cookies, but you can use any ginger cookie. Ideally a snappy, dry cookie that will crumble well. Golden oreos would also work great for this though you would miss that ginger flavor.
Soak the cashews. The cashews should be soaked for at least 15 minutes (and up to an hour) in hot water which will allow them to blend much easier. Just place the cashews into a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain them and they’re ready to use.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can easily whip up a batch of your own from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and ground cloves. Check out our recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.
The sauce: The sauce is completely optional of course. You can leave it off and just decorate the top of your pie with some crushed pecans. If you do make it though, then you might well have some sauce left over, even after adding more to every slice of cheesecake you serve. So use any leftovers as a topping for ice cream, on pancakes, or just eat it with a spoon!
Make It Gluten-Free
The only thing you would need to do to ensure this cheesecake is gluten-free would be to use a gluten-free cookie for the crust. Everything else is already gluten-free.
Make Ahead and Storing
This pie makes an excellent make-ahead option as you can just store it in the freezer and then bring it out 30 minutes to an hour before you need to serve it. Spoon on the sauce, decorate with crushed pecans and serve.
Keep any leftovers stored in the freezer and let thaw for 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying.
More Decadent Vegan Pie Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Apple Pie
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
- Vegan Banana Cream Pie
- Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
- Vegan Banoffee Pie
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Ginger Cookie Crust:
- 9 ounces Vegan Gingersnap Cookies (250g)
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (Melted) (112g)
For the Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake:
- 2 cups Raw Cashews (300g) Soaked in boiling water for 15 mins
- 1 cup Pumpkin Purée (225g) Canned or fresh
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar (50g)
- 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ cup Canned Coconut Milk (120ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- ½ cup Maple Syrup (120ml)
- ½ cup Coconut Oil (120ml) Melted
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the Vegan Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter (56g)
- ½ cup Canned Coconut Milk (120ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
To Decorate:
- Crushed Pecans
Instructions
- Add the gingersnap cookies to a food processor and process until only crumbs remain. Add in the melted butter and process until mixed.
- Prepare an 8 inch springform pan by spraying it with non-stick spray and lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
- Transfer the ginger cookie crumbs and vegan butter mix to the springform pan and pat down firmly with the back of a spoon. Place into the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.
- Add the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until hot. This allows the brown sugar to melt and the flavors to blend with the pumpkin purée perfectly.
- Remove from the heat when hot and add to a blender jug along with the cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Blend very well until completely smooth.
- Pour the filling on top of the ginger cookie crust and return to the freezer to set completely. This will take several hours, at least 4-6 hours or you can just leave it overnight.
- When the cheesecake has set, remove it from the springform pan and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to thaw before serving.
- Prepare the caramel sauce by adding the brown sugar, vegan butter, coconut milk, vanilla and salt to a saucepan and bringing to a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue to simmer at low heat for a few minutes (stirring constantly) until the sauce has thickened slightly. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Remove from the heat and let it cool. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the saucepan into the freezer.
- Once the caramel sauce has cooled, spoon it out over the top of the cheesecake and decorate with crushed pecans.
Notes
- Ginger cookies: We used vegan gingersnap cookies, but you can use any ginger cookie. Ideally a snappy, dry cookie that will crumble well. Golden oreos would also work great for this though you would miss that ginger flavor.
- Soak the cashews. The cashews should be soaked for at least 15 minutes (and up to an hour) in hot water which will allow them to blend much easier. Just place the cashews into a bowl, pour over boiling hot water from the kettle and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain them and they’re ready to use.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you don’t have any pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can easily whip up a batch of your own from cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and ground cloves. Check out our recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- The sauce: The sauce is completely optional of course. You can leave it off and just decorate the top of your pie with some crushed pecans. If you do make it though, then you might have some sauce left over, even after adding more to every slice of cheesecake you serve. So use any leftovers as a topping for ice cream, on pancakes, or just eat it with a spoon!
Jacki says
Can I make the cheesecake the day before then put Carmel sauce and pecans on Top before taking it to Thanksgiving Dinner?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jackie, yes you can definitely do that. 🙂
Susan says
Can the syrup be made the night before serving? If so, should it be stored at room temp or in the fridge?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Susan, sure you can make it the night before. Store it in the fridge.
Susan says
Thanks Alison. I made this for my work and it was a hit! Most of us agreed that it tastes more like ice cream rather than cheesecake, but nothing wrong with that! I personally like ice cream more than cheesecake anyway.
Alison Andrews says
Haha as long as it’s good that’s all that counts! Thanks so much for the awesome review Susan. 🙂
christy says
This recipe looks delicious, but I can’t eat cashews or peanuts. Do you have any replacement suggestions?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Christy, macadamias or sunflower seeds may work to replace the cashews but I haven’t tested those options. Did you mean pecans since there aren’t any peanuts? If so, then you can just leave those off the top or replace them with walnuts or a different nut. All the best! 🙂
Paige Smith says
Going to make this for thanksgiving! Should I use refined or unrefined coconut oil?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Paige, I used regular virgin coconut oil, but you can definitely also use refined if that’s what you have on hand. 🙂
Kavita says
I live in Trinidad (Caribbean), and cashews are very difficult to come by and very expensive. Is it possible to use peanuts or sesame seeds?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kavita, I don’t think so. Sesame seeds would be the closest but I think would still be quite different in taste. 🙂
Tina says
Can you share what kind of-coconut milk? Is is canned, whole fat? Or the refrigerated kind? Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Tina, yes full fat canned coconut milk. I have a link in the ingredients list but you can use any brand. 🙂
Kenneth Morris says
It was amazing! Easy to make with the blender and a breeze to weigh out. Used a slightly bigger springform but still just as good results. Couple tips I would advise:
1) Soak the cashews just a little long so about 25 minutes to make sure they are soft. Always helps a rather weak blender
2) For the caramel sauce add a splash of REAL maple syrup (at least 1 tablespoon, but I added a probably three) and it will add an amazing maple flavour to it.
3) Also you have to boil the sauce a while longer. Closer to 30 minutes. Probably want it to be reduced to a third of the original volume.
Once again, amazing cheesecake. Great for Christmas. My non vegan family was shocked it was so good
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing your tips Kenneth, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Ina says
Hi! Dear Alison, please tell me what substitute I can use for the vegan butter? Does margarine works? Or maybe anything else? I live in Romania and here we don’t find vrgan butter. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Margarine is totally fine! Just look for a dairy-free one. Or you can make your own homemade vegan butter.
Denise Whitacre says
I don’t often write comments after making a recipe, but I felt compelled to do so with this recipe. I made it exactly as it is written, for Thanksgiving, and it turned out perfectly. But, I loved the look of the caramel topping on the “regular” cheesecake; and I had to make a cheesecake that was gluten/grain free, for a gluten intolerant friend. So, I made a macadamia nut/date crust; I followed exactly the pumpkin filling part of the cake; then, I made the thick caramel from the regular cheesecake, for the top. The cheesecake turned out even better the second time I made it, making the adjustment noted above.
Your recipes are flavorful, easy to execute, and, above all, cruelty free. Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipes!
Alison Andrews says
Sounds wonderful Denise! I’m so happy it was a success, and thanks so much for your kind words, much appreciated! 🙂
Danita Humbert says
I’m a vegan with a terrible sweet tooth. I have always loved pumpkin but I’ve only been vegan for a few years. I’m always trying to find sweets to make that are truly delicious that anyone would love. This is definitely the best pumpkin pie or cheesecake I’ve ever had. I wanted to post the picture I took so bad because I’m so proud of this beautiful pie. I will be making it again and some if the others.
Alison Andrews says
So happy you loved it Danita! If you’re on instagram, please post the photo there and tag us, would love to see it. 🙂
Courtney says
Made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and didn’t tell anyone that it was vegan. Everyone LOVED it!
Alison Andrews says
Hahaha, that’s wonderful! I love it. 🙂
Lauren says
Will this be okay left in the fridge after it sets or does it need to be frozen until ready to serve?
Alison Andrews says
It can be kept in the fridge, but it does soften a little, but of course if it’s frozen it needs time to thaw. So it’s sort of a case of keeping a check on it, if it’s getting a bit too soft in the fridge, move it back to the freezer for 15 minutes and then serve it. 🙂
Lori Kaylor says
Wowza!!!! I licked the spoon and I can’t wait until I can eat it with the topping! I wanted to make something different for our family dinner and I think even my dairy-eating family members will love this!
Alison Andrews says
Yes! This is a dessert everyone will love! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Selva says
This is one of the best vegan cheesecakes I’ve tried. Loved it. I used the crust from the following recipe for a gluten free option (sub. Coconut sugar for white and vegan butter): https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/234962/gluten-free-pumpkin-cheesecake/
adrianna says
We use your recipes as often as they come our way .
We love the variety that you provide thank you
Anna Andrews says
Totally decadent with delicious pumpkin flavour!