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Slice of vegan pumpkin cheesecake on a white plate.
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4.94 from 45 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Rich and decadent vegan pumpkin cheesecake packed with flavor and topped with a caramel sauce and crushed pecans!
Prep Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 12
Calories: 586kcal
Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

For the Ginger Cookie Crust:

  • 9 ounces Vegan Gingersnap Cookies (250g)
  • ½ cup Vegan Butter (Melted) (112g)

For the Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake:

For the Vegan Caramel Sauce:

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. 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!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.2g | Protein: 6.4g | Fat: 38.3g | Saturated Fat: 15.9g | Sodium: 227mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35.3g