If you’re anything like me, after you made your decision to commit to a vegan lifestyle, one of the things I found almost unbearably difficult to give up was cheesecake! Just thinking and drooling about rich, creamy fillings and a delicious buttery biscuit base is enough to make my mouth water… And don’t even get me started on indulgent chocolate fillings!
I find one of the most challenging times to be vegan is during the holidays when cakes and other sweet treats are around every corner! Thankfully, I recently discovered this incredible vegan cheesecake recipe that uses the simplest and most versatile of all plant-based ingredients – tofu – to create a dessert that’s just as good (if not better) than the real thing!
So, whether you’re making a sweet treat for yourself to satisfy your cheesecake cravings, or are in charge of bringing an impressive dessert to the next festive get-together, check out our recipe for the most delicious and easy tofu cheesecake. It’s so good, nobody will ever guess there’s not a scrap of dairy present!
Here’s our Simple Tofu Cheesecake Recipe:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Soak Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Serving: 8 generous slices
Watch this video to get a glimpse:
You will need
- Boiling Water
- A 9” springform pan
- Cooking Spray
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- A food processor or high-speed blender
- A tofu press (like this one at https://tofubud.com) or your own way of squeezing the liquids out of your tofu before cooking
- A wire cooling rack
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup of raw almonds
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 8oz silken tofu, pressed
- 1 cup heavy coconut cream
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sea salt
For the topping:
- Fresh strawberries
- Heavy coconut cream
- Powdered sugar
Method
- Place the cashews into a wide bowl and pour over 1” of boiling water, so they’re just covered. Leave to soak for 1 hour. You may also want to prepare your tofu by pressing it at this stage, either with a dedicated tofu press or using other methods.
- While your cashews soak and your tofu is being pressed, preheat the oven to 350’F and coat a 9” springform pan with plenty of cooking spray. Wrap the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil around the base to ensure there are no leaks while baking.
Prepare the base
- Take your food processor and add rolled oats, almonds, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Pulse until a fine powder is formed (you could also use a high-speed blender for this step).
- Place the melted coconut oil in a medium bowl and add the rolled oats mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.
- Place the mixture into the bottom of your prepared springform pan, pressing firmly to create a solid base.
- Bake for roughly 15 minutes, until the base is set but not yet browning.
- Place the pan onto a wire rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes (leave the oven on)
Prepare the filling
- Once the cashews have been soaking for an hour, drain them and place them into a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Add the pressed tofu, heavy coconut cream, coconut sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the cashews.
- Blend all the ingredients together thoroughly until a smooth consistency forms.
- Pour the smooth cheesecake filling onto the prepared crust and return the pan to the oven.
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes until the edges are turning lightly golden, and the cheesecake is set but still wiggles slightly when moved.
- Leave the cheesecake in the pan while it cools on a wire rack for a minimum of 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to set, uncovered, overnight.
The Next Day
- The next day, run a knife along the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan and remove it.
- Make whipped coconut cream by whipping the remaining heavy cream until soft peaks form and pipe onto the top of the cheesecake (or use a spatula if you don’t have a piping bag).
- Top with fresh strawberries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for the perfect finish.
I hope you’ll enjoy this Tofu Cheesecake recipe…
If you want more delicious recipes – check out our Falafel Recipe, our exotic meat recipes, or our Match recipes.
