The Best Vegan Cheesecake (2024)

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

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

1. Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
2. Vegan Chocolate Tart
3. Vegan Banoffee Pie
4. Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
5. Vegan Chocolate Pie
6. Vegan Key Lime Pie

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!