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Whether you are vegan, dairy free or just want a really yummy pumpkin cheesecake recipe, this cheesecake will deliver. A few words from Courtney, owner of Bake Me Vegan: “I’ve always loved pumpkin things; always. When the first snow falls, you better believe I’ll be whipping up one of these pumpkin cheesecakes. My husband, who doesn’t like pumpkin, can’t even resist this dessert. Decadent, creamy and a crunchy cookie crust… I might need to make another one this weekend.”
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
March 24, 2025
Persons
8
Serving Size
1 cake
Ingredients
- To make the crust:
- 3 cups Biscoff cookies, or any other ginger/holiday cookies of your choice
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter, such as Earth Balance
- To make the cheesecake filling:
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 heaping cups raw unsalted cashews
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup thick scoopable canned coconut cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in hot water overnight, or boiling water for a few hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish (or you can use a 9” round cake pan) with parchment paper. Make sure you have a second pan that is a bit bigger than the one you will bake with- you will need your cheesecake to sit in a water bath in the oven.
- Add the Biscoff cookies to a food processor and pulse until they form fine crumbs. Add half of the butter to cookie crumbs and stir together. Continue adding butter until you have a wet sand texture. Firmly press the mixture into
- the bottom of your cake pan.
- Bake the Biscoff crust in the oven for 12 minutes and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 320 F and remove crust.
- Strain cashews. Add cashews to a food processor or blender, and blend until creamy. Add cream cheese and blend until a smooth consistency with no lumps.
- Add the pumpkin pie filling and coconut cream, pulse just a few times to combine.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients into large bowl, then add the cashew/cream cheese mixture to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Avoid over-mixing the batter as it can cause the cheesecake to rise quickly and fall in the oven.
- Pour the pumpkin cheesecake batter into your cake pan and smooth the surface with a spoon. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then tap the cheesecake on your kitchen bench a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Boil 4 cups of water in a kettle or a medium-sized pot.
- If using a springform pan – wrap your pan with aluminum foil. Place cheesecake in a deep baking tray and position it in the middle rack of your oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking tray so the water is around 1 inch high.
- Bake the cheesecake for 60-75 minutes or until done. Your cheesecake is ready if you gently shake the cake pan and the edges look set, but the middle is still jiggly. Your cheesecake will continue to set while cooling.
- Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven with the door closed for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it sit at room temperature until it reaches room temperature (at least an hour). Cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.
