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This Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake is an easy no-bake dessert, with hints of Fall flavor. It’s naturally-sweetened and dairy-free, and you don’t need any special equipment to make it!
What is Vegan Cheesecake made from?
Classic Vegan Cheesecake is made from either cashews or tofu, but this recipe uses cashew butter as the base, so you don’t have to break out the food processor.
Tip: I recommend using raw cashew butter in this recipe, so that your cheesecake doesn’t taste like roasted cashews. You can make homemade cashew butter in just about 10 minutes if you can’t find raw cashew butter at your local grocery store.
No-Bake Almond Flour Crust
In keeping with the no-equipment theme, this crust is made with almond flour, so you can stir it together in just minutes!
I add molasses and ground ginger to give this crust a “gingerbread” flavor, but you can omit those if you’d rather have a more plain, straight-forward crust. Either way, it’s delicious.
I use a 7-inch spring-form pan for this recipe, which keeps the filling and crust thick. If you only have a larger pan, keep in mind that the overall cheesecake will be more flat in appearance.
Tip: To guarantee your dessert will easily come out of the pan, line the pan with a square of parchment paper. Spray the pan lightly with oil first, then press the parchment into the pan. The oil will keep it in place, so it doesn’t move around later.
Why You’ll Love It
This Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake is:
- Naturally sweetened
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Ultra-creamy
- and super easy to make!
This recipe is a great way to use up any pumpkin puree that you might have leftover from another recipe. If you need to use up even more pumpkin, try my pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin smoothie, or pumpkin spice latte recipes.
Be sure to serve this vegan pumpkin cheesecake chilled, because it will become soft quickly at room temperature. You’ll need to freeze it initially, until firm, and then you can transfer it to the fridge later if you’d like a softer texture.
Serve with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for an extra-pretty presentation.
Ingredients
Gingerbread Crust
- 1.5 cups blanched almond flour (172 grams)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (31 grams)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (28 grams)
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (16 grams; optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 grams)
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup raw cashew butter (273 grams)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (136 grams)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (168 grams)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (54 grams)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (4 grams)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (5 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 grams)
Instructions
- Lightly spray a 7-inch springform pan with oil, then press a square of parchment paper into the bottom. To make the crust, stir together the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, ginger, and salt. Press it firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In the same bowl to prepare the cheesecake filling. Stir together the cashew butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, coconut oil, pumpkin spice, lemon juice, and salt. Mix until totally smooth, then pour it into the pan, over the crust.
- Smooth the top with a spatula, then place the cheesecake on a flat surface in the freezer to chill until firm, about 2 to 3 hours.
- When the cheesecake feels totally firm to the touch, remove it from the pan and slice. Serve chilled for the best texture; it will melt if you leave it at room temperature for too long, but after it's firm you can store it in the fridge if you'd prefer a softer texture. Leftovers can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months when tightly covered.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite Fall dessert? Baked Apples, French Silk Pie, and Sweet Potato Pie are my family’s favorites!
Can I replace the coconut oil with more cashews? Or leave it out all together? This recipe looks delicious!
Awesome recipe! I even made my own cashew butter. I used banana squash instead of pumpkin because I had some from the farmers market that I processed and froze and it turned out delicious!! I like a recipe that is so good that you can plug in ingredients on hand.
Hi Megan! I would LOVE to try this as I am allergic to dairy and obsessed with cheesecake (A travesty, I know) but I am allergic to almonds, so almond flour is out. What do you recommend in place of that for the crust? Thank you <3
Made this Thanksgiving morning and included the molasses and ginger. What a crowd pleaser!! So tasty and easy to make – will be trying your other cheesecake recipes soon.
I am officially calling this my favorite pumpkin dessert! I substituted raw honey instead of the maple syrup and it was PERFECT. Even my very picky father who loves super sweet things said he really liked it!
Very delicious vegan pumpkin cheesecake!! That’s a comment from my husband who is a former cheesecake lover who is now lactose intolerant.
If i wanted to start with raw cashews instead of butter, how much would you suggest using?
I would use 2 cups of cashews to make 1 cup of cashew butter. Grind the cashews until really smooth before mixing in everything else!
yummm, this is so easy and delicious!
Would you recommend soaking the cashews before blending?
Just did it!!! I can’t find pumpkin spice in Germany (oh well, you can import online for sure but…), so Garam Masala did the trick. AWSOME. Thank you so much for this recipe, I am a total cheesecake fanatic.