Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

One slice of amber brown cheesecake with whipped cream, caramel sauce and chopped nuts on top is served on a white plate. One bite is missing from the front. The whole cake is in the background.

Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Hands up if you need the BEST VEGAN PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE recipe. The texture is how I remember cheesecake should be and the crust smells like gingerbread. It is baked and oil-free, and I used only SIX whole foods ingredients (including homemade pumpkin puree) to make the filling. A truly festive and decadent dessert for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pumpkin cheesecake, vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Baking time 45

Total Time 1

Servings slices (9-inch cake)

Calories 188kcal

Author Emese Maczko

Equipment

Ingredients

Gingerbread pie crust

1 cup Oat flour
¾ cup Almond flour or pecan/walnut meal
3 Tbsp Maple syrup
2 Flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax - 3 Tbsp water)
½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ginger

Pumpkin cheesecake filling

1 Full-fat coconut cream (canned)
2 cup Pumpkin puree or roast a butternut squash as described below
1 cup Cashew nuts
¼ cup Maple syrup
2 Tbsp Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1+½ tsp Pumpkin spice

Homemade pumpkin spice mix

1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ginger
¼ tsp Nutmeg
⅛ tsp Clove

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Gingerbread crust

In a small bowl mix ground flax seeds and water (1:3 ratio).
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and ginger.
Add wet ingredients: flax eggs and maple syrup.
Mix until you can form a ball that is not too sticky.
Roll it out and use the removable bottom of a 9-inch springform cake pan to cut out the cheesecake crust. After cutting, place it in the form.
Chill in the fridge until you make the cheesecake filling.

Roasted butternut squash puree

Wash butternut squash but don’t peel it. I think it tastes better roasted with skin.
Use a steady cutting board and a sharp knife. If you have a medium-sized one, cut it in half in the middle using a rocking motion.
Then make 4 wedges from the neck part and 5-6 wedges from the bottom part. They should look like the ones in the below picture.
Preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Use tin foil, parchment paper, or a non-stick baking sheet and place the pieces in one layer. They can be close, even touching, but don’t let them overlap. Too crowded means you need a longer baking time. Bake them for 40 minutes.
They should be soft and juicy. It is okay if some parts are caramelized a bit. When it is chilled, scoop the orange flesh out with a spoon and store it in the fridge. They are usually super soft, so don’t need to blend them further at this step.

Pumpkin cheesecake filling

Boil water in a kettle and soak cashews in hot water for 5 minutes. Or cook cashews in boiling water on a stovetop for 5 minutes.
Take your blender and add canned coconut milk, roasted butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree, soaked cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, and pumpkin spice mix. Blend them until creamy.

Baking

Take the crust out of the fridge and pour the cheesecake filling on it.
Level it with a spatula and shake it several times to get the air bubbles out.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 45 minutes.
The top should rise a bit but shouldn't crack. It feels and looks soft and a bit jiggly but not hollow when it is ready. The cheesecake will firm up during cooling.

Video

Notes

Cut when chilled - If you try to cut it while it is still hot, you may not be able to make nice and clean slices. First, place a knife between the side of the cake and the form and run it around. Then open up the cake form. Transfer gently to a cake stand and chill before slicing.
Add toppings when served- If you add whipped cream or caramel sauce while the cheesecake is still warm, it will melt and run down the sides. The same happens if the cheesecake rests in the fridge too long. The toppings will lose their shape and position.
Baking time - The top should rise a bit, especially around the sides. It may seem slightly jiggly in the middle, but it will firm up while it cools down. If the middle is hollow, it might mean that either you have to bake it a little longer or the filling was not leveled up properly to begin with.

Nutrition