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Baked vegan cheesecake with poppy seeds
Light, airy, creamy and soooo delicious! This describes my baked vegan cheesecake the best. And btw. this isn’t a regular baked cheesecake since it also has a yummy poppy seed layer which makes it even more special. I tell you, this is a killer combo and if you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out big time! Are you ready for this gluten-free, vegan, oil-free dessert?
Baked vegan cheesecake which is super creamy
What makes this baked vegan cheesecake so creamy? Well, I didn’t add any animal products like cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs but I used silken tofu, coconut cream, and cashews instead. You can use vegan cream cheese if you can buy it in the store. I prefer to use as few processed ingredients as possible and this combo turned out pretty amazing. It’s creamy, light, airy and super delicious.
A nut-free alternative of my baked vegan cheesecake
As mentioned before this baked vegan cheesecake is plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, oil-free and contains mainly unprocessed ingredients. If you are allergic to nuts, and therefore can’t use cashews, I would recommend increasing the amount of coconut cream by half a cup. Or, you could add 1/4 cup coconut yogurt plus 1/4 cup of melted margarine (or vegan butter).
My baked vegan cheesecake is:
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Airy
- Light
- Refined sugar-free
- Plant-based
- Easy to make
Poppy seed cheesecake
The poppy seed layer is optional, you can also leave it out. However, if you love poppy seeds as much as I do, then definitely add this yummy layer! Cakes with poppy seeds (and I mean lots of poppy seeds) are probably not very common in the US and many other countries. Poppy seed cakes are very popular in the Czech Republic and in Poland though.
My parents are from the Czech Republic and I grew up in Germany where poppy seed cakes are also very popular, which means I ate lots and lots of poppy seed desserts, haha. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of poppy seed cakes/pastry and I would love to know where you are from.
If you try out this baked vegan cheesecake and maybe even make a photo of it, then I would love to see it. You can DM it to me on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me in your Insta caption + photo with @elavegan and use the hashtag #elavegan and I will gladly check out your post and leave a comment. For a raw vegan cheesecake, I would recommend the following recipes: Raw vegan blueberry cheesecake & Fruity cheesecake recipe
Baked cheesecake with poppy seeds
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups oats (GF if necessary) (180 g)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (130 g)
- 1 large ripe banana (120 g)
- 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup (90 g)
Poppy seed layer (optional)
- 1 cup poppy seeds (100 g)
- 2/3 cup coconut milk (160 ml)
- 2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (or regular sugar) (20-30 g)
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Cheesecake layer:
- Two 12.3 oz packages of silken tofu firm (700 g)
- 2/3 cup cashews soaked (100 g) *read the blog post for an alternative
- 1/3 cup coconut cream (80 g)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave syrup (105 g)
- 2-3 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (40 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for at least 1 hour (if you are in a hurry, you could also boil them for 15 minutes).
- To make the crust, put the shredded unsweetened coconut into an electric spice/coffee grinder (or food processor) and blend. Repeat this step with the oats. Transfer all crust ingredients into a food processor and mix until the dough is crumbly and sticks together. It should have the texture of shortcut pastry. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of a lined 8-inch (20 cm) springform and about 2 1/2 in (6 1/2 cm) up the sides and put the springform in your freezer.
- To make the poppy seed layer, put the poppy seeds into an electric spice/coffee grinder and mix. Now add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it thickened up, you can turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside. Let cool for a few minutes and then pour the mixture into the springform onto the crust. Put it back into the freezer.
- For the cheesecake layer: Blend all cream ingredients in a high-speed blender (or food processor) until smooth and creamy. Pour the cheesecake cream onto the poppy seed layer.
- Bake in the oven for about 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Turn off the oven and let the cake cool at room temperature until it isn't hot anymore. Don't touch it, the middle of the cake will still appear wobbly, but that's normal. Once the cake has cooled slightly, put it in the freezer for about one hour (or in the fridge for a couple of hours) to set. It will firm up and can be sliced. Store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!
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Angelika says
May 20, 2018 at 6:38 amWhat if you’re allergic to soy? Can I substitute the tofu with more cashews? Thanks!
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 3:33 pmHi Angelika, well, you would need a lot of cashews to substitute 700 g of silken tofu. Not sure where you are based, maybe you can buy vegan cream cheese in the store which doesn’t contain soy? Or try a combo of coconut yogurt and cashews, that should work (I never tried it out though). Hope this helps.
Christine says
May 20, 2018 at 6:46 amThat looks delicious, I have high cholesterol so try not to use coconut, much as I love it, could I use dates in the crust and almond or soy milk in with the sesame seeds ?
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 3:42 pmHi Christine, I never heard that coconut will have a bad effect on cholesterol (LDL). I eat A LOT of coconut products (every single day) and my cholesterol is around 150. Instead of shredded unsweetened coconut, you can use ground almonds (almond flour) or any other ground nuts/seeds in the crust. And yes date paste in the crust should be fine. In the poppy seed layer, you can use almond or soy milk. In the cream cheese layer, I would recommend soy yogurt and a little bit melted vegan butter/margarine.
Lia says
May 20, 2018 at 8:55 amThis recipe looks fantastic! Such clean ingredients… cannot wait to try it out.
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 3:43 pmThank you very much! I hope you will like it. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka says
May 20, 2018 at 11:15 amI love cheese cake so much!
And this one looks so good to me!
I should definitely try your recipe ????
Much love,
Bianca ????❤️
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 3:49 pmThank you very much, Bianca! ????❤️
Nadia says
May 20, 2018 at 11:39 amLooks delicious and so super fluffy and creamy 😀
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 3:51 pmThank you so much, Nadia. Yes, it’s super fluffy and cream indeed. ????
Leigh says
May 20, 2018 at 5:09 pmI green up with Hungarian grandparents in Canada and we had poppy seeds ALL the time:) I’m so excited to try this recipe. I’m currentky living in Germany and bought several bags of poppy seeds last time I was in Prague. I know I can buy them anywhere but it seemed like more fun to get them while in Prague:)
Ela says
May 20, 2018 at 7:39 pmAww, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your story. Love it! 🙂
Tiina @myberryforest says
May 21, 2018 at 8:34 amhey Ela! what a yummy beautiful cheesecake! I could eat cheesecake every day hehe. The recipe is amazing <3 I also love to use cashews in my cheesecake, they give a lovely firm creaminess which is difficult to achieve otherwise. Also the poppy seed layer is so lovely! I haven't baked with poppy seeds, they're not common here in Finland. But whenever I visit my sister in Munich, I eat bread with poppy seed on top. Love it 🙂 Enjoy the new week!
Ela says
May 22, 2018 at 1:30 amHey Tiina, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your story! So nice to hear from you. 🙂
Jana Streit says
May 22, 2018 at 5:38 amHi Ella,
I looooove poppy seeds❤ in Austria it’s also very common, you get a lot of sweet treats with poppy seeds but your version of cheesecake with them I have never seen before so I will definitly try this, thank you for sharing????
Ela says
May 22, 2018 at 2:22 pmHallo Jana, yes sure, in Austria poppy seeds are also very common and popular. I hope you will like my cheesecake. 🙂
Nisha / Rainbowplantlife says
May 24, 2018 at 10:08 pmThis is such an exquisite cake, Ela! I love that you baked it since most vegan cheesecakes are raw. I love that thick and luscious texture!
Ela says
May 25, 2018 at 1:27 amThank you, Nisha! Yes, I have a few no-bake cheesecakes on my blog and thought it’s time for a baked cheesecake. 🙂
Vered says
May 26, 2018 at 4:15 pmHi Ela, I’m keen to try this recipe this weekend. Can you confirm the vanilla is vanilla extract? Also, you wrote it should go into the freezer for 1 hour. Just checking you didn’t mean the fridge (wouldn’t it get frozen…?)
Thanks!
Ela says
May 27, 2018 at 1:59 pmYes, it’s vanilla extract. And yes, freezer is correct. If you want it to set in the fridge you would need to leave it there for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight). But it’s possible too. And no, it won’t get frozen in the freezer, since it’s still pretty hot when you put it inside. 🙂
Best wishes,
Ela
Toni says
May 28, 2018 at 3:33 pmI made this yesterday for friends, it was amazing! I’m loving your website and recipes!
Ela says
May 28, 2018 at 4:25 pmThanks for letting me know, Toni! Makes me so happy you liked my recipe 🙂
Tamara says
June 7, 2018 at 12:27 amHi Ela!
I’ve been looking for a Cheescake receipt with poppy seeds for some time, and finally you I found yours! I have to make a cake for a Baby shower and I know my pregnant friend loves Cheescake, but no one eats vegan so I will add your poppyseeds layer to a normal cheescake receipt (hope this is not a terrible thing to say here). But Inhave two doubts…
– I have a super small fridge with an even samller freezer. That freeze hour with the poppy seeds layer would be necessary even if I make it with a normal base of cookies and butter?
– I don’t have an electric spices/coffee grinder… just a small processor… would it work also? Or better to smash the PS with a mortar?
Hope I can do it despite this lacking.
And i will try Your vegan version soon also!
Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Tamara
Ela says
June 7, 2018 at 4:37 pmHi Tamara, a small food processor should work too! I would put the cheesecake in the fridge for a couple of hours before you slice it, even when you make the recipe non-vegan. The base is not the problem, it’s the cheesecake filling which gets firm only after it has been chilled for a while. Hope this helps. 🙂
Lori Brigido says
June 14, 2018 at 12:56 pmCan you make this recipe into 12 mini cheesecakes??
Ela says
June 14, 2018 at 3:31 pmIf they have the size of muffins, then yes, that should work. 🙂
Tomi says
June 25, 2018 at 5:30 amHello!
What can be substituted for all the coconut? I cannot eat it.
Thank you!
Ela says
June 25, 2018 at 2:03 pmHello, instead of shredded unsweetened coconut you can use the same amount (in grams) of almond flour (ground almonds). Instead of coconut milk, you can use any other plant-based milk of choice. And instead of coconut cream, you can use any other plant-based cream (like soy…). Hope this helps. 🙂
Angie says
June 29, 2018 at 5:12 pmHi Ela!
I really want to try this recipe but I am wondering: do you put it in a water bath like you would with regular cheesecake or do you just bake it? I feel kinda confused at this part.
Ela says
June 29, 2018 at 5:18 pmHi Angie, not sure what you mean. The recipe clearly says to bake it in the oven for about 60 minutes. 🙂
Angie says
June 29, 2018 at 5:23 pmOh, I meant something like this: https://cdn.lifehacker.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ezgif.com-optimize_1521111671.gif 😀 but I think I got the answer 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Ela says
June 30, 2018 at 2:57 amOh, I see! I don’t think I have done it when I baked the cake but I guess it wouldn’t hurt either. 🙂
Kristina says
July 12, 2018 at 8:22 amHey, Ela!
I`m very excited to try this recipe! Tell me please, how can I substitute 2 cups of oats in the crust?
Thank you!
Ela says
July 12, 2018 at 9:34 pmBuckwheat flour should be a great substitute. I haven’t tried it out though. 🙂
Mags says
July 25, 2018 at 5:26 pmCan’t wait to try this recipe!!
Just one question! How would I know it is done?? Even I do same temperature and time, it differes from the oveb right? Since u said middle part can be still wobbly when it is still hot, can use a toothpick toncheck it??
Ela says
July 26, 2018 at 4:28 amHey, no you can’t use a toothpick, that won’t help. Just leave it in the oven for about 60 minutes and it will be done when it starts browning. Let me know how it turned out. 🙂
Ariane St-Pierre Ménard says
December 20, 2018 at 5:42 pmHello, I want to do this for guests who don’t like desserts that are too sweet. So this is why I have chosen a cheesecake. But I have one guest who doesnt like the taste of coconut. Does it taste a lot? Thanks!
Ela says
December 22, 2018 at 1:44 amYou can use any other plant-based milk in the poppy seed layer. For the cheesecake layer, you could use soy cream or oat cream (instead of coconut cream) if that’s available in your country. To me, it doesn’t taste very coconutty though. 🙂
Merita says
January 6, 2019 at 2:07 pmMak je to najlepšie na svete???? Určite vyskúšam tento recept 🙂
Pozdrav zo Slovenska
Ela says
January 6, 2019 at 2:12 pmYes, poppy seeds are the best! I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
Susan LoFurno says
February 26, 2019 at 1:46 amI loved the texture of the “cheesecake” and the crust…..I missed the “cheesecakey” flavor….Mine came out a bit bland. I followed the recipe – and used the agave versus maple syrup.
Ela says
February 26, 2019 at 3:14 amThanks for your feedback, Susan! 🙂