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This dairy-free cheesecake contains a hidden poppy seed layer, a light, creamy, rich vegan cheesecake filling, and crisp gluten-free crust. It’s also oil-free and refined sugar-free yet packed with flavor and decadence! Serve this cashew tofu baked cheesecake on special occasions, birthdays, and warm summer days!
I’ll admit, I’ve always loved cheesecake, but surprisingly I think I eat it even more now as a vegan than before. Along with a general no-bake cheesecake and blueberry raw vegan cheesecake, I also love recipes like this lemon cheesecake tart, cheesecake tartlets, and cheesecake brownies. This baked dairy-free cheesecake is not only wonderfully light, airy, and creamy, but it also has a delicious hidden twist; a poppy seed layer – which is like the ‘cherry on top’!
While poppy seeds aren’t a common addition to cakes and bakes in the US, they are super popular in the Czech Republic and Poland. Since my parents are from the Czech Republic and I grew up in Germany, I ate lots (and lots) of poppy seed desserts like kolache. If you’re feeling a little nervous about the poppy, please try it once and let me know what you think!
What Is Vegan Cheesecake Made From?
Unlike regular baked cheesecakes, which are packed with cheese, eggs, butter (in the crust), and sometimes cream- this vegan cheesecake recipe combines cashews, coconut cream, and silken tofu for a truly silky, creamy filling.
I’ve also combined the dairy-free cheesecake filling with a gluten-free cheesecake crust of wholesome, healthy ingredients for an even more diet-friendly dessert!
Best of all, if you want a soy-free option? No problem. Allergic to nuts? No worries, I have a fix for that too. You’ve got to love an adaptable recipe, right?!
Dairy-Free Cheesecake Ingredients
The Crust
- Oats: Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if necessary.
- Shredded coconut: Use unsweetened shredded coconut. Alternatively, you could use ground almonds or another nut.
- Banana: Banana or applesauce makes for a great oil-free, slightly sweet crust binder. If you’d prefer a flaky/buttery soft crust, combine 60 g banana or applesauce with 60 g vegan butter or margarine.
- Maple syrup: Or agave syrup.
Poppy Seed Layer
- Poppy Seeds: I freshly grind the poppy seeds, but you can also use store-bought ground poppy seeds!
- Milk: Use the plant-based milk of your choice; almond milk, oat milk, etc.
- Coconut sugar: Or your sweetener of choice. For a sugar-free alternative, you could use granulated Erythritol instead.
- Cornstarch: This will help thicken the filling.
Dairy-free Cheesecake Layer
- Silken tofu: You can alternatively use vegan cream cheese for a soy-free option.
- Cashews: Check the FAQs for several nut-free alternatives.
- Coconut cream: Alternatively, you could use any dairy-free cream: oat cream, soy cream, cashew cream, etc. You could also use vegan yogurt instead. Each will impact the flavor/texture slightly.
- Maple syrup: Or another liquid sweetener of your choice like agave or a sugar-free liquid sweetener.
- Lime Juice: Alternatively, you could use lemon juice. Feel free to adjust the amount, to taste.
- Cornstarch: Will thicken the cheesecake filling. You could alternatively use arrowroot.
- Vanilla: I recommend using natural vanilla all the way!
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How to Make Baked Vegan Cheesecake
First, add the cashews to a large bowl with hot water for between 30-60 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, you can alternatively boil them for 15 minutes.
Step 1: Prepare the crust
- First, process the shredded coconut in an electric spice/coffee grinder (or blender), then the oats, into a floury consistency.
- Then, transfer all the crust ingredients to a food processor and blend until you have a crumbly dough that sticks together when pressed between your fingers. It should be similar in texture to shortcrust pastry.
- Transfer the crust to a lined 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan and press it into the bottom and around 2 ½-inches (6 1/2 cm) up the sides, then place it in the fridge.
Step 2: Prepare the poppy seed layer
- First, process the poppy seeds in the coffee/spice grinder or blender.
- Then add all the poppy layer ingredients to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiled and thickened, turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside to cool for several minutes.
- Then pour the mixture over the gluten-free cheesecake crust and place it back in the fridge.
Step 3: Prepare the cashew tofu cheesecake filling
- Blend all the cheesecake filling ingredients in a high-speed blender (or food processor) until smooth and creamy. This may take some time to break down the cashews fully, so be patient and give your machine a break in-between, if needed.
- Pour the cashew tofu cheesecake filling into the crust over the poppy seed layer.
Step 4: Bake it
- Bake the vegan cheesecake in the oven for 60 minutes at 350 °F/175 °C.
- Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake in it for a further 5-10 minutes with the door slightly open.
- Then remove it from the oven and cool before transferring it to the freezer for an hour (to set up and chill). The dairy-free cheesecake is ready to enjoy!
Before you chill the baked cheesecake, it will seem a little wobbly in the middle still. Don’t worry – this is normal.
How to serve?
You can enjoy a slice of this tofu cheesecake alone or top/serve it in several ways for even more of a treat, including:
- Fruit compote: like this strawberry compote or raspberry/blueberry.
- Fresh fruit slices: This dairy-free cheesecake is neutral enough to pair with all kinds of fruit- strawberries, peach, mango, raspberries, blueberries, etc.
- Chocolate: Drizzle with melted chocolate or garnish with chocolate shavings. You could use dark, dairy-free milk or white chocolate.
- Caramel: Drizzle with a caramel sauce, as I used for this caramel apple cheesecake
- Cream: Top with a little whipped coconut cream.
- Ice–cream: Serve alongside a scoop of ice cream for an even more decadent dessert.
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Make-Ahead: You can prepare all the elements a day in advance. I recommend preparing the crust and poppyseed filling in the pan then storing the cheesecake filling in a separate container.
Store: Any leftover vegan cheesecake can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for between 5-7 days. Alternatively, freeze it for up to 3 months as individual slices. Whenever the cravings hit, grab a piece, and allow it to thaw for 40-60 minutes before serving.
FAQs
Can I skip the poppy seed layer?
Yes, that’s totally fine. This dairy-free cheesecake will still taste delicious without this special extra layer.
Why does my vegan cheesecake have cracks on top?
This usually happens when the cheesecake temperature changes too quickly. Once the cheesecake is baked, leave it in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes with the door propped open slightly.
It can also help to place a ceramic or heat-proof glass bowl with water in the oven while baking the tofu cheesecake, which will create steam. Alternatively, you could cover the pan with tin foil and place it in a deep baking sheet with water in.
Can I make this recipe nut-free?
There are a couple of ways that I think could work for a nut-free version.
- Omit the nuts and increase the coconut cream by ½ cup. It won’t be quite as rich but should still taste delicious.
- You could substitute the cashews for ¼ cup plant-based yogurt (like coconut yogurt) and ¼ cup melted plant-based margarine, vegan butter, or coconut oil for added richness.
- Lastly, you could substitute the cashews for soaked sunflower seeds, though the cream won’t be as creamy.
Is cheesecake gluten-free?
Not usually, as the crust often contains flour or gluten-containing biscuits. However, this is a gluten-free cheesecake recipe using an oat, coconut, and banana-based crust.
Recipe Notes & Variations
- If you don’t have a coffee/spice grinder: You can easily use a high-speed blender in both cases where I mention the grinder. Though I find this tool SUPER useful in the kitchen, and they’re inexpensive too, for something I use weekly!
- Don’t overbake the cheesecake: It SHOULD be wobbly in the middle after removing it from the oven. It will set further as it cools.
- For a citrus cheesecake: Feel free to increase the lemon/lime juice and add the rind of one lemon/lime/orange into the cheesecake filling.
- For a swirl top: You can use any (strained) fruit compote/sauce and add a few spoonfuls to the top of the tofu cheesecake before baking. Use a knife or skewer to make swirl patterns on the top of the cheesecake.
Other Creamy Vegan Desserts
- Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake
- Mango Pie Recipe
- Blueberry Cream Pie
- Fruity Cheesecake
- Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake Bars
- Vegan Chocolate Pie
If you try this dairy-free cheesecake recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing them.
Dairy-Free Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups (180 g) oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups (130 g) shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 large (120 g) ripe banana (*see notes)
- 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp (90 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
Poppy seed layer (optional)
- 1 cup (100 g) poppy seeds
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) plant-based milk
- 2-3 tbsp (20-30 g) coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Cheesecake layer:
- 2 (12.3 oz) packages of (700 g) silken tofu firm
- 2/3 cup (100 g) cashews soaked (read the blog post for an alternative)
- 1/3 cup (80 g) coconut cream
- 1/3 cup (105 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 3 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice (more to taste)
- 1/3 cup (40 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Preparation
- Watch the video in the post for visual instructions.Soak cashews in hot water for at least 30-60 minutes (if you are in a hurry, you could also boil them for 15 minutes).
Crust
- Process the shredded unsweetened coconut in an electric spice/coffee grinder (or blender). Repeat this step with the oats.
- Transfer all crust ingredients to a food processor and blend 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 into your fridge.
Poppy Seed Layer
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and place an ovenproof dish filled with water on the bottom rack.Process the poppy seeds in an electric spice/coffee grinder or blender.
- Now add all ingredients for the poppy seed layer to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it thickened up a bit, you can turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside.
- Let it cool for a few minutes and then pour the mixture onto the crust. Put it back into the fridge.
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 the cake for about 60 minutes in the oven on the middle rack. Turn off the oven and keep the cake inside for a further 5-10 minutes with the door slightly open.
- After that you can 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 it isn't super hot anymore you can put it in the freezer for up to one hour (or in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight) to set. It will firm up and can be sliced. Store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe:
- Shredded unsweetened coconut: You could use ground almonds or other ground nuts instead.
- Banana: Use banana or applesauce for an oil-free version. If you prefer a flaky/buttery soft crust, I would recommend using 60 grams banana (or applesauce) and 60 grams vegan butter (margarine).
- Coconut milk: I use canned coconut milk. Instead, you could use a mixture of any plant-based milk and oat cream or soy cream.
- Silken tofu: Instead of silken tofu, you might also use vegan cream cheese.
- Coconut cream: You could use oat cream, soy cream, cashew cream, or vegan yogurt instead.
- Recipe serves 12. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
This is the closest thing to cheesecake I have come across so far! It was delicious and not even noticeable that it was vegan. I adjusted the quantities since I don’t have silken tofu (used semi-firm tofu but once blended with everything else it was smooth), and instead of cashews used a nut called Kenari. It is really good! Thank you so much for sharing all your vegan recipes. Vegan can be delicious too!!
Hello and thanks so much for your wonderful feedback! So interesting to hear about the nut “Kenari” (it’s new to me). Happy to hear you like my recipes. 🙂
Hi there! I was wanting to make this cheesecake! Since I’m doing the soy free version with cream cheese, how much would I do to replace the tofu? It’s a different consistency and I don’t want to add too much!
Hi Laura, I never tried it, but I would use the same amount in grams. 🙂
Awesome, thank you!
I like your recipes, I am sensitive to oats, what would you suggest as best substitution?
Any flour will work fine (but I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour). 🙂
Hi Ela, is it possible to skip the poppy layer all together? I just want “clean” baked cheesecake.
Thank you!
PS. Love your recepies!!!!!
Yes, that’ no problem, Maria. 🙂
I’m halving the recipe in order to make cupcakes. Should I still leave them to bake for 60 mins, or do you recommend less? Thank you.
If you make cupcakes, you definitely need to bake them shorter. I guess 30-40 minutes should be sufficient, but I never tried it. Take them out when the edges start browning. 🙂
Hi Ela.
Your cake looks lovely . I made it but my cake got burned on the top and outside. Inside looked like I would boil it not bake If you know what I mean. I think the temperature was to high. It’s my first cheesecake made off tofu so I don’t have any experience. I did bake it at temp like in recipe but my oven is strong. What temperature it should be then? Or maybe something else?
If your oven is strong, I would suggest using 10 degrees Celsius less and use some tin foil to cover the cake, so that it doesn’t brown too much. It’s normal that the inside is very soft at the beginning, it needs to firm up first. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you for reply . I’ll try it next week 😊
Hi Ela, I can’t find silken tofu, despite my desperate search. Can I use any other type of tofu? Regular, firm, extra firm?
Thank you!!
Hi Talia, you can use regular tofu. I prefer the taste of silken tofu (it’s rather neutral) but regular tofu is ok. Please don’t use firm or extra firm tofu. 🙂
Hi ella!, the cake is very tasty, and I put vegan strawberry jelly on top of the cake.🍓
But the crast is very hard, can you tell me why?
Thanks😊
Hello, I am glad you love the cake. Did you use shredded unsweetened coconut (desiccated coconut) or something different? Also, did you process it in a blender or grinder? 🙂
I used organic shredded unsweetened coconut, and I process it In a grinder.
Do you think there is a difference between blender and a grinder??
Hey, I don’t think there is a huge difference. If you want a flaky and very soft crust, you could add vegan butter instead of the banana next time. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you for your response, I will try next time. G-D willing.
Do you think I can use chia seed instead of poppy seeds?
No, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.
Absolutely delicious! This is the first vegan cheesecake I’ve ever made, and I’m amazed how great it tastes. I put a bit more lime juice, but that’s my personal preference. It didn’t crack, the filling was solid. Perfect!
Thank you for the delicious recipe!
That’s awesome! So glad you loved the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for your great feedback! ❤️
Hi Ela, thanks for the recipe. I made it a couple of times, and every time i have these cracks on the top of the cake.. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Olga, this can happen and it also happened to me quite a few times. Did you keep the cake inside the oven for a further 5-10 minutes with the door slightly open?
Yes, I did. Actually this happens even before 1 hour of baking is over. The top begins to crack..
Maybe your oven is too hot. I read this can cause the outside of the cake to cook faster than the inside, creating cracks. You could also try to bake the cheesecake in the oven and put a ceramic bowl (or glass bowl) filled with water beneath it. The hot water will create steam and maybe that will stop the cake top from cracking. Hope this helps! 🙂
Good Morning,
Can I use a biscuit base instead? I do I need to put it up the side of the baking tin?
Thank you
I believe you can use a biscuit base, Jaimie! I never tried it though, so I am not sure how it will taste. 🙂
Hi Ela! This looks delicious. However, my husband truly hates bananas and anything made with them. What could I do foe a crust with no banana?
Hi Sheila! You could use applesauce instead. And if you don’t mind fat, you could also use vegan butter. 🙂
Hi Ela,
Is there an alternative for corn starch? I am trying to stay away from corn due to allergies. Also, can monkfruit be used as a substitute for the sugar/sweetener portions of the recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Krystal! Yes, you could use arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch. 🙂
And sure, you can definitely use monkfruit as a sweetener. 🙂
I love poppy seed desserts. I am American but my family immigrated from Croatia. We make poppy seed filled pastries.
That’s awesome, Toni! 🙂
I 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.
Thanks for your feedback, Susan! 🙂
Mak je to najlepšie na svete???? Určite vyskúšam tento recept 🙂
Pozdrav zo Slovenska
Yes, poppy seeds are the best! I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
Hello, 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!
You 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. 🙂
Can’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??
Hey, 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. 🙂
Hey, 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!
Buckwheat flour should be a great substitute. I haven’t tried it out though. 🙂
Hi 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.
Hi Angie, not sure what you mean. The recipe clearly says to bake it in the oven for about 60 minutes. 🙂
Oh, 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 🙂
Oh, I see! I don’t think I have done it when I baked the cake but I guess it wouldn’t hurt either. 🙂
Hello!
What can be substituted for all the coconut? I cannot eat it.
Thank you!
Hello, 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. 🙂
Can you make this recipe into 12 mini cheesecakes??
If they have the size of muffins, then yes, that should work. 🙂
Hi 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
Hi 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. 🙂
I made this yesterday for friends, it was amazing! I’m loving your website and recipes!
Thanks for letting me know, Toni! Makes me so happy you liked my recipe 🙂
Hi 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!
Yes, 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
This 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!
Thank you, Nisha! Yes, I have a few no-bake cheesecakes on my blog and thought it’s time for a baked cheesecake. 🙂
Hi 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????
Hallo Jana, yes sure, in Austria poppy seeds are also very common and popular. I hope you will like my cheesecake. 🙂
hey 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!
Hey Tiina, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your story! So nice to hear from you. 🙂
I 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:)
Aww, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your story. Love it! 🙂
Looks delicious and so super fluffy and creamy 😀
Thank you so much, Nadia. Yes, it’s super fluffy and cream indeed. ????
I love cheese cake so much!
And this one looks so good to me!
I should definitely try your recipe ????
Much love,
Bianca ????❤️
Thank you very much, Bianca! ????❤️
This recipe looks fantastic! Such clean ingredients… cannot wait to try it out.
Thank you very much! I hope you will like it. 🙂
That 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 ?
Hi 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.
What if you’re allergic to soy? Can I substitute the tofu with more cashews? Thanks!
Hi 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.