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This baked vegan cheesecake with a delicious poppy seed layer is a wonderful light/airy cake and perfect for warm summer days. Also great for a birthday party. The cake is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free and easy to make.
Vegan Baked Cheesecake With Poppy Seeds
Light, airy, creamy and soooo delicious! This describes this baked vegan cheesecake the best. And btw. this isn’t a regular baked cheesecake as it also has a yummy poppy seed layer which makes it even more special.
I tell you, this is an awesome 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?
Creamy Baked Cheesecake
What makes this 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.
Nut-Free Alternative
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 (or any other plant-based yogurt) plus 1/4 cup of melted margarine (or vegan butter or coconut oil).
You Might Love This Baked Vegan Cheesecake Because It 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.
For a raw vegan cheesecake, I would recommend the following recipes: Raw vegan blueberry cheesecake & Fruity cheesecake recipe
Baked Vegan Cheesecake With Poppy Seeds
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups oats (gluten-free 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 plant-based 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)
- 3 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice (or more to taste)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (40 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
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).
- To make the 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.
- To make the poppy seed layer, process the poppy seeds in an electric spice/coffee grinder. 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 onto the crust. Put it back into the fridge.
- 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 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- 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 hot anymore you can put it in the freezer for about 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
- Recipe serves 12. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition
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Do you think I can use chia seed instead of poppy seeds?
No, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.
I made this without the poppy seed layer but put a blueberry compote on top . The cake was very disappointing, had no cheesecake flavour whatsoever, the only flavour was the blueberries. Most of us threw it in the garbage.
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 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.