Baked lemon cheesecake topped with cherries, blackberries and blueberries. All on a white plate with a gold fork in the background.
October 18, 2023

Vegan Baked Lemon Cheesecake

October 18, 2023

Vegan Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Baked lemon cheesecake topped with cherries, blackberries and blueberries. All on a white plate with a gold fork in the background.

Look at this creamy, dreamy, baked cheesecake! Can you believe that this baby is 100% plants? Making a baked vegan cheesecake might sound like an impossible dream since the traditional version is made with lots of cream cheese and eggs, but we pulled it off and it's delicious! 

Editorial Note: This recipe was edited December 12, 2019 to reduce the quantity of water. 

Lemon Cheesecake Filling Ingredients

Infographic with ingredients for Baked Vegan Lemon Cheesecake: coconut oil, water, almond flour, tapioca flour, chickpeas, aquafaba, lemon juice and rind, cane sugar, cocoa butter.

The coconut oil and almond flour, along with some water, combine to replicate cream cheese. The chickpeas and liquid replace the eggs and add body. The cocoa butter and cane sugar add the creamy mouthfeel and sweet taste. And the lemon ties it all together, the perfect mediator.  Here's what you need for the filling: 

  • Coconut oil: Measure the coconut oil melted. We used refined, aka flavourless, coconut oil for this recipe, as we wanted the lemon flavour to dominate.
  • Cooked chickpeas: Be sure to use unsalted cooked chickpeas. Remember to save the liquid from the can, or from cooking the chickpeas. It’s called aquafaba and we are using it as the egg replacer.
  • Almond flour: We use superfine almond flour, also known as blanched almond meal. It’s just skinned, finely ground almonds. You can find almond flour in the baking section of your grocery, in bulk food bins, and stores like Costco. Check out our Mother Mix recipe to use up your almond flour. 
  • Tapioca flour:  Tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch is a gluten-free flour made from the cassava plant. Tapioca flour serves as a thickening agent, allowing you to make creamy sauces, without the gluten found in traditional wheat flour. You can find tapioca starch in the baking section of your grocery. Sometimes, we also see it in the “ethnic” food section, where it’s usually cheaper and just as good..
  • Lemon juice and zest: You'll need enough lemons to make 3/4 cup of lemon juice. Depending on how large and juicy your lemons on, you might need 5-6 lemons. You'll also need 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. It's easier to zest the lemons before juicing them. 
  • Cane sugar: If you want to ensure your cheesecake is vegan-friendly, choose organic cane sugar. If this is not a concern, you can use white sugar. Some white sugars are vegan-friendly as well -- see Sugar, Sugar, Honey, Honey: A Guide to Sweeteners for Plant-Based for more information. Alternatively, you can use vegan white chocolate chips to replace both the cane sugar and the cocoa butter. Or, if you OK with a small amount of dairy, you can use non-vegan white chocolate chips. (See the Recipe Notes for amounts.) 
  • Cocoa butter: Cocoa butter is a fat that comes comes from cocoa beans. It is solid and room temperature and looks white chocolate. You can find cocoa butter in any well-stocked grocery store, or in health food stores. 

Coconut Lemon Crust Ingredients

We paired the lemon filling with a complementary coconut-lemon flavoured crust. Here's what you'll need for the crust. 

Infographic with ingredients for Coconut Lemon Crust for Baked Lemon Cheesecake. Ingredients are: blanched almonds, unsweetened coconut flakes, vegan butter, cane sugar, lemon zest.
  • Blanched almonds: We use skinned blanched almonds for the crust. You can find blanched almonds in the baking section of the grocery store. 
  • Coconut Flakes: We used unsweetened coconut flakes for the crust. 
  • Lemon zest: Be sure to zest the lemons before you juice them for the filling. 
  • Cane sugar: If you want to ensure your cheesecake is vegan-friendly, choose organic cane sugar. If this is not a concern, you can use white sugar. Some white sugars are vegan-friendly as well -- see Sugar, Sugar, Honey, Honey: A Guide to Sweeteners for Plant-Based for more information.
  • Vegan butter: Use your favourite vegan butter or plant-based margarine.  

Making the Cheesecake

This recipe is straightforward but you'll need a good blender to make both the filling and the crust.

First make the crust, then press it into a parchment lined springform pan. Put the crust into the oven to bake and while it's cooking, clean out the blender and make the cheesecake filling. Once the crust is ready, pour the filling mixture into it, and then bake again, until the cheesecake is slightly brown around the edges, and the centre is firm with a bit of spring. 

Topping the Cheesecake

You can enjoy this cheesecake straight up, but we love it topped with Triple Berry Sauce, a jammy, slightly sweet combo of blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, with a hint of orange. Yum.

The luscious lemon filling would also pair well with cherries, strawberries, mango, or even pineapple!

Baked lemon cheesecake topped with cherries, blackberries and blueberries. All on a white plate with a gold fork in the background.

Vegan Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Some Cooking Geekery and Thank You's!

I was inspired to use chickpeas in the filling by this recipe from a Virtual Vegan. Her recipe uses chickpeas but not the liquid.

I make a lot of recipes with aquafaba and I get a lot of good advice and inspiration from the fabulous Aquafaba (Vegan Meringues Hits and Misses) Facebook group.

When I was developing this I did four different tests. While keeping every other ingredient constant, I made one version with just chickpeas, one with chickpeas and aquafaba, and a third one with chickpeas and whipped aquafaba. Here’s a pic:

Top-down view of tester versions of Baked Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

Testing Baked Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

They were all good. Both aquafaba versions rose nicely in the oven, giving that look of a true baked cheesecake. The version with the whipped aquafaba fell somewhat though and since it was more work, with a less positive result, I went with the unwhipped aquafaba for this recipe.

I was also curious how the recipe would work out if I used soaked cashews instead of almond flour. (I always have almond flour on hand for my Mother Mix.) I tried the soaked cashews with the chickpea and aquafaba combination. This version did not get thick and creamy in the blender and did not firm up in the oven. It was more like a lemon pudding. Tasty, but not what I was going for!

Pinterest Pin for Vegan Baked Lemon Cheesecake, with cheesecake topped with Triple Berry Sauce on a white plate


Tip: Make a Reduced Dairy Version 

 If you aren’t vegan but want to reduce your consumption of animal products, you can replace the cocoa butter and sugar with white chocolate chips. (See Recipe Notes for proportions.) White chocolate chips are usually a bit cheaper and easier to find but also contain some milk. So instead of having your typical dairy and egg-laden cheesecake, you’re only having a teensy amount of dairy, while still enjoying a creamy sweet treat. I’d say that’s a win.

Recipe Card

Vegan Baked Lemon Cheesecake

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
[Editorial Note: This recipe was updated Dec 12, 2019 to adjust the amount of water, as well as to clarify the longer bake time if made in a single large pan.]
This makes three 4 1/2-inch cheesecakes. I have not tested this in other pan sizes, but the filling recipe makes approximately 5 cups of filling. The crust coverage area is approximately 42 square inches, so for example, it would be more than enough for a 6 inch springform pan. Baking the cheesecake in a larger pan will add to the bake time. It may take 50 minutes to an hour depending on the pan size and your oven.
Servings 9 servings
Calories 489 kcal
Author Sylvia

Ingredients

Lemon Cheesecake Filling

  • 9 tablespoons melted coconut oil (Use flavourless oil and melt before measuring.)
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour (Ground skinless blanched almonds)
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon rind
  • 3/4 cup water* (Start with this amount and add more by the tablespoon if needed for your blender.)
  • 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, unsalted
  • 9 tablespoons aquafaba (See recipe note)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa butter (Yes, this is vegan)
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar

Coconut Lemon Crust

  • 1/2 cup blanched almonds
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 3 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cane sugar
  • 1/3 teaspoon lemon rind

Instructions

  • Make the crust: 
    Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend until crumbly and well-combined.
    Line your springform pan with parchment paper.
    Press a scant 1/4 cup of crust mixture into each pan.
    Bake at 350F for 6-7 minutes or until the edge of the crust is just starting to brown. Turn the oven down to 325F for the next step.
  • Make the filling:
    Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute then scrape down the sides.
    Repeat 3-5 more times, until the mixture is quite thick and creamy. It will be the consistency of a very thick cream soup.
    Pour into prepared pans.
    Bake at 325F for 35 minutes. The top will be slightly brown and the centre should be firm with a bit of spring. (If you are using only 1 pan, this will take longer to bake. Start checking around 45 minutes, but it may take 50 or 60 minutes.)
    Let cool before removing from the pan.
  • Enjoy topped with Triple Berry Sauce or your favourite fruit sauce. The luscious lemon filling would also pair well with cherries, strawberries, mango, or even pineapple!

Notes

Replacement for Vegetarians/Reducetarians/Flexitarians
If you are vegetarian or reducetarian, you can replace the 3/4 cup cocoa butter AND 3/4 cup of cane sugar with 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips.
If you have a mixed crowd and want to make both a vegan and vegetarian/reducetarian versions, you can leave the cocoa butter and sugar out of the blender. This recipe makes three 4 1/2 inch cheesecakes, so you can easily make 1 vegan and 2 vegetarian/reducetarian, or vice versa. To do this, blend the filling as in the instructions and then per cheesecake, combine 1/3rd of the filling mixture, with either:
  • vegan – 1/4 cup melted cocoa butter and 1/4 cup cane sugar
  • vegetarian/reducetarian – 1/2 cup melted white chocolate chips
Aquafaba
Please see post, Aquafaba: An Easy Vegan Egg Replacer.
 
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is an estimate, based on each serving being about 1/3rd of a 4 inch pan. This is a rich dessert, so this is a generous serving. It is based on using white chocolate chips, not cocoa butter. 

Nutrition

Serving: 9servings | Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Courses, Cuisines, and Keywords

Course
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Keywords
baked cheesecake
|
blender cheesecake
|
celebration dessert
|
dairy-free cheesecake
|
plant-based cheesecake
|
vegan cheesecake

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Recipe Rating




  1. help! I tried to make this and the batter was incredibly runny. even after i added approximately 1/2 cup more of tapioca flour it was barely the consistency of cake batter. It made a mild little tart, but nothing like the consistency of your photo, or cheesecake. I reviewed the measurements and didn’t see where I made an error (though it’s possible). Has anyone else tried this – the main version of the recipe – with success?

    1. Hi! It sounds like it just needs more blending. It takes a total of 5 or 6 minutes on high speed in the blender to get to the thick cream-cheese like consistency. You blend for a minute, then scrape down the sides and then repeat 4 or 5 more times. You should not need to add additional tapioca flour. Do you think it had enough time in the blender?

      1. Hi. Where do you buy cocoa butter? Could you post a link or picture of the product? I live in Australia so finding the same product will require a little exploration. Your help would be gratefully appreciated.

        1. Hi Lucy – I can’t easily include a link here but I’ve sent you an email with a link to a place where you can purchase it in Australia. Hope this helps!

          Sylvia

  2. I did 5 minutes of blending, then more after adding the extra tapioca flour. The consistency was like cream rather than cream cheese at 5 minutes.

    1. I am really not sure what could have happened. That’s a lot of tapioca flour! Even after the first 1 minute of blending it should be thicker than cream, between the quantity of almond flour, chickpeas, and cocoa butter. I use a Blendtec blender for testing. What type of blender are you using? Was the mixture quite warm after all of the blending was done? I am so sorry that this did not turn out for you. I have made this recipe many times with success.

  3. Looks divine and I’ve been meaning to make it for so be time now. Just wondering since I don’t have the small pans if it can be made in one larger pan. And if so, how much more baking time would you recommend?

  4. 5 stars
    I ran into the same problems as Soleil. My mix was more like a thick cream soup than cream cheese when I blended it. I even used a VitaMix for over 6 minutes. It took 1 hour to bake instead of 30 minutes and they were still a bit soft, but after chilling I was actually able to slice them and they were firm enough to stand up on their own! Have you ever tried using less water in this recipe?
    Bottom line: This is one of the best tasting vegan “cheesecakes” I’ve ever had.

    1. Hi Judy – Thank you very much for your feedback. I will try the recipe with less water, and in the meantime will add a note about using less and adding in if necessary for the blender. Perhaps a thick cream soup is a more appropriate description than cream cheese, as well. I’m happy to hear in the end though that this was one of the best testing vegan cheesecakes you’ve had!

  5. Thanks for your feedback Sylvia. I should also clarify that I used the white chocolate chip variation and for any other readers, I also substituted Cannellini beans ( white kidney beans) for the chick peas because of their mild neutral flavor, but I definitely used the recommended aquafaba.
    I have used aquafaba in the past and used a reduced version in this recipe just to make sure everything held together. Still getting so many compliments on this cake! Thank you!

    1. Hi – I haven’t tried it with other flours, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you have a small springform pan, (4 1/2 inch size), you could try dividing the recipe in 3 and make a tester batch with spelt flour. If you do, let me know how it goes!

  6. Hi, this looks so amazing! Could I replace the cocoa butter with anything else vegan (plant fat, vegan butter?) because it’s really hard to get here… Same for the tapioca starch: would corn starch work, too?

    1. Thanks Anna! If you can find vegan white chocolate chips, you can replace the cocoa butter and sugar with those. So you would use 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips instead of the cocoa butter and sugar. I am not sure about a replacement for the tapioca starch/flour – I have not tried it with corn starch but it could possibly work. If you have smaller springform pans – equivalent to 4 1/2 inches – you could do a test version using 1/3 of the recipe. That’s really the only way to know for sure. If you do try it, I would love to hear the result.

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Hello!


We're creating a course: Baby Steps to Plant-Based Eating

Yes, seriously. Trying a plant-based diet can be overwhelming and we'd like to help. 

This course is for you if: 

  • you're curious about plant-based eating, but don't know where to start 
  • you have family or friends who eat plant-based and you'd like to be able to cook for them
  • you've dabbled with plant-based cooking, but would like to expand your repertoire 

Baby Steps to Plant-Based Eating will: 

  • answer your pressing questions
  • cultivate your confidence 
  • arm you with recipes

Want to learn more?  

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