This easy no-bake vegan cheesecake tastes just like authentic cheesecake, but it's completely nut-free, dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free too! You can whip it up in minutes with a few simple ingredients and let it chill until you are ready to serve it!
Use this basic vegan cheesecake recipe to make any flavor combo that you wish. Top it with fresh fruit, use cherry pie filling for an easy cherry cheesecake, or drizzle it with caramel for a vegan caramel cheesecake. However you top it, it will be delicious!
I know that there are a ton of delicious cheesecake recipes out there that use cashews as the main filling, however, my husband won’t eat a nut to save his life, so I had to create another method for the creamy cheesecake taste that we were craving. (Yes, my husband is a vegan who won't eat nuts! - He likes to give me a challenge)!
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🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
Ingredients to make the filling
- Vegan Cream Cheese (Tofutti or Trader Joe's or Aldi's brands are my favorites) If you can't find vegan cream cheese you can use my vegan cream cheese to make your own out of tofu, however, the store-bought varieties give a smoother texture.
- Refined Coconut Oil - you must use coconut oil to help it set up and get firm. Other oils that are liquid at room temperature will not work. I use refined coconut oil, so it doesn't have the coconut flavor, however, if you like that flavor, you can use regular coconut oil or vegan butter.
- Vegan Sugar - a white or near-white sugar will give you the whitest cheesecake filling.
- Lemon Juice - to cut the sweetness of the cheesecake and give it a depth of flavor. The acidity also helps the cheesecake set.
Homemade graham cracker crust
- Gluten-Free Oats - to be chopped up into flour that has a similar consistency to graham crackers. This is the base of the crust.
- Coconut Sugar - to give it a natural molasses flavor that you find in traditional graham crackers. You can also use Sucanat or brown sugar, but coconut sugar has the most similar flavor to graham crackers.
- Coconut Oil - to hold it all together. You can also use vegan butter if you don't have coconut oil.
- Salt - just a dash for flavor.
🔪 Helpful tools
- A blender, mixer, or immersion blender to mix it all up!
- A springform pan or a pie dish.
🥧 Choosing your crust
You can use your favorite graham cracker crust recipe or buy a pre-made one and just pour in your filling. To find vegan graham crackers that are made without honey, look for the red box of Nabisco brand graham crackers and crush them yourself. You can also make a crust out of any crushed-up vegan cookies like Oreos as I do in my vegan Oreo cheesecake recipe.
I like to make my own gluten-free graham cracker crust. It's very simple to make with oats and can be whipped up in minutes with a food processor.
🥄 How to make a no-bake vegan cheesecake
Step 1 - Make your chosen vegan cheesecake crust. (choices above)
Step 2 - Simply add the cream cheese, melted coconut oil, sugar, and lemon juice, into a blender.
Step 3- Blend until smooth and creamy. (You may have to stop and scrape the edges a few times.)
Step 4 - Then pour the filling into a crust of your choice and chill in the fridge. A few hours later, you will have a deliciously creamy treat!
🌟 Cheesecake pans
When making a large cheesecake, I use a springform pan. This way you can take off the edges and get the slices out in a nice neat piece. (I use a 9-inch pan, but if you want your slices thicker, you can use a 7 or 8-inch size or double the batch of filling).
🍒 Toppings
You can use berries like fresh raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries on top. Add mint leaves to make a beautifully decorated cheesecake.
You can also make a berry sauce, also known as a berry compote, to drizzle on top. A berry compote is surprisingly easy and will only take you about 5 minutes. You can also just use any canned fruit filling from the store if you want to make it very easy on yourself.
❄️ Chilling
Let your cheesecake chill for at least 4 hours to allow it to set before cutting. It will continue to firm up and set firmer over the next 24 hours, so it is best to plan ahead and make it the day before or in the morning if you plan on serving it for dessert that evening.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Let the cream cheese warm up to room temperature before blending. This will ensure that the coconut oil doesn’t cool too fast. This will make it smoother and creamier.
- Only heat the coconut oil until it melts. Don’t use very hot coconut oil or it will take much longer to cool completely and set.
- If you use a regular pie dish and not a springform pan, let the cheesecake warm up for about 5-10 minutes after taking it out of the fridge so it releases from the pan easier.
- Don't forget to top it with something delicious like some berry compote, vegan salted caramel, vegan whipped cream, or vegan butterscotch sauce to drizzle on top or swirl into your vegan cheesecake!
🌟 Cheesecake bites instructions
You can easily turn this recipe into vegan cheesecake bites! They're perfect for parties and kids love them!
- Use a muffin tin and line each section with 2 strips of parchment paper making an X at the bottom of each muffin tin. The strips need to be long enough to fit inside a muffin tin with tabs sticking up enough to grab onto. (about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long).
- Then put about 1 tablespoon of graham cracker crust mix on top of each piece of parchment.
- Pack it down firmly with the back of a spoon or your fingers.
- Then fill with the cheesecake filling.
- Put your cheesecake bites into the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours. They will set firmer if left overnight.
- When the cheesecake is firm and done setting, you can pull on the parchment tabs and pop it out of the molds. If they are stuck to the side, go around the edges with a sharp knife to release them from the molds.
Can I freeze the cheesecake?
Yes, you can make this cheesecake ahead of time and keep it wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months or until the day before you are ready to serve it. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
This dairy-free cheesecake recipe is the base for tons of my other no-bake cheesecake recipes too like vegan blueberry cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, oreo cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, and key lime cheesecake.
🍨 More no-bake desserts
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 No-bake vegan cheesecake recipe
No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan cream cheese (2 - 8oz. containers)
- 2/3 cup vegan sugar
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil (melted)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (you can also use lime juice)
Instructions
- Allow the cream cheese to warm up for a while before blending or put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to make it close to room temperature before blending.
- Place the cream cheese, melted oil, and sugar in a blender or mixing bowl and blend until mixed.
- Add the lemon juice and blend again until very creamy.
- Pour into a graham cracker crust. (My gluten-free graham cracker crust recipe)
- Chill for at least 4 hours to set.
- Top with fresh berries or berry compote.
Notes
- For a firmer cheesecake, allow it to sit for longer in the refrigerator. It will continue to firm up slightly the longer it chills.
- Let the cream cheese warm up to room temperature before blending. This will ensure that the coconut oil doesn’t cool too fast. This will make it smoother and creamier.
- Only heat the coconut oil until it melts. Don’t use very hot coconut oil or it will take much longer to cool completely and set.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally published on May 25, 2018. It was updated on June 30, 2020, to include new images and more detailed recipe instructions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
Hi hope all is well, so I followed this recipe & it came out perfectly for the most part..I bit into the cheesecake & it was a bit gritty feeling (the filling) is there any reason why it would be like that? I wondered if it was because of the coconut oil that had set..because once the bite I took warmed in my mouth everything was smooth. So do you think I’d have to let my cheesecake get to room temp before serving?
I have noticed that sometimes the store-bought cream cheese has a gritty texture out of the package. (I think it occasionally gets frozen in shipping or at the store and gets grainy.) You could have gotten little chunks of the coconut oil too. You must make sure that the cream cheese warms up and the coconut oil is fully melted before blending otherwise the cold cream cheese will cause the coconut oil to firm up before it's completely incorporated. Hope that helps! 🙂
Could I use muffin liners instead of parchment paper? For the bites?
Yes, muffin liners will work great. Enjoy! 🙂
I was wondering if your cream cheese recipe would work for this cheesecake or does it have to be the store bought kind? Thank you!!
You can use my homemade cream cheese for this recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi is the coconut oil necessary? Can it be left out? Thank you!
It is essential to get the cheesecake to firm up and set. You could use vegan butter instead if you are allergic to coconut, but you need an oil that is firm at room temp.
Hey! I want to try this recipe but I’m wondering if you think it would work if instead of using vegan cream cheese I used silken tofu or even regular tofu? Would that distort the setting of this cheesecake or do you think it would work? Thanks so much!!
It won't set as well with silken tofu. YOu can use my tofu-based vegan cream cheese recipe instead of store-bought, but it has coconut oil in the recipe to help it have the same density when it's cold. Here is the link to the homemade cream cheese... https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-cream-cheese/
Can this be frozen please
Hi Jo, yes this cheesecake will freeze well. Enjoy!
I made your pumpkin cheesecake, and even the man (my boss,, unfortunately) who views vegan food with disdain was impressed. Thank you.
It is nearly impossible to find a recipe for vegan cheesecake without cashews or silken tofu, which is why I tried the pumpkin version. I would like to try and make this chocolate. Do you think that that would work? If yes, would you add cocoa powder, or melted chocolate?
Once again, thank you.
I have made this in a chocolate version before. I used cocoa powder and decreased the lemon juice to 1 tablespoon and increased the sugar a little for a chocolate variety. Enjoy!
Excellent! Thank you for the advice and quick response. I appreciate both immensely.
Hi. How much cocoa powder did you use?
Hi Stephanie, I used 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and 1 cup of sugar.
This looks delicious! There are so many different base ingredients for vegan cream cheese. Which would you recommend?
I like Toffuti brand cream cheese or Trader Joe's brand vegan cream cheese best for this recipe.
MMM...this filling is delicious and creamy. Note though, that you REALLY do need to let the cream cheese warm up if you're using stand/hand mixer - I got impatient and thought "good enough" when it had sat out for a half hour and went ahead and started mixing it using a hand mixer. I did end up with tiny lumps of coconut oil that had solidified from coming in contact with the still cold cream cheese. Managed to recover by popping the lot into my high-speed blender, so it was super smooth and creamy after all! In the end, this quite closely replicated the old-fashioned no-bake cheesecake my mother would make when sour cherries were in season. Everyone loved it!
I'm glad that the recipe worked for you and you were able to recover it! Letting the cream cheese warm up is very important for a smooth cheesecake. My mom used to make the same one when I was a kid. It was my favorite, so I had to figure out a way to make it vegan. Enoy! 🙂
Hi Monika
The cheesecake recipe looks great but I’m new to this and wondering what quantity of each ingredient is needed?
All of the ingredient measurements are in the recipe card above. Look for the section with a border around it. That is the printable recipe card. Enjoy! 🙂
Hiya. Hope you are all well. Just need some help. I’d like to make a lemon and lime vegan cheesecake. But my Daughter is coconut intolerant. Every time I type in coconut free vegan lemon and lime no bake cheeses cake, all the recipes I come up with have got coconut oil in them. .....PLEASE HELP!
Vegan recipes use coconut oil in cheesecakes to help them firm up and become solid. You can use vegan margarine instead. It won't be quite as firm as it works with coconut oil, but it will work. Just be sure that the cream cheese that you use is coconut free too! I hope that you find a solution that works for you! 🙂
Hi I'm new to this but would violife vegan cream cheese would work please
I haven't tested that specific brand, but I think that it should work well.
Looking forward to trying your recipe. I was wondering what size pan do you use, and can you substitute powdered sugar for cane sugar? Thank you.
I use a 9-inch springform pan, but you can also use a 7 or 8-inch pan to make a thicker cheesecake. You can use powdered sugar instead if you want, but you will only need about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar instead. Enjoy! 🙂
Can vegan butter be substituted for the coconut oil?
You can swap out vegan butter, but it won't set up quite as firm as it will with coconut oil. Enjoy!
Could I substitute cherry juice for the lemon juice for a pink cheesecake?
I think that you could, but I have never tested it. I would still add about 1 tbsp of lemon juice for the acidity. The acidity of the lemon juice, mixed with the fats and proteins and helps it to become firm and set. I worry that cherry juice alone does not have enough acidity. Enjoy! 🙂
Is there an alternative to the tofu that can be used. It's hard to be vegan and have a soy allergy.
If you can do cashews, there are tons of cashew cheesecake recipes out there. My husband won't eat nuts, so I always make soy-based cheesecakes.
hello, I am looking for a cheesecake recipes for my sons birthday adn struggle with runny topping (tastes good, looks a mess), is the coconut flavour noticeable?
have you considered using cocoa butter and doing a DF chocolate version? (just a thought incase you say the coconut is noticeable)
had been looking at using vegan gelatin, but hard to get in regular supermarket (took 6 different shops for me to find last time) and it has an aftertaste!
Hi Naomi, If you use refined coconut oil, there should be no coconut taste at all. If you want to make sure that it's super firm, you can add an additional 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, but most of all, be sure to refrigerate it overnight. You can even make it up to 2-3 days ahead. It just gets firmer the longer it sits in the fridge. You may also want to check out my oreo cheesecake recipe (it's very similar to this one) if you want it kid-friendly and not have to deal with messy toppings. (My own kids request this for their birthdays every year.) Here is a link to that one: https://thehiddenveggies.com/oreo-cheesecake/
Hi Monica,
Do you think another oil would work here, like sunflower oil.
No, you have to use coconut oil (or palm oil). You need an oil that is solid at room temperature to help the structure of the cheesecake to remain firm.
Hello Monica, I've been looking for a simple vegan cheesecake recipe that doesn't rely on cashews, thank you for this recipe, I'm looking forward to trying it. However, I really want a cheesecake that IS blueberry through and through, and with a blueberry sauce on top. Therefore, I'd like to flavor the filling with some fresh Maine wild blueberries, or a blueberry puree, but I'm not sure how much I can add without compromising the stability of the texture. What would you recommend?
I have turned this into a blueberry cheesecake by swirling in some pureed blueberries. You are correct that if you add too much it will compromise the stability. I make the cheesecake as instructed, then before it starts to set up, I swirl in about 3/4 cup of blueberry puree by dropping some on the top and then using a knife to swirl in the puree. Enjoy! 🙂
Could you blitz some freeze dried blueberries and add them to the base for blueberry color and flavor?
Yes, freeze-dried blueberries should work, not fresh or frozen though, they will be too wet. Enjoy! 🙂
Can I substitute the coconut oil and sugar for dairy free cool whip? Will it still hold up?
You can do that if you want to freeze it and serve it as a frozen pie. It will not keep it's form at room temperature using that method though. I do something similar in my vegan grasshopper pie. You can see how I make it here: https://thehiddenveggies.com/grasshopper-pie/
Would you have any idea how to make dairy free rice crispy treats ?
Hi Joy, they make vegan marshmallows that you can find at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. You can use those and dairy-free butter and follow the original recipe.
Am I missing an ingredient or something? I made this, let it chill overnight, but it was like a slightly thicker soup in the morning.... was hoping to use this as a filling for cupcakes, but it would just pour out or soak into the cake if I used it.
Rachel, did you use coconut oil in it? It should be fairly solid after you put it in the fridge for a few hours. I'm not sure how it could be so runny.
Can i use a ready made graham cracker crust? This looks really good and i want to make it soon!
Yes, you can make it with a ready-made crust. (Just be sure to check the ingredients because some are not vegan). Enjoy! 🙂
This looks awesome! I have a holiday party I'm going to and I wanted to make this and put some strawberries on top, how long do you think I have out of the fridge before it starts getting melty? Lol
Depending on how warm the room is, but it will stay firm for about 2 hours. It won't melt on you, but it will get much softer at room temperature. 🙂
Your recipe looks good, but it is not nut free. I have a nut allergy and coconut is a nut. A lot of people don't realize that. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Keeo up the great work.
Thanks for letting me know. I did a lot of research on coconut and if it was considered a nut as far as nut allergies go before I wrote this post. (I wanted people to know from the title that it didn't contain cashews like many vegan cheesecake recipes). This is what I found... "Coconut is not a botanical nut; it is classified as a fruit, even though the Food and Drug Administration recognizes coconut as a tree nut. While allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut." American College of AAI. Sorry that this recipe doesn't work for you. You can swap out the coconut oil for palm oil if you can eat that.
Could this be frozen and shipped?
I think that it could be done if you freeze it really solid and pack it well. You would have to overnight it too.
Hey there! I made this delicious cheesecake and it turned out like a dream! It came out rather caramel in color, but I'm not sure why. It was scrumptious nonetheless! Thanks for the recipe!
I'm not sure why it wouldn't be white unless you used a darker color sugar. I'm glad you liked it! There is no limit to the amount of this cheesecake that I can eat! 🙂
Loved this! Made one before that was much more work and also didn’t ser properly or taste as nice as this one!
Used powdered sugar and deodorized coconut oil, fabulous!
I'm so happy that you liked it! It is one of my favorite desserts! 🙂
How long will these keep in the fridge?
This will keep well for 5 days in the fridge. Enjoy. 🙂
What is the binder?
The coconut oil holds it together when it cools and sets. 🙂
Thank you:)
I just made this! OMG - The best cheesecake that I have had since going vegan! Thank you for the recipe!
You're welcome Rachel! I'm so happy that you liked it! Enjoy!