Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Howdy baker friends! Let’s make this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake today! It’s also paleo, gluten-free, refined sugar free, totally delicious, and creamy. Served with some caramel sauce on top, and coconut whipped cream, and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice!

vegan paleo pumpkin cheesecake with coconut whipped cream and caramel sauce on top

This is a no bake vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, and is also very easy to make!

The only thing you need to have in mind when making this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake, is that a few ingredients need to be prepped in advance. Such as the cashews being soaked beforehand, and the coconut cream for the topping needs to be put in the refrigerator the day prior to making the recipe.

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But don’t worry we will go over all of this throughout this post! And you will have a very easy time making this recipe for any special holiday parties, vegan thanksgiving, or simply because it’s fall season and you feel like eating a delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake!!

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake slice topped with coconut whipped cream

Let’s start by the crust!

How to make Vegan Cheesecake Crust

Ok, so there are many ways to go about the crust here! I made special cookies dedicated to the crust for my Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake. They are delicious Vegan Ginger Cookies. And you can find a video on how to make them on this page, or on my youtube channel.

They are very easy cookies to make, but you don’t have to use this recipe. You have other options.

First option is to use store bought cookies. In that case, they might not be as moist and chewy as the Vegan Ginger Cookies that I’ve used. So, I recommend you experiment with the amount of coconut oil you add to the crust when you process the cookies in the food processor.

vegan ginger cookies inside food processor to make vegan cheesecake crust

Start by adding 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Process the cookies, and then check the consistency. When you grab some of the crumbs with your hands, they should be clumping up, and staying together. If they are crumbly and dry, add a bit more coconut oil. Just a little at a time.

holding some vegan cookie crumbs to make vegan cheesecake crust

When that’s ready, press the crust on the bottom of a 8″ or 9″ cheesecake pan.

pressing crust on the bottom of cheesecake pan

If you don’t want to go the cookie route, you can make a very easy no-bake crust in no time, and with just a few ingredients.

On this Vegan Fudge Raspberry Cheesecake post, you’ll find a crust that takes only 5 ingredients. You can totally use that recipe here, and just add a touch of pumpkin spice to it (about 1/4 teaspoon).

You’ll use:

  • Dates
  • Almond flour
  • Cocoa powder (or sub same amount of almond flour)
  • Maple syrup
  • Coconut oil
crust on the bottom of vegan pumpkin cheesecake

How to make Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Alright, so this is a no-bake vegan cheesecake recipe, using cashews. We should call it cashew cake, since there’s really no cheese here!

Anyway, this is an important part of the recipe. Make sure to prepare the cashews in advance. You have to soak the raw cashews in water so they soften up. There are a couple of ways of going about it.

  • Option 1: Soak cashews in room temperature water overnight.
  • Option 2: Soak cashews in hot water for at least a couple of hours.

Have in mind that the longer you soak the cashews, the creamier your cheesecake will be.

Make sure to drain the cashews really well before using in your recipe. Drain the cashews, and press them lightly to squeeze the water out.

draining cashews

Once cashews are drained, you can add them to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients, except for the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin spice.

vegan cheesecake processed in the food processor

Process until creamy. It might take a few minutes.

Once this batter is creamy, divide it into 2 separate bowls.

vegan cheesecake batter

Add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices to the bowl of the food processor with the remaining half of the batter.

vegan pumpkin cheesecake batter in the food processor

Process until very smooth, and then start to assemble the cheesecake.

Pour some of the white batter on the bottom of the pan, on top of the crust.

assembling vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Right on top, pour some of the pumpkin cheesecake batter.

pouring pumpkin cheesecake batter on the pan

Repeat this, alternating the batters until you have poured both batters in the cheesecake pan.

Smooth the top with a spatula! Let the cheesecake sit in the freezer overnight before topping with the caramel and the whipped coconut cream.

vegan pumpkin cheesecake with caramel sauce on top and whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice

Here are some tips on how to make this Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe:

  • Make sure to soak the cashews well until they are very soft.
  • Let the cheesecake sit in the freezer overnight.
  • Once cheesecake is solid, make the caramel sauce to pour on top of it.
  • This caramel won’t have pouring consistency for too long, it will start to become thick and spreadable.
  • Once caramel has set, make the coconut whipped cream to top the cheesecake.
  • Place the coconut cream in the freezer overnight before using it. This way it will be easy to drain the water, since the cream will solidify and separate from the water.
  • Only whip the coconut cream for a bit, don’t overwhip it, or it will start to separate and look curdled.
vegan pumpkin cheesecake

This Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake is best if eaten after it has sat at room temperature for about 20 minutes, so it becomes soft and creamy.

You can store this cheesecake in the fridge, or in the freezer. It will last longer in the freezer.

vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Do you like Vegan Cheesecake recipes? Then check out all these recipes for vegan cheesecake that I have:

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake slice

You can find more recipes like this to compliment your vegan holidays here.

If you make this, tag me on instagram, I love to see your creations!

Thanks for reading my blog! I appreciate all the love and support!

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake slice topped with coconut whipped cream

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Camila Hurst
This is a vegan and paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake, made with cashews. Also gluten-free, refined sugar free, topped with a caramel sauce.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Resting time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, vegan
Servings 12 servings
Calories 500 kcal

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 2 cups Ginger Cookies*
  • 1/2 – 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Pumpkin Cheesecake
  • cups raw cashews  450 grams, 15.87 oz
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil melted  177 ml
  • 3/4 cup coconut cream  177 ml
  • cup maple syrup  236 ml
  • 1/3   cup   lemon juice freshly squeezed  78.6 ml
  • 1   teaspoon   vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin spice
Vegan Caramel Sauce
  • 1/2  cup  maple syrup
  • 1/2  cup  coconut butter
  • tablespoons  cashew butter or any nut butter
  • teaspoon  vanilla extract
Coconut Whipped Cream
  • 1/2 cup coconut cream cold

Instructions
 

Crust
  • Place ginger cookies in the food processor. Process until turned into crumbs.
  • Add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil.
  • Process briefly to combine.
  • Grab some of the mixture with your hands, if mixture clumps up and stays together, it’s ready to go. If it’s still too dry, and not clumping up together, you might want to add a bit more coconut oil until you achieve the proper consistency.
  • Once the mixture is clumping up between your hands, and staying together, you can pour it on the bottom of a 8 or 9” spring form pan, and press it down the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan. You can use the bottom of a cup to do this, or simply press firmly with your fingers.
  • Place it in the freezer while you make the cheesecake batter.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
  • Start the night before, or a few hours prior.
  • If starting the night before, simply soak the cashews in some room temperature water and let them sit on the counter soaking overnight.
  • If starting a few hours before, soak cashews in hot water for at least 1 hour.
  • Drain cashews.
  • Place all ingredients except for the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice powder in a food processor.
  • Process for a few minutes. I like my cheesecake very creamy so I process mine for about 4 minutes. It will depend on how powerful your food processor is.
  • You might want to scrape the bowl of the food processor in between blending.
  • Now, divide the cheesecake batter.
  • Remove half of the batter from the food processor and pour it in a bowl. You can simply eye ball this.
  • Leave the remaining half in the food processor.
  • Add pumpkin spice and pumpkin puree to food processor with the remaining batter.
  • Process until smooth. Check for sweetness. If needed, add a bit more maple syrup if that’s your preference.
To assemble
  • Spoon some of the white cheesecake batter on top of the crust.
  • Right on top of it, spread some of the pumpkin cheesecake batter.
  • Now repeat, alternating colors until you reach the top of the pan.
  • Lightly tap the cheesecake pan against the counter to even out and smooth the top of the cheesecakes.
  • Place in the freezer overnight.
Vegan Caramel Sauce
  • Once cheesecake has hardened up and is firm, you can make the Vegan Caramel Sauce.
  • Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Keep whisking mixture until smooth. Take it off the heat and let it cool down for just a few seconds. Then pour mixture. It will start to set pretty quickly, so you have to pour right after you turn the heat off. Otherwise, it will have more of a spreadable consistency.
Coconut Whipped Cream
  • Place your coconut cream in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge, open the can and drain the water. You can use it to make smoothies, or chia pudding, etc.
  • Whip coconut cream for about 1 minute, maybe less. Until it becomes creamy. Don’t whip too much or it will separate.
  • You can add a tad of maple syrup to sweeten it, if desired. You can even add some powdered sugar to it, having in mind it wouldn’t be paleo or refined sugar free any longer in case you did that.
  • Pipe whipped coconut cream over caramel.
To serve
  • Remove from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving, so the cheesecake is soft.
Storage
  • Store the cheesecake in the freezer for up to 10 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

*I have used THIS recipe to make the Ginger cookies for the crust. You can use store-bought ginger cookies, OR you can use the recipe for the crust from THIS cheesecake, but add 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice to it.

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