This vegan blueberry cheesecake is an easy to make recipe that’s eggless and gluten free. Simply use a food processor to make the crust, then the cheesecake filling. While it bakes, make a simple blueberry sauce and you’ll enjoy this healthy dessert in no time!
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How to Make Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake
There are a few ways to make a dairy free and eggless blueberry cheesecake. While traditional cheesecake contains many non-vegan ingredients, there are plenty of substitutions that create a delicious dessert.
Use Tofu as Dairy Free Cheesecake Base
Using tofu to make a dairy free cheesecake base is a great use for a block of soft tofu!
Tofu is a fantastic substitute for cream cheese because it offers a great texture and minimal taste, meaning it can be flavored however you like! For this recipe, there’s lots of added flavor from lemon zest and juice along with some miso paste for depth of flavor and some salt. These ingredients brighten the cheesecake and provide a flavor closer to that of cream cheese.
To allow the cheesecake to set, this recipe uses starch which is the easiest way to thicken an eggless cheesecake!
Other common ways to make vegan cheesecake include using cashews or store-bought vegan cream cheese alternatives. While both of these options could work, they’re more expensive compared to tofu and may be difficult to find (I can’t rely on my grocery store to have vegan cream cheese in stock).
Tofu is inexpensive and easy to find where I live. It’s a nutritious ingredient and makes for a rich, creamy and delicious vegan blueberry cheesecake!
Gluten Free Cheesecake Crust
I kept this cheesecake recipe gluten free by using oats as the crust’s main ingredient. This gluten free cheesecake crust can be made two ways:
- Blend the oats into oat flour before adding the other ingredients, for a more traditional texture.
- Pulse all the crust ingredients together at once. The oats won’t fully blend into flour, creating a crust with more texture from the larger rolled oat pieces.
Either way, this is a simple crust that bakes perfectly and is full of simple flavor from the almond flour and maple syrup.
Blueberry Sauce Topping
While the cheesecake bakes, you’ll need to prepare a delicious and simple blueberry sauce topping. Overall, this dessert is lower in sugar compared to some traditional cheesecake recipes, but I like to allow the flavors of fresh ingredients like blueberry and lemon to shine!
You can sweeten your blueberry sauce with as much sugar as you like!
This sauce is full of flavor from fresh or frozen blueberries which pairs perfectly alongside lemon zest and juice. The combination of flavors in this sauce is what makes this recipe shine!
Starch is needed to thicken the sauce. There are a few important points to remember whenever thickening a sauce using starch:
- Make sure the starch is well mixed with water before adding it to the pot of hot blueberry sauce. You want to whisk the starch-water mixture immediately before pouring it in – don’t let it settle or you may end up with starch clumps.
- Continuously stir the blueberry sauce as you pour in starch and keep stirring until the sauce thickens. It’s important to keep the starch moving around so it doesn’t clump.
- Once the sauce is thickened, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. The blueberry sauce continues to thicken as it cools and it’s helpful to stir occasionally as this happens.
Baking Blueberry Cheesecake
I often see people interested in cheesecake recipes that don’t require baking. I’m not sure if it’s because they want a cold dessert or if there’s some fear about baking cheesecake.
This cheesecake recipe requires baking but the process couldn’t be easier. Simply press the crust into the bottom of the pan then spread the cheesecake filling on top. Bake and allow to cool before topping with blueberry sauce!
That’s it, no fancy steps or complex baking techniques. Even for beginners, this makes for an enjoyable baking experience!
How to Serve this Blueberry Tofu Cheesecake
Once the cheesecake is removed from the oven, allow it to cool and firm. Pour the blueberry sauce over the top and enjoy! You can serve this vegan blueberry cheesecake at room temperature or allow to chill completely in the fridge.
If you want to garnish the cheesecake, feel free to top with:
- Extra lemon zest
- Fresh blueberries
- A sprinkle of powdered sugar
- Vegan whipped cream (I love coconut whip!)
If you make this recipe, please rate and comment below to help others benefit from your experience!
Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake
Equipment
- 8-inch round baking dish
- Pot (medium-sized)
- Mixing bowl (small-sized)
- Whisk (or fork)
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce
- 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (or organic cane sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of about ½ a lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of about ½ a lemon)
- 2 tablespoons water (room temperature)
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons water (cold)
Crust
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Cheesecake Filling
- 300 grams soft tofu
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of about ½ a lemon)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of about ½ a lemon)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon miso paste (white type, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Crust
- Place rolled oats into a food processor. If you like a fine texture in your crust, pulse the rolled oats into oat flour. If you prefer a coarse texture, skip this step.1 cup rolled oats
- Add almond flour, maple syrup and coconut oil to the oats. Blend until everything is well mixed. Scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times as you go along.½ cup almond flour, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Prepare your baking dish. An 8-inch spring form pan is ideal but you can also use a regular 8-inch circular cake pan. Grease whichever type of pan you use generously with cooking oil/ oil spray.
- Dump the blended crust mixture into the bottom of the greased pan and firmly press down to create a flat layer. Set aside.
Filling
- After preparing the crust, wash out your food processor. Next, add in all filling ingredients.300 grams soft tofu, ¾ cup almond flour, ⅓ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ¼ cup corn starch, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ tablespoon miso paste
- Blend until smooth, scraping down the edges of the food processor a few times as you go.
- Pour this mixture over the crust.
- Bake for 30 minutes – the center of the cheesecake should feel springy/ mostly firm if you lightly press it (don’t press too hard or you’ll dent the cake – remember it will set/ firm up as it cools).
- Once out of the oven, allow to cool completely before serving. The cheesecake is served cold so placing it into the fridge speeds up the cooling process.
Blueberry Sauce
- Add blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and water to a medium pot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a simmer and allow blueberries to release their moisture and create a sauce.2 cups blueberries, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water
- In a small bowl, whisk together corn starch with cold water until there are no clumps of starch. While the blueberries are simmering, carefully pour the freshly whisked starch mixture into the blueberries while stirring the blueberries. Continue to stir the blueberries until the sauce is thickened.½ tablespoon corn starch, 3 tablespoons water
- Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool.
- Once the cheesecake is baked and cooled you can remove it from the pan (optional). Pour the blueberry sauce over the top then serve! You can also serve the sauce separately if you like.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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About Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out.
She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
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