Vegan Cheesecake With Berry Sauce ~ GF Option

This vegan cheesecake with berry sauce was a pleasant surprise. The perfect blend of flavors makes it a favorite at our house and always a huge hit for plant-based followers.

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I’ve been experimenting with cheesecakes trying to recreate old family favorite recipes that I can eat without getting a horrid stomach ache and which also means substituting the dairy and egg ingredients. It’s tricky getting the texture, flavor, and baking time nailed down.

I have found that substituting sweetened condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk has an effect on the baking time. But that’s another post because this recipe doesn’t use sweetened condensed coconut milk.

To Make This Vegan Cheesecake With Berry Sauce You Will Need These Ingredients:

• Dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
• Graham cracker crumbs ~ gluten-free if needed. I used Schar Gluten-Free Honeygrams
• Tofu ~ silken or firm, I used firm tofu so my batter has a thicker consistency.
• Non-dairy cream cheese.
• Oil
• Pure maple syrup
• Non-dairy milk
• Arrowroot
• Vanilla extract
• Lemon, orange, or almond extract
• Fresh or frozen mixed berries
• Berry jam ~ any kind
• Corn starch or arrowroot

I used a 9-inch springform pan and wrapped foil around the bottom and slightly up the sides. In my experience with gluten-free crumb crusts, the butter tends to leak out a bit and this prevents a mess in the oven.

As you can see this cheesecake cuts nicely and the crumb crust stays in place, which is important! I love the crust so I definitely want mine to be attached to my piece of cheesecake!!

Just typing this up I’m looking forward to making this vegan cheesecake again. After devouring the first couple of pieces I froze the rest of the cheesecake and we enjoyed it for a couple of months one piece at a time.

The berry sauce freezes well too. I use small freezer containers and freeze enough for two pieces of cheesecake. Just defrost the berry sauce in the microwave.

 I also love to add spoonfulls of this berry sauce on:

• Waffles
• Pancakes
• Yonana ~ using a frozen dairy-free dessert maker
• Sorbet ~ frozen fruit whip

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Cheesecake With Berry Sauce

A simple vegan cheesecake with an optional gluten-free crust. Topped with a tart and irresistible berry sauce.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: allergy-friendly, cheesecake, comfort food, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan cheesecake

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 394kcal

Author: Mary Krick

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup non-dairy butter like Earth Balance
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 12-13 squares
• 12- ounce package of silken tofu I used firm tofu.
• 8- ounce dairy-free cream cheese
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 tsp arrowroot
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon, orange, or almond extract
• 10- ounce bag of frozen berries defrosted but not drained
• small jar of berry jam any will do
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Crush graham crackers into crumbs. I do this by placing the whole crackers into a freezer size gallon bag and smashing and rolling over them with a rolling pin. You could also use a food processor.
• Add melted butter to crumbs and mix to combine.
• Press mixture onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9" springform pan. I always place some tin foil under my pans to catch any butter that seeps out the bottom. (It has happened more than once)
• Bake for 5 minutes then let the crust cool on a wire rack.
• Add tofu, cream cheese, oil, syrup, milk, arrowroot, vanilla, and additional extract flavoring to a food processor and process until smooth.
• Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust.
• Bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
• Chill before serving. Serve with fresh berries or berry sauce.
• Berry Topping:
• Drain the juice from a 10-ounce bag of thawed berries, there should be about 2/3 -3/4 cup.
• Pour into a medium-size saucepan.
• Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of berry-flavored jam. Any flavor will work. I use strawberry or raspberry.
• Stir in 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch and mix well. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
• Add defrosted berries from the bag and gently fold in.
• You can use this topping immediately or chill it first.
• Slice your cheesecake into 8 pieces.
• It's nice to let each person spoon the topping on their piece of cheesecake.
• **Be sure to freeze any leftover topping in small containers for later. This sauce makes a perfect berry sundae.
• Enjoy!!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 371mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe was inspired by Alicia Silverstone and her book The Kind Diet.