Dairy-Free Cheesecake

Dairy-free cheesecake seems like an oxymoron, but we’ve figured out the formula! This version is a perfectly light, yet creamy cheesecake that serves as a great canvas for any fruit or chocolate toppings your heart desires. 

I have instructions in this recipe for how to top the cake with oranges and a delicious orange syrup, but you could also make Sarah’s glazed strawberries or use any other fruit you like. 

All without the digestive havoc that dairy can wreak on we less fortunate lactose-intolerant folk! 

A Whole New World: Dairy-Free Baking

A few years ago, I found myself victim to a particularly lazy digestive system when it comes to dairy. I still enjoy my sneaky share of cheese every now and again, but I feel much better when I avoid it, and I’ve begun sniffing out recipes for my favorite foods. Recipes that taste just as good with dairy substitutes! 

This dairy-free cheesecake is one of them. In the past, I’ve also made a dairy-free Lemon Cake and Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Silk Tart. (I also have plans for a chocolate pudding pie, so stay tuned!) 

The Best Dairy-free Cream Cheese for Cheesecake

The pressing question on everyone’s minds! In my opinion, tofu products are the best in the game for dairy-free baking. Whether it’s silken tofu or tofu cream cheese, those are my go-to’s for dairy-free baking. The flavors are mild, and they hold up better than nut milks and cheeses. 

I’m also a big fan of oat milk, which I use in this recipe instead of dairy milk! Oat milk has all the body and flavor you miss in milk without the weird separation that can happen with almond milk or soy milk. That said, you can experiment with your favorite plant-based milk and report back in the comments! 

NOTE: for the crust, I used butter, because butter has very low lactose content. It’s okay for me personally, but for a truly dairy-free cheesecake, use vegan butter / margarine or coconut oil as described in the recipe. 

Is This Recipe Vegan?

This recipe contains eggs and butter, which means it is NOT vegan. However, if you substitute flax eggs and vegan butter, margarine, or coconut oil, you can easily make this a vegan recipe. It may bake up slightly differently without the help of the regular chicken eggs, so keep that in mind as you monitor baking times. 

Now, for anyone following the thread from my Spicy Hunan Steamed Tofu and Mushrooms, I did originally set out to make a VEGAN cheesecake, and while this version isn’t vegan, I like it much better, because it’s much tastier and truer to a classic cheesecake. No-bake versions out there that rely on the freezer and complicated (and expensive) nut crusts take a lot of effort and just…taste too healthy. 

So there’re 2 eggs that snuck into this recipe, but if we’re talking about the carbon/health impact of two eggs, that’s a heck of a lot better than 2 eggs + 3 packs of cream cheese so I’ll take small wins where I can get them, thank ya very much! 

Let’s bake! 

Dairy-Free Cheesecake Recipe Instructions

Make the cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom in foil (you’re going to be putting the cheesecake in a water bath, and you don’t want the water to seep into the pan from the bottom).

Break up the graham crackers into smaller pieces and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until they’ve turned into crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter and process again until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press evenly into the bottom of the springform pan, packing the crumbs down as tightly as you can.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the tofu cream cheese and mix on low speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar and mix on low speed until smooth.

Blend in the oat milk on low speed as well. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, salt, and flour.

Do not over-mix or allow too much air into the mixture.

Pour the filling into your prepared crust. Tap the pan against the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles, and place it in a rimmed baking sheet filled with 1 cm of water.

Transfer the entire apparatus to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 275F and bake for 50 minutes more. Do not open the oven door! After the baking time has elapsed, turn the heat off and let cool in the oven for 2 hours (this allows the cake to cool gradually and prevents cracking).

Make the glaze and fruit topping: 

Meanwhile, make the mandarin orange syrup. In a small saucepan, add the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 3 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the juice of 1 mandarin orange, and pour it into the pot, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer (to remove any large bits of pulp or seeds) and transfer back into the pot. Simmer until the syrup is bubbly, no longer foamy, and thickened. Remove the syrup from the heat, and allow to cool completely. 

When the cheesecake has cooled completely, brush the cooled syrup on top of the cake.

Arrange the orange slices over the top. I used both a small navel orange and a mandarin orange, to get the two-toned citrus look you see on the cake. 

Brush the oranges liberally with more syrup.

And serve!

Again, you can top this cheesecake with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, or even chocolate!