No-Bake Vegan Cinnamon Spice Cheesecake Tart that is dairy-free, oil-free and made with cashews and a secret ingredient for extra “cheesecake” tang! All of your guests will never believe it’s vegan! All made in the blender, so easy to make. Just blend and freeze!
Here is another vegan cheesecake for you….and it is TO DIE FOR. It is going on our Thanksgiving table too. I promised to post it before Thanksgiving because I had posted a picture awhile back of it on Facebook and people wanted the recipe.
I decided to make it in a tart pan. It makes it elegant and thinner, which is perfect, because it is so rich. Vegan, dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free, soy-free, tofu-free and just 8 ingredients for this cheesecake. It is tart, perfectly sweetened with maple syrup and is creamy smooth.
EVERYBODY LOVES THIS VEGAN CINNAMON CHEESECAKE
Before I decided to post the recipe, I had 8 people be my taste-testers. Did I also mention none of them are vegan? I knew it was fabulous, but wanted to make sure it tasted just as incredible to anyone. Well, when my friend and her 3 daughters all devoured it, I knew it was a winner. I also made one for some other family members and they ate the whole thing in 2 days.
I love all things cinnamon. If you’ve been following my blog for some time, then you know that I love cinnamon above all other flavors….even chocolate. It is truly addicting to me. It is a wonderful, healthy spice, so that is a good thing.
I achieved such an authentic cheesecake flavor by adding apple juice and lemon juice. Most vegan recipes just use lemon juice, but I decided to further the tang by adding apple juice and whoa, is it good! It really made a difference than just using lemon juice! It compliments the cinnamon beautifully.
This is my 3rd time making it and this one is all mine….
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this Raw Vegan Cinnamon Spice Cheesecake Tart!
Vegan Cinnamon Spice Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 heaping cups (227g) blanched sliced almonds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons (50-60g) agave (or maple syrup)
- pinch fine sea salt
Filling
- 2 heaping cups (280g) raw whole cashews
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened apple juice
- 1/4 cup (60g) lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (160g) agave or pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Swirl
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (40g) agave or maple syrup
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Prepare the crust first by adding the almonds and cinnamon to a food processor. Process until a fine flour forms. Add the agave, starting with 2 1/2 tablespoons and add more if needed, and process until it clumps together. It should stick together when pressed between your fingers. Pour in a lightly greased 10 inch tart pan. Spread out evenly, pressing flat with your fingers and working your way just slightly up the sides. Set aside.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until very smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides as necessary. If you do not have a high powered blender, you will need to first soak the cashews in a bowl covered with water for about 5 hours. Drain and rinse and proceed with the next steps. (Adding the remaining filling ingredients and process until smooth)
- Pour the filling over the crust, making sure to scrape all the liquid out of the blender.
- In a small cup, add the swirl ingredients and stir until well mixed with a fork. Drop spoonfuls all over the filling and gently swirl with a butterknife. Don't overdo it or you will lose the swirl effect.
- Place in the freezer to chill overnight or for several hours until solid and firm. Remove 10-15 minutes before serving and slicing. You can either slice it directly in the tart pan or gently pop out the tart pan from the bottom and then slice. Place immediately back in the freezer to retain the firm shape, as it will soften if left out too long.
Are you able to convert the cup measurements for me?
I don’t want to make it and it not set due to inaccurate measurements.
I don’t bake in cup measurements.
Thanks
Hi Anna, sorry for just seeing this! I’ve added them now!
I made this recipe for my boss as a “Thank You.” He has a very restrictive diet but also a major sweet tooth so I got excited when I saw your recipe. I made it with honey instead of maple syrup because that is what I had on hand and it turned out amazingly delicious. Everything about it was perfect and the apple juice is such a wonderful addition. He couldn’t get enough and was excited to be able to have a dessert that he was actually allowed to eat. Thank you for sharing! This is definitely going in my recipe box 🙂
Hi Laney! Oh, that is so wonderful to hear it was such a hit! That is so nice of you to make it for your boss, as well. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Brandi, do you think I could use a pie pan for this? I don’t have a tart pan, unfortunately.
Hi Sabrina! Yes, definitely 🙂 Just make sure to spray the pan so it removes easily. It will just make it thicker than a tart pan, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Let me know what you think 🙂
Hi! I came to check this out after seeing your IG post about being published in @vegnews magazine, congrats! I’m wondering if I can use almond meal for the crust instead of sliced almonds because I don’t have a food processor (I also live in South Korea and sliced almonds are a bit expensive).
Hi Crystal! Sure, I’m not sure exactly how much you would need, so I would add enough until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough. Let me know what you think after you make it!
I made this cheesecake for my non vegan family who visited from out of town. I did not tell them anything about the cheesecake until after they ate it. They could NOT believe it was vegan. This cake tastes so close to the original it’s ridiculous. Rave reviews from everyone and best part -it comes together so fast. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze.
This is the best feedback Estee! I love hearing that nobody knew it was vegan and loved it so much! Thank you so much for making it and sharing your pretty pics on Facebook!
Hello there, Im just wondering does the filing set solid in the freezer/fridge as no coconut oil in your recipe, thanks
Yes it does firm up, that’s why it’s supposed to go in the freezer though, it will not firm up in the fridge. I don’t use coconut oil in my recipes so the freezer is a must. Note the removal direction time and freezing time and when you are ready to serve it, remove it about 15 mins beforehand. It’s a favorite at many gatherings. You will have to keep it stored in the freezer.
I just made this–omg couldn’t be easier or more delish. I may use slightly less sweetener in the filling and add some cardamom the next time. I almost skipped the swirl, but it looks so beautiful with it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Yay! So happy to hear that CK, so thrilled it was such a hit. Thank you very much for the feedback!
I made this over the weekend, and thought it was wonderful! My husband was not a huge fan of the super nutty crust so he ended up scooping the filling onto a graham cracker and WOAH! I will make the filling again with a graham cracker crust for Christmas! Thanks for this recipe.
Wonderful Pam, I’m so happy to hear that!! Wow, graham crust sounds amazing! My hubby doesn’t like strong nuts either, haha! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
Thank you so much!!
Can I use the whole Almond insted of sliced almond?
Thank you 🙂
Sure! Just make sure to use the same weight amount. You basically just need a consistency to where the mixture holds together when pressed between your fingers. Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but this is totally delicious and very easy to make
Wow, just made your cheesecake recipe tonight and it is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing.
Wonderful!! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much for leaving feedback!!
Hi!
I was thinking of making as 2 yr olds birthday cake. Do you think if I doubled it and make it in a spring foam pan it would still work?
TIA!
Hi Gul! Yes, I think that should definitely work beautifully and it would be a nice thick cake that way. Please let me know how it turns out!! Thank you! Just make sure to line the pan with parchment paper at the bottom sticking out in between the sides, for easy removal 🙂
Made it this morning and it tastes so so good! Unfortunately I didn’t have a blender, so I used my food processor for the filling. The cashews didn’t process all the way down, which left the filling a bit thin and liquidy with tiny little chunks of cashew, rather than creamy. I’m convinced it couldn’t taste any better than it does because I just tried it and creamy or not it’s delicious.. it doesn’t quite look quite as beautiful as yours lol! Now that it’s frozen the texture is almost a little cake like. (Yum) The swirl didn’t hold up well because of it being a little watery, but I did what I could to still make it look fancy(ish) 😉 I also didn’t have a tart pan, so I used a glass pie plate. I had enough crust to make it like a cheesecake pie, and it came out surprisingly well! The taste is amazing I can’t wait for my boyfriend to try, he’s going LOVE this! Thanks so much Brandi 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you loved this cheesecake so much Erin, thank you for the wonderful feedback!! Yes, it definitely gets the best creamy texture from a blender, unfortunately a processor just will never get it as smooth, but I’m still glad you loved it nonetheless! That will also have an effect on creating the swirls since the batter would be more liquid-y that way. Thanks for the feedback!
Oh my goodness, THAT swirl!! <3 You are killing me with this cheesecake girl!! I tried making a vegan cheesecake once with just cashews and lemon and the taste of the cashews was wayyy to overpowering for me. I can only imagine that the apple juice and spices REALLY balance everything out well here!! 🙂 Can't wait to try!!!
Omg I know EXACTLY what you mean! I actually cannot stand the taste of cashews LOL, so the apple juice was an idea I had to further give it tang and sweetness and camaflouge the cashew taste and you really can’t taste them. This is made by many of my non-vegan family and friends and they all love it and have no idea there is cashews in there!! And of course the cinnamon is key as well!
I made my fourth one the other night at a friend’s house, using her BlendTec blender. I forgot the lemon juice and we could not go to the store because she lives way out in the woods, so we used some orange juice that she had that was not very sweet…it turned out BEAUTIFUL and was the best of the 4 I have made already!!!
Oh wow Gale!! That sounds absolutely amazing with the orange juice! I’m trying that next time. Thank you so much for coming back and leaving me feedback, I truly love reading it and hearing about your changes! 🙂
Would I be able to replace apple juice with unsweetened apple sauce?
Sure, I don’t see why not! Please come back and let me know how it turns out!
No coconut oil? Does this cheesecake solidify well?
Hi Stephanie! No coconut oil, you are correct. This is a freezer type of cheesecake, so yes, no problem with it firming up. 🙂 Just follow the directions on how to freeze it after making it. Overnight is best, then just remove it 10-15 mins before slicing. Place back in the freezer, as it will soften if left out too long.
Hi Brandi,
I am excited to try this recipe for a get together I am going to this weekend 🙂 Just wondering – what size tart pan did you use? I have a 26cm pan (just over 10 inches). Will that work?
Thanks!
Marcie
Hi Marcie! I’m excited you are making it! I actually used a 9 inch pan. Sorry, I’ll add that to the recipe. I don’t think a 10 inch would work well because it will make the cheesecake too thin. It is already on the thin side with the 9 inch…actually it’s the exact size of a traditional chocolate tart. I think it would be better if you use a regular spring form pan, if that’s the only size tart pan you have. The cheesecake will be thicker that way, but better than it being too thin. Hope that helps! Please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Ok…this is my 3rd day eating my leftover tart….I must say that this becomes soooooooo much better the longer it sits in my fridge…even the taste of the ginger has disappeared….i am totally loving this dessert….YUMMY!!!!!! Now, time for yet another slice…. 🙂
Thank you so much Elilta!! I’m so happy you are enjoying it so much…I guess it’s like wine…just keeps getting better the longer it sits, haha 🙂
Ps. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 😀
Brandi! So I have to tell you that after a few times of making this recipe (everyone loved it!!!) I decided to get brave and tweak it a bit so I could turn it into a lemon cheesecake (my dad is a lemon nut!). It turned out FABULOUS!!
Here were my changes:
-Crust-
I used nutmeg & ginger in place of cinnamon.
-Filling-
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon ginger
Omitted cinnamon
And in place of the swirl, I garnished the top with lemon zest 🙂
Thank you again for this genius recipe!! xo
I love this idea Tatiana!! I am so going to try a lemon version next time…sounds delicious!! Thank you so much for making it so many times, and I’m thrilled everybody loves the recipe so much. Happy New year!! 🙂