The bottom layer of this pumpkin cheesecake is lightly flavored with lemon, while the top is pumpkin spiced; eaten together, they’re just plain heaven.
[Insert standard “this is not a fat-free recipe” disclaimer here. Geez, what was I thinking when I named this blog!]
I know most of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have already figured out your menus. I’m probably the only slacker who still doesn’t know what she’s cooking! I’m lucky, though. I’m going to my in-laws’ celebration which is essentially a huge pot-luck. We can usually count on there being some side dishes prepared vegan just for us, so I can get away with bringing just a dish or two.
At this point, I’m relatively sure that I’m making Bryanna’s Soy and Seitan “Turkey” and The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole. But I’m absolutely positive that I will be bringing this delicious dessert.
This vegan pumpkin cheesecake is without a doubt the most delicious dessert I’ve had in a long time. The bottom layer is lightly flavored with lemon, while the top layer is pumpkin-flavored without being heavy; eaten together, they’re just plain heaven. No, it’s not fat-free, but I challenge you to find a lower-fat cheesecake that tastes this good. But I warn you–you won’t be able to stop at just one piece of this luscious cheesecake.
2017 Update
Since I first posted this recipe, it has become our traditional holiday dessert. I make it for both my husband’s and my extended families’ Christmas celebrations, and I never have leftovers to bring home.
In recent years, we’ve made this cheesecake with Kite Hill plain vegan cream cheese, which has no added oil, and it works just fine. I no longer believe you have to use Tofutti brand cream cheese for the pie to turn out right.
For more of my favorite fall and winter holiday recipes, please check out my Thanksgiving archives.
Vegan Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese Such as Kite Hill Almond cream cheese or Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese non-hydrogenated version in the yellow container
- 12 ounces extra-firm silken tofu Mori-nu brand in aseptic package
- 1/2 cup agave nectar or sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pumpkin
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree canned, not pumpkin pie mix
- 2 teaspoons rum optional
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar or natural sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (so much better than pre-ground)
Crust
- 1 pre-made 8-inch graham cracker crust or oatmeal cookie crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Put the "Cheesecake" ingredients (cream cheese through vanilla) in a food processor and puree until completely smooth. It should be silky smooth–not chalky or lumpy.
- Remove a heaping cup of this mixture from the processor and spread it in the bottom of the crust.
- Add the "Pumpkin" ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) to the ingredients remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Smooth it carefully over the white layer in the crust, heaping it slightly in the middle.
- Bake until the center is almost set, about 50-60 minutes. (Insert a toothpick. If it comes out liquidy and cold, give it more time, until the center is firm.) Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. Serve to delighted guests. (Don’t tell them it’s vegan, and they won’t know!)
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
I hope all of you who celebrate it have a happy Thanksgiving!
Please pin and share:
Allie
Hey Susan 🙂 I have made this numerous times and it’s always a hit! I was wondering if this could be made into tart-sized treats? I want to do this for our staff but am unsure on cook time/temp if I use the filling in tart shells as opposed to a whole pie shell.
Have you ever done this?
Thanks a bunch!
Allie
SusanV
I’m so glad you like the cheesecake! I haven’t done it as tarts, but I think it definitely could be done. I’d start checking them at 15 minutes and continue cooking until they seem done (but before they get too brown around the edges. You may have to be a pioneer and experiment with this!
CraftyEarthMama
Oh man, I have to try this!
Ellen
I make this every year for Thanksgiving and it is always the star of the show. I leave out the rum and it doesn’t seem to be a problem. This year my non-vegan mother requested this for her birthday cake. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Bridget Otto
I write for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, OR., and would like to reprint your double layer pumpkin cheesecake recipe as part of a T-Day story I’m working on. Can you give permission?
bridget otto
503-221-8527
CN
I double this recipe and bake it a little bit longer in a 9-inch spring-form pan with a graham cracker crust. It’s beautiful to serve to company on the holidays.
Susan Voisin
I’m so glad to hear that that works! I’ll have to try it.
happy_vegan410
I have made this for three years now-it has become a staple at our Thanksgiving! Thank you Susan!
lisah
You posted this recipes several years ago, but I didn’t even know about your site then. I wasn’t vegan then either — though I’m not sure that I should say it even now. I’m trying though! And recipes like this make it even easier. It’s delicious! I knew it was beautiful from the gorgeous pics, but that doesn’t always mean that it tastes good. This one does, and it’s even EASY. There’s about the same number of ingredients for a pumpkin pie and no more complicated to make. For my money though, this is much better. Thanks for a great recipe!
Gwen
WOW. made this for thanksgiving and it was a hit. Cannot believe it didn’t have a soy aftertaste or weird texture… it was perfect, and the omnivores couldn’t tell! Thanks!
Erica
I love this recipe and have used it for the last 2 or 3 years. but all of a sudden i feel like my “cheesecake” keeps cracking. It still tastes amazing but i want it to look pretty too! help me please.
Amber
Made this for thanksgiving and it was AMAZING! I was always a pumpkin pie hater but this cheesecake is absolutely delish! I made a homemade vegan graham cracker crust for it. Thanks for sharing the recipe =)
Kristen
Thank you for providing this recipe! I have never made a cheesecake before- vegan or not- and this came out beautifully. My family (who are very hesitant to eat vegan food) loved it. My only complaint- and it’s not really a complaint- is that it was not very pumpkin-y. Other than that, it was delicious, actually set up firm, and stayed together. Thanks!
Kina
I’ve baked this twice now! The second time I made it when I was reaching for the vanilla extract in my cupboard, I saw my bottle of orange blossom water that I’ve scarcely had a chance to use, so I went ahead and added 1/4 teaspoon of that along with the vanilla and lemon juice, and it made a huge difference. If anyone has orange blossom water laying around, I recommend trying it 🙂
Donna
Made this for Thanksgiving this year. It is the best cheesecake I have ever had. I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Elana
Great recipe! I subbed stevia for half the sugar and used lime juice for the lemon. I was amazing 🙂
Diana
I’ve been looking for vegan cream cheese as well but found a recipe for it instead in Roberto Martin’s cookbook, ‘Vegan Cooking For Carnivores’. It is a cream cheese spread but you can eliminate some of the water in his recipe and keep the 2 Tbsps of olive oil processed with cashews, salt and a block of firm tofu. It is good vegan cream cheese.
Maraika
Finally made this delicious Cheesecake. And making another one tomorrow! where has this recipe been all my life??:) I will use the Graham cracker crust though as I found the oatmeal cookie crust a bit tough when baked. I also didn’t add the Rum. Thank you for a great recipe.
Diana
I’m glad I could help you. I’ve been looking for awhile for vegan cream cheese and it’s difficult even in a big city in my home town. I was enthusiastic when I found it in Roberto Martin’s cookbook. If you have any leftovers of this cream cheese, like I did from the recipe, I put the rest in a glass jar and it is best used within a week when stored in the refrigerator.
Maria
I would like to know how is the crust is made ?
Regards
Maria
Maraika
Here is one recipe for the crust
1⅔ cups whole wheat graham crackers
6 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
½ tsp cinnamon
I made this one though
2 cups finely ground dairy-free graham crackers (either store-bought or homemade)
1/3 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
½ t. cinnamon
pinch of salt
Diana
I usually follow the recipe given in Roberto Martin’s cookbook, but I find I like a thicker crust and not more added sugar because the graham cracker crumbs are sweet enough. So, my take in pie crust in a springform pan is:
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
6 – 8 Tbsps vegan butter
Mix these ingredients together with a fork, then pour into a 9″ springform pan and press at bottom and up the sides.
Maria
Thank you for the crust recipe, but I have a problem , how can I make the
Graham crachers ? I can not find in my country ,
Maria
Maraika
Maria
Try any Vegan biscuit (no butter or milk) that has wholemeal in it as substitute.
Or try the Oatmeal crust
Or you can check out Digestive biscuits.
Or you can google “how to make vegan graham crackers at home” and the 2nd link that comes up looks easy enough.
AND thanks Diana for tips:)
Darla
So excited to make this pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year! One question…can I use arrowroot in place of the cornstarch?
Thank you for all your fabulous recipes! Will be trying a few this holiday 🙂
Susan Voisin
Yes, it should work with arrowroot, potato starch, or tapioca starch. Hope you enjoy!
Darla
Hi Susan,
I was wondering if you could delete my comment?
I put down my personal business website address, not knowing it would negatively effect my google ranking! (Since your blog is completely unrelated to my website)
I, and my online company, would REALLY appreciate it!
Darla
Susan Voisin
Darla, I just deleted your URL. Is that okay? P.S. I can’t imagine that it would hurt your SEO because all the links in my comments are no-follow.
Darla
Thank you. I’m not SEO savvy, but my SEO guy was kinda mad at me (not really) because he somehow saw my comment on your site and he felt it may impact negatively. We are struggling to get on page 1 and every little thing counts, I guess.
Thanks so much. Continuing to enjoy your site and recipes 🙂
Darla
Tamra
I am so glad I stumbled across this recipe. It was soooo good and was a big hit with the family! I even used grated nutmeg! Thanks and have a great holiday!
Diana
I’m glad I could help you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Raina
THE BEST CHEESECAKE IN THE WORLD. This is the second time I have made it because it is THAT good. All of my non-vegan family and friends LOVE it. I made my own graham cracker crust this time to reduce the fat, and even the crust is delightful.
This is the site that I got the crust from. I did part oil and part milk. I also made a little extra crust and added dark chocolate almond milk to that part. http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/01/healthy-graham-cracker-pie-crust/
Hands down, I am TRUE to this recipe :))). Thank you SO much Susan!
Susan Voisin
Thank you for your support–and for the crust recipe!
janice
Can I substitute sweet potato for pumpkin?
Steph E
I made this for Thanksgiving last year and LOVED it! My animal eating family tried it, but my partner and I were the ones to finish it off.
I want to make it again for my daughter’s school auction next month, but am not sure that pumpkin particularly screams “Spring!” Is it possible to make this with fruit other than pumpkin?
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
AzVeganCat
Wow, hubby made this pumpkin two layer “cheesecake” and it is great! We are going to add a little more spice (ginger) to it this time (he’s making it right now) cause we like things a bit more spicy but otherwise it was unbelievably great!! Love this site and definitely going to try a lot more recipes! Thanks for your recipes… I’m a new Vegan (was vegetarian on and off for 25 years but been at it again for the past 5 and vegan for several months now)
Amanda
I know this is an old post, but here I am anyway. Last night I made this for my birthday cake (happy birthday to me!). This morning, I decided to have it for breakfast, and OMG I’m glad I didn’t wait! This is amazing! The only thing I did different, is I did a date nut crust. YUM! Thanks so much for this recipe. If you don’t mind, I’d like to do a post on my blog about this amazing dessert. Thanks!
Shirley Litton
I know this was posted a few years ago, but I just made it, and it IS DELICIOUS!!! Thank You so much for sharing it!!! My mission was to find a replacement for Thanksgiving pumpkin pie since the vegan pumpkin pies I’ve made have been awful. This was perfect!!! Can’t wait to share it with family next month!!
Jomi
has anyone made this using regular tofu? I did, but am not sure what the results will be even if I blended the ingredients very well. I’ll post and let others know just in case they took the same turn on the recipe that I did (I didn’t realize it said SILKEN though it was clearly on the recipe!)
Any comments will be appreciated!
Lynda
We have been making this every Thanksgiving (and other occasions) since finding it here 3 or 4 years ago. It is still a huge favorite. Sooooo good!!
Thanks for the recipe!