Vegan Lemon Cheesecake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This recipe is adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12 servings (9-inch cheesecake)
Ingredients
Graham Crust
  • 15 vegan graham cracker sheets (gluten-free, if needed)
  • 5 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread, melted
  • ¼ cup sugar
Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Filling
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1½ tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent of 3 eggs)
  • 3 (8-ounce) packages dairy-free cream cheese alternative, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Graham Crust
  1. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. This should make about 1½ cups of crumbs.
  3. Add the melted buttery spread and sugar, and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
  4. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of you prepared pan. Use the bottom of a flat drinking cup to gently press the crumbs into place.
  5. Bake the crust for 12 to 14 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and firm.
  6. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool. Leave the oven on.
Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Filling
  1. Add the water and egg replacer to a large mixing bowl. Whip with a whisk or mixer for about 2 minutes, or until thick and creamy.
  2. Add the cream cheese and mix until creamy. Beat in the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
  3. Scrape the batter into your baked crust and smooth the top.
  4. Bake until the center barely jiggles when the pan is tapped and the top is puffed and golden, about 1 hour.
  5. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack for at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours (preferably 24 hours) before serving.
Notes
Mini Cheesecakes Option: Place 12 to 15 mini graham cracker pie crusts (Keebler are vegan) on one or more shallow baking pans. (Don’t remove the crusts from their foil wrappers.) Fill the crusts right up to the top with the cheesecake filling and smooth it out. Bake the mini cheesecakes for about 18 minutes, or until the center barely jiggle when an individual pie is tapped. After a few minutes of cooling, while the pies are still warm, press a few berries into the top of each mini cheesecake. Cool and refrigerate as directed in the recipe above.
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/vegan-lemon-cheesecake