Description
This Vegan Apple Cheesecake is a creamy and irresistible baked vegan cheesecake that is perfect for the holidays or for any apple pie lovers! Made with an oatmeal almond flour crust, this gluten-free cheesecake is topped with a scrumptious apple pie filling.
Ingredients
Scale
For the crust
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, softened
- 2 tablespoons creamy almond butter or any other nut or seed butter
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
For the filling
- 1½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours to soften, drain and rinse before using (you can skip this if you have a super high powered blender, or just soak in hot water for about 30 minutes)
- ¾ cup coconut cream, this is the cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup vegan coconut yogurt, any that is thick and tangy will work!
- ⅓ cup (111g) pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from the juice of one large lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the sautéed apples
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegan butter
- 2 apples, about 3 cups diced, peeled and chopped into cubes, I used one Honeycrisp and one Granny Smith
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil and place on a baking sheet.
- In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
- Press the crust evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool slightly.
For the filling
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325º.
- In a high-powered blender or a food processor (I use my Vitamix), blend the soaked cashews, coconut cream, coconut yogurt, maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, arrowroot starch, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Scrape down the sides of the container or use the tamper as necessary to get a super smooth consistency. It will take about 3 to 5 minutes of blending to get it super smooth and creamy.
- Taste the mixture and adjust to your tastes (add more maple syrup for sweetness, lemon juice for tanginess, or vanilla extract for more vanilla flavor). Pour the filling into the cooled crust and tap the pan hard on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until mostly set. The cheesecake should jiggle slightly in the center when it’s ready, but not be too wet and jiggly. Try not to disturb the cheesecake for the first 45 minutes.
- When the cheesecake is just shy of set, turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside. Leave the oven door open a few inches and let the cheesecake cool inside the slightly ajar oven. Remove from the oven after about an hour.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to chill all the way through.
For the apple pie topping
- In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the diced apple chunks and coconut sugar. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and formed a caramel-like sauce on the apples.
- Whisk together the water, arrowroot starch, and cinnamon. Add to the apple mixture and cook for one to two more minutes or until thickened into a sauce coating the apples. Let cool slightly before topping the cheesecake.
Notes
To store
This vegan apple cheesecake is perfect to make a day or two ahead of time before you need to serve, just store it in the refrigerator until you need to serve! I prefer to make the apple pie filling fresh before serving, but you can make the whole thing and keep it fully prepared until serving. If you choose to do that, keep the apple pie filling more towards the center of the cheesecake so it doesn’t make the crust soggy.
- In the refrigerator: store covered with foil or wrap, or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- In the freezer: store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before serving.