No Bake Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake
It's almost the holidays, y'all!! There's a lot to love about the season but obviously what I look forward to the most is cooking and baking with my family. Every year at my mom's house we wake up early to make Christmas dinner, and my contribution (no surprise here) has always been dessert. For the last two years I've make my Classic Banoffee Pie because it's such a crowd-pleaser and there are never any leftovers, and this year I'm throwing another dessert into the mix: this Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake!
This is the second time I've made a vegan cheesecake, the first time being last year when I made this baked New York-style non-dairy cheesecake, and it was a hit! I brought that one to a party and I left with an empty pan. Some people at the party didn't even know it was vegan, and they thought it was delicious. So, here I am again with a delicious vegan pumpkin cheesecake recipe that's perfect for fall and the holidays.
Once again, the main component of this dairy free cheesecake recipe is cashews! When you blend up soaked cashews the consistency becomes super thick and cream cheese-like, which makes it a great substitute for all kinds of vegan cooking and baking. I even use blended cashews as the base for my vegan pesto Alfredo pasta, too!
Back to this cheesecake. This recipe is no-bake, which makes it super easy to whip up if you are in college and don't have an oven, or it's hot AF where you live and the thought of turning on your oven already breaks you into a sweat, or maybe baking isn't really your thing and you don't even know where to find you oven's ON dial. Hey, I'm not judging. You deserve to enjoy gluten free cheesecake no matter what!
In my super humble opinion, the best part of any cheesecake will always be the crust. This crust is not baked but it's still nice and firm with a nice crunch. Graham cracker crust is where it's at, but you can totally switch this up with a ginger cookie crust if you're feeling super festive. Hey, go crazy and try it out with Oreo's and let me know how that turns out!
The cheesecake filling is lusciously smooth, lightly sweet but not too sweet, and delightfully spiced with pumpkin and all the fall feels. I can't wait for you to dig into this one!! When (not 'if') but WHEN you make this gluten free pumpkin cheesecake for yourself, tag me on Insta so I can see :)
Enjoy!
Recipe
Prep time: 20 minutes // Rest time: 4 hours
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
1/2 c vegan butter, melted
Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
2 c raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 15 mins
1 c pumpkin purée
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (homemade: mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves)
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 c coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pecans for decorating, optional
Directions
Add the graham cracker cookies to a food processor and process until it turns into crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add in the melted butter and mix in with a spatula.
Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper, letting it overhang off the sides.
Transfer the cookie crumb mix to the pan and pat down firmly with a spatula, or your hands, on the bottom and up the sides. Place into the freezer to set while you prepare the filling.
Pour boiling water over the cashews and let them soak for 15 minutes.
Add the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until hot. This allows the brown sugar to melt and the flavors to blend with the pumpkin purée perfectly.
Remove from heat and add to a blender along with the coconut milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
When the cashews have finished soaking, drain them properly and then add them to the blender. Blend very well until completely smooth.
Pour the filling on top of the ginger cookie crust and return to the freezer to set completely. This will take at least 4 hours, or you can just leave it overnight.
When the cheesecake has set let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to thaw before serving.
Decorate with chopped pecans, and slice up and serve!
Adapted From: Loving It Vegan