Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free Option)

Many years ago, Go Dairy Free viewer, Lelly, alerted us to this fantastic vegan lemon cheesecake recipe.

I found this in a magazine. It was ranked best cheese cake and was tested next to a real one and they could barely tell difference. I don’t like Tofu and I thought it was great. The credit goes to a woman named Nicole Weston (November 2004) of the website bakingsheet (now Baking Bites).

Nicole was kind enough to permit reprint of the recipe and photos, and today we’re giving this recipe post a big update.

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake made with Tofu and Baked to Perfection!

Nicole shared the following on her favorite vegan lemon cheesecake recipe.

When I make something vegan, I do not tell people – excluding veg friends – that it is vegan. I prefer to surprise them with it once they’ve already eaten some. This cheesecake got good reviews, even after it was revealed to be vegan. I don’t think anyone would deny that this is a tasty cheesecake. It is a cross between a dense, New York style cheesecake and a lighter, European style cheesecake. It has a great texture, a bit melting, light and fluffy.

I chose to make this vegan cheesecake lemon flavored, because I didn’t want another dense chocolate dessert. But you could substitute orange or lime juice for the lemon. Per slice, not necessarily by weight, this cheesecake has half of the calories and more than 3 times less fat than regular cheesecake. I think that’s a good reason to have seconds!

This vegan lemon cheesecake also goes wonderfully with fresh fruit, or even a homemade strawberry sauce.

Special Diet Notes: Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian.

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

Author: Nicole at Baking Bites

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

1 (14-ounce) package firm silken tofu
1 (8-ounce) package dairy-free cream cheese alternative (Nicole uses Tofutti)
⅔ cup sugar
¼ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons non-GMO cornstarch
1 (9-inch) dairy-free pie crust (can use a gluten-free crust, if needed)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Place the silken tofu and dairy-free cream cheese in your food processor, and process for 1 minute. Add the sugar, and process until smooth and no sugar granules remain, about 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and almond extract. Whisk in the cornstarch, until dissolved. Pour the mixture into your food processor, and process until very smooth.
Scrape the mixture into your prepared crust.
Bake the vegan cheesecake for 45 minutes.
Allow it to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, and then refrigerate it overnight.

Serving size: ⅛ cake Calories: 244 Fat: 10.1g Carbohydrates: 34.2g Sugar: 19.2g Sodium: 196mg Fiber: .3g Protein: 4.7g