Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
This Baked Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake will wow you with its rich texture, spices, and a gluten-free graham cracker-style crust. It's the perfect vegan Thanksgiving dessert.
Servings 8 slices
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1⅓ cups raw pecans
- 1⅓ cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For the filling
- 1⅓ cup raw cashews soaked in water for 4 hours to soften, drain and rinse before using
- 1 cup vegan coconut yogurt any thick and tangy yogurt will work, I like Culina
- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch or tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or another teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil and place on a baking sheet.
- In a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the pecans, almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Pulse slightly to break up the pecans. Stream in the melted coconut oil and then pulse again until the mixture is well moistened and sticks together when pressed between your fingertips. Scrape down the sides of the container or use the tamper as necessary.1⅓ cups raw pecans, 1⅓ cups almond flour, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, ⅓ cup coconut oil melted, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 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 while you make the filling.
For the cheesecake filling
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- In a high-powered blender or a food processor (I use my Vitamix), blend the soaked cashews, coconut yogurt, pumpkin, maple syrup, arrowroot starch, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, sea salt, and vanilla bean powder. 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.1⅓ cup raw cashews, 1 cup vegan coconut yogurt, ⅓ cup pumpkin purée, ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or another teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 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 60 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 of 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.
- Store the cheesecake tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
