The Best Baked Vegan Keto Cheesecake (for the holidays!)

My friends, THIS is THE BEST VEGAN KETO CHEESECAKE! Actually, the best vegan cheesecake, low carb or not! Rich, yet light, baked cheesecake is supported by an aromatic & toasty crust then covered in a glossy cranberry glaze to make a beautiful centerpiece holiday dessert. Best of all, this recipe is easy and the prep is fast!

Thanks to the video sponsorship by Saje Wellness, I was able to dedicate the time to test multiple variations and this one was the absolute winner. And while this blog post is not sponsored, Saje has a wonderful offer that I cannot hold back! Use my code “TESTKITCHEN” at checkout to get 20% sitewide and free shipping across the US and Canada. For Canadians, please use this link plus the same coupon code.

Video Tutorial for The Best Vegan Keto Baked Cheesecake

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What makes this vegan cheesecake different (other than being keto-friendly)

I have to admit, for most of my life, cheesecake was nothing special. I did like it. Cake was better than no cake. But then I visited New York City for the first time and had the famous cheesecake from Junior’s. The texture was like nothing I had before. While it was rich, no doubt, Junior’s cheesecake was light at the same time; almost fluffy!

When I was developing this vegan keto cheesecake, I knew that I wanted that creamy but not overly dense texture. I already have a similar non-keto baked vegan cheesecake but with today’s ingredients and the quirks of zero carb sweeteners it took me nine cheesecake trials. However, needless to say, my efforts were well worth the result!

The crust is more like the traditional graham cracker crust; I’ve always loved those the most. The recipe makes enough for you to make a good layer on the bottom of a 7″ springform pan but also up the sides to the very top of the cake. This makes it easy to remove from the pan and solid enough to do the ol’ two plated flippy in order to get your vegan cheesecake from pan to serving plate. 

But if you prefer the look of a crust that only comes up halfway or even just at the base for a greater filling to crust ratio, feel free to cut the amounts in half.

How to make the Best Vegan Keto Cheesecake!

Start by removing any pans you’ve been storing in your oven, making sure a rack is in the center position, then set it to 350°F. While your oven is preheating, make the crust.

Vegan Keto Cheesecake Crust Ingredients

To make the traditional graham cracker crust vegan and keto-friendly, there’s no need to make crackers! After testing 9 different variations using different low carb flours, I found the ultimate combination for the toastiest aroma and perfect texture.

Oat fiber – Not to be confused with oat flour which is make from the carb-rich oat kernel, oat fiber is made from the indigestible outer husk of oats. I buy only Anthony’s brand of oat fiber because it is truly zero net carb.

When oat fiber is baked, it imparts the same toasty aroma of oats! However, it is too dry (and choky) on it’s own to be delicious. That’s where the next ingredient comes in.

Golden Flax Seeds – Just like brown flaxseeds, golden flaxseeds make a lovely moisture-holding binder in vegan baking. But they taste milder than brown so they don’t add a distinct flax flavor. However, they are too rough as they are. I grind them fresh and sift through a metal sieve to get the best texture.

Swerve Brown Sugar Alternative – It really does taste, feel, and bake up like regular brown sugar.

Ground Cinnamon – Along with the toastiness imparted by oat fiber, Cinnamon gives this crust the characteristic graham crust aroma!

Vegan Butter – I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread during testing but any vegan butter you prefer should work. Just make sure that it is a “butter”; that is an emulsification of both water and oil. Straight coconut oil doesn’t add enough moisture to the crust mixture.

Salt – If your vegan butter is salt-free, you can add a pinch salt. Otherwise, it is not necessary. Earth Balance Buttery Spread has enough salt on its own so if you use it, you will not need to add salt to your crust mixture.

Water – You probably won’t need to add any water to your crust mixture. After pulsing in a food processor (or simply combining the fat and dry ingredients with a fork), the crumbs should easily clump together with a little squeeze. If you find it falling apart when you press it into your cheesecake pan though, feel free to sprinkle a little water (like literally a few drops from your fingertips) and mix it through.

Substitutions

During testing, a few other combinations “worked” but each one had its drawbacks. Only use a substitution if it’s truly necessary and know that it’s not what I recommend.

Instead of oat fiber…

• ground walnuts – while this gives the cheesecake a wonderful aroma, walnuts tend to make the crust a bit oily. You can cut down or eliminate the vegan butter entirely.
• almond flour – I hated the grainy mouthfeel of this. But it does make a good-looking crust. If you already love baked things with almond flour, you might find it nice.
• coconut flour – this doesn’t hold together as well as the others. I found coconut flour to be too dry and didn’t add anything nice to the flavor.

Instead of freshly ground and sifted golden flaxseeds…

• psyllium husk – this was too dry and didn’t hold the crust together as well as the flax did
• chia seeds – again, it was too dry and the crust fell apart
• almond flour – the combination of oat fiber and almond flour without a hydrophilic binder made a surprisingly good-looking crust. Unfortunately the mouthfeel of almond flour gained a “no” from me.

Putting together the vegan keto cheesecake crust

While I tested smaller versions of my full cheesecake, it was easy to combine the dry ingredients with the vegan butter simply using a fork. But for the full size version, I switched to using a mini food processor to get it done in mere seconds. I highly recommend working smarter; not harder.

It’s done when you can lightly squeeze some of the mixture together and it holds its shape.

Line your springform pan with parchment paper. I use a long rectangle piece to create a ring. But since my springform pan is non-stick, I didn’t make a round for the base.

Sprinkle half the loose crumbs on to the base and evenly sprinkle the other half all around the edges. Then use your fingers to gently spread the crumbs so they are roughly even. Use a cup with a flat base to compress the crumbs onto the base and use the sides of the glass to press the edges as well.

Set aside your assembled crust while you quickly blend together the vegan keto cheesecake filling.

Vegan Keto Cheesecake Filling Ingredients

I already have a similar non-keto baked vegan cheesecake so I thought it would be an easy case to switch out the carb-heavy ingredients for keto alternatives but the reality was not so simple! The availability of vegan cream cheese has expanded but at the same time, the qualities are not the same. Plus the quirks of zero carb sweeteners led me to nine different cheesecake trials.

 

Vegan Cream Cheese – This will add the bulk of the fat to our vegan cheesecake and impart some of the mild cheese-like flavour. You may be limited to the varieties that are available to you as I was. Therefore, I used Violife Creamy Original in the final cheesecake. It’s coconut-oil based though it won’t taste like it since the oil is refined. Other coconut oil-based vegan cream cheeses should work as well.

Firm Tofu – Soy-free is an option which you can read about below but if you can, use traditional firm tofu; not silken. Use the type of firm tofu that comes in a tub with water. This adds protein to our cheesecake which vegan cream cheeses typically lack. You won’t need to press it. Simply take it out of the packaging, drain the water and place it on a plate. Tofu is the magic ingredient which will allow this cheesecake to be fluffy and light while also rich and creamy. Don’t worry about a soy-flavor. We’ll be able to mask it with the next ingredients.

Swerve Confectioners Sugar Alternative – It really gives the sweetness without weirdness! The Confectioners variety performed best when tested against regular granulated and brown alternatives.

It’s best to measure by weight for almost all baking cases, but especially for something so light and fluffy as this ingredient. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, the next most accurate method is to measure by leveled tablespoons.

Lemon Zest – You’ll use the zest of one organic lemon in the recipe. While not overly lemony once the final product has rested, it does add brightness and helps to mask any tofu flavor along with the next ingredient.

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice – While I typically say bottled lemon juice is good enough for most things, in this particular case, it did not work to mask the soy flavor from the tofu. When I used freshly squeezed lemon juice, the tofu could not be detected!

Vanilla Extract – While I usually say to buy the best quality vanilla extract you can get, I used the store-brand of vanilla this time and it worked perfectly.

Substitutions

As with the crust, I tested many variations on the vegan keto cheesecake filling. None ended up being awful, but there was fine-tuning on amounts and treatments to come out with the best rich but light texture. That’s why I highly recommend the final recipe: with firm tofu. But what if your guest needs to be soy-free? Or simply don’t have access to firm tofu in your area? Here’s how you can make this recipe without.

Instead of firm tofu…

• peanuts – you can substitute directly without changing the quantities. Your cheesecake will come out tasting like the inside of a peanut butter cup and much denser as well. Think peanut butter fudge crossed with cheesecake. 
• toasted walnuts – this makes a soft and creamy cheesecake. While not exactly fluffy, it will not be overly dense and taste very nutty. However, the color came out to be a grey-brown that wasn’t super attractive.
• silken tofu – if that’s all you have, you can use the same amount of silken tofu but add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the mixture. The starch doesn’t add too many carbs per serving and will help set the filling. It will look amazing. But the mouth can feel the difference of the slight gel-like texture that cornstarch adds.
• faba bean tofu – if you must go soy-free, this is the substitution I most recommend. Use Big Mountain Food’s Soy-Free Tofu which is made from fava beans. It’s a very firm product though, so you should only use 7oz (200g), make up the moisture difference with 3/4 cup (180ml) of Silk Half & Half or your favorite plant-based creamer, and increase the amount of vegan cream cheese to 15.5oz (440g).

I have not tested using homemade soy-free tofu but I would venture to guess that you can substitute homemade high protein, low carb soy-free tofu directly in this recipe as long as you press it to a firm (but not super pressed) density. 

To Prepare the Vegan Keto Cheesecake Filling

Hold back on the Keto Confectioners for now, but blend the rest of the ingredients together until they’re completely one smooth mixture. Then you can add the Swerve and blend it in more slowly. 

If you taste it at this point, the filling will be lemon-forward. Don’t be alarmed, the flavor will mellow out after baking and chilling.

Assemble your Vegan Keto Cheesecake for the Oven

When your oven has been fully preheated, you’re ready to assemble! Simply pour your prepared vegan keto cheesecake filling into your prepared crust. There may be bubbles, but unlike with traditional cheesecake, we don’t need to worry. This cheesecake will be covered with a shiny glaze anyway!

I like to place my springform pan into a round cake pan with handles to make things easier. Place your cheesecake in the middle of your oven and let it bake for a full hour.

Afterwards, DON’T open the oven door. Instead, turn off the heat and let your cheesecake continue to rest in the oven for 15 minutes. Then, it should be golden on top but still quite liquid underneath. Carefully transfer it to a cooling rack and let it sit for a good 30 minutes.

We’re letting it cool so that there’s no extreme temperature changes which can contribute to the zero carb sweetener crystallizing and ruining the cheesecake texture.

After at least 30 minutes, you can transfer your vegan keto cheesecake into the fridge to chill completely and for the flavors to develop even more.

Chill that cheesecake for at least 24 hours but I recommend 72! Even 5 days is okay. Something happens between 24 and 72 hours where the lemon, vanilla, and vegan cream cheese flavors really meld and create a wonderful cheesecake flavor. Don’t ask me how; it’s magic!

You know what else is magic? The vegan keto holiday topping!

Vegan Keto Cranberry Cheesecake Topping

This cranberry sauce is not like the others; and not just because it’s keto-friendly! I would recommend to make it on the day you serve the cheesecake because it’s so good fresh and still a little bit warm. But you can make it ahead as well (with some caution).

First, you’ll cover some fresh or frozen cranberries with water, turn the heat on and wait for it to boil.

Meanwhile, make a few slices of fresh organic ginger.

When the cranberries have come to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and drop in the ginger slices. The ginger will impart its warming flavor without being too overpowering or distinct.

In about 5 minutes, you’ll notice the cranberries have all burst. Take out the ginger now to avoid making the sauce overly gingery. Take the pot off the heat and set it in some snow if it’s convenient outside. If you’re not that lucky, you can simply let it cool in a cold water bath for a few minutes. The goal is not to cool it completely. You just don’t want it to be too hot when you transfer it to a blender.

I used a bullet-style blender for convenience. Transfer the cranberries and ginger-infused liquid you blender and add

• a few shakes of cinnamon (optional),
• 1/4 cup of Swerve Confectioners, 
• 1/4 cup Swerve Brown, and 
• a pinch of salt,

then blend until completely smooth; about 30 seconds.

Now you’re ready to transfer your vegan keto cheesecake to a serving plate and pour over this delectable cranberry glaze!

Important notes

When using Swerve (or other erythritol-based sweeteners), you want to avoid extreme temperature changes. For example, when making the cranberry glaze, I tried adding the sweeteners with the cranberries. After it came to a boil and cooled, it crystalized; ruining the texture. That’s why I have you cool the cranberries before adding the Swerve.

For storage, I have chilled the cranberry glaze in the fridge over several days. Upon heating, and much to my relief, the texture stayed smooth and the appearance stayed shiny. So while I love the flavor better when it is served fresh and a little warm, it’s okay to make the cranberry topping ahead of time.

For storing the cheesecake, while it is cooling, place a cloth over the top of the pan and then a light cover. I used a plastic take-out lid to avoid crushing the cheesecake underneath. This combination will protect your cheesecake from accidents and from the condensation that will form while the cake cools and rests.

After your cheesecake has been served, you may want to store leftover. I’m happy to report that this cheesecake freezes wonderfully. I like to simply thaw it on the countertop. After 30 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of your frozen leftovers), it will return to its previously glorious creamy texture.

Printable recipe for The Best Vegan Keto Cheesecake (for the holidays!)