This creamy no-bake vegan gluten-free cheesecake is ready to take the stage at your Thanksgiving table. No highly coveted oven space necessary.
Hey friends! While I’m away this week at Women’s Week Retreat at Kripalu, my fabulous intern April is on the blog today sharing a recipe that she developed just for us! April has been a huge help BTS at TFD helping out with photo shoots, recipe tests, media work, and more. She recently started her own food and nutrition blog and I can’t wait to watch it grow. I hope you’ll follow along too! Check out her bio at the end of the post so you can follow along with April! Take it away, girl!
Move over pumpkin pie, this gluten-free vegan pumpkin cheesecake is here to take your place at the Thanksgiving table. Smooth, creamy, warmly spiced, and subtly sweet—it’s everything you want in a cozy fall dessert.
If your friends and family are anything like mine, then there’s a good chance your Thanksgiving menu will need to accommodate a variety of dietary needs. That’s where recipes like this one are perfect for creating a dish that everyone can enjoy.
The prep is super easy too. All you have to do is toss the nut and date-based crust ingredients into a food processor and press into muffin tins. Then whip up the cheesecake in a high-speed blender and spoon over the crust. The secret to the velvety vegan cheesecake? Cashews. Their mild flavor and buttery texture are perfect for creating a creamy base that’s surprisingly similar to the real deal. Plus, they pack in a number of beneficial nutrients like zinc, selenium and vitamins E and K.
Oh, and did I mention no oven is required? In my house there’s usually a competition for the highly coveted oven space, especially with that Turkey taking up so much time. Luckily, these sweet treats require no baking, which means you can make them ahead of time and pop them in the freezer until you’re ready to eat (AKA you can spend less time stressing in the kitchen and more time enjoying good company).
Easy, no-bake, and totally delicious, these GF vegan pumpkin cheesecakes are a must at your Thanksgiving feast.
PrintNo Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
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- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cheesecakes 1x
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup packed pitted dates (about 10)
- 1 cup whole or halved walnuts
- ½ cup whole or halved pecans
- ½ cup almond flour
For the cheesecake:
- 2 cups cashews, soaked and drained
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup canned coconut cream
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1–2 lemons)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Optional Toppings: Coconut whipped cream, candied pecans
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over cashews and let soak for 1 hour uncovered.
- In a food processor, blend dates, walnuts, pecans, and almond flour until a sticky dough forms, about 2-3 minutes.
- Evenly divide the crust between 12 lined muffin tins (about 1.5-2 Tbsp of crust per cheesecake). Press down with fingers or the back of a spoon. Set aside in the freezer.
- In a high-speed blender, blend all cheesecake ingredients until smooth, about 5 minutes. Adjust spices and sweetness to taste.*
- Spoon batter into muffin tins and fill to the rim. You can use the back of a spoon or butter knife to smooth out the top surface.
- Place in the freezer to set for about 3-5 hours. If freezing for longer, remove from freezer at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with optional coconut whipped cream and/or candied pecans.
Notes
*These cheesecakes are subtly sweet, but feel free to add more maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter dessert.
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Holiday
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April is a recent graduate from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University with a Master’s in Nutrition Interventions, Communications, and Behavior Change. She is currently finishing a DPD program through Simmons University and is looking forward to applying to dietetic internships. April is passionate about clearing up the confusion surrounding nutrition and making healthful lifestyles simple and actionable. Follow along on her blog www.nourishedbyapril.com and @nourishedbyapril.
Um, there is a photo of a slab of dead fish on here.
Recipe sounds great though.
Thanks! And I changed the default recipe video so that is no longer what you see.
Would this work in actual pie form instead of muffins? Or does it come out too crumbly/hard to slice? 🙂
Hi Sam! Yes, this should work just fine in an actual pie form. Feel free to report back here after you try it!
Thanks! Printing off to test out with my family!
Yay hope you enjoy!