Vanilla & Roasted Apricot No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake

Share:
vegan cheesecake

A super simple but delicious vegan cheesecake with a perfect balance of sweet/tart roasted apricots, creamy vanilla filling, and crispy biscuit base. It takes a little while to make but very little effort, and the results are well worth the wait.

Ingredients

For the Cookie Crust
  • 55g vegan butter, melted
  • 150g lotus biscuits
For the Vegan Cheesecake Filling
  • 120g cocoa butter
  • 150g coconut oil
  • 525g silken tofu
  • 155g icing sugar
  • 110ml plant milk
  • 2 t lemon juice
  • 2 t vanilla bean paste
For the Roasted Apricots
  • 470g stoned apricots, sliced (around 5-6 apricots)
  • 2 T caster sugar
  • 1 t vanilla bean paste
  • Small bunch mint leaves

Instructions

To Make the Cookie Crust

  1. Line the base of a 20cm spring-form cake tin with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
  2. Place the cookies in a food processor or blender. Pulse until they’re broken to a rough crumb. Remove from the blender and pour into a medium-sized bowl.
  3. Add the melted butter and stir to combine, making sure all the crumbs are coated.
  4. Pour the crumb into the prepared cake tin and flatten into an even layer. Place in the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.

To Make the Cheesecake Filling

  1. Place the cocoa butter and the coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl or double boiler and place over a pan of gently simmering water. Stirring often, allow both to melt.
  2. Meanwhile, place all remaining filling ingredients in a high-speed blender.
  3. Once melted, add the cocoa butter and the coconut oil to the high-speed blender. Blend on full speed until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
  4. Pour the filling on top of the chilled base and place it in the fridge. Leave to set for at least 4 hours.

To Make the Roasted Apricots

  1. Preheat the oven to 170c. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. Pit and slice the apricots into quarters. Place them in a large bowl and add the vanilla and sugar. Toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and place in the oven.
  3. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the apricots and don’t allow them to burn or lose their shape entirely. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  4. Arrange on top of the chilled cheesecake and return to the fridge to chill for a further 2 hours minimum.
  5. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and top with the mint. Slice and enjoy!
Print

Notes

This cheesecake is no-bake, which means easy peasy, but here’s a breakdown of the process with a few extra tips thrown in.

Make the Base

The recipe calls for lotus biscuits, but that’s mostly because they’re my favourite biscuit in the world. You can use digestives instead (or vegan graham crackers) but I find that the caramel flavour of lotus biscuits work really well with the vanilla of this cheesecake. Just grind the biscuits into a rough crumb in a food processor and mix in the melted vegan butter. Press into the base of a spring-form cake tin and you’re good to go!

vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps

Make the Filling

A lot of vegan cheesecakes use agar to help them set, but I find this makes the texture gelatinous instead of creamy. Instead, we’re using cocoa butter and coconut oil, which are solid at room temperature, to help make the cheesecake set when refrigerated. Melt the cocoa butter and the coconut oil, then blend until smooth. Pour over the base and place in the fridge to set.

vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps vegan cheesecake recipe steps

Roast the Apricots

Apricots are a perfect topping for this cheesecake because they’re sharp enough to balance out the creaminess of the vanilla filling. Roasting them brings out the extra sweetness and the added vanilla ties the whole thing together. Roast the apricots until soft but not mushy – you want them to hold their shape. Allow them to cool completely before assembling the cheesecake.

vegan cheesecake recipe steps

Top the Cheesecake

Use the back of a teaspoon to check that the cheesecake is set enough to handle being topped with the apricots. If you’re good to go, place the cooled apricots on top and return to the fridge to set fully.

vegan cheesecake recipe steps

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @wickedkitchenfood on Instagram and hashtag it #wickedkitchen.

Want more inspiration? Subscribed to The Wicked Kitchen YouTube Channel!

Other delicious recipes:

Search our Recipes