This is my first time creating a pumpkin cheesecake, and I chose to make it dairy free using cashews and baking it, versus using cashews to make a raw cheesecake. I’m a huge fan of the classic New York-style cheesecake. That said, I’m into non-dairy versions of things, but cheesecake is definitely a challenge to make with out thick creamy cheese.
I didn’t have anything to compare it to taste-wise because I’ve never tasted pumpkin cheesecake made with dairy-based cheese. I use soaked cashews to emulate the texture and flavor of a cheese, and then added lemon juice, salt, sweetener, and a collection of spices to bring the filling together in a high speed blender.
Since I’ve only tested pumpkin cheesecake with these exact ingredients, I can’t say how else I’ll make it or what I would subsitute. Yet. I’m enjoying it sliced, somewhat thawed from the freezer. My next step will be to add some coconut whipped cream to the top and maybe powder the top a bit with cinnamon. I’d love to try it with a dairy-based cheese, most likely Farmer’s cheese, or Greek (aka dripped) yogurt.
Pumpkin Cheesecake {dairy free}
Update on 10/21/20: I made a few tweaks to this recipe a few days after posting it: I added 1/4 cup of water (or coconut milk), corrected the cinnamon from 1 tablespoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and corrected the vanilla from 1 tablespoon to 1 teaspoon.I made this less sweet on purpose but if you prefer things a bit more on the sweet side, add 1 tablespoon extra of maple syrup to the filling. Another great addition is whipped cream or whipped coconut cream (added to the end of this post).I used an 8-inch springform pan. If you don't have a springform pan, you can use an 8-inch cake pan.To make this egg free, replace the eggs with chia or flaxseed meal egg. I've also accidentally left the eggs out and it works, you just need to bake it another 10 minutes or so, cool and freeze.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 286kcal
Equipment
- High speed blender
- Food processor (optional)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée homemade or canned
- 1 cup cashews soaked in boiling hot water for at least 10 minutes and then drained
- 1/4 cup water or coconut milk or other milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (170°C or gas mark 3).
- Lightly grease the inside ring surface of an 8-inch springform pan with coconut oil and place parchment paper on the bottom.
- Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse for several seconds until the dough forms. You can also do this by hand in a bowl.
- Place the dough on the bottom of the springform pan and flatten it out with your hands.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
- Place all the filling ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until it is creamy and smooth. If you don't have a blender you can use a food processor but you'll have to run it longer to get it smooth.
- Let the baked crust cool and then pour the filling on top of the crust.
- Bake the cheesecake for 35 minutes, or just until the top is moist but firm, and before the edges get too dark. I add a small baking pan with about an inch of water in the oven with the cheesecake to help prevent cracking on the top.
- Cool to room temperature and place the cheesecake in the refrigerator or freezer for a few hours. Before you remove the ring of the pan, take a knife and run it around the outer edge of the cake to insure it doesn't stick to the sides.
- Serve chilled.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2451IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg
Whipped Coconut Cream
I use coconut milk in a container for coconut cream. I make sure there are no other ingredients added to the coconut milk. You can also find coconut cream separately from the milk but I prefer the container with milk because I sometimes use some of the milk to thin the coconut cream when whipping it. Occasionally I open a container that doesn’t have enough cream, so I usually add two coconut milk containers to the refrigerator, just in case. I also add a bit of the milk when whipping the cream to make sure it is not too dry and whips well.This recipe makes about 1 cup of whipped coconut cream.You can use honey or maple syrup, or any other sweetener you prefer. For SCD, use only honey.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 30kcal
Instructions
- Place the coconut milk in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This allows the cream to separate from the milk.
- Chill a metal bowl in the freezer 15 minutes before you plan on making the whipped cream.
- The coconut cream will separate on the top of the container. Separate the coconut cream from the remaining liquid and place it in the chilled bowl with the honey (or maple syrup).
- Use a standing mixer (with a whipping attachment) or hand blender to whip the coconut cream for about a minute, or until it is light and fluffy. If the cream is a bit dry or stiff, add some coconut milk while whipping it.
- Use the whipped cream immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 31mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was fantastic!! I was nervous about making a whole dessert just for myself but I ate it up quickly and am making another right now 🙂 Thanks!
So nice to hear! I’ve been eating a lot of it as well, but it’s healthy 🙂
Thank you for your recipes, I’ve been making many for several years, I was wondering if you could make this without eggs? If so, what would you substitute for it? Not sure if the normal subs would work here. It’s possible that gelatin would work, but again, haven’t tried it yet.
It’s quite possible that it will work without eggs because cashews do firm up when baking, but I haven’t tried it so you’d be the test :).
I did make it and used 7 teaspoons of golden ground flax with 12 t of water.for the 2 large eggs.I also used silk nut milk 10g of protein for the milk. My cooking time was longer and also let rest in turned off oven to totally firm up. We let it set for an hour then couldn’t wait any longer and had a small slice it was delicious warm and then refrigerated and tried.. taste best I think thinly sliced. Delicious. I will try making into little muffin tins will have to increase 1 1/2 the crust to do so. This is definitely a keeper:) Do you think you could make it with other things besides pumpkin? Oh by the way my nephew tried and he doesn’t like cheesecake and he liked it. My husband said it reminded him of a good pumpkin pie. Thank You! Blessings!!
So great to hear!! Yes, another reader also had great success using 2 chia eggs, so it does indeed work. Great to hear the milk worked and yes, I figured you would have to bake it longer. Love the muffin idea. I’m not sure what else you can make it with yet, I’m still working on testing it with yogurt and Farmer’s cheese, but maybe pureed fruit, like applesauce? Just an idea. Cheers!
So excited to try to make this! I’ve been looking for an SCD friendly pumpkin cheesecake recipe (because I have some of your leftover ginger snap crust that I usually use for your blueberry cheesecake bars (which are to die for, btw!!!) and wanted to try it as crust for pumpkin cheesecake…). For how long do you think this will be good for in freezer…? Thanks, Erica!!
Oh, love using the ginger snaps as a crust! I think it will last a month or so, but seal it very well so it doesn’t dry out.
Is there any other type of nut I could use, rather than cashews?
Cashew is the only nut that I’ve tested. You use dairy-free yogurt instead and then just remove the lemon juice and salt from the filling. You can use the same amount of yogurt (1 cup) but I haven’t tested it yet. Let me know if you try it!
Just fyi, I tested it with Farmer cheese and yogurt and posted the recipe.
This looks delish Erica – thanks for testing! What size springform is that? Also, what brand of coconut milk do you use for coconut cream (apologies if you answered this somewhere else).
Oh! Thank you for asking, meant to put that in, so just added it. I use an 8-inch springform pan. You can also use an 8-inch cake pan. For coconut oil, I use Trader Joe’s organic filtered so there is less coconut flavor and odor. I also like the Nutiva brand.
Thanks for the reply – I was also hoping you could let us know which coconut cream or coconut milk brand you use for your whipped coconut cream.
Yes! For coconut milk I make my own using Trader Joe’s unsweetened coconut flakes. For brands, see my post on “how to make coconut milk” for a few brands I’ve trusted in the past. I much prefer making coconut milk for the taste, but in a pinch I will use Trader Joe’s or Aroy-D. Check the ingredients always to avoid additives and gums.