No Bake Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake Recipe
This No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake is a creamy, vegan dessert that combines the warm spices of gingerbread with a luscious cashew and vegan cream cheese filling, all set on a crunchy vegan cookie crust. It’s perfect for the holiday season or any cozy occasion, requiring no baking and only refrigeration or freezing to set.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 4 hours soaking cashews
- Cook Time: 0 minutes (no baking required)
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes including refrigeration
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 120 g (4 ¼ oz) vegan cookies (biscoff recommended)
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) vegan gingerbread cookies or extra biscoff cookies
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) vegan butter
Filling
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) cashews, soaked
- 500 g (17.6 oz) vegan cream cheese
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt
- 120 ml (½ cup) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (without pith)
Garnish (optional)
- ½ batch vegan whipped cream
- Fresh pomegranate
- Mint leaves or rosemary sprigs
- Pecans
- Vegan gingerbread cookies
Instructions
- Prepare cashews and pan: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours or use the quick-soak method by soaking in boiled water for 30 minutes, then rinse and drain. Line the base and sides of a 7.5 or 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Make the crust: In a food processor, combine the vegan cookies, gingerbread cookies, sea salt, and vegan butter. Pulse until the mixture sticks together and can hold shape when pressed between fingers. Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the base of the lined pan. Refrigerate while preparing the filling to allow it to set slightly.
- Make the filling: Add all filling ingredients—soaked cashews, vegan cream cheese, vegan Greek-style yogurt, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice/cloves, and orange zest—into a high-speed blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy, with no lumps remaining.
- Assemble and chill: Pour the smooth filling mixture over the chilled crust in the pan. Refrigerate the assembled cheesecake for at least 8 hours or overnight to allow it to set properly. Alternatively, set the cheesecake in the freezer for about 4 hours to speed up the process.
- Decorate and serve: Once set, carefully remove the springform pan and peel away the parchment paper from around the cheesecake’s sides. Clean the edges if necessary with a cake scraper. Garnish the cheesecake with vegan whipped cream, fresh pomegranate seeds, mint or rosemary sprigs, pecans, and extra vegan gingerbread cookies before serving.
Notes
- Vegan Cookies: Use vegan cookies such as digestives, ginger nuts, gingersnaps, or vegan graham crackers. Gluten-free cookies work as well if needed.
- Soaked Cashews: Soaking for 4 hours is ideal to soften cashews; quick-soak in boiled water for 30 minutes if short on time. Always rinse and drain well before blending.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: For a lighter filling, use 300g vegan cream cheese combined with 55g coconut oil to replace some cream cheese.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: Can be substituted with vegan sour cream, vegan skyr, firm silken tofu, or very thick coconut yogurt for texture variations.
- Freezing Option: Freeze the cheesecake for about 4 hours if preferred. Remove from pan while still frozen and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving for best texture.
Keywords: No Bake Cheesecake, Vegan Dessert, Gingerbread Cheesecake, Holiday Dessert, Cashew Cheesecake, Vegan Christmas Dessert, No Oven Cheesecake
