I have to admit I was never a fan of eggnog as a drink
Since it is basically drinkable custard which I always thought was really weird!
But eggnog cheesecake? Oh yeah I’m in!
Perfectly creamy and because it is no bake
Any Vegan Cream Cheese will do!
Cinnamon cookie crust and some whipped cream to top it off
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Notes for Success:
Typically you will see no bake cheesecake recipes using cashews as the base rather than vegan cream cheese
My No Bake Cheesecake recipes include both cashews and vegan cream cheese
And the combination along with my custard base is pure perfection in cheesecake form!
Brandy is used in traditional eggnog but I left it out of this recipe so I could share with my non alcoholic friends.
If you want to use it simply add 1½ Tablespoons added to the blender with the other ingredients
I use lactic acid in my cheesecake recipes to mimic that signature tang of authentic cheesecake
But if you do not have it or don’t want to buy it you can use apple cider vinegar in the same quantities as listed for the lactic acid
Agar can be a tricky ingredient in No Bake Desserts such as this one.
A heavy hand ~ even a pinch too much~ can be the difference between creamy delicious and rubbery inedible!
Pay attention to the strength of agar you are using in comparison to the one that author of the recipe is using, I typically use 900 strength in my recipes
Cornstarch is also a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure
So while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS EGGNOG CHEESECAKE
Eggnog Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1½ cup Your favorite cinnamon cookie (140g)
- 4 Tbs Vegan Butter melted (56g)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
For the Cheesecake Batter:
- 2 cup Raw Cashews (360g)
- 12 ounces Vegan Cream Cheese *see notes (336g)
- 1¼ cup Granulated Sugar (250g)
- 1½ cup Plant Milk (360ml)
- 6 Tbs Cornstarch *see notes (48g )
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon Agar powder *see notes
- 3 Tbs Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Lactic Acid ½ teaspoon
- 1½ Tbs Brandy *optional
for the icing
- ½ Recipe Vegan Whipped Cream
- Nutmeg for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- First soak the cashews in filtered water in the refrigerator overnight. Or for a fast soak bring to a boil then let them soak for 1 hour, drain the liquid & reserve the cashews
- Prepare the crust by cookies with the cinnamon in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter & process until it resembles the consistency of wet sand
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom of a 7" springform pan with a parchment paper liner & an acetate cake strip to line the rim of then pan for easy removal. Freeze crust
- For the cheesecake filling prepare the custard by combining the plant milk with the sugar, cornstarch, agar & nutmeg in a medium sauce pot whisking constantly over medium to high heat until it comes to a boil
- Remove from the heat & this custard to a high speed blender along with the soaked & drained cashews, the vegan cream cheese, lactic acid & vanilla extract
- Blend smooth then pour onto the crust in the springform pan
- Refrigerate (or freeze) until firm and set. At least 4 hours or overnight
- Unmold & top with vegan whipped cream & a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon
Video
Notes
If you want to use it simply add 1½ Tablespoons added to the blender with the other ingredients I use lactic acid in my cheesecake recipes to mimic that signature tang of authentic cheesecake, but if you do not have it or don't want to buy it you can use apple cider vinegar in the same quantities as listed for the lactic acid Agar can be a tricky ingredient in No Bake Desserts such as this one.
A heavy hand ~ even a pinch too much~ can be the difference between creamy delicious and rubbery inedible! Pay attention to the strength of agar you are using in comparison to the one that author of the recipe is using, I typically use 900 strength in my recipes Cornstarch is also a very difficult ingredient to measure consistently with a volume/spoons measure
So while I list both measures below I cannot stress enough how the grams measure with a scale is going to give you the best results. Storage Eggnog cheesecake must be kept refrigerated and will stay fresh for up to 1 week. I do not like to freeze vegan cheesecakes/ They tend to get a grainy almost broken texture~ no longer creamy once frozen
What texture is it? With the agar agar ?thank you!
Did you watch the video? ALso I leave notes about working with agar in this recipe post so be sure to read that part too since agar can be a tricky ingredient to work with !
I’m on the fence about my approach on this one. I need to prepare it today for a party Monday and just realized I either have a 9” springform or a 7” cake pan but not a 7” springform. Since it’s no bake, I’m wondering if the 7” cake pan is fine or if I should increase the ingredients by 22ish% to use the 9” springform so it’s not super short.
Hi Brittany~ I know I am late to answer this one but for some reason I stopped getting notifications about questions here!
Too late now, but I am sure you sort of answered your own question! You are correct that putting this recipe into a 9″ diameter pan would leave you with a much thinner cake than desired.
I hope you increased the recipe!
I’m allergic to corn so hoping I can sub saw arrowroot for the corn starch…yes? Thanks your recipes look amazing . I am about to make the cannoli filling to use as a dip for my vegan Pizzelles !
Yes you can! ooh awesome sounds great!
I’m not familiar with lactic acid. What purpose does it serve and is it necessary in this recipe?
Also, what is an acetate cake strip?
Hey there, so lactic acid is a great way to add that signature “tang” to cheesecakes or any recipe really that calls for vegan cream cheese. If you do not want to buy it you can add apple cider vinegar in the same amount instead
Or skip it altogether, although I really think it adds that flavor that is missing from vegan cream cheese
While acetate cake strips are not 100% necessary it does make this cake project easier to wok with especially on the un-mold
If you skip to 3:49 in the video here where I am making this recipe from start to finish you can see me removing the acetate cake strip with ease for a really clean un-molded final cheesecake