• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Gretchen's Vegan Bakery
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Cake Recipes
    • Cupcakes
    • Icings and Fillings
    • Cookies
    • Cheesecake
    • Layer Cakes
    • Brownies and Bars
    • Pies and Tarts
    • No Bake Desserts
    • Holiday Baking
  • Baking 101
  • Layer Cakes
  • Privacy Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

March 17, 2022 By Gretchen 15 Comments

I am so thrilled that I literally duplicated

My famous Bakery Italian Cheesecake into a vegan version!

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

If you have ever tried Italian Cheesecake you will know that it is not at all like a New York Style Cheesecake.

Italian Cheesecake is made with ricotta cheese so the texture is very different!

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Although I do use both cream cheese and ricotta cheese in my recipe

The prominent flavor and texture is that of the ricotta cheese

I have a hard time explaining what Italian Cheesecake tastes like since it may come off sounding strange

Which is why I prefer people just taste it!

Italian Cheesecake is a much lighter cheesecake and actually tastes kinda moist.

I know that sounds odd

But compared to the more dry, dense characteristics of the NY Style Cheesecake

Italian Cheesecake is going to have a much more moist mouthfeel.

My recipe is scented with lemon and orange zest, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon.

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Probably the best description is it is actually just like a cannoli, but in cheesecake form!

Paired perfectly with my Vegan Cannoli or simply have a slice all alone

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Truthfully it needs nothing because this cheesecake is just perfect the way it is!

You will notice there is also no crust since the authentic Italian recipe does not either

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Notes for Success:

When measuring cornstarch I cannot stress enough that a kitchen scale is the best way to go.

Cornstarch is 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.

Many times people have complained that their cheesecake is like rubber and they don’t know why!

This is from a heavy measure of cornstarch when using volume measuring spoon vs the 100% accurate scale measure in grams.

I only use Tofutti Cream Cheese for my BAKED recipes.
*Not sponsored

I have not had success with any other brand in BAKED recipes.

For some reason the other more expensive brands I’ve tried have broken down into an oily mess when baked.

You can leave out the egg replacer altogether and just add 1 more teaspoon of cornstarch instead

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EGG REPLACERS IN VEGAN BAKING

For a step by step video visual be sure to watch the YouTube video!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS ITALIAN CHEESECAKE

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

For more recipes using homemade tofu ricotta click the links below

The Best Vegan Cannoli Recipe
Cannoli
Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes
Triple Chocolate Fudge Loaf
Triple Chocolate Fudge Loaf

Vegan Cannoli Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting

Triple Chocolate Fudge Loaf

4.5 from 4 reviews
Italian Cheesecake ~ Vegan
 
Print
Prep time
25 mins
Bake time
60 mins
Total time
1 hour 25 mins
 
Serves: serves 10-12 people
Ingredients
  • Firm Tofu 1¼ packages of tofu (14ounce packages) *Approx 20 ounces total
  • Vegan Cream Cheese *I use Tofutti Brand 12 ounces (170g)
  • Granulated Sugar 1½ cups (300g)
  • Vegan Butter 4 Tablespoons (56g)
  • Cornstarch 6 Tablespoons (48g) *see notes above
  • All Purpose Flour ¼ cup (31g)
  • Egg Replacer 1 Tablespoon *optional *i use Bob's Red Mill see notes above recipe in text
  • Plant Milk 1 cup (237ml) * I use soy but any will be fine here
  • Vegan Lactic Acid or Apple Cider Vinegar 2 teaspoons
  • Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon
  • Ground Cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon *literally a small pinch!
  • Lemon Zest from 1 small lemon approximately 1½ teaspoons
  • Orange Zest from 1 medium orange approximately 2 teaspoons
Instructions
  1. First prepare the "ricotta cheese" by placing the drained, lightly squeezed of excess water tofu in the food processor and process to the same texture as ricotta.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients and process smooth
  3. Pour into a greased and parchment lined 8" cake pan and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour.
  4. Turn off the oven after 1 hour and let the cheesecake stay inside for another 30 minutes to cool, Then cool completely on the counter
  5. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set (or overnight).
  6. Unmold the cheesecake and turn out onto a serving plate (remove the parchment paper circle) garnish with powdered sugar, vegan whipped cream and optional cannoli
Notes
Cheesecake must stay refrigerated at all times and will stay fresh loosely wrapped for up to 1 week
3.5.3251

 

 

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cheesecake

Previous Post: « All the Green Things~ Bakes for St. Pat’s
Next Post: Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alena | nutriciously.com

    February 13, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    loved this idea for what to make with vegan ricotta! cannot imagine how fantastic this will taste once I make it – suggested your recipe in my almond ricotta post to my readers 😉
    https://nutriciously.com/vegan-almond-ricotta/
    keep up the great work!

    Reply
  2. Sonya

    February 28, 2020 at 9:26 pm

    With the egg replacer, are you just using a tablespoon of the powder, or does it need to be mixed with water.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      February 29, 2020 at 12:47 am

      Correct I use the Plant Based Egg as a tiny extra binder here (not totally necessary! But I DO LOVE IT! LOL) and it does NOT have to be added to liquid! (In all the recipes I use it, I just add it to the dry!)

      Reply
      • Amanda

        March 23, 2022 at 4:53 pm

        Hi Gretchen!
        The Plant Based Egg has been out stock for quite a while. Is it still in production? I haven’t received any reply from them.

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          March 23, 2022 at 5:28 pm

          HI Amanda, I am not quite sure either. I have not been in touch with Deborah in a couple of years. I only helped her develop the wheat line, but never was compensated or directly affiliated with Freely Vegan or any of the products.
          I honestly can’t say what happened or is happening. I do regret formulating so many of MY recipes around this 3rd party product though and have been revising all of my recipes using the PBE to offer substitutions.
          I use Bob’s Red Mill as a 1:1 sub in most recipes that I’ve used the PBE with no real differences to the final result.

          Reply
          • Amanda

            March 23, 2022 at 5:35 pm

            Thanks a bunch for the quick reply! I appreciate the wealth of information and recipes you offer. You are an invaluable vegan sweets resource 😉
            Delicious!!
            Take care,
            Amanda

  3. Brittani

    April 10, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    Could chocolate chips be added without compromising the recipe?! Thanks 😊

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 10, 2020 at 10:29 pm

      yes!! I’d opt for the mini’s though since they are lighter (for the batter to hold up) and less “chunky” to bite into

      Reply
    • Isabel

      February 16, 2022 at 9:14 pm

      I followed the recipe! So tasty! But after I watched the video, I noticed I was supposed to take the tofu ricotta out of the processor and remix! I accidentally blended it smooth with the rest of the batter. Perhaps that could have been clearer in the instructions 😩😩

      Reply
      • Gretchen

        February 17, 2022 at 12:21 am

        Hey thanks for the comment! I’ll make this instructions more clear! But it sounds like you did it correct!
        *I have to revisit this one, but I’m not sure why I wrote to take it out of the processor? I think the way you did it ~ is the way I would want to do it! LOL
        Sometimes in the videos I do things and then re-think it as I write the instructions, this could have been the case in this one! At any rate thanks for the feedback, glad you liked the cheesecake!

        Reply
  4. Paul

    May 9, 2020 at 11:49 am

    Gretchen this cake is AMAZING!!!
    I had an issue with the baking time though. I followed it as instructed. But when i cut a piece, it was still undercooked. After a day in the fridge, i thought i’d attempt to pop it back into the oven to give baking it further a go.
    After about another hour it was way better. So total baking time I found was 2 hours 15 mins..
    Are you using a fan forced oven perhaps?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 9, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Oh wow! Ive never baked any of my cheesecake for that long! I do (* as you read- leave the cake in AFTER turning OFF the oven for an additional hour) but that is for a slow cool.
      I made this cake several times, as I quickly became addicted! LOL And always stuck to the temp & times as listed. Of course all ovens are different and why it is difficult to always stick to EXACT times, but an extra hour?! Yikes! At any rate I am glad it worked out in the end and you LOVED IT! YEAH! *Ps- no I use standard oven no forced air

      Reply
  5. Eileen

    February 2, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    Do you think this would work with erythritol substituted for part/ all the sugar?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      February 2, 2021 at 8:46 pm

      Yes I think here it would be fine, since you are not “creaming” or relying on the sugar to do any science-y stuff LOL it will be OK!
      Always remember: a sugar substitute and not real sugar, so foods that you bake may have a different taste or consistency than you’re used to.(But again I think you will be fine here!) How do you feel about Monkfruit? that also has erythritol in it? *I say that because I often use Monkfruit, and that has a certain amount of the E..tol in it.

      Reply
      • Eileen

        February 3, 2021 at 1:51 am

        Thank you! I made this today for my husband’s birthday with 1 cup of a 50:50 erythritol/ oconut sugar blend and used 2 eggs, since I had no egg replacer, and cut back on the milk. It came out great! I made a cherry topping. It cooked perfectly and looked beautiful , just slight darker than yours due to coconut sugar. It was a big hit.

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Primary Sidebar

My New Book

Yep, it's me Gretchen~ Owner of Gretchen's Bakery. Well, I no longer own a real bakery since I sold mine in late 2014, and since mid 2016 I make nothing but the best vegan recipes! Read More…

Categories

  • All Recipes
  • Baking 101
  • Brownies and Bars
  • Cake Decorating
  • Cake Recipes
  • Cheesecake
  • Classic Cakes Veganized
  • Cobblers
  • Cookies
  • Crisps & Casseroles
  • Cupcakes
  • Donuts
  • Holiday Baking
  • How to Cook Vegan for Beginners
  • Ice Cream
  • Icings and Fillings
  • Individual Desserts
  • Layer Cakes
  • Miniatures
  • Mousse Recipes
  • Muffins and Breakfast
  • No Bake Desserts
  • Pies and Tarts
  • Plant Based Egg Recipes
  • Top 5 Pumpkin Recipes
  • Yeast Breads

Brownies and Bars

Butterscotch Banana Blondies ~ Vegan

Banana Blondies

Death by Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Cheesecake ~ Vegan

Death by Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Cheesecake

Cherry Blondies

Cherry Blondies

Vegan Black Forest Brownies

Vegan Black Forest Brownies

See More →

Cake Recipes

Vegan Raffaello Cake

Vegan Raffaello Cake

Salted Caramel Cake

Salted Caramel Cake

Toasted Almond Cake

Toasted Almond Cake

Vegan Chantilly Cake

Vegan Chantilly Cake

See More →

CUPCAKES

Cassata Cupcakes

Cassata Cupcakes

Fudge & Peanut Butter Stuffed Cupcakes

Fudge & Peanut Butter Stuffed Cupcakes

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

Valentine's Day Box of Assorted Vegan Chocolates

Assorted Box of Chocolates ~ Mini Cupcakes

See More →

LAYER CAKES

Vegan Raffaello Cake

Vegan Raffaello Cake

Salted Caramel Cake

Salted Caramel Cake

Vegan Chantilly Cake

Vegan Chantilly Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Speckle Cakes for Easter

Speckle Cakes for Easter

See More →

CHEESECAKE

Death by Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Cheesecake ~ Vegan

Death by Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Cheesecake

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Italian Cheesecake Recipe ~ Vegan

Vegan Oreo Cheesecake

Vegan Oreo Cheesecake

Caramel Cheesecake ~ Vegan

Caramel Cheesecake

See More →

COOKIES

Alphabet Letter Cake

Alphabet Letter Cake

Thin Mints Recipe

Vegan Thin Mints

Red Velvet Cookies ~ No Dye

Red Velvet Cookies No Dye ~ Vegan

No Ordinary Oatmeal Cookie

No Ordinary Oatmeal Cookie

See More →

Copyright © 2022 Gretchen's Vegan Bakery on the Foodie Pro Theme