If a pumpkin pie and a pumpkin cheesecake got married and had a baby
It would be this Vegan Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with gingersnap crust and we would name him Gary.
Gary Gary Gary.
If you are not sure what I mean by the “Gary” reference click here for the full story and a really good laugh!
But let’s stay focused on the best cheesecake recipe you will ever try
Creamy NY style cheesecake with a gingersnap cookie crust
Gingersnap cookies for decor and also crushed up for gingersnap buttercream rosettes! *totally extra but totally awesome!
Of course you can skip the gingersnap crust and go traditional graham crackers
But trust me the gingersnap cookies really add a special something something to this otherwise perfect cheesecake!
The recipe link for the cookies below makes more than you need for this cheesecake recipe
However if you are anything like me you will eat about a quarter of them before you even get to making the cheesecake
A hefty handful of crushed cookies into the buttercream makes for a perfect buttercream rosette for each slice!
Although that addition of buttercream rosette for each slice is optional
It is so amazingly good!
Notes for Success:
This was one of my first vegan recipes a couple years ago as I transitioned my blog and YouTube channel to all vegan recipes.
I have since then honed my skills in all things vegan and can now offer you a much easier and slightly better version of this cheesecake
The recipe listed below is the original formulation and will match the video tutorial on YouTube for this recipe
The second recipe listed below is without the egg replacer and it is my famous vegan cheesecake recipe that I have perfected since around 2018.
Naturally I will steer you to make the second recipe but kept both of them here for you to reference
So as not to confuse you with a video that does not reflect the ingredients I used!
Additionally I often add an addition of firm tofu in place of some of the vegan cream cheese for a lightened up version to cut some of the fat calories.
I do not find an extremely noticeable difference in the outcome of straight vegan cream cheese versus the tofu addition, so for me I like the tofu version.
Important: 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.
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
CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR THE ORIGINAL CHEESECAKE RECIPE
For more awesome fall cheesecakes click the links below!
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- Candy Corn Cheesecake
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- Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake
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- Apple Crumb Cheesecake
Biscoff Cookie Butter Cheesecake
Preheat oven to 350°F
I did not use a water bath in the video, but I do think it is helpful and a better idea
- Vegan Cream Cheese 2- 8ounce packages (454g) * I only use Tofutti brand for baking see notes above
- Pumpkin Puree 1 cup (250g)
- Light Brown Sugar 1½ cup (315g)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice 3 teaspoons (8g)
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- EnerG Egg Replacer 5 teaspoons (20g)
- Warm Water 6 tablespoons (90ml)
- FOR THE CRUST:
- Gingersnap Cookies enough to make 1½ cups of crumbs
- Vegan Butter melted 2 Tablespoons (30ml)
- FOR THE GINGERSNAP PUMPKIN BUTTERCREAM:
- ½ Recipe Buttercream
- 1 cup crushed gingersnaps finely ground
- ½ cup canned pumpkin or homemade puree
- Prepare the crust with the cookies and melted coconut oil, press into the bottom of the greased and parchment lined cake pan
- Combine the egg replacer with the warm water, whisk smooth
- Combine the brown sugar with the pumpkin pie spice and work it through
- Cream the vegan cream cheese smooth, add the brown sugar and spices
- Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract and then the egg replacer mixture last, mix smooth
- Pour into crust and bake in a preheated 350°F oven in a water bath for approx 60minutes.
- It will look bubbly and suspicious! Don't be alarmed!
- Cool in the oven for about 30 minutes with the oven off and door slightly cracked.
- Then cool overnight in the refrigerator to set to firm.
- Unmold then garnish with gingersnap pumpkin buttercream and more gingersnap cookies
I do not like to freeze vegan cheesecake, I find the texture changes in a bad way & they get soggy on the thaw
NEW & IMPROVED CHEESECAKE RECIPE:
- Vegan Cream Cheese 1½ packages (12oz) (336g) * I only use Tofutti Brand for baking
- Canned Pumpkin 1 cup (226g)
- Firm Tofu ¼ package (3½ounces) (98g) *not pressed just drain of excess water
- Light Brown Sugar ¾ cup (150g)
- Cornstarch 5 Tablespoons (40g) *see notes above
- All Purpose Flour 2 Tablespoons (15g)
- Molasses 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Salt pinch
- Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- Ground Ginger 1¼ teaspoon
- Cloves ¼ teaspoon
- Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
- Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons (10ml)
- Vegan Butter 2 Tablespoons (28g)
- Plant Milk 3 Tablespoons (90ml)
- Prepare the crust as per the instructions listed in the above recipe for the original pumpkin pie cheesecake.
- Then prepare the cheesecake batter:
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake over the prepared crust and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour
- Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 1 more hour
- Out of the oven, cool the rest of the way and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Unmold and then prepare the optional buttercream with gingersnap cookies & pumpkin!
I do not like to freeze vegan cheesecake, I find the texture changes in a bad way & they get soggy on the thaw
Click here for the video tutorial for the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars using this new updated recipe
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Bars
I, like you, always bake my cheesecake in a cake pan instead of a springform pan. I have a question. When baking a cheesecake this way how and when do you add a sour cream topping? Can it be done the next day once you have removed it from the pan? Thanks.
yes definitely the next day after un-molding
Thanks for your quick response. In this case I can use your old Pumpkin cheesecake recipe but
1) instead of using egg replacer plus warm water, can i just substitute with 3 eggs?
2) Can I also substitute a small portion of the 2 8-ounces Vegan cream cheese with maybe 100g Silken tofu? I will be using normal cream cheese since I am not vegan and cannot get tofutti in where I live.
3) How does the original recipe differ in taste compare to the improved version?
I am really keen to adapt your recipe to make healthier cheesecake versions. Gonna try various of your cheesecake recipes. Will give u feedback how it turns out once I make it.
Hello, I want to make this cheesecake but my roommate is allergic to the soy in the tofu. If I cannot use the tofu, do I use the egg replacer, and if so, does it have to be the EngerG brand? I am very excited to make this!
Hey there! Hmmm, well my first question is, what will you use in place of the cream cheese? Since the vegan cream cheese has soy (the tofutti brand I only use has soy) I have not had any luck with another brand of vegan cream cheese for BAKING. CLICK HERE FOR MY MAJOR VIOLIFE FAIL!
As for the egg replacer, I have a new version of this recipe that I think is WAY better! If you scroll down on this same post, you will see the New Improved Updated version!
*However the cream cheese conundrum remains 🙁
Made the updated recipe for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely perfect. So happy to find a vegan alternative that actually tastes like cheesecake. Thank you!!
YAY!! Thank you!
Hi Gretchen,
I am not vegan but I love your vegan recipes. For the improved pumpkin cheesecake version, can I use an egg to replace the butter to lower e calories? If yes any other adjustments I need to make?
Hey thanks! I can’t say how that will work since I do not bake with eggs
Hi Gretchen, thank you for your amazing recipes. I was wondering if you could try layering pumpkin cheesecake batter and vanilla cheesecake batter. Would it bake well if I tried to layer the two batters?
Hi Thankyou too. Unfortunately the vegan cheesecake batter is very thin, almost liquidy so the try to layer anything it just sinks.
Can I make these or any of your cheesecake recipes in cup cake tins?
Yes! definitely! Bake time would probably be about 35-45 minutes? I made small ones here if you want to see a reference
Hi Gretchen!
I’m thinking about trying this out for Thanksgiving. I think your gingersnap cookie link is pointing to your old website domain in the original recipe above (& is broken), but I found this one which I think was the intention. https://www.gretchensveganbakery.com/gingersnap-cookies/
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and tips! It’s so much fun making them for my family!
Thank you for pointing that out! I will update that now!
hI CAN I USE SWEET POTATO INSTEAD OF PUMPKIN?