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Vegan Caramel Cheesecake

November 5, 2025 By Gretchen

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Caramel. Chocolate. Cheesecake.
All three of my favorite things together in one dessert!

New York Style Vegan Caramel Cheesecake with caramel in every bite!

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake

 

WARNING: this vegan caramel cheesecake may become a single serving pretty quick!

So be sure to have lots of people to share it with!

Caramel Cheesecake ~ Vegan

For the most intense caramel cheesecake taste

I added thick caramel sauce to the cheesecake batter and added more on top of each slice!

Caramel Cheesecake ~ Vegan

Homemade chocolate shortbread cookies for the base and more for the stars decor!

Although you can eliminate one extra recipe and use any cookie you like best
Not only for the crust but for the decor as well!

Vegan Caramel Cheesecake

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR  HOW TO MAKE THIS CARAMEL CHEESECAKE

Caramel Cheesecake ~ Vegan

No affiliation with any product or company linked below, solely for visual reference

Notes for Success:

Tofutti Cream Cheese is the only brand I will use for my BAKED recipes *not sponsored
I had not had success with any other brand in BAKED recipes; for some reason some other brands I’ve tried have broken down into an oily mess when baked.
CLICK HERE FOR MY HOMEMADE TOFUTTI CREAM CHEESE COPY CAT RECIPE

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.

Last~ I always make 7″ cheesecakes and I bake them in cake pans not springform pans!

Also I do not use spring form pans, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ON WHY!

 

Caramel Cheesecake ~ Vegan

Caramel Cheesecake

Caramel. Chocolate. Cheesecake. All three of my favorite things together in one dessert! New York Style Vegan Caramel Cheesecake is creamy and dense with caramel in every bite!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour hr
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Inactive Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 4 hours hrs
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 1 Recipe Chocolate Shortbread (1½c cookies) (140g)
  • 4 Tbs Vegan Butter (56g)

For the Caramel Sauce:

  • 2 cup Granulated Sugar 400g
  • ½ cup Water 120ml
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or Vinegar 5ml
  • 1 cup High Fat Plant Milk 237ml
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt *optional

For the Cheesecake Batter:

  • 2 cup Vegan Cream Cheese *see notes 454g
  • 4 Tbs Vegan Butter 56g
  • ½ cup Light Brown Sugar 100g
  • 4 Tbs Cornstarch 32g *see notes
  • 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour 16g
  • ¼ cup Plant Milk 118ml
  • 1 teaspoon Vegan Lactic Acid or ACV
  • pinch Salt
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 10ml
  • ½ cup Caramel sauce from recipe above 120ml

Instructions
 

  • You can prepare the caramel sauce days in advance to make this project easier!
  • For the Caramel: Combine the sugar, water & lemon juice (or vinegar) together in a large heavy bottom sauce pot
    The pot must be larger than you think because once you pour in the plant milk it will bubble up aggressively I cannot stress enough to BE CAREFUL when cooking caramel!
  • Stir the sugar solution only until it is dissolved not after it starts to boil or you will get crystals in your caramel!
  • Watch it carefully as it turns from a light amber to medium amber, take it off the heat when it is medium amber as it will continue to cook & darken even after you remove it from the heat
  • Slowly & carefully pour in the plant milk , then once the bubbling subsides stir it to a smooth sauce
  • Pour into a heat proof container & refrigerate until needed *it will thicken as it sits!
  • Prepare the cookie dough ahead of time and roll out the shapes ~ I just made round cut outs for the cheesecake base since they will be crushed anyway & extra stars for decor for the final cheesecake out of the excess dough
    *Eliminate one recipe by using your favorite store bought variety!
  • First prepare the crust by crushing 140g (approx 1½ cups) cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs.
  • Add the melted vegan butter & pulse until it resembles wet sand
  • Grease & parchment line a 7" cake pan then press the crumbs evenly on the bottom and up the sides. Freeze while you prepare the cheesecake batter
  • For the Cheesecake Combine all of the cheesecake ingredients including the caramel sauce into the work bowl of your food processor & pulse to blend
  • Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix then blend again to a smooth mixture
  • Bake in a greased & parchment lined 7" cake pan in a water bath in a preheated 350°F and bake for 60 minutes~ the cheesecake will no longer be liquid in the center but jiggly like jello.
  • Turn off the oven but let the cheesecake stay inside to cool for another hour
  • Remove from the oven & refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight
  • Un mold the cheesecake onto your serving platter & decorate as you like.
  • I added some of the extra caramel to my buttercream recipe for the rosettes and drizzled the remaining caramel sauce over each slice at serving

Notes

Tofutti Cream Cheese is the only brand I will use for my BAKED recipes *not sponsored I have not had success with any other brand in BAKED recipes; for some reason some other brands I've tried have broken down into an oily mess when baked.
CLICK HERE FOR MY HOMEMADE TOFUTTI CREAM CHEESE COPY CAT RECIPECopy Cat Tofutti Cream Cheese Recipe
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.
Storage Caramel Cheesecake must be kept refrigerated at all times and will stay fresh wrapped loosely for up to 10 days. I do not like to freeze vegan cheesecakes as I find their texture changes and gets soggy on the thaw.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cheesecake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Folie

    March 10, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    It looks so delicious, I’ll try it too.

  2. Kellianne

    March 23, 2024 at 3:03 pm

    Hey Gretchen I was wondering if I could pick your brain about a lower sugar version of this recipe?. Not necessarily the caramel part, just the cheesecake base. I Have someone who really wants a vegan cheesecake for their birthday and I love your recipe using the tofuuti, and I was curious what you thought about replacing some or all of the brown sugar with pureed dates?

    • Gretchen

      March 23, 2024 at 3:27 pm

      This is a very user friendly recipe and can accommodate sugar subs no problem! I have not thoughth about pureed dates though since I typically stick to Monk fruit for my low sugar baking. I don’t think you would have to change anything about the recipe due to the date puree.
      Also ALLULOSE is the only sugar sub that will caramelize so you could play around with that as well! I have not yet tried it but here is the link for the recipe I wanted to test out

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

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