Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake banner | gfJules

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This gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake is going to knock your socks off, whether you avoid dairy or not.

gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake tart with slice | gfJules

 

Feel free to use regular cream cheese, sour cream and butter, but know that the recipe also works deliciously with these non-dairy alternatives.

It’s a simple but oh-so-delicious autumnal twist on traditional cheesecake that just might have you rethinking your Thanksgiving desserts!

vegan gluten free pumpkin-cheesecakes

I’ve baked it in large tart pans, casseroles, pie plates or little muffin tins — any way you slice it, this recipe is fantabulous and no one will ever miss the dairy, eggs or gluten.

The method is the same, no matter what type of pan you use to bake them in.

gluten-free-vegan-pumpkin-cheesecake-bites
Bake in a 9×13 dish and slice mini-bites for party food.

Simply bake a gluten free graham cracker or gingersnap pie crust as the base for any size cheesecake. The easiest way to make these graham cracker or gingersnap pie crusts is by using my gfJules Graham Cracker or Gingersnap Mix (here’s my gluten free graham cracker crust recipe to make extra and freeze for other pies or follow the instructions below to make only enough for this recipe).

gluten free gingersnap crust in tart pan | gfJules

A large tart pan or pie pan will work, or choose 8 or 9 small tart pans (make 1 1/2 or 2 crust recipes to make enough crust for this many mini tart pans).

gluten free graham cracker crusts in tart pans | gfJules

Bake the crusts for 10 minutes while preparing the filling. I find the easiest way to make this filling is in a blender or food processor; the easiest way to get the creamiest texture is with silken tofu and sifted confectioner’s sugar, but there are ways around that, too. I detail my short-cuts in the recipe, but here’s my end-around for if you don’t have a sifter for confectioner’s sugar:

sifting confectioner's sugar over blender | gfJules

Once all the ingredients are added together … all EXCEPT for the pumpkin, that is … you pour out a little over a cup of the mixture into a separate bowl, then add the pumpkin to the main mixture.

This layering will allow us to create the feathering effect that’s so pretty with this vegan pumpkin cheesecake. Of course, if you want to skip the feathering and layering, just add the pumpkin altogether and add the filling all at once and it will still be delicious! See the banner photo at the top of this post to see how pretty the cheesecake is prepared that way!

gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake tart OH CU | gfJules

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared gluten free gingersnap crust:

gluten free pumpkin layer_

Then spoon dollops or lines of the pure cheesecake mixture on top. Next, simply draw lines through it with a butter knife, pulling it in through the pumpkin layer, creating the feathered effect.

gluten free pumpkin cheesecake in tart pan OH | gfJules

Every time it will be different, and every time it will be beautiful!

gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake tarts OH V|gfJules

Watch me make this recipe in the short video to get a better idea of how it all comes together!

 

gluten-free-vegan-pumpkin-cheesecake-slices-with-pumpkin

Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Creamy, luscious pumpkin cheesecake on a spicy gingersnappy crust awaits! All vegan and gluten free, but lacking nothing in flavor or texture!

Ingredients

Crust

Filling

  • 12 oz. (1.5 cups) organic silken tofu (or regular tofu, pressed & whipped in a food processor/blender first to smooth)
  • 12 oz. (1.5 cups) non-dairy cream cheese, plain (Kite Hill®; Go Veggie® or Daiya®)
  • 6 oz. (½ cup) non-dairy sour cream (Follow Your Heart®; Tofutti® Better Than Sour Cream, non-hydrogenated) or plain yogurt (coconut, almond or soy)
  • 3 Tbs. gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
  • 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
  • 1 Tbs. pure vanilla paste or extract
  • 12 oz. (1.5 cups) pumpkin purée

Instructions

Gluten Free Graham Cracker Pie Crust:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Using a fork, stir the crushed gingersnaps in with the melted butter until they hold together when pressed between your fingers. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of melted butter; if it is too wet, add more crushed gingersnaps or gfJules® Flour.

If using, stir in the chocolate chips (I like using the Enjoy Life Mini Chips here because they aren’t so large that it makes the crust fall apart; if your chips are larger, pulse in a food processor to make them slightly smaller before mixing in).

Press into the bottom of a lightly oiled springform pan, pie plate or mini tart pans. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes while preparing the filling. Remove to cool if still preparing filling.

Vegan Cheesecake:

For the cheesecake filling, blend the tofu, cream cheese, sour cream and gfJules Flour together until smooth, either in a food processor or blender.  Add the sugars and vanilla and mix well. If not using feathering technique, add pumpkin as well and blend.

Pour into the prepared crust – only fill 2/3 of the pan; if there is extra filling, oil a small ramekin and pour remaining filling into the ramekin to bake.  Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned and only slightly jiggy in the center.

Mini tart pans need only cook for 25-30 minutes — test with a toothpick to ensure they are done.

Remove to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Serve cold.

To prepare with decorative feathered look, follow these instructions instead:

Whip together all cheesecake ingredients except pumpkin. Pour out 1 1/4 cups of this mixture and set it aside in a separate bowl. Add pumpkin puree to the blender with remaining cream cheese mixture and blend until completely mixed.

Once both mixtures are ready, pour pumpkin mixture on top of the crust. Add dollops or lines of the plain cream cheese mixture across the top of the pumpkin mixture. Using a butter knife cut into the top of the mixture by drawing lines down the length and then cross-wise across the pan. This will feather it through the pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until lightly browned and only slightly jiggy in the center.

Mini tart pans need only cook for 25-30 minutes.

Remove to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Serve cold.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake tarts |gfJules

Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake - gfJules

 

Whether you avoid dairy or not, this gluten free vegan pumpkin cheesecake recipe is going to knock your socks off!

Vegan and gluten-free Pumpkin Cheesecake will knock your socks off! Baked as a tart, mini-bites or a full pie, it's gorgeous and tastes of the season! |gfJules.com

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  1. Our whole family loves this cheesecake. We crumble up graham crackers we make with gfJules Graham Cracker mix–SO good. Thanks for all your pumpkin recipes Jules. One of the reasons fall is such a great time of year!

    Reply
    • Hi Katie, I haven’t tried it yet, and the consistency will undoubtedly be less firm, but you could give vegan mayo a try! Let me know if you do and how it turns out!
      ~jules

      Reply
  2. A while ago I tried a goat cheese cheesecake with wine gelée, but my crust didn’t work. It just crumbled apart. How is the crust on this?

    Reply
  3. Made this yesterday and NOT happy with the off taste of the vegan sour cream and cream cheese. (used Tofutti). The finished product and consistency are nice but the taste and then the aftertaste are bad. Reminds me of a frozen mass produced desert.
    I would NOT suggest making this unless you’re used to boxed cakes and frozen items.
    The strawberry cake however which is not vegan was fabulous and I highly suggest that.

    Reply
    • Hi Marie, thanks for the feedback on those vegan products. I’ve heard varying reports from folks on all the brands of vegan subs for sour cream and cream cheese and it does seem to be a personal preference kind of thing. For example, I’ve heard lots of people report good results with Tofutti or Go Veggie brands of cream cheese, but not with Daiya, which I find requires extra sugar to cover up some of the off-taste. If you can do dairy but not lactose, I highly recommend a new product that just came out this month from Green Valley Organics: lactose free real cream, cream cheese. You could also sub the soy sour cream for another non-dairy plain yogurt, like coconut yogurt or almond yogurt, and see how you like the results.
      Oh, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the Strawberry Cake! Thanks again for writing! Feedback is how we all learn about new things!
      ~jules

      Reply
      • I’ve found that all Follow Your Heart brand products are amazing especially the sour cream! That’s what I will use when I try this recipe out 🙂

        Reply
      • Also, if you can eat yogurt because the cultures kill the lactose, try Daisy regular sour cream. It’s also cultured, so it’s like yogurt. I also have been using the Green Valley Organics lactose free cream cheese, it’s really good.

        Reply
      • I love the Tofutti cream cheese and the sour cream. My family and I are allergic to dairy so we have long standing of the wait for great and multiple non dairy products. We have always enjoyed T8ofutti. My husband and I tried daiya cream cheese and threw the whole container out it was horrible. But in favor of daiya we do like the yogurt. I just wish more yogurts and puddings avoided nuts and went with rice or cocunut.

        Reply
        • I agree, Chrissy – the Tofutti brand makes good tasting dairy subs and there’s something just “off” about the Daiya cream cheese. I even made a note of it in one of my recipes that if you used Daiya, you’d have to add extra sugar! I hope you enjoyed this recipe~!
          ~jules

          Reply
  4. Hi Jules, my question is actually about your surprise birthday cake, but I am not sure if u will see my comment to the post that far back. So here it is:)
    So this is my first attempt at gluten and dairy free cake as I suspect my 2 year old is gluten intolerant in addition to dairy. I purchased your all purpose gluten free flour and made the cake using another recipe as I was not aware of your site. It came out looking very wet even after 1 hour of baking. I did use one 9×13 pan as I need 20 portions. And in retrospect the recipe didn’t call for baking powder.
    If I follow your recipe for birthday cake can I poor it into 9×13 glass pan? Can I omit dry milk? And finally can I freeze the cake and then serve it in three days (giving it a few hours to defrost). That’s what my relatives do with all their wheat flour cakes.

    Thank you in advance! I am a bit freaking out as my daughters birthday in 3 days and I need to decorate it too :) I am excited to try more recipes after this. Especially banana bread :) Oksana

    Reply
    • Hi Oksana, I’m glad you wrote in and I’ll try to help as best I can. Without seeing the other recipe you used, it’s hard to say, but without leavening from baking powder or soda, I wouldn’t think the cake would perform very well. You can use my recipe for birthday cake in a 9×13 pan without a problem. Don’t omit the dry milk though. If you don’t want to use dry milk, use almond meal. You can freeze the cake once it’s cooled – that will be fine, too. Start testing the cake for doneness after 25 or 30 minutes (use a toothpick) and be sure to let it fully cool before freezing. You can email us anytime at [email protected] if you have more questions.
      Happy birthday to your daughter and good luck with the cake!
      ~jules

      Reply
    • Hi Blakely, you could make this in an 8×8 or 9×9 pan for bars, but it will be a little tricky to get the bars out of the corners and still have them look nice, which is why I like using springform pans for this type of recipe.
      Enjoy!
      ~jules

      Reply
  5. This looks wonderful. I can never eat cheesecake because of dairy allergy. I can’t wait to try it. Can this be made ahead and frozen for later?

    Reply
  6. Can the confectionary and regular sugar be substituted for a less refined choice or sugar substitute? Also can this be made without the crust?
    It looks really yummy btw!!

    Reply
    • Hi Lovisa – it could definitely be made without the crust and I would definitely experiment with the sugars, trying Baking Stevia, for example, or unrefined coconut palm sugar. If you like the taste of those, they should work here.

      Reply
  7. Years ago you published a recipe for zucchini bread or muffins, maybe bread that you could make into muffins? I lost my recipe! We loved it and miss it. It did not have bananas in it. Do you recall it? Jeri

    Reply
    • Hi JeriLu – do you have any of my cookbooks? I have other zucchini bread recipes in those. Take a look and if you still can’t find it, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll try to email one to you. :)

      Reply
  8. Hi Jules, I’m having a Halloween Party 10/26 for 8 yr olds. One of them has celiac disease. I have all your baking mixes. Do you have any Halloween “Creepy Treats” recipes?
    Thanks, Lisa

    Reply
    • oooooh FUN, Lisa!!! One of my favorites is “Ossa da Morderes” – do you have my Jules Flour too? There’s also GF Rice Crispy Pumpkins and of course, cut-out cookies in the spooky shapes! You could also bake a Halloween Cake with my cake mix! Have fun!!!

      Reply
    • Hi Vera, the non-dairy cream cheese has been around for awhile, and you should be able to find it any regular grocery store, or certainly a local organic grocery or Whole Foods would carry some choices. If you cannot find it, as your favorite grocer to carry it for you!

      Reply
    • Hi Dappy, I haven’t tried it myself, but I would suspect that simply using the same amount of cream cheese would work nicely. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Jules – recipe sounds good, and I want to try it, however, still need to know if this means doubling up on the cream cheese. I use dairy so it is not an issue.

        Reply
        • If you’re replacing the tofu, use the same amount of tofu called for in the recipe and replace with cream cheese. Keep the cream cheese already in the recipe at the same amount. This should work just fine for you. :)

          Reply
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