Dairy-free Cheesecake That’ll change your world!

Each of us probably have a food (or foods) we just can’t say no to. For me, that food is cheesecake.

When I finally ditched dairy-for good, I thought I had to say good-bye to cheesecake forever. But I was wrong!

To be honest, I debated if I should put this recipe up on the blog. I wondered if I would be doing a disservice to our readers by sharing it since it isn’t specifically ‘cancer fighting’ or whole-food, plant-based.

Then I realized, I’d be doing a disservice to our readers if I didn’t post it.

Let’s be real. I don’t have the most perfect, whole-food, plant-based diet — I’m human. I enjoy my fair share of treats.

It would be easy to hide behind this screen pretend a lot of things.

 

Pretend it is always easy to roll out of bed to get a workout it.

Pretend I always enjoy being in the kitchen.

Pretend my 2-year old eats the perfect, balanced diet.

Pretend I don’t have days where I would rather lay on the couch all day and Netflix binge.

 

We aren’t here to pretend. We are here to be real. Because life.is.real.

Always remember, we are dedicated to bringing you up-to-date research, practical tips to improve your health, and delicious food that satisfies your tastebuds and cravings — like this dairy-free cheesecake.

I won’t try to hide it (because you’ll find out once you scroll down anyway!). This cheesecake contains tofu. Yes, tofu.

Hear me out. The first time I was tempted to make this recipe, the tofu sat in my fridge well passed it’s expiration date. I threw it away and waited months to even buy it again. I finally had the courage to try it again and it didn’t disappoint me in the least!

(Concerned about tofu, soy, and cancer? Be sure to catch last week’s post: Soy & Breast Cancer)

After my first piece, I looked at my husband and said, “I never thought I would eat cheesecake again.”

Even though I don’t consider this cheesecake “healthy”, I do consider it a healthier version of traditional cheesecake. It is dairy-free, egg-free, easily made gluten-free, free of high fructose corn syrup, and made primarily of almonds.

I’ve had multiple testers of the recipe tell me they couldn’t believe it was vegan and believed it would easily fool the biggest critics of their plant-based lifestyle.

This dairy-free cheesecake recipe is about to change your dairy-free world!

Dairy-Free Cheesecake

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake

Makes: 1, 9” Cheesecake

Recipe Inspired and Adapted from: Kite Hill’s Dreamy Creamy Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

12 ounce package, Classic Creme Cookies, divided

Reserve 5 cookies for filling

¼ cup plant-based butter, melted (e.g. Miyokos or Earth Balance)

Filling:

1 cup cane sugar ( e.g. Thrive Market Cane Sugar)

1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch

16 ounces extra firm, organic tofu

8 ounces Kite Hill Ricotta

2, 8 ounce containers Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon salt

5 reserved Classic Creme cookies from crust ingredients

Optional:

Dairy-free hot fudge (e.g. Coop’s Microcreamery Hot Fudge)

Directions

Prepare your 9” springform pan for the cheesecake. Be sure it has a nice, tight seal*. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by opening your tofu package. Press the tofu for about 5 minutes. (Not sure how to press tofu? This is a good quick video!) This will remove some of the excess water. While you wait, make the crust.  

Using a food processor, blend all cookies except for the 5 you’ll save for the cheesecake filling. Once blended into crumbs, add the ¼ cup melted plant-based butter. Mix until well combined.

Add the cookie mixture to the prepared pan. Press into the pan to form the crust. Line the bottom of the pan, and up the edge of the pan if you have enough cookies. Set aside.

Next, make the filling. Using your food processor, add the pressed tofu, cornstarch, and sugar. Blend for 4 minutes until smooth. You may need to stop halfway and wipe down the sides.

Once smooth, add the ricotta, cream cheese, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt. Blend for another 4 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Pull out the blade and using your hands, break up the 5 remaining cookies into the batter. Fold the batter with a rubber scraper until the cookie crumbs are distributed evenly.

Add the batter to the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set.

Allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Once cooled, add to the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours. Although, the best cheesecake is make a full-day ahead of time!

When ready to serve, drizzle with warmed, dairy-free hot fudge.

Enjoy!

* Note: When I cook my cheesecake, I add a rimmed cookie sheet on the rack below the cheesecake to catch any almond oil that drips from the springform pan. I highly recommend since my first test run of this recipe led to a smoky house because of dripped almond oil to the bottom of the oven!

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