This creamy and indulgent vegan chocolate cheesecake with a crisp gluten-free crust is so easy to make – you only need 6 ingredients! It’s not only vegan and gluten-free but also nut-free, oil-free and naturally high in protein! No one would even suspect the secret ingredient is tofu!
I would never in a thousand years have thought that it would be possible to make cheesecake with tofu. Honestly, I was a bit sceptical when developing this recipe. At the height of my tofu obsession a couple of years ago, I’d seen so many cheesecake recipes that call for tofu I just HAD to try it for myself. My – oh – my. Was I met with a delightful surprise – after the first mouthful I just knew that I had a winner. This is (no word of a lie) my favourite chocolate cheesecake EVER!
So – if you’re feeling a bit sceptical – please trust me and give this recipe a go. You will not be disappointed.
Baker’s Tips For Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
- You can use your favourite cheesecake crust or you can use the one in this recipe. I personally like the taste of the roasted buckwheat as it adds a deep, smoky and nutty taste to the cheesecake and is also a good source of protein. You could, however, simply replace the buckwheat for nuts if you prefer.
- Soak your dates in water before blending them as this will make the process a whole lot quicker and easier.
- Make sure you either use silken tofu or the softest form of tofu you can find as firmer tofu may leave a lumpier result.
- I always melt chocolate using the bain-marie method. To do this bring a small saucepan with about 2cm of water to a simmer, and place the chocolate in a glass bowl that sits comfortably on the top of the saucepan yet not IN the saucepan and not touching the water. The heat from the water will melt the chocolate without burning it. You could also melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, but you risk burning it.
- Be creative and use your favourite chocolate for this recipe, I used Sea Salt Chocolate, but you could use salted caramel, chocolate orange, mint chocolate…
- When slicing this baby, wet your knife with hot water and wipe before you make each cut.
- I highly recommend adding a sprinkle of sea salt to your cheesecake mix, it may feel wrong – but it is SO RIGHT! Salt really complements chocolate well and adds a depth of flavour.
Ingredients Substitutions
- If you don’t like buckwheat, you can use the crust recipe I used for this Vegan White Chocolate Cheesecake. OR you can simply use some roasted nuts like almonds or hazelnuts (YUM!)
- You can replace the maple syrup with agave or sugar-free syrup or simply omit it if your chocolate is sweet enough.
How to store this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
This lasts up to a week in the fridge, covered, or two months in the freezer.
If you like chocolate, you should try these recipes:
BAKING IN GRAMS
All of the recipes I create are tried and tested a few times until it has been perfected. My goal is to develop recipes that are simple to make and easy to follow so that anyone can make them – even if you’ve never baked before!
One very important thing that will ensure that you get the best results is to measure your ingredients by weight! I recommend purchasing a kitchen scale, they are very affordable and it will honestly change your baking game for good! Not all measuring cups are made equally – for example, a cup of flour to me weighs 120g, but for you, it may be anywhere between 100g and 200g – that’s a BIG difference!
If you don’t have a kitchen scale yet, you can use this Ingredient Weight Chart as a guideline to convert the ingredients to help you!
Now – dust your apron off and get baking! x
Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 100 g Pitted Dates
- 100 g Buckwheat Groats
- 60 g Oats
For the Chocolate Filling
- 350 g Silken Tofu
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 140 g Vegan Dark Chocolate
- salt to taste
Instructions
For the Crust
- Soak your dates in hot water for at least 30 minutes.
- Whilst your dates are soaking spread the raw buckwheat groats on a baking tray and roast at 190C (170C fan) for 20 minutes until dark brown.
- Blend the buckwheat until fine. Drain the dates, add them to the blender and pulse until a paste forms.
- Add the oats and a dash of salt to the blender and pulse until it all comes together and is sticky.
- Press the crust mixture into a 6" (15cm) round or square non-stick springform cake tin until compact, then place in the freezer.
For the Chocolate Filling
- In a clean blender, add the tofu and maple syrup and blend until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate on a bain-marie or in a saucepan on low heat. Once melted, pour into the tofu mixture and blend until well combined. Add in salt little by little until you reach your desired saltiness.
- Pour over the crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Notes
- You can use roasted nuts instead of the buckwheat groats if you’d prefer!
- Soak your dates in water before blending them as this will make the process a whole lot quicker and easier.
- Make sure you either use silken tofu or the softest form of tofu you can find as firmer tofu may leave a lumpier result.
- I always melt chocolate using the bain-marie method. To do this bring a small saucepan with about 2cm of water to a simmer, and place the chocolate in a glass bowl that sits comfortably on the top of the saucepan yet not IN the saucepan and not touching the water. The heat from the water will melt the chocolate without burning it. You could also melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, but you risk burning it.
- Be creative and use your favourite chocolate for this recipe, I used Sea Salt Chocolate, but you could use salted caramel, chocolate orange, mint chocolate…
- When slicing this baby, wet your knife with hot water and wipe before you make each cut.
