Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Written by McDonald, T.  |  Date 28th of October 2024

This is very much like a vegan cheesecake or key lime pie, so if you like those, you really need to try this recipe! Yes, it does include pumpkin spice and has all the flavour of autumn. Although it is called a cheesecake, it doesn't even use vegan cream cheese. Instead, I have just used pumpkin purée and coconut oil to hold it together. With this in mind, you might think, will it stay firm?  The answer to that is yes! The base uses dates and almonds, which is brilliant in taste and texture, but if you can't have nuts, you can use digestive biscuits. Just check they are vegan.

Ingredients 

For crust 

• 250 g of pitted dates
• 100 g of almonds 
  
• Pinch of salt
• a little water for blending x 1 tbsp (don't add any more or it will just stay too wet)
  

For filling 

• 425 g of pumpkin purée
  
• 1.5 big tbsp of golden syrup 
  
• 4 tbsp of creamed coconut or coconut oil
• Coconut milk x 100 g
  
• Pumpkin spice x 2 tsps
  
• The juice of 1/2 a lemon
  
• Zest of lemon for garnish
  
• 1.5 tsp of vanilla extract
  
• 1/8 tsp of salt
  

Apparatus 

• Blender
• Spatula  
• 18 cm (7-inch) cake pan
• Measuring cups
  
• Small grater 

 

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Method

Figure 1, crust lining the bottom of the pan.

Figure 2, coconut cream melting in bowl floating in heated water.

1. Put the almonds, dates, and salt into a blender and pulse until it looks like large crumbs.  Add a little water to the mix and pulse again until you get a sticky lump.  Add more water, a little at a time if you need too. A rough, coarse, sticky texture rather than a smooth paste is what you are looking for.
   
2. Press into the baking pan, so it lines the bottom, see figure 1.  You don't want it too thin or uneven. I used a removable bottom pan and lined the sides with tin foil. However, a spring-loaded pan would be better for zero waste.
   
3. Melt the creamed coconut in a bowl, see figure 2.
   
4. Rinse out the blender.  
5. Pure the pumpkin purée into a bowl.  Add the golden syrup, lemon juice, salt, and mix.  
6. By now, the creamed coconut should have melted enough to mix into the mixture.  Mix it in. Be careful when handling the bowl, it will be very hot!
   
7. Put the mixture into the blender and blend until a smooth paste forms.
   
8. Gently spread over the crust with a spoon.
9. Place in fridge to set for at least 3 hours, or better still overnight. 
10. Decorate with lemon zest and chocolate drops.

Results

Despite holding together pretty well, it was still a little soft for my liking.  As you can see from the images, It holds its shape OK. In respect of tastes, it was fantastic with a great combination of flavours in just the right amounts.

 

 

Conclusion 

The results were good in that the objective was met.  The pie held together, and the flavours were amazing.  If I was to do anything differently, I would use less coconut milk or leave it out all together. If you decide to make this, you will love it. 

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