This vegan ricotta cheesecake is made with a lusciously creamy dairy-free filling flavored with a hint of lemon. It's baked up in a simple press-in shortbread crust for an elegant Italian-style dessert that's surprisingly easy to make.
My vegan cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. It's rich and creamy and always a hit at gatherings, even with non-vegan friends and family members. But you know, there's more than just one variety of cheesecake out there, right? Of course you know. You've all tried my vegan chocolate cheesecake and vegan pumpkin cheesecake (if not, time to get on it). But having grown up in an Italian family, it recently occurred to me that my cheesecake collection had one big omission: it was time to make a vegan ricotta cheesecake.
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If you've never had ricotta cheesecake before, it's a bit lighter and not quite as sweet as most cheesecakes, with a hint of lemony flavor. Whereas my traditional vegan cheesecake recipe relies almost entirely on cashews for the filling, this one uses a mix of cashews and… get ready for it — tofu. Trust me on this one! You can't taste the tofu at all. Tofu adds the right texture and lightness to my vegan ricotta cheese, so it's no surprise it works great in a vegan ricotta cheesecake.
We're also ditching the usual graham cracker crust in favor of an easy press-in shortbread crust made with just a handful of simple ingredients. It's lightly sweet, buttery, and the perfect complement to the creamy, lemony cheesecake filling.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, so that's what I recommend sticking with.
- Sugar. We're using organic sugar, since conventional sugar is often processed with animal bone char.
- Salt.
- Water.
- Vegan butter. Most stores carry this in the refrigerated case, near the regular butter.
- Raw cashews. These will make the creamy base for your cheesecake. Make sure they're raw (not roasted) for the right texture and flavor.
- Cornstarch. This will help set your cheesecake.
- Coconut oil. This also helps with setting, since it's solid at room temperature. This means no substitutions. Using refined coconut oil will ensure your cheesecake doesn't have any coconut flavor. If you don't mind coconut flavor, feel free to use unrefined.
- Lemon juice. Use fresh juice for the best flavor.
- Lemon zest.
- Vanilla extract.
- Tofu. Firm tofu is the best variety for the light and creamy texture we're going for.
- Fresh berries. Optional, but they make a beautiful garnish and taste great with the creamy lemon filling.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Mix the dough. First, stir the flour, sugar, and salt, then add the melted vegan butter and vanilla. Stir just until everything is mixed.
Step 3: Shape the crust. Press it evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, and just a bit up the sides.
Tip: Use a dry measuring cup to gently press the dough into the pan. This will help you get it nice and even.
Steps 4 and 5: Bake and cool. Pop the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes, then move it to a cooling rack when it comes out.
Steps 6 and 7: Blend the filling. First, blend the cashews, sugar, water, cornstarch, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Next, add the tofu and pulse the machine. Blend it in, but keep a tiny bit of texture in the mixture.
Steps 8 and 9: Fill and bake. Pour the filling into the crust, smooth out the top, then stick the pan back into the oven. Bake it for about 35 to 40 minutes. It's done when the top feels set but a tad wobbly and you don't feel batter moving around when you wiggle the pan.
Steps 10 and 11: Cool, slice, and serve. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack. Once it's cool, you can slice and serve it at room temperature, or chill it if you prefer a firmer texture.
Variations
- Crust swaps. Feel free to use a traditional graham cracker crust, like the one from my classic vegan cheesecake recipe. Got another favorite crust? Give it a go!
- Add toppings. Not feeling the fresh berries? Whatever you like to top your cheesecake with is fine. Try store-bought vegan whipped topping, roasted strawberries, vegan caramel sauce, vegan lemon curd, or vegan chocolate ganache.
- Flavor variations. Skip the lemon and add flavor extracts, such as maple, almond, coconut, rum, or anise.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried making a gluten-free version of the crust, but if you'd like to take a crack at it yourself, I think an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend would be your best bet.
You can, but the texture and density of your cheesecake will vary. Soft tofu should work well, and silken will give you a smoother filling. I'd avoid super-firm, which may not blend well and will make your cheesecake very dense. Read my guide to tofu to learn more about the different varieties and how they might affect your results.
Yes, but you may need to adjust the bake time. A smaller pan will probably require a few more minutes in the oven, while a larger one will bake in a few minutes less.
Your vegan ricotta cheesecake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Vegan Italian Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Blender or food processor
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup organic granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup vegan butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Filling
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours, drained, and rinsed
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (preferably refined)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 (14 ounce/397 gram) package firm tofu, drained
For Serving
- Fresh berries, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To make the crust, first stir the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl, then add the melted butter and vanilla. Stir until everything is combined and a sticky dough forms.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and about 1 ½ inches up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.
- Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, or until it's just set and no longer looks wet and doughy. Leave the oven on when you remove the pan.
- Place the pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.
- To make the filling, place the cashews, sugar, water, cornstarch, coconut oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt into a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Blend until smooth.
- Break the block of tofu into a few chunks and add them to the blender or food processor bowl. Pulse the machine until the tofu is blended in, but the mixture still has a tiny bit of texture to it.
- Pour the mixture into the crust (it's okay if it's still warm), and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Bake the cheesecake until the top feels set, about 35 to 40 minutes. The filling may still be a tad wobbly, but make sure it doesn't slosh if you wiggle the pan.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cheesecake cool completely before removing it from the pan, about 4 hours. The filling will continue to set as it cools.
- Slice and serve, or cover and chill for up to 4 days. Optionally, top each slice with fresh berries before enjoying.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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