Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Pie Recipe

This Vegan Lemon Cheesecake with lemon curd topping and crispy pie crust is creamy, delicious, wonderfully refreshing and the perfect dessert recipe for spring and summer!

After sharing an easy and totally delicious recipe for vegan lemon bars, I also wanted to create a lemony cheesecake version! And tadaa – here it is!

Decorated with fresh lemon slices, blueberries, and blackberries on top of fluffy whipped dairy-free cream pipes, this lemon cheesecake is actually an eye-catcher too!

The Best Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

While this Lemon Cheesecake is vegan and egg-free, it’s still just as creamy and delicious as a traditional American Lemon Cheesecake! Especially with the lemon curd on top and the crispy pie crust, this dessert turned out really amazing!

Vegan Pie Crust (shortcrust pastry)

The easy vegan pie crust consists of only 3 main ingredients: flour, vegan butter and sugar, plus a pinch of salt, baking powder and some water. To make it, just mix all the ingredients together and roll it out. That’s it!

Anyway, if you don’t feel like making a shortbread pastry, you can also use a store-bought pie crust or make a simple cookie crust with homemade oatmeal cookies or any other cookies you have on hand.

Vegan Lemon Curd Lemon

The vegan lemon curd on top is only optional, but I think it makes the cheesecake even more special! To make it, simply combine lemon juice with plant milk, sugar, starch, vanilla and some turmeric in a saucepan. Then bring it to a boil while stirring until thickened. Let it cool a bit and pour it over your baked cheesecake.

You can find the vegan lemon curd recipe and detailed instructions here (click). I recommend using a little less sugar since the cheesecake layer and shortcrust are also already sweetened.

How to make vegan lemon cheesecake

As always, I recommend checking out these step-by-step instructions and the recipe video first. Then you can find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Make the pie crust.

First, whisk together all dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add the cold diced vegan butter and a bit of water and quickly knead everything into a dough. Now roll out the dough between two layers of cling foil or parchment paper. Then place in a lightly greased springform pan and press it well on the bottom and sides.

Tip: After greasing the pan, place it in the freezer for a few minutes. If the pan is chilled, the shortcrust pastry stays cool, making it easier to shape an even crust.

Step 2: Make the cheesecake cream.

For the cheesecake layer, blend silken firm tofu (or soy quark), vegan cream cheese, soy cuisine, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, vanilla extract, sugar and pinch of turmeric (optional) until creamy. Now pour it into the pie crust, smooth it out and bake the lemon cheesecake for about 60 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for another 10 minutes. Finally, remove and allow to cool completely.

Tip: If the top or the edges get too dark, you can loosely cover the top with a piece of parchment paper.

Step 3: Make the lemon curd topping.

For the topping, cook the lemon curd according to this recipe. Then let it cool slightly and slowly pour it over the cheesecake. Let set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Then decorate as desired and serve!

How can I make this lemon cheesecake pie gluten-free?

To make a gluten-free shortcrust, you can use gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour. Also, I recommend adding an additional flax egg which helps the dough hold together. To do this, simply stir 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds into 3 tablespoons of hot water, then set aside for about 5 minutes until thickened. The cheesecake filling is naturally gluten-free.

What is quark?

“Quark” or “curd” is a kind of low-fat cottage cheese of European origin. It’s traditionally made of dairy milk but there are also non-dairy alternatives available. Quark is not yoghurt because it has a much creamier and thicker texture. However, if you can’t find it, you can use silken-firm tofu or dairy-free cream cheese instead.

Here in Germany there are many plant-based quark alternatives with and without flavor available. Vanilla and lemon are one of my favorites, but blueberry, peach, strawberry and many other varieties are also very delicious!

You can also use sweetened flavored soy quark if you like. Just keep in mind that you’ll then need a little less additional sugar for the cheesecake filling. So I recommend tasting and adjusting the sweetness in the cheesecake cream to your preferences.

How can I store cheesecake?

You can store the vegan lemon cheesecake in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. However, you can also freeze it in portions. Then just remove and thaw individual pieces whenever you’re craving some.

This vegan Lemon Cheesecake is:

• Plant-based
• Dairy-free (lactose-free)
• Egg-free
• Easy to make
• Can be made gluten-free
• Refreshing
• Delicious
• Creamy
• Lemony
• Perfectly sweet
• The perfect dessert for sunny days!

More refreshing lemon dessert recipes to try

• Lemon Tart with Strawberries
• Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake
• The Best Vegan Lemon Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
• Strawberry Lemon Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Cake
• Blueberry Bundt Bake
• Easy Vegan Lemon Bars
• Vegan Key Lime Pie
• Blue Moon Lime Tart

If you try this vegan lemon cheesecake pie, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your dessert and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy baking! 🙂

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake

Author: Bianca Zapatka

This Vegan Lemon Cheesecake with lemon curd topping and crispy pie crust is creamy, delicious, wonderfully refreshing and the perfect dessert recipe for spring and summer!

5 von 5 Bewertungen

Print Pin Review

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Servings

Calories 276.9 kcal

You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 1 ⅔ cups (200 g) all-purpose or spelt flour or sub gluten-free flour*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ⅓ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup (75 g) sugar variety to taste
• ⅓ cup (100 g) vegan butter cold & finely diced
• 2 tbsp water cold

Cheesecake Filling

• 1 cup (250 g) silken firm tofu or soy quark e.g. Alpro Skyr (at room temperature)
• 10.6 oz (300 g) vegan cream cheese at room temperature
• ½ cup (120 ml) dairy-free cream or coconut cream (at room temperature)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 5 tbsp (37,5 g) cornstarch or 1 package vanilla pudding powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar *see notes
• pinch of turmeric optional for a more yellow color

Lemon Curd

• ½ recipe vegan lemon curd see vegan lemon bars recipe

To Garnish (optional)

• dairy-free whipping cream or whippable coconut cream
• berries e.g. blueberries and blackberries
• lemon slices
• mint

Instructions 

*Note: Be sure to check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures at the top of the post! Also, I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams.

• Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-Inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. (Tip: Then place the pan in the freezer for a few minutes. If using a chilled springform pan, the dough stays cool, making it easier to shape an even crust).

Pie Crust

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the cold diced vegan butter and non-dairy milk and quickly knead everything into a dough.
• Roll out the dough between two layers of cling foil (or on a piece of parchment paper) as shown in the step-by-step pictures or in the video. Then place it in the prepared springform pan and press it evenly on the bottom and sides. Lastly, prick the bottom a few times with a fork and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cheesecake Filling

• Mix the silken firn tofu (or soya quark), vegan cream cheese, dairy-free cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, vanilla extract, sugar and a pinch of turmeric (optional) until creamy and add it into the pie crust.
• Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for about 60 minutes (if the top or the edges get too dark, you can loosely cover it with a piece of parchment paper).
• Then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 10 minutes. Then remove, let cool completely, and refrigerate overnight (it's okay if the cheesecake seems a little wobbly after baking, as it will firm up in the fridge).

Lemon Curd

• For the topping, prepare the lemon curd according to this recipe (I used only 2 tbsp of sugar). Then let it cool a bit and slowly pour it on top of the chilled cheesecake. Let set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
• Decorate your lemon cheesecake with pipes of whipped cream, lemon slices, blueberries, blackberries and mint as desired. Enjoy! 😊

Notes

• Shortcrust: You can also use a store-bought pie crust or make a simple cookie crust with homemade oatmeal cookies or any other cookies you have on hand.
• Gluten-free: To make this cake gluten-free, you can substitute a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. I recommend adding an additional flax-egg or the gluten-free dough may become too crumbly (flax-egg: mix 1 tbsp ground flax seeds into 3 tbsp hot water and set aside for about 5 minutes until jelly).
• Soya Quark: If using sweetened soya quark for the filling, you may need to adjust the sugar to taste.
• Sugar: Use your favorite sugar variety.
• Storage: The cheesecake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 2 months.
• Please read my blog post for further information about this recipe.

Nutritions

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 276.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.4g | Protein: 6.8g | Fat: 11.9g | Saturated Fat: 4.1g | Sodium: 194.7mg | Potassium: 76.1mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 23.1g | Calcium: 47.4mg | Iron: 1.2mg

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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