Vegan Easter Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)

This Vegan Easter Cheesecake is the ultimate dessert for Easter as it’s packed with chocolate, mini eggs and chocolate nests. Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this cheesecake has a no-bake crust, silky smooth filling topped with chocolate crispy cakes.

What is not to love about cheesecake especially at Easter time, when it is packed with all the chocolates that we love. This Vegan Easter Cheesecake has lots of chopped chocolate, chocolate mini eggs and chocolate cornflake crispy nests all mixed with the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake. This cheesecake truly is a joy to make and eat.

What is this cheesecake like?

This cheesecake is such a popular one for good reason, it’s:

• Smooth, creamy and vanilla-y
• With a crunchy biscuit base
• No-bake and melts in the mouth
• Made with naturally, wholefood ingredients
• Naturally vegan and gluten-free
• Great for making ahead of time
• Fun to decorate with little ones
• A real festive treat that you can enjoy all year round too

If you are already a fan of this Easter cheesecake, read ahead for the recipe card, or let’s discuss the recipe in more detail first.

What ingredients go into this cheesecake?

The base of the cheesecake is delicious and so easy:

• Oats: these form the base of the recipe and they add a lot of goodness, too. Make sure your oats are gluten-free, where needed.
• Almonds or pecans: work so well with the oats as a “flour” for the base. Blitz up the nuts and oats to make a fine texture which holds together well as a biscuit base. You can sub these for more oats, other nuts like walnuts and cashews or seeds like sunflower seeds.
• Salt: to bring together all the flavours.
• Cashew butter: this is my favourite to use as it has a naturally sweet cookie-like flavour but peanut or almond butter work just as well or tahini, too.
• Maple syrup: to help bind the base together and add a little sticky sweetness. Other syrups like agave or brown rice will work well, so will vegan honey.

And onto the middle creamy cheesecake layer:

• Cashews: either soak the cashews in boiling water for 1 hour or overnight in cool water, until they turn paler in colour and much softer. This makes for the best textured cheesecake and I do not recommend swapping these.
• Vegan cream cheese: this adds a lovely rich texture and tang to the cheesecake. My favourite brand is NUSH or Violife is great, too.
• Dairy-free evaporated milk: I use the delicious oat evaporated milk from Natures Charm which is so thick and creamy and naturally vegan and dairy-free. You can use coconut evaporated milk or another dairy-free evaporated milk, or you can swap this for regular plant-based milk.
• Dairy-free condensed milk: to match the oat evaporated milk above, I use the amazingly sticky and sweet oat condensed milk also from Natures Charm who also stock a coconut version which is also delicious. This is much sticker and thicker than regular milk so you cannot substitute this for more plant-based milk. If you cannot find any dairy-free condensed milk, the best option would be to add more vegan cream cheese.
• Maple syrup: this adds a lovely sweetness to the cheesecake filling and other syrups will also work, as above.
• Coconut oil: use softened coconut oil so that it blends more easily and smoothly into the mix and then as this cools down, it helps to set the cheesecake so it’s silky smooth but firm enough to hold its shape. I do not recommend swapping this.
• Lemon juice: for a slight tang.
• Vanilla essence: to add the lovely vanilla flavour to the cheesecake.
• Chocolate: chop up your dairy-free chocolate very small so that every bite of Vegan Easter Cheesecake has some chocolate in it. Any dark or dairy-free milk chocolate will be delicious here, and it’s a great way to use up any leftover Easter chocolates.

Finally, we have the chocolate cornflake nests on top:

• Dairy-free chocolate: either a milk or dark chocolate is great.
• Coconut oil: to help the chocolate set so they are soft enough to bite.
• Maple syrup: to add a little stickiness to the nests and other syrups can also be used, as above.
• Cornflakes: as these are mini nests, crush the cornflakes before adding them into the mix. Make sure these are vegan and gluten-free where needed. You could use other cereals, too.
• Coconut whipping cream: this makes the nests even more delicious. Whip the Natures Charm cream (or another dairy-free whipping cream) till fluffy and pipe into the nests before filling.
• Chocolate mini eggs: for the classic chocolate cornflake nest. I like the ones from Doisy and Dam.

How do I make this Vegan Easter Cheesecake?

This cheesecake is very easy to make, just ensure you have all your ingredients weighed out and ready to go for the quickest cheesecake.

• Soak the cashews and drain: either soaking them overnight or for 1 hour.
• Blitz the oats and nuts: for the base to a fine crumb/flour texture.
• Stir together all the base ingredients: to a sticky mix and press into a lined tin. Chill in the fridge.
• Add all of the cheesecake ingredients to a blender: and blend till thick and creamy.
• Stir in the chopped chocolate: to evenly disperse the chocolate.
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the base: and smooth the top.
• Chill in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours: or overnight util set.
• Melt the chocolate and coconut oil: for the nests and stir in the maple syrup.
• Add the cornflakes: and shape into mini nests. Allow to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Remove the cheesecake from the tin: and whip the coconut cream.
• Decorate with the cream, mini nests and more chocolate: adding as much as you like.
• Cut a big slice: and enjoy this cheesecake.

Is this cheesecake gluten-free and nut-free?

Yes, this dessert is naturally gluten-free, just make sure that your oats are gluten-free. This cheesecake is not nut-free as the base and the filling uses cheesecakes. For nut-free cheesecake options, try Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Tart.

How long will this dessert last?

You can keep this Vegan Easter Cheesecake in the fridge for up to 1 week in a sealed container or you can freeze the slices or the whole cheesecake for up to 1 month and allow to defrost at room temperature or in the fridge.

I love desserts, what others can I make?

I hope you are going to love this Vegan Easter Cheesecake as much as we do and for more dessert inspiration, how about my:

• Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Slices
• Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Tart
• Tiramisu Banana Bread
• Chocolate Plum Mini Cheesecakes
• Vegan Chocolate brownie Skillet for 2

I look forward to hearing what you think of this Vegan Easter Cheesecake so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make this cheesecake, I’d love to see it so please tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Easter cheesecake love x

p.s. this recipe was made with Natures Charm but this blog post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.