Meet your new favorite show-stopping holiday dessert: gluten-free & vegan apple cheesecake. With a gluten-free oatmeal crust, a super creamy vanilla cheesecake filling, and a scrumptious spiced apple pie topping, you're going to be going back for seconds for sure.
This baked vegan pumpkin cheesecake and this vegan chocolate pecan pie have been my family's previous favorite holiday treats, but I know they're going to go wild for this apple pie cheesecake this year. My sister and dad devoured slices of this one, and my sister brought it to a party with friends where it got fave reviews and disappeared in minutes. Serve it to your favorite loved ones for maximum joy, no matter the occasion! Let's get into it :)
Want more baked vegan cheesecakes? This classic baked vegan cheesecake, double chocolate baked vegan cheesecake, and vegan pumpkin cheesecake are all delicious favorites. You can also see all my favorite vegan cheesecake recipes to find your favorite!
Ingredients & how to for the oatmeal crust
This apple pie cheesecake has a gluten-free oatmeal cheesecake crust that is simply irresistible. It's made with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats and blanched almond flour, along with cinnamon and all sorts of deliciousness to create a tender, hearty crust that complements the creamy filling so much.
Here's what you need to make it:
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats: I always stick with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats since they're certified gluten-free, which is so important when you're serving to people with a strong gluten allergy or sensitivity. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but often processed in a facility with wheat flour, so the cross contamination is high! Bob's processes their gluten-free oats on certified gluten-free equipment, so you know it will never have traces of gluten or wheat.
- Bob's Red Mill Blanched Almond Flour: blanched is important! Regular almond meal is a little too coarse and the crust won't hold together as well. Bob's almond flour is consistently finely ground and super easy to work with.
- Baking Soda & Salt: for flavor and tenderness!
- Cinnamon: for flavor! You can also use an apple pie spice blend.
- Coconut Oil: this is our fat and binder! I prefer refined coconut oil since it doesn't have any coconut flavor.
- Coconut Sugar: for sweetness, you can substitute with any other granulated sweetener of your choice, like maple sugar, date sugar, or brown sugar.
- Almond Butter: any other nut or seed butter will also work, but I'd avoid peanut butter since it has such a strong flavor.
Making it is simple - simply mix everything together until combined and press into the prepared pan. I like pressing up the sides of the pan for maximum crust in every bite!
How to make creamy vegan cheesecake filling
- Raw Cashews: if you don't have a high-speed blender, you'll want to soak these in water for about 4 hours to help them soften. You can also speed this up by soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes or so. If you have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, you can skip this step.
- Coconut Cream: this is the cream from the top of a can of coconut milk, you can also sometimes find pure coconut cream in a can.
- Coconut Yogurt: make sure to use a plain, tangy coconut yogurt. Any that is thick and creamy will work - I've used both Culina Yogurt and Harmless Harvest coconut yogurt successfully in this recipe. This helps replicate the "cream cheese" flavor of a classic cheesecake.
- Pure Maple Syrup:
- Lemon Juice: for a bit of extra tanginess - this helps replicate the flavors a traditional cheesecake.
- Arrowroot Starch: this helps thicken the cheesecake. You can also use tapioca flour, cornstarch, or potato starch if you can't find arrowroot starch.
- Vanilla Extract & Sea Salt: for flavor! You can add in some vanilla bean powder or paste too if you want to amp up the vanilla flavor.
To make the vegan apple cheesecake filling, you're going to combine all of these ingredients in a blender and blend until it's super smooth and creamy. Once it's blended, you can taste and adjust for your tastebuds, adding more maple syrup if you want it sweeter, or more lemon juice if you want it tangier.
For the apple pie topping
To make the apple pie topping for this apple cheesecake, you'll start by sautéing apples in a pan to soften them slightly. Then, add the coconut sugar and let it all cook down for a few minutes. Mix some water with tapioca or arrowroot starch, along with cinnamon or apple pie spice, and let it thicken in the pan.
How to store
This vegan apple cheesecake is perfect to make a day or two ahead of time before you need to serve, just store it in the refrigerator until you need to serve! I prefer to make the apple pie filling fresh before serving, but you can make the whole thing and keep it fully prepared until serving. If you choose to do that, keep the apple pie filling more towards the center of the cheesecake so it doesn't make the crust soggy.
In the refrigerator: store covered with foil or wrap, or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
In the freezer: store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Want more show-stopping vegan desserts?
