This Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake is ultimately creamy! Made with an easy biscuit base and topped with 2 layers of cheesecake – one vanilla, and one strawberry flavoured – alongside fresh strawberries. Perfect for a special occasion or a simple treat.

What you need to make Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the base:

vegan biscuits (I used Mr Organic Multigrain Biscuits)
dairy-free spread (I usually use the Flora Vegan Unsalted Butter for my baking)

For the cheesecake filling:

extra firm tofu
maple syrup
lemon juice
vanilla powder (or vanilla extract – see notes below!)
salt
vegan cream cheese (I used Violife)
icing sugar
agar agar powder

For the strawberry layer:

fresh strawberries
light brown sugar
lemon juice
agar agar powder

To decorate (optional):

a handful of fresh strawberries
fresh mint leaves
vegan squeezy cream
edible flowers

How to make Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake

This cheesecake is super easy to make – and as it doesn’t require baking, it’s pretty much fool-proof! For a detailed breakdown of all the recipe steps, please see below.

The cheesecake base

To make the strawberry cheesecake base, start by crushing the biscuits. You can do this by placing them into a freezer bag and squashing them with a rolling pin. Alternatively, – and this is what I’ve done – place them in a food processor and pulse until the biscuits are broken down into small chunks.

In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter for the cheesecake base and pour it over the biscuit crumbles in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to combine until you get a crumbly, yet slightly sticky mixture.

Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake tin and press the biscuit mix onto the bottom to create the cheesecake base. Transfer to the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight to set and prepare the rest of your cheesecake in the meantime.

Extra tip: if you’re finding that your biscuits are extremely crumbly, add 1-2 dates to the food processor to make the cake base stickier and hold together easier.

The cheesecake filling

For the cheesecake filling, we’re creating 2 layers – one white, one red. I loved this effect to make the cake look a little more interesting colour-wise, but you can just as well make it all strawberry flavoured as well.

White layer

To make the filling, place the tofu into a high-speed blender, pour in the maple syrup, lemon juice and sprinkle in the vanilla powder, then blend on a medium speed until smooth. Add the vegan cream cheese and blend until it’s combined, then add the icing sugar to the running blender spoon by spoon.

In a small bowl, whisk up the agar agar powder in a little water – just enough to dissolve it – and pour it into the blender. Blend for another minute to thoroughly combine it with the rest of the ingredients, then pour 250ml of the cheesecake mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Pour the rest of the cheesecake mixture into a small saucepan and whisk it for 3-4 minutes over medium heat to activate the agar agar. Once the mix begins to thicken, remove your cheesecake base from the fridge and pour the mix onto the base. Smooth out the top and gently tap the cake tin onto the counter to remove any air bubbles. Transfer the cake tin back into the fridge for at least 30 minutes, whilst you prepare the strawberry layer.

Red layer

To create the red strawberry layer for your vegan cheesecake, remove all the stalks from your strawberries and place them in a high-speed blender. There is no need to clean the blender after pouring the white layer out, as we’ll be mixing the strawberries with the leftover white cheesecake mix shortly. For now, just add the strawberries to the blender though, alongside the lemon juice and blend the mix on a high speed until the strawberries are broken down into strawberry juice. Run the liquid through a fine sieve and stir with a spoon to remove any strawberry pips.

Transfer the mix to a saucepan over medium heat and stir in the light brown sugar and the remainder of the cheesecake mix. In a small bowl, dissolve another teaspoon of agar agar powder in a little water and whisk it into the saucepan mixture. Heat everything for 5 minutes whilst continuously stirring, then remove the mix from the heat.

Assembling the cake

Pour the strawberry mixture onto the white cheesecake mix in your cake tin. Be very slow and careful to not melt or mess up the layer below. It’s best to pour gently and pour the mix all over the cake instead of pouring only in one spot. Carefully smooth out the top of the cheesecake and place it into the fridge for at least 2 hrs to set. During this time it will become firm enough to be able to cut it and it’s best to wait until the cake is firmed up before adding any kind of decoration on top.

Serving the cake

Once the cake is set, you can remove it from the cake tin. Be gently to not damage the cheesecake. I’ve found that it’s best to start with a long, thin knife and run it carefully around the edge of the cake tin to release the walls of the cake from the tin and then remove the ring. Carefully lift the edges of the cake base and push a cake lifter or two large knives under the cake, then gently lift it into a serving plate.

Now it’s time to decorate! I love adding a bunch of fresh strawberries on top of the cheesecake, but you can decorate your cake to your liking. A few ideas: whipped vegan cream, chocolate shavings, nuts, edible flours, fresh mint leaves… the options are endless, so feel free to go all out!

Slice the cake with a sharp knife and serve the slices on their own or with a dollop of whipped vegan cream.

Storage

Of course, you can enjoy the entire cake at once (I would lie if I didn’t say that was my favourite option, ha!), but you can also keep it in your fridge for up to 3 days or freeze the cake for up to 3 months. To freeze, best divide the cheesecake into individual slices and freeze them separately – that way it’s much easier to portion the cake and enjoy it on multiple occasions.

Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake – Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this strawberry cheesecake with frozen strawberries?

I personally have only made this cake with fresh strawberries, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with frozen ones! Make sure to defrost them before using them in this recipe, so your blender can do its job properly for the recipe.

Can I freeze the cheesecake?

Absolutely! You can freeze and keep this cheesecake in your freezer for up to 3 months – for ease, I recommend slicing and individually wrapping and freezing the cake – it makes defrosting portion-sizes so much easier afterwards!

This vegan cheesecake recipe is:

100% vegan
easy to make
made without cashews
super delicious
smooth & creamy
made with tofu
high in protein
perfect for a special occasion!