this spiced pear vegan cheesecake is the absolute best dessert for fall. pears are always forgotten about in the fall but trust me they are the star of the show here!
If you have never made a vegan cheesecake before you are truly missing out. They are actually quite easy to make and the texture is divine. This spiced pear vegan cheesecake is a true ode to fall. The creamy vanilla vegan cheesecake pairs so well with the syrupy brown sugar pears. It comes out looking like you got it from a bakery!
Vegan Cream Cheese Choice
I actually first developed my vegan cheesecake recipe 4 years ago. The recipe was in my ebook Healthy-Ish Comfort Food. It then got further developed and put into my cookbook Plantiful. The reason I am telling you this is because for all that time I stood by using Tofutti as my vegan cream cheese choice. However, things took a turn this year. I made this vegan cheesecake with both Tofutti and Mikyoko’s vegan cream cheese. The Miyoko’s was the clear winner. It came out fluffier, lighter, and resulted in a higher vegan cheesecake. I do also love the Kite Hill vegan cream cheese, so that can be a good choice as well.
Tips for Making Vegan Cheesecake
- Do not open the oven. Opening the oven can result in cracks in the cheesecake. Sometimes cracks do just occur naturally (it did for me) but opening the oven is a sure way to get cracks.
- The cooling time is very important. The longer you can let the vegan cheesecake chill for, the better the texture will be.
- Make at least a day in advance before serving.
- Not all vegan cream cheeses are created equally, they may result in different textures. Be sure to read above note.
Pear Choice
For this recipe I used Bosc pears. They have a nice texture for cooking. Bosc pears are used in desserts quite often. Because the pears are being cooked with sugar and spices they don’t have to be in their peak ripeness, they can be a day or two on either side of that. If you want to keep the skin on you definitely can. I preferred for looks wise how it looked with the peeled pears.
Spring Form Pans
When making a vegan cheesecake a spring form pan is essential. It is the easiest way to get the vegan cheesecake out of the pan. Otherwise, it may be hard to get it out. For this recipe you will use a 9 inch spring form pan. If you have an 8 inch that would be fine too. Anything larger or smaller will change the amount needed in the recipe.
More Dessert Recipes
Spiced Pear Vegan Cheesecake FAQ
- How long does this last? In the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Can I use apple instead of pear? Yes.
- Can I leave off the fruit in general? Yes. This is delicious all on its own.
- Can I change the crust? Sure, use any vegan-friendly cookies you like. If you use ones without a cream filling, add in 1 to 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter.
- Will non-vegans like this too? Yes, I shared this with non-vegans and they loved it.
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Spiced Pear Vegan Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 26 vanilla sandwich creme cookies (13 ounces/370g)
- 1 (16 ounce/454g) package silken tofu
- 2 (8 ounces/225g) containers vegan cream cheese, preferred brand is Miyoko’s
- 1 cup (200g) organic granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
Spiced Brown Sugar Pear Topping
- 3 Bosc pears peeled and cut into wedges (about 9 ounces/300g)
- ½ tablespoon (7ml) coconut oil
- ¼ cup (50g) organic brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ cup (30ml) non-dairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- In a food processor or blender, grind up cookies into a fine cookie crumble for the crust.
- Pour into a parchment lined and oiled 9 inch spring form pan. Push the cookies down into the bottom of a pan with a spatula to create an even layer. You can also use a flat-bottomed glass to help even further compact and condense everything.
- In a blender add the remaining cheesecake ingredients: tofu, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into the pan. If there are any large air bubbles on top you can gently pop them with a knife.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes depending on your oven. The center of the cheesecake should be slightly jiggly but set. There may also be slight browning and caramelization on the outside of the cake. DO NOT open the oven while baking. If you need to check it put the oven light on.
- Once it is done let it cool on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours if short on time but 8 hours to overnight is preferable.
- Before serving make the spiced pear topping. Sauté the pear wedges in the coconut oil in a pan on the stove for 5 minutes. Then add in the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and non-dairy milk. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes over media low heat stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved and a syrup has formed.
- Allow the pears to cool for 10 minutes before putting on the vegan cheesecake. I like to layer it out in a pretty arrangement and then pour any remaining syrup overtop. For extra garnish and design the optional star anise adds a nice touch.
- Slice into as many pieces as desired and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Preferred vegan cream cheese is Miyoko’s
- Preferred non-dairy milk is Ripple
- Preferred cookies are Whole Foods 365 Vanilla Sandwich Cremes
Laura Willis
SO FREAKIN GOOD! Turned out perfect and everyone devoured it! Omnis LOVED it! Thank you! 🙏 Will definitely be making again!
plantifullybased
Hi Laura!!! Yay!!! I’m so glad to hear that thank you so much for making it 💕💕💕
Maddie
Hi! Is it possible to make this without the crust or would it be too unstable without it?
plantifullybased
Hi Maddie, I haven’t tried doing that so I am really not sure how it will work. If you try let me know what happens!