The holidays are so crazy, aren’t they? From wrapping-up work projects for the end of the calendar year, to finalizing gift shopping and decorating the house, there is often little time to do anything else. Even though I had plenty of notice for a holiday get together with friends a couple weeks ago, I left my dessert contribution to the last minute and was scrambling to make something delicious and festive-looking. A walk through the fruit aisle of my grocery store inspired me to go with a vegan cheesecake decorated with strawberry and kiwifruit.
Now I’ve made raw vegan cheesecake many times. It’s totally amazing and I highly recommend making it when you get the chance. However, as easy as it is to put together, I didn’t have the time for all the soaking and freezing involved. I was also running low on coconut oil and cashews. So instead, I decided to leverage a few grocery store staples and make a quick yet decadent traditional-style cheesecake.
How to make this Quick & Easy Vegan Cheesecake
Buy a Keebler Graham Ready Crust – they’re vegan and available at most grocery stores…
… and 2 packages of Tofutti cream cheese, a lemon, some sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
(Yes, Redpath sugar is vegan!)
Juice and zest half the lemon…
Blend everything together…
And pour it into the graham crust.
Bake it for 30 minutes, refrigerate it for an hour, and then top it with fresh fruit.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos of the cheesecake when it got sliced-up and served at the party. But the feedback was excellent and like most good vegan desserts, no one could “tell” it was vegan. So there you have it – an easy holiday dessert that will please everyone at the table. Enjoy!
Recipe Updates – Quick & Easy Vegan Cheesecake
July 11, 2013 – Tofutti linked this recipe on their website today. I’m so stoked!
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PrintQuick & Easy Vegan Cheesecake
This vegan cheesecake is made quick and easy with a store-bought graham crust. It’s perfect for last-minute dinner parties, and is loved by vegans and non-vegans alike!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American, Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 Keebler Ready Crust Graham
- 2 8oz containers of vegan cream cheese (Tofutti is my favorite)
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Topping of choice (fresh fruit, fruit sauce, chocolate sauce, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- From the lemon, prepare 1 tbsp of fresh juice and 1 tsp of lemon zest.
- Add them to a mixing bowl, along with the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend well.
- Pour into the graham crust, bake for 30 minutes, and then chill in the fridge for an hour.
- Decorate with fresh fruit, a fruit sauce, or chocolate sauce.
Keywords: cheesecake, comfort food, easy, favorite, food processor, holiday & special occasion, lemon, make-ahead, one-pot, oven, Tofutti, vegan
