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a slice of vegan lemon poppy seed tofu cheesecake on a white plate

Lemon & Poppy Seed Vegan Tofu Cheesecake

This baked vegan tofu cheesecake is flavored with lemon and features a delicious poppy seed layer. A plant-based, gluten-free, oil-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free dessert for Easter or Mother's Day.

Course Dessert
Cuisine German, Polish
Keyword cheesecake with poppy seeds, tofu cheesecake recipe, vegan cheesecake with tofu
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 400 kcal
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 180 g rolled oats
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 130 g shredded coconut
  • 90 g maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the poppy seed filling

  • 125 g Poppy Seeds finely ground in a spice mill
  • 2 tbsp rum or more milk
  • 190 ml nut milk almond, cashew, hazelnut, coconut
  • 2 tbsps Stevia
  • 3/4 tbsps cornstarch

Cheesecake Filling

  • 700 g silk tofu 2 blocks / packs
  • 100 g cashew nuts soaked in cold water in the fridge over night
  • 1 lemon zest and 3 tbsp juice
  • 3 tbsp stevia
  • 100 g coconut cream
  • 40 g cornstarch
  • 4 tbsp nut milk
  • 2 tsps vanilla

Instructions

  1. Line a 20 cm /8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Blitz coconut in your food processor until fine, repeat with the rolled oats. Add all other ingredients for the crust to your food processor and blend until the dough is crumbly and sticks together when pressed. Press the crust evenly into the bottom of your springform and about 2 1/2 in (6 1/2 cm) up the sides. Put it in the freezer to harden. 

  2. Grind your poppy seeds finely. I use a spice mill to get them extra fine. A small food processor would work too. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with some nut milk. Now, simply add all other ingredients apart from the slurry to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a quick boil. Stir in the slurry and let the mix thicken. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside. Let the poppy seed filling cool for a few minutes and then pour the mixture into the springform onto the chilled crust. Put the pan back into the freezer.

  3. Preheat the oven to 175 C or 350 F. For the cheesecake layer simply combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender until very smooth and creamy. Pour the cheesecake cream on top of the set poppy seed layer.

  4. Bake for about 60-70 minutes. After the time is up, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool down to room temperature. Don't touch it while it is cooling. The middle of the cake will still appear super wobbly, but that's ok. Once the cheesecake has cooled slightly, put it in the fridge to set completely. It will firm up as it chills and can be sliced perfectly.

  5.  Store cake leftovers in the fridge. 

Recipe Notes

  • The cheesecake will be jiggly when you remove it from the oven. That's ok, it will have to set first. 
  • Make sure to grind your poppy seeds as finely as possible. They will only cook into a nice and thick paste if they are ground up.
  • Let the baked tofu cheesecake come to room temperature, then chill it in the fridge. You can let it set in the freezer to speed things up a bit.