Get ready to elevate your holiday dessert game with my latest creation: Vegan Apple Crumb Cheesecake. 🍎
This delectable mashup of plant-based apple crumble and creamy baked vegan cheesecake is a showstopper that will have your guests begging for seconds. The best part? No fussy water bath required – just pure buttery, spiced apple cobbler bliss atop a velvety cheesecake filling, all tucked into a warmly spiced biscoff crust!
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Meal Prep Master - Most celebrations demand a variety of different dishes, from appetizers and side dishes to entrées and desserts. Get a jump on your preparations by making this towering vegan apple cheesecake up to a month in advance so you have more time to enjoy your guests when the big day comes!
- Creamy, Crunchy, Apple-y Deliciousness - If you’re anything like me, picking just one dessert for your holiday table is like a real-life, lower-stakes version of Sophie’s choice. This cheesecake apple crisp helps solve the problem by letting you pick two tasty desserts, all wrapped up in one fabulously attractive package.
- Quick & Easy - You only need 30 minutes of prep, plus you don’t have to fuss around with a water bath to bake it. 🙌
Want more hybridized vegan desserts for your holiday table? Try my vegan recipes for Pecan Pie Cupcakes, Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, Apple Salted Caramel Cheesecake, or Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake next.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
While the ingredient list might look long for this apple crumble cheesecake recipe, there are only 15 that you need in total. For two desserts in one, I’d consider that a pretty good deal! Here’s what to grab:
Ingredient Notes
- Biscoff Cookies - I love these sweet, crunchy, warmly spiced biscuits so much that I almost always have a box on hand. Feel free to swap in your favorite vegan cookie (e.g. gingersnaps or vegan graham crackers) instead.
- Vegan Butter - Make sure you reach for block-style instead of tub-style butter. My favorites are Violife block, Flora plant butter, or Naturli block.
- Vegan Cream Cheese - If you’re not using homemade cream cheese, make sure to reach for a reputable brand of block-style (not tub-style) vegan cream cheese.
- Vegan Heavy Cream - You need double cream (a.k.a. “whipping cream” in the US) which is designed for whipping to billowy peaks of loveliness. I like dairy-free Schlagfix or Emlea here in Spain. Alternatively, use full-fat coconut milk or coconut whipping cream.
- Greek-Style Yogurt - I use plain Alpro Greek-Style Yogurt or vegan Skyr. You can also use vegan sour cream instead.
- Apples - I use a mix of Pink Lady and Braeburn apples, but feel free to use any variety of seasonal apples you have on hand.
🥣 How To Make Apple Crumble Cheesecake
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1: For the cookie crust, add the lotus cookies, spices, sea salt, and vegan butter to your food processor. Blitz until the mixture sticks together between your fingers.
Step 2: Parbake the crust in a preheated oven for 12 minutes (this will prevent a soggy crust!). Let it cool to room temperature.
Step 3: For the crumb topping, mix together the flour, brown and granulated sugar, spices, salt, and butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingertips. You'll be left with a crumble consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
Step 4: Whisk the dairy-free cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then slowly start cascading the sugar into the bowl in about 5-6 parts whilst mixing after each increment.
Step 5: Slowly whisk in the cream, followed by the dairy-free yogurt and vanilla. Lastly, whisk in the cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
Step 6: In a mixing bowl, toss together chopped apples, lemon juice, sugar, spices and cornstarch.
Step 7: Add half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled cookie crust. Then sprinkle about ⅓ of the coated apples on top.
Step 8: Add the remaining half of the cream cheese filling and smooth out the top with an offset spatula.
Step 11: Top with the remaining spiced apples, then add the crumble on top, it's ok if there are some larger lumps of crumb topping.
Step 12: Bake for 60-75 minutes until the crumble has browned on top and the cheesecake still has some jiggle. Let the cheesecake rest inside the oven with the oven door closed after baking, then cool it to room temperature before refrigerating.
🍎 Variations
While I love this recipe for apple crumble cheesecake just the way it is written, there is still some room for you to make it your own. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Gluten-Free Crumble Cheesecake - Swap in your favorite gluten-free vegan cookies or graham crackers for the crust and use a cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture to make the crumble topping. Just make sure to let the crumble mixture rest for 30 minutes before adding it to the cheesecake and baking so it has time to properly rehydrate.
- Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars - Swap the round pan for an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan. Make sure you line all sides with parchment paper and leave a slight overhang to make it easier to remove the cheesecake bars once set.
- Apple Caramel Crumble Cheesecake - Add an extra twist of delectable mashup genius by drizzling some vegan caramel sauce on top of the crumble right before serving. Check my math, but I’m pretty sure caramel apple + apple crumble + baked cheesecake = many happy tummies.
📝 Recipe Tips
Pan sizing: You can use a 7-inch, 8-inch, or 9-inch pan. If using a 7-inch it needs to have tall sides (at least 4 inches in height). Make sure your pan is either spring-form or has a loose bottom so that you can easily remove the cake once set.
Make sure your pan is either a spring form or has a loose bottom so that you can easily remove the cheesecake once it’s set. But, don’t stop there. You’re also going to want to butter it and add a layer of parchment paper to ensure your masterpiece comes out picture-perfect.
Rest the cake pan on a baking tray and wrap the bottom and sides in tin foil in case there are any leaks during baking. Take it from me: cleaning a dirty pan is much easier than cleaning a dirty oven!!
If desired, you can pour a jug of boiling water into a baking tray and sit it in the bottom of the oven during baking. The steam helps to gently cook the cheesecake so that it does not cook too fast, resulting in a softer filling.
Use a serrated knife to help you slice through the crunchy crumble topping.
💬 FAQs
The crumble in this apple cheesecake crumble recipe is like a cozy, sweet blanket that covers the tender apple slices. It's a delightful mixture of vegan, butter, sugar, flour, and spices all squished together to create a crispy, golden crumb topping. This adds that perfect touch of crunch and warmth to the soft, cinnamon-spiced apples beneath.
If I’m being honest, this is the hardest part of the recipe — waiting! You’ll want to let the apple cheesecake crumble rest for an hour in the turned-off oven, then let it cool for about 45 minutes at room temp to cool further, and then chill it in the fridge for a minimum of 5-6 hours.
Cover and chill the cheesecake in the fridge for up to 5 days, or wrap it well and freeze for up to a month. When you’re ready to serve, allow it to defrost overnight in the fridge before slicing.
🥧 More Apple Desserts
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Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 150 g (19 cookies) biscoff cookies, or other vegan cookies
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 50 g (6 ½ tbsp) vegan butter, block-style *see note 1
Crumble Topping
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour, plain flour
- 50 g (¼ cup) soft brown sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 70 g (8 ½ tbsp) vegan butter, block-style *see note 1, room temp + cubed
Cream Cheese Filling
- 400 g (14.11 oz) vegan cream cheese (I use Violife), room temp
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) soft brown sugar, sub with granulated sugar
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) vegan heavy cream, room temp *see note 2
- 200 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) vegan Greek-style yogurt, room temp *see note 3
- 1 tablesoon vanilla extract
- 45 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
Apple Filling & Topping
- 250 g (8.8 oz) apples, *see note 4
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preparation: Take the vegan butter, cream cheese, cream, and yogurt out of the fridge 1 hour before use to bring them to room temperature.Grease the inside of the cake pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, place on a baking tray, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F. I also recommend wrapping the bottom and sides of your cake pan with tin foil in case there is any leakage during baking.
- Crust: Add the cookies, spices, sea salt, and vegan butter to your food processor and blitz for a couple of minutes, until evenly combined and the mixture sticks together between your fingers.
- Par-bake the crust: Bake the crust for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Adjust oven temperature: Reduce the oven temperature down to 160°C/320°F. If desired, you can pour a jug of boiling water into a baking tray and sit it in the bottom of the oven during baking. The steam helps to gently cook the cheesecake so that it does not cook too fast, resulting in a softer filling.
- Crumble topping: To a mixing bowl, add the flour, brown and granulated sugar, spices, salt, and butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients. You'll be left with a crumble consistency. Set aside in the fridge.
- Cream cheese filling: Add the vegan cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for around 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. You can also use a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Slowly start cascading the white and brown sugar into the bowl in about 5-6 parts whilst mixing each time after you add some.
- Slowly drizzle in the cream whilst continuing to whisk until combined with the cream cheese. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla. Lastly, whisk in the cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
- Apple filling: Wash, core, and dice the apples into approximately 1-inch chunks, leaving the skins on. Add the apple pieces to a bowl and toss them in the lemon juice. Mix in the brown sugar, spices, and cornstarch until evenly coated. You can do this with a spoon or get in there using clean hands!
- Assembly: Make sure the cake pan is sitting on a baking tray in case there are any leaks during baking. Add half of the cream cheese filling on top of the cooled crust - you can use an ice cream scoop to measure it out or simply pour it in.Sprinkle about ⅓ of the apple mixture on top. Add the remaining half of the cream cheese filling and smooth out the top with an offset spatula.Top with the remaining apple mixture. Then add the crumble on top, it's ok if there are some larger lumps of crumble.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 60-75 minutes. The crumble will be browned on top and the cheesecake will jiggle once ready. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door closed for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, and let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to set completely for 6 hours - or overnight if possible.
- Serving: Once completely set, carefully remove the cake from the pan. Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan, and if using a loose-bottomed pan, carefully push the cake up until it slides out of the pan.To slice, I recommend using a serrated knife to help cut through the crumble topping.
- Storage: Place it in an airtight container in the fridge and consume it within 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze any unused slices and defrost them as needed
Notes
- Vegan Butter - Reach for block-style such as Violife block, Flora plant butter, or Naturli block.
- Vegan Heavy Cream - You need double cream such as dairy-free Schlagfix or Emlea which are designed for whipping. Alternatively, use full-fat coconut milk or coconut whipping cream.
- Greek-Style Yogurt - I use Alpro Greek-style/Skyr. You can also use vegan sour cream.
- Apples - I use Pink Lady and Braeburn but feel free to use any seasonal apples you have on hand.
Nutrition
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