It's also one of my favorite make-ahead Christmas desserts. The cheesecake benefits from an overnight chill, so you can make it the day before and have dessert completely taken care of before guests arrive.
I like to finish it with whipped cream, pomegranate, pecans, and my vegan gingerbread cookies for a simple festive centerpiece.
If you're planning your holiday menu, you'll find plenty more ideas in my collection of vegan Christmas desserts. For more make-ahead cheesecake ideas beyond gingerbread, browse my full collection of vegan cheesecake recipes.
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Why This Recipe Works
Creamy, but not overly heavy. The filling is rich enough to feel like a proper cheesecake, while the yogurt and orange zest keep it from becoming too dense or cloying.
Plenty of gingerbread flavor. Warm spices run through the filling, with homemade gingerbread cookies adding even more flavor to the crust.
Ideal for making ahead. The cheesecake needs a long chill to set properly, so preparing it the day before actually gives you the best texture.
Easy to dress up for Christmas. A few gingerbread cookies, whipped cream, pomegranate, and fresh herbs turn it into a festive centerpiece without complicated decorating.
Key ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this easy cheesecake. Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Cookies: I use a combination of Biscoff and homemade vegan gingerbread cookies for the crust. You need 220g of cookies altogether - 120g Biscoff and 100g gingerbread cookies. The homemade gingerbread gives the base a much more festive flavor, but if you don't have any prepared, you can replace them with more Biscoff, vegan digestives, graham crackers, gingersnaps, or gingernuts.
Cashews: Give the filling structure while keeping it really creamy. Soak them for around 4 hours, or cover them with boiling water for 30 minutes for a quicker option. The softer they are, the easier it is to get the filling completely smooth.
Vegan cream cheese: Use a thick vegan cream cheese rather than a very soft or watery variety. I usually use Violife, or you can make my vegan cream cheese.
Vegan Greek-style yogurt: This lightens the filling slightly and adds a little tang. Use a thick variety rather than a loose, pourable yogurt. Vegan Skyr, sour cream, firm silken tofu, or a thick coconut yogurt can also work.
Maple syrup: Sweetens the filling while keeping the texture smooth. For a deeper gingerbread flavor, you can replace 1-2 tablespoons with unsulphured molasses or black treacle.
Gingerbread spices: I use ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice or cloves. You can also use around 2-2½ tablespoons of gingerbread or Lebkuchen spice, depending on how strong your blend is.
Orange zest: This doesn't make the cheesecake taste strongly of orange, but it lifts the warming spices and cuts through some of the richness. Only grate the colored outer layer and avoid the bitter white pith.
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🔪 Instructions
Here's a visual overview of this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
For the crust, you're looking for fine buttery crumbs that hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Press them firmly into the base rather than leaving them loosely packed. I use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to really compact the mixture, which gives you a much cleaner slice later.
I use a 7½- to 8-inch springform pan, around 3 inches deep. This is worth paying attention to, as a wider pan will give you a noticeably shallower cheesecake than the one pictured.
The filling is the part readers have had the most questions about over the years. Once everything goes into the blender, the mixture can become very thick before it turns creamy. That doesn't mean anything has gone wrong.
Keep stopping to scrape down the sides and blending again. Depending on your blender, it can take several rounds before the mixture goes from heavy and slightly grainy to noticeably lighter and silky.
I've found it's much better to give the blender a short break if the motor starts getting hot rather than adding extra liquid. Adding milk or water makes the mixture easier to blend, but it also changes the consistency and can leave you with a softer set.
Well-soaked cashews make this process much easier. If they're still quite firm, the blender has to work considerably harder and the filling is more likely to retain a little graininess.
If you're doubling the recipe or making several cheesecakes, blend the filling in batches. The mixture is naturally thick and needs enough room around the blades to circulate properly.
Because the filling isn't baked, I always taste it before pouring it onto the crust. Gingerbread spice blends vary a lot, so this is your chance to add a little extra ginger, cinnamon, or mixed spice if you want a stronger flavor.
Once assembled, give the cheesecake enough time to chill properly. Eight hours is the minimum I recommend, but overnight gives you the best texture - creamy through the center while still firm enough to cut into clean slices.
Add the decorations shortly before serving so the gingerbread cookies stay crisp and the fresh toppings look their best.
christina's recipe tips
Pack the crust firmly. A tightly compacted base holds together much better when sliced. The bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup works better than pressing it down with your fingers alone.
Don't add liquid when the filling looks thick. Keep scraping down and blending. The mixture goes through a very thick stage before it becomes completely smooth.
Let the cashews soften properly. A full soak gives the smoothest result, but the 30-minute boiling-water method works well when you're short on time.
Slice it cold. Use a sharp knife straight from the fridge and wipe the blade clean between cuts for the neatest slices.
Make Ahead & Storage
This cheesecake is ideal for preparing the day before serving. Make it, cover it, and refrigerate overnight, then add the whipped cream, gingerbread cookies, pomegranate, and fresh herbs shortly before serving.
You can also make the gingerbread cookies several days ahead so all that's left to do is decorate.
Store leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze the cheesecake without the decorations for up to 1 month. Either freeze the whole cheesecake once set or freeze individual slices with parchment between them. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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📖 Recipe
No-Bake Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 120 g (4 ¼ oz) vegan cookies I use biscoff *note 1
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) vegan gingerbread cookies replace with extra biscoff cookies
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 70 g (5 tablespoons) vegan butter
Filling
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) cashews soaked ahead of time *note 2
- 500 g (17.6 oz) vegan cream cheese *note 3 for less cream cheese option
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt *note 4
- 120 ml (½ cup) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste/scraped-out vanilla pod
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon orange zest or orange peel without the pith
Garnish (optional)
- ½ batch vegan whipped cream
- fresh pomegranate
- mint leaves or rosemary sprigs
- pecans
- vegan gingerbread cookies
Instructions
- Prepare: Pre-soak the cashews in water for 4 hours or quick-soak in boiled water for 30 minutes, rinse, and drain. Line the base and sides of a 7.5 or 8-inch springform cake pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crust: Add the cookies, gingerbread, salt, and butter to a food processor and blitz for a few minutes until the mixture sticks together between your fingers.
- Press the crust into the base of the pan and smooth it down with your fingers or using a spoon - make sure it is compact. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Make the filling: Add all the filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until completely smooth and creamy without any lumps. Pour the filling into the pan and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours (overnight is recommended) until set. *see note 5 for the freezer option.
- Decorate: Carefully remove the springform pan and peel away the parchment paper from the sides of the cheesecake. If needed, you can clean up the sides using a cake scraper. Top with vegan whipped cream, mint leaves, pomegranate, pecans, and additional gingerbread cookies.
Notes
- Vegan Cookies: Use vegan cookies such as digestives, ginger nuts, gingersnaps, or vegan graham crackers. Use GF cookies if needed.
- Soaked Cashews: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, rinse, and drain. You can also quick-soak your cashews by soaking them in boiled water for 30 minutes.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: You can use 300g vegan cream cheese with 55g coconut oil if you want to use less cream cheese.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: Sub with vegan sour cream, vegan skyr, firm silken tofu, or very thick coconut yogurt.
- Freezing: You can also set it in the freezer for about 4 hours, just remove it from the pan while still frozen and sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.
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