Vegan Baileys cheesecake - this rich, creamy vegan cheesecake is the perfect dessert for celebrations. It is easy to make, eggless and dairy-free and tastes so good you would never guess that it's vegan!
This delicious vegan Baileys cheesecake is adapted from my popular vegan lemon blueberry cheesecake recipe. The method of making it is the same, but the result is totally different!
It is rich and creamy, with an indulgent, grown-up flavour from the Baileys Almande. I topped it with a Baileys chocolate ganache which is to die for! I could just eat it by the spoonful!
The filling is made using silken tofu (hear me out!), soaked cashews, coconut cream and Baileys Almande, with a little flour and cornflour to set the cheesecake in place of the eggs and some lemon juice to add that cheesecakey tang.
You can’t taste the tofu at all, it just helps to provide a silky smooth texture and is low fat and high protein as a bonus! You need to get firm silken tofu which is the shelf stable kind, not the kind you would find in the fridge section. Most supermarkets have it, or you can easily find it online.
The cashews and coconut cream provide richness and make for that perfectly creamy, dense texture that is classic of a baked, rather than set, cheesecake.
Obviously the most important part of a cheesecake is the base (no crustless cheesecakes here please!), a biscuit base is of course the best kind, so that is what I have gone for here.
I used supermarket own brand digestive biscuits which appear to be vegan friendly (McVities are not) to keep things traditional, but you could also use gingersnaps, Biscoff, Oreos or another vegan friendly variety.
How To Make Vegan Baileys Cheesecake:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
You need to start the day before you want to serve the cheesecake as it is best if it is refrigerated overnight.
Start by crushing your choice of biscuits for the base, you can do this in a food processor or put them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin.
Place the crushed biscuits in a bowl and mix in melted vegan butter. It should resemble wet sand. Tip this mixture into a good, non-stick 20cm/8 inch round springform cake tin, spread it out evenly and pack down firmly with the base of a glass.
Bake the base in a preheated oven for 10 minutes then set aside to cool.
To make the filling, soak some raw cashew nuts in boiling water for half an hour, drain well then add to a blender along with silken tofu (no need to press it but do drain off any excess liquid first), coconut cream, Baileys Almande, lemon juice, sugar, cornflour, flour, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt.
Blend until the mixture is totally smooth, you don’t want any pieces of cashew left. Let it settle for 5 minutes to allow some of the air bubbles to pop.
Meanwhile, wrap the bottom of the springform tin in a double layer of tin foil; the tin is going to be sitting in water so make sure that the top of the tin foil is high enough that no water is going to come over the top. Put the kettle on.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked base then bash the tin on the worktop a couple of times to burst any remaining air bubbles.
Place the tin in a roasting tray and place it in the oven. (I find it easier to add the water once the tray is in the oven so you don’t tip any over the top of the foil carrying it to the oven).
Pour boiling water into the roasting tin so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the tin. Be very careful that none goes over the top of the tinfoil.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. When it is ready it should be set but still jiggle if you tap it. Switch the oven off but leave the cheesecake in there (it’s fine to leave it in the water bath) and leave it to cool down slowly for an hour or so then allow it to cool completely at room temperature before you cover it and place in the fridge overnight.
The next day, make the ganache. Place chopped dark chocolate, Baileys Almande and coconut cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and smooth then remove from the heat.
Let the ganache cool until it is room temperature but still pourable. Carefully unmould the cheesecake, place on a serving platter and pour over the gananche. Either serve right away or referigerate until you are ready to eat it.
Vegan Baileys Cheesecake Top Tips:
You need to use firm silken tofu which is the shelf stable kind, NOT the kind you would find in the fridge section. Most supermarkets have it, or you can easily find it online. If you don't want to use tofu then you can probably swap it for vegan cream cheese.
I used Baileys Almande, but you can use any kind of vegan Irish Cream liqueur instead, whether shop bought or homemade.
I used coconut cream that comes in a carton. If you aren't able to get hold of coconut cream then you can use a tin of full fat coconut milk - don't shake or stir it; use all of the solid white part then top up to the 250ml line with the leftover liquid.
The coconut cream can also be swapped for a soy or oat based cream. The higher the fat content the better.
The cheesecake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 3 days. It can also be frozen.
How To Prevent Cheesecake From Cracking:
Cracking is a very common problem when it comes to baked cheesecakes and while it doesn’t affect the taste at all it can be very annoying. Here are all my tips to try to prevent your cheesecake from cracking:
Get all of the air bubbles out of the batter – air bubbles in the cheesecake mixture can rise to the surface and cause cracks. Give the mixture a bit of time to settle after blending and then once you have poured it into the tin, give the tin a good bash on the worktop a couple of times to burst any remaining bubbles.
Use a good non-stick springform tin - if the cheesecake sticks to the sides of the tin, cracks can form as it cools and shrinks.
Bake the cheesecake in a water bath – a water bath provides an even temperature and makes the oven humid which helps to prevent cracks. (See recipe instructions for how to make a water bath).
Don’t over-bake the cheesecake – overbaking can cause the cheesecake to dry out which is a major source of cracks. The cheesecake is ready when it is set, but still jiggly if you tap it.
Don’t open the oven door – avoid opening the oven door until the cheesecake is almost done as drafts and drops in temperature can cause cracks.
Leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven – cooling down too quickly can cause cracking so once the cheesecake is done, switch the oven off and leave it in there for an hour or so to cool down slowly. Then allow it to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating.
How To Fix A Cracked Cheesecake:
Even if you follow all of the steps above, sometimes your cheesecake may crack anyway but don’t be disheartened, all is not lost!
The easiest way to fix a cracked cheesecake is to simply top it with something – like the chocolate ganache on this vegan Baileys one, that way you won’t be able to see the cracks. Fruit compote, chocolate ganache or sliced fresh fruit all work well.
Otherwise, once your cheesecake has chilled in the fridge overnight (or for at least four hours), you can dip a palette knife in boiling water, dry it with a tea towel and gently smooth over the cracks. Dip and dry the knife as needed. You wont get a perfectly smooth top, but it definitely helps!
More Vegan Dessert Recipes:
No-bake vegan chocolate cherry cheesecake
Vegan lemon blueberry cheesecake
Vegan steamed chocolate pudding
No-bake chocolate stem ginger tart
Blueberry pie with coconut oil crust
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Vegan Baileys Cheesecake
Ingredients
Base:
- 250 g (9 oz) vegan friendly digestive biscuits (or gingersnaps/ Oreos)
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) vegan block butter (not the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) melted
Filling:
- 80 g (½ cup) raw cashews soaked in boiling water for ½ hour, or in cold water overnight
- 450 g (16 oz) firm silken tofu* excess water drained off
- 150 ml (½ cup + 2 Tbsp) Baileys Almande**
- 250 ml (1 cup) coconut cream***
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 150 g (¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 30 g (¼ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 20 g (2 Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Ganache:
- 150 g (5 ⅓ oz) dark chocolate chopped
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) Baileys Almande**
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) coconut cream***
Instructions
- You need to start the day before you want to serve the cheesecake as it is best if it is refrigerated overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Start by crushing your choice of biscuits for the base, you can do this in a food processor or put them in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin.
- Place the crushed biscuits in a bowl and mix in the melted vegan butter. It should resemble wet sand. Tip this mixture into a good, non-stick 20cm/8 inch round springform cake tin, spread it out evenly and pack down firmly with the base of a glass.
- Bake the base in the preheated oven for 10 minutes then remove and set aside to cool.
- To make the filling, drain the soaked cashews well then add them to a blender along with the silken tofu, coconut cream, Baileys Almande, lemon juice, sugar, cornflour, flour, vanilla extract, nutmeg and salt.
- Blend until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Let it settle for 5 minutes to allow some of the air bubbles to pop.
- Meanwhile, wrap the bottom of the springform tin in a double layer of tin foil; the tin is going to be sitting in water so make sure that the top of the tin foil is high enough that no water is going to come over the top. Put the kettle on.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked base then bash the tin on the worktop a couple of times to burst any remaining air bubbles. Place the tin in a roasting tray and place it in the oven.
- Pour boiling water into the roasting tin so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the tin. Be very careful that none goes over the top of the tinfoil.
- Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. When it is ready it should be set but still jiggle in the middle if you tap it. Switch the oven off but leave the cheesecake in there (it's fine to leave it in the water bath) and leave it to cool down slowly for an hour or so, then allow it to cool completely at room temperature before you cover it and place in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, make the ganache. Place the chopped dark chocolate, Baileys Almande and coconut cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and smooth then remove from the heat.
- Let the ganache cool until it is room temperature but still pourable.
- Once the cheesecake is chilled, run a knife around the edge to make sure it isn't sticking to the tin then undo the clip and remove the rim of the tin.
- Pour the gananche over the top of the cheesecake. Either serve right away or referigerate until you are ready to eat it.
Notes
- *You need to use firm silken tofu which is the shelf stable kind, NOT the kind you would find in the fridge section. Most supermarkets have it, or you can easily find it online. If you don’t want to use tofu then you can probably swap it for vegan cream cheese.
- **I used Baileys Almande, but you can use any kind of vegan Irish Cream liqueur instead, whether shop bought or homemade.
- ***I used coconut cream that comes in a carton. If you aren’t able to get hold of coconut cream then you can use a tin of full fat coconut milk – don’t shake or stir it; use all of the solid white part then top up to the 250ml line with the leftover liquid.
- ***The coconut cream can also be swapped for a soy or oat based cream. The higher the fat content the better.
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them
- The cheesecake will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 3 days. It can also be frozen.
mohan kumar
Great recipe loved by all, Thank you for sharing.
Foodieglam
I love this recipe! I should try it as it looks so delicious.
Marie
Absolutely fantastic, decadent and tasty. Used oreos for the base. I'm the only vegan but all non vegans were convinced, even my granny who is very anti vegan. Thanks for this recipe!
julie
If you use Oreos for the base do you scrape out the filling?
Laura
This looks great! Making it today 🙂
Do you think I could sub vegan cream cheese like Tofutti for the coconut cream? The vegan baileys I'm using is homemade and made with coconut cream already.
Also, by any chance do you have any ideas about baking times and temperatures for smaller proportions? (I have mini springform tins) I know for regular cakes it's higher temp and shorter time, but I can't imagine a higher temp being a good idea for a cheesecake!
hannahhossack
Hi Laura, yes I think that would work fine. Yes I would stick with the same oven temperature and just go for a shorter baking time, I can't say how long exactly though so you would just need to keep an eye on them.
Jaime
Really easy to make. Really delicious! Loved by vegans and none vegans a like!
Jade
Hi Hannah! I've made this one and your lemon blueberry cheesecake a few times with success but was wondering if I could I change this from Bailey's to Biscoff? If so, what would you recommend for the conversion? Thank you!
Esten
Hi!
This looks absolutely amazing! Do you think it would be possible to swap the flour to a gluten-free substitute? I’m not used to baking without gluten but will have some gluten-free guests visiting, and this looks so yummy!
Hannah
Hi Esten, I would try swapping it for more cornflour (cornstarch) instead. I haven't tested this but I think it should work fine.
Vicky Brown
I cannot find the Bailey Almonde. Can you send me a link please?
Hannah
Hi Vicky, unfortunately I think that most supermarkets no longer stock it but some places online still sell it or there may be other brands. There are also lots of recipes online to make your own vegan baileys so that might be worth a try.