Fall is officially here. And with the coming of Fall, also comes an abundance of apples and pumpkins. Even though I loathe the impending cold temperatures, I relish the slight chill of autumn weather and the plethora of comfort foods that accompany it. Especially comfort food that include apples–whether it be a nice mug of cider (preferably the adult versions) or a hefty slice of cheesecake with the addictive flavor of apple pie strewn throughout. Apples are a staple in my house come the end of September… and they remain there all the way until December.
I used honeycrisp in this cheesecake only because my default baking apple, the granny smith, is nowhere to be found in any grocery store or market I’ve perused in Philly. Is this a problem in other parts of the world… or are our friendly grocery-teers mocking me and my east coast relocation?
Anyways, even with honeycrisps–which I truly hate to bake with, as they are a superior snacking apple straight to the core–this cheesecake takes apple pie to a whole new level. Or maybe this apple pie takes cheesecake to a whole new level? Whichever it is, be sure to chill this dessert in the fridge for at least 24 hours after baking for maximum enjoyment.
Apple Pie Cheesecake ~ Vegan & Gluten Free
crust:
- 3 cups whole pecans
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp superfine brown rice flour
- 6 tbsp melted vegan margarine
filling:
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tubs tofutti better than cream cheese
- 1 package (19 oz) extra firm regular tofu (not silken)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or one scraped vanilla bean pod
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp cloves
- 6 tbsp superfine brown rice flour
topping:
- 2-3 medium sized honeycrisp or granny smith apples
- 2 tbsp cold vegan margarine, cut into small bits
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup potato starch mixed with 1/4 cup very cold water
Crust:
To make crust, preheat oven to 400 °F. Pulse pecans, sugar and superfine brown rice flour in food processor until crumbly. Stir in melted vegan margarine with fork until well mixed. Press mixture into springform pan until crust is about 1/4 inch thick. Bake in preheated oven for 13 minutes. Let cool slightly and reduce heat to 325 °F.
Filling:
Place all ingredients for filling into bowl and stir together until roughly mixed. Transfer to food processor and blend until smooth. Spread the contents of food processor evenly into baked crust and place in oven.
Bake for 70 minutes. Turn off oven, but leave cheesecake in oven for an additional hour. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack until room temp. Chill in fridge for a few hours before making topping.
Topping:
Slice apples thinly, leaving peels on apples. Toss with margarine and place into small frying pan. Saute over medium heat until apples are softened and a good amount of water has been produced. Stir in brown sugar and let mixture cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add in potato starch mixed with water, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Top cheesecake with apple mixture and chill in fridge for a few more hours or preferably overnight until firm.
Slice and serve.
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Gorgeous photos! What a great idea to combine two awesome desserts. :-D
Thank you so much, Sara! <3 I’m sorta a glutton for Fall, so combining only seems appropriate. :)
whoa.
WHOA.
Wow, this looks amazing! The apple topping dripping down the sides looks so tempting!
ok. i will mail you a scoby and you will mail me this cheezecakepie.
sound good?
holy moly poly troly!
ahahaha! okay, you mail me the scoby.
I mail myself to portland and make you a cheezecakepie. or three. done deal.
and then we shall rejoice! <3 <3 <3
i’m holding you to this.
ohhhhhhh my goshhh. this.looks.ahmazing!!!
This looks AMAZING! Apple pie is my absolute favorite fall pie… and cheesecake’s always good. ;)
A few questions, though…
Where can you find vanilla bean paste or individual/bulk vanilla bean pods?
What is “potato starch”? If you but it in a specialty store (coop, whole foods, online, etc.), is there anything you can substitute that will do the job just as well?
Is all brown rice flour superfine? If not, will throwing it in a coffee grinder work to make it superfine?
I’d love to make this, but I need to know that stuff! :)
:) Hi Hannah!
i order my vanilla bean paste online, but it can be found in specialty shops… i’ve also had an easy time finding vanilla bean pods at most supermarkets though. regular vanilla extract can be subbed if you can’t locate either, i just like the flecks of the beans.
potato starch is a pretty common gf flour, you can use cornstarch instead… it’s for thickening.
not all brown rice flour is superfine, and i’ve never had any success making reg on any finer on my own (i hear a vitamix does the job!), but reg brown rice flour can be used, just the texture may be slightly grainier. :) or all purpose if you’re not gluten intolerant!
hopefully that helps!!
<3
I just made this for 6 people as our Thanksgiving dessert and it was amazing! I used cornstarch in the topping, but otherwise followed the recipe. No one here is vegan, but everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipe…Jill
Oh, boy! This looks tempting!
I haven’t ever tried tofutti but this makes me want to.
Wow! (I guess I say that every time I comment on one of your posts?) That cheesecake looks so amazing! We found some absolutely delicious local apples a couple of days. They tasted so good that I said I didn’t want to bake with them but instead enjoy them as they are. But now that I see your post….
This looks just beauuuttifullll! What a cheesecake indeed :)
Hey Allyson,
This looks awesome and I can’t wait to make it. One question, though—-I don’t have pecans but I have two Costco-sized bags of almonds and walnuts—can I sub in one of them?
Thanks!
Walnuts would work awesome, Kristin!
<3
I’ve been thinking for 2 days now about how my next desert creation is going to be an Apple Pecan Honey Caramel Cheesecake. Then this gorgeous cake picture gets delivered right to my inbox. What a beauty! Looks absolutely delicious. Gets me wanting to start working on mine today!
Oh, I wish I could have a slice of that baby right now. Mind you, your pics are so amazing, I can almost taste your beautiful cake. And it goes very well with my morning coffee! :o)
Wow! This looks SO delicious! I definitely have to give this a try, two amazing desserts combined. Gorgeous photos as well!
This sounds heavenly!
Hi! I found your blog on Finding Vegan.
This recipe looks truly delicious. I cannot get tofutti or any other kind of vegan cream cheese where I live…I was planning to try to make my own, with a few cashew nuts/almond recipes I found online…have you ever tried to make this cheesecake with home-made cream cheese?
Hi Marcela,
No, I can’t say I’ve ever tried making this using a home-made cream cheese…. if it has a similar consistency to regular ol’ cream cheese, though, it might be worth a shot!
<3
This may be the best looking dessert I have ever seen.
Kittee stole my idea. Except it was to mail you to Texas so you could slave in my kitchen. I had my fork in hand and was ready to just eat this off the screen until I noticed the Tofutti. Saved by the bell… sorta. I wonder how many batches of nut cheese I’d have to make? Well, I’ll wonder about that more when Fall gets here because at 93F – like I said, saved by the bell.
As usual, everything you touch is beautiful. <} xox
Truly…your recipe officially marked the start of Fall! Pretty recipe!
It looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it, though I have to get my hands on some tofutti, it’s really hard to find here in Belgium.
Oh wow, that is one beautful cheesecake! I’ve been debating about veganizing a fall inspired cheesecake, but I just might have to make this one instead. The topping looks fantastic.
Wow, that looks SO good!
WOW! This looks amazing!!!!!!!! I want to eat those pictures.
Be still my beating heart.
Fabulousness as always :)
-a fellow VeganMoFo-er
Happy MoFo-ing! <3
This looks beyond amazing! Wow! This is how you celebrate fall being here!
Just made the cheesecake and it looks beautiful! Bringing it to dinner tonight, I will keep everyone posted!
Awesome! Thank you, Stacy. :)
That looks gorgeous and even though it’s not autumn here, I think I’ll try it :)
It was a hit! Tastes as great as it looks. Perfect amount of sweetness. A must try if you are looking for a crowd pleasing vegan dessert.
squeee! thanks, Stacy!!
<3
Oh my Good ‘n Plenty!! That’s gorgeous!!
What a beautiful cheesecake! It sounds sinfully delicious!
This seems so amazing. Wow.
I love cheesecake, I love apple pie and have an apple tree, so guess what I’ll be baking at the weekend? It looks fantastic:)
Truly, the photos in this recipe make me want to run home and bake one of these right this instant! But I am going to hold off until next week when we have guests over so at least I avoid the temptation to eat the ENTIRE creation myself!!
hello
what size springform did you use? I dont have any, do u have an alternate suggestions or brands I should use
Thanks!
Hi Ivonne,
I used an 8 inch for this one… but a regular pie pan would work okay, just the crust may become a tad crumbly when cutting as opposed to cutting from a pie already released from a springform. :)
I just found you through Oh She Glows and although I’m no vegan, I admire you for your healthy choice and this recipe is DEVINE :) I am going to make it for my next dinner guests! thanks <3 xo
i am so glad I found your blog! Thanks for the recipe it looks absolutely amazing and I am going to make 2 of them for each of my Thanksgiving dinners!!!!!!!
I am in the process of making this and accidentally bought silken tofu because every other vegan cheesecake used that :( is this recipe doomed if I use it????? Pooey :(
Wow! This looks delicious. This may be my Thanksgiving dessert. That means I need to make it tomorrow. I better get to shopping! Happy Thanksgiving!
This looks amazing! I am thinking about making this for Thanksgiving… But I am wondering, is there something I can use in place of the tofu (it does not have to be vegan)?
Thanks!
The tofu is kind of the structure of it and unfortunately I don’t have any experience with making this one with non-vegan ingredients. Maybe you could find a different recipe closer to what you’re looking for and modify it to include apples, and the other goodies? :)
Hope that helps, happy Thanksgiving!!
I’m making this right now for Thanksgiving and have a question about the recipe. You said 3 tubs of tofutti, is that 3 8oz containers?? Please let me know and Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi JoAnna,
Yep, that’s correct. Happy Thanksgiving. :)
I love to cook and especially love to cook desserts, my wife agreed that this was the BEST cheesecake we have ever had!
:) :) :)
thank you!
I found your website last night and I am so excited to make this! Can I all purpose flour or oat flour instead of brown rice flour? Arrowroot instead of potato starch. Lastly, what other apples would work with this recipe. Thanks! I’m just trying to work with what I already have.
Hi Cassia,
So glad you found me! Yes, replacing the superfine brown rice flour with AP or oat flour should work great. And, the arrowroot will work well in place of the potato starch–although it may be a little less “gummy” (think goopy pre-packaged pie fillings), which may or may not be desirable. :) Any apples that are slightly tart and not mealy will work great!
Hope you enjoy… <3
I made this for thanksgiving but I bought firm instead of extra firm by mistake. It was still GREAT! Honeycrisp apples are not cheap but I used them with arrowroot instead of potato starch. I will make again with extra firm tofu! LOL!
I made this for Thanksgiving to do something different for once. Well, for some reason, the crust was leaking liquid ALL over my oven! And then I put the topping on, and for some reason, it leaks like heck all in my fridge!
Also, my family said it tastes like tofu, a lot. I think this has to do with the fact I have a normal-sized food processor, not a large one, and had to do the filling in two batches.
It was a great idea, and yes, yummy, but too messy for me!
Hi Bethany,
Eeee, sorry to hear that. Not sure what happened with the crust–definitely has never leaked on me before, and I’m not even sure there’s enough liquid to make that happen–did you add extra margarine or another liquid? It should be all blended up and mixed to a dry paste when going into the oven, so leaks would be pretty hard to come by if using a springform pan that’s tightened down correctly. Regardless, I appreciate your comment. :)
Happy Holidays!
<3 allyson
Yay! So glad I found this recipe! I am going my first vegan, gluten-free Christmas and plan to make this now as a dessert! The only hitch is that I am also avoiding refined sugars, but maple syrup, agave and date sugar are ok for me. What do you recommend for subbing out the sugars to use a substitute like the ones I listed?