A divine vegan Mango Cheesecake that's creamy and delicious and infused with the scent of cardamom. The walnut-graham-cracker crust is deep and rich, and on top goes a vegan sour cream topping. Can be gluten-free.
To say this vegan Mango Cheesecake will make you feel like you're biting into a slice of heaven might sound like a sappy overstatement, but just wait until you eat it before you decide.
This is one of my favorite dessert recipes, and one that has lived on this blog for a decade now. Like those of you who've made it before, Jay loves it and requests it incessantly. So I took some new photos this time I made the cheesecake and am bringing it back to the front for you.
If you've been missing cheesecake after going vegan -- or even if you aren't vegan but want to eat plant-based every now and then -- this recipe will more than deliver to your tastebuds.
Summer for me is almost synonymous with mangoes, perhaps because that's the way it always was when I was growing up in India. And although it's easy to find mangoes, or mango puree, almost anytime of the year now, especially here in the United States, I find myself cooking all kinds of mango recipes, and especially desserts, this time of year because it just feels right.
And when I bake mango desserts, as you probably already know if you've made my mango cupcakes or mango bread, I love adding to it the one spice that complements the sunny flavor of mangoes perfectly: cardamom. In this cheesecake, they work their most potent alchemy together to absolutely bowl your tastebuds over.
There are three layers in this cake, but they're not difficult nor time-consuming. At the bottom is a divine, buttery walnut-graham-cracker crust. In the middle goes the smooth, uber-creamy layer of cardamom-infused mango cheesecake filling. And on the top goes a layer of sour cream flecked with more cardamom.
It's hard to top that kind of deliciousness. So let's begin.
Ingredients for vegan Mango Cheesecake:
For the crust:
- Graham crackers (there are vegan versions, like Nabisco's original, but check the label before you buy if picking other brands)
- Walnuts
- Vegan butter or margarine
For the filling:
- Mango puree (make this from fresh, very sweet mangoes like champagne if you're baking here in the United States, or alphonso in India. You can also use canned, pureed mango. Make sure the puree is very, very smooth.
- Vegan cream cheese. I've always used Tofutti in this cheesecake because that was the only cream cheese on the market -- or at least the only kind available to me -- when I first started making this or any cheesecake all those years ago. You can use another brand, if that's your preference.
- Sugar
- Raw cashews
- Nondairy milk
- Green cardamom powder
For the topping:
- Vegan sour cream. Again, I used Tofutti.
- Sugar
- Green cardamom powder
How to make the best vegan cheesecake ever:
- Start out by making the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse 1 cup of graham crackers with 1 cup of walnuts in a food processor with 2 tablespoon of softened vegan butter. Press the crust into an even layer in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside while you make the filling.
- To make the filling, blend ½ cup of cashews with ½ cup of any nondairy milk until very creamy.
- In a bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 20 oz of room temperature vegan cream cheese with 1 cup sugar until well-mixed. Add the cashew cream with 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder and 3 tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix until you have a very smooth, creamy texture.
- Before you start baking the cake, place a small, ovenproof pan filled with water on a lower shelf of the oven.
- Pour the mango filling into the springform pan which should still be standing on a baking sheet (to make it easier to get the pan in and out of the oven). Place the pan and baking sheet into the oven and bake 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking another 30 minutes. When the cheesecake is done, the sides will look firm and the center might still look slightly jiggly, which is okay.
- About 15 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven, make the sour cream topping by blending 1 cup of vegan sour cream with ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon of cardamom.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the pan, pour the filling on the cake and, using oven mitts, gently turn the pan around so the topping is evenly distributed over the cake. Return the cake to the oven and continue baking another 15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cook thoroughly on a rack. Once cool, run a knife gently along the edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Then, with the cheesecake still inside the pan, refrigerate it for several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.
- Unmold, slice and eat. You don't need to decorate this cake, but if you want a pretty look, you can do what I did and scatter some crushed walnuts on the top.
Looking for more vegan cake recipes?
- Vegan Squash Cake with Pineapple Frosting
- Vegan Mango Cupcakes with Mango Buttercream Frosting
- Vegan Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake
- Vegan Rhubarb Ginger Upside Down Cake
- Vegan Zucchini Cake with Orange Marmalade Glaze
- Vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Bread
- Cucumber Cake
- Vegan Low Carb Cheesecake
Vegan Mango Cheesecake recipe:
Vegan Mango Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the nut crust:
- 1 cups walnuts (can use pecans)
- 1 cup graham crackers (crumbled)
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 3 tablespoon sugar
For the mango cheesecake filling:
- 20 ounces vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ cup nondairy milk
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups mango puree (use a very sweet, ripe mango for best results)
For the sour cream topping:
- 1 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pulse 1 cup of graham crackers with 1 cup of walnuts in a food processor with 2 tablespoon of softened vegan butter until the nuts are broken down but not powdery.
- Press the crust into an even layer in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan, place the pan on a baking sheet, and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside while you make the filling.
- Make the mango cheesecake filling:
- Blend ½ cup of cashews with ½ cup of any nondairy milk until very creamy.
- In a bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 20 oz of room temperature vegan cream cheese with 1 cup sugar until well-mixed. Add the cashew cream, 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder, 3 tablespoon of cornstarch and the mango puree. Mix until you have a very smooth, creamy texture.
- Before you start baking the cake, place a small, ovenproof pan filled with water on a lower shelf of the oven. Pour the mango filling into the springform pan which should still be standing on a baking sheet (to make it easier to get the pan in and out of the oven).
- Place the pan and baking sheet into the oven and bake 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking another 30 minutes.
- When the cheesecake is done, the sides will look firm and the center might still look slightly jiggly, which is okay.
- Make the sour cream topping:
- About 15 minutes before the cake comes out of the oven, blend 1 cup of vegan sour cream with ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon of cardamom.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the pan, pour the filling on the cake and, using oven mitts, gently tilt the pan around so the topping is evenly distributed over the cake. Return the cake to the oven and continue baking another 15 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cook thoroughly on a rack. Once cool, run a knife gently along the edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Then, with the cheesecake still inside the pan, refrigerate it for several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.
- Unmold, slice and eat.
Recipe notes
- To make this cake gluten-free, use only walnuts for the crust -- so you'll need two cups of walnuts in all.
- You don't really need to decorate this cake, but for a pretty look scatter some crushed walnuts or peeled, chopped, ripe mangoes on top.
Nutrition
Jessika
I made this once for a friend's birthday party, and now everyone insists I make it on any occasion that they can think of. It's amazing. All agree! We bring back fresh green cardamon pods from India and I make the powder before hand (vs. buying it pre-ground). What a difference it makes and it only adds a few minutes to the whole thing. Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe.
Vaishali
So happy to hear Jessika!
Vaishali
Hi Laura, use cornstarch. Should work! 🙂
Vaishali
Solaripedia, thanks for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Solaripedia
We made this yesterday and it turned it out perfectly! Great recipe - thank you. Very tasty.
Vaishali
Hi Avantika, Cornstarch or arrowroot powder would work as fairly decent though not perfect egg substitutes in most recipes requiring egg substitute powder.
Margarine would be a fine substitute for butter in any vegan recipe.
If you're using fresh mangoes, puree them first and you should have a consistency similar to that of tinned mango puree.
Yogurt and lemon would not work as a sour cream substitute. If you don't have access to sour cream, just leave out the topping. The cheesecake would still be delicious.
A water bath is a pan filled with water that you place the cake pan in. Cheesecakes have a tendency to dry at the top when baked and crack down the middle, but a water bath keeps that from happening by creating a moist atmosphere around the cake. To make a water bath, place the cheesecake pan inside a wider, shallower pan, then fill the outside pan with enough water so it comes about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Place it in the oven, being careful not to splash the water into the cheesecake batter.
Vaishali
Krista, a cheesecake center has to be jiggly when it's done-- it's in the recipe. The cake continues to set and firm up as it stands. If your cake remained runny, it was perhaps because something was off with the ingredients. Maybe you used mango puree with a different consistency? Since you used a different egg replacer did you make sure you used it per the instructions on the package? Anyway, baking a cake until the top is black is an absolute no-no.
You said this was your first time trying a cheesecake. I would advise that as a new baker you follow every instruction to the letter or the chance of something going wrong is huge. Baking is all about science and getting your proportions and ingredients just right.
Krista
This was my first attempt at making a vegan (or any) cheesecake. I bought a new springform pan and all the ingredients and went to bake it today. It started off bad, when I accidently made walnut butter when I processed it, but I continued on anyway. I baked it 10 mins, didnt seem to firm up, so I kept baking it longer (big mistake). Then I mixed the filling, which went well. I used egg replacer (but a different brand than the ener g one) So I put that in the over, baked it for the hour, still was giggly, so kept baking it longer, to the point where the crust was totally black, and the filling was still very running, pulled it out and gave up, so I put it on the cooling rack, which i decided to lift up for a second to see if the crust was really that burnt, well somehow the pan slid off the rack, flew onto the counter and all the filling ended up all over the wall and toaster... total mess! I scooped up whatever filling I could and put it back in the pan. The filling and topping ended up being mixed into one big mess, The I ran to the store and got a premade graham cracker crust, and poured the filling into that. It's currently chilling outside (its like -40 out), so I'm hoping that after all this mess, it ends up tasting somewhat good. I really hope to try this recipe again and make it right. I don't get why the filling didnt set up though...
evolvingtastes
Vaishali, I was a happy receipient of this cheesecake made by Mints. One word - unbelievable. One couldn't tell it is vegan, and it was just amazingly delicious. It feels so rich that a tiny sliver is enough!
Anonymous
Love this Cheesecake recipe- it turned out excellent! Just had a suggestion that probably could be tried where available- substituting pureed frozen mango slices from Trader Joe's which is from India.
Vaishali
Mints, Thanks for your feedback on the mango cheesecake-- glad you liked it.
I wonder what may have gone wrong re the cracked top-- the water bath always prevents that from happening. One possibility is the oven temperature could have been too high. Ovens are almost always temperamental and it is possible that even if your temperature reading was perfect, your oven may be getting hotter than mine. That would also explain why the center didn't cook.
A solution might be to keep the temperature slightly lower, about 15-25 degrees or so.
Better luck next time! 🙂
Mints!
Vaishali, I just tried making this and boy it was good.
AMAZING!!!! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I tried with the topping and all. I did put water with it as you have suggested but still got cracked top and jiggly centre. But I guess that needs bit of getting used to making it.
I am going to make it often now 😉
Shailly
Thanks so much Vaishali for your reply:)Will definitely let you know my experience once i try this out. Thank you once again! Keep up your good work!
Vaishali
Shailly, Thanks for your kind words 🙂
You could used a regular cake tin and it would bake fine, although you won't be able to unmold it because a cheesecake is too delicate to be turned upside-down and unmolded, as you could a regular cake. You can simply cut slices right in the cake tin and then scoop them out. It might not be as pretty but it would still taste great.
Another suggestion is to somehow create a "cradle" for your cheesecake-- this might be easier with a square cake tin. You can fold a piece of aluminum foil long enough to form a slight overhang on either side of the pan. Pat in your crust and prepare the cheesecake, and then, once it's ready to be unmolded, lift up the overhanging aluminum "handles" to lift out the cheesecake. I am not sure if this will work because I haven't tried it, but it's just a suggestion -- it works very well for brownies, for instance. >)
Shailly
Hi Vaishali,
I love reading your blog and really apreciate your effort for the innovative dishes that you come up with. Your Mango Cheesecake looks soooo delicious.I was just wondering if it is possible to use aluminium cake tin or a pyrex glass bowl for making this rather then a springform? I dont have it and dont want to buy it either.
Vaishali
Ambica, I used EnerG egg replacer. I did not add water in this case because there was already plenty of fluid in the recipe.
Ambica
Vaishali,
A quick clarification. Which egg replacer did you use in the recipe? I have the Ener-G and also something local from Bob's Red Mill. Do you have to mix it with water or just add directly?
Thanks
Ambica
nithya at hungrydesi
We had a heavenly mango cheesecake on our vacation too - in fact, it was one of my recipes to recreate at home! Thanks for serving up a great recipe for it though. Can't wait to try it out.
Aparna
I don't have a sweet tooth (you won't believe it looking at my blog), but I love cheesecakes.
And this one here absol;utely delightful because it's mango, another favourite.
Tresa Augustine
Hi Vaishali,
Ur cakes looks so yummy..defenitely wud try out...keep the good work......
Recipes awesome
Mahimaa's kitchen
just pass me the plate vaishu.. looks yummy
Priya Narasimhan
Vaishali, You could also include me in the list of people who enjoy your write up as much as your recipes. 🙂 I just loved this post too..
Laavanya
I'm craving some mango cheesecake right now.
Curry Leaf
Delicious.Love the VEGAN cheesecake.Can't take my eyes off the pic.Love the way you made the filling using Ener G.Never tried it.
caribbeanvegan
I am giving you a big hug right now. Mango cheesecake is something I use to eat when I wasnt a vegan back home and now you have veganized it. Thank you so much. My husband cannot stand cheesecake so I will be eating this alone and taking long runs on the beach in the evening:)
I am forgetful too but thanks to my blog when I am scratching my head what to eat I can go back and I can get a recipe.I cannot wait to try this but I have a habit of eating ripe mangoes
Vaishali
TBC, Thanks. And you're right-- the mangoes here are just no match. I sometimes buy the champagne mangoes because they are halfway good, but even so they are nothing compared to the Indian stuff.
Vaishali
Mints, you know what they say about great minds! 🙂 Glad you can use the recipe.
Sharmila, thanks for your thoughtful words. And yes-- I'm almost two!:) It really is amazing how time flies by.
Gayathri-- you are very kind. Glad you think of me as a neighbor-- I guess all of us bloggers out there in cyberspace are sort of neighbors, brought together by our common interests 🙂
Shantee, Gita, Pavithra, Mallugirl, Jaya, Thanks, ladies.
Soma, Thanks for your lovely words.And yes, you gotta try this non-cheese cheeecake! It just might convert you 🙂
Divya, thanks!
TBC
What a delicious dessert, Vaishali!
I agree with you- mango and cardamom are just meant to be.:)
I'm so glad that we at least get the canned mango pulp in the Indian stores especially since the mangoes here are such a HUGE disappointment and taste/ smell nothing like the ones back home.
I cannot believe that I sometimes have to add sugar/jaggery to some of the mango dishes I make here to sweeten it up!
Divya Vikram
Looks divine Vaishali! Wish I had a slice!
Soma
I do not like cheese, & least of all in desserts.. & i have to admit that I hate cheesecake like nothing else;-) But I think i could eat a non cheese cheese cake..
Vaishali, your blog is beautiful, not just for the rocking recipes, for for just being you that you are here...
Jaya Wagle
Wow! u amaze me every time with your delicious vegan versions. 🙂
Mallugirl
delicious! mango cheesecake is a fav here but i always make the non-vegan version. like the idea of the nut crust.
Pavithra Kodical
Yummy!!! Hmmm mouthwatering cheesecake, i am ready for the last slice.
Gita
Wow...that piece of cake is so tempting! Love this vegan cheesecake with nut crusts..looks absolutely delicious 🙂
Shantee'
looks delish!
Shantee'
looks delish!
G3
This looks just amazing ... can't wait to try it!!
Vaishali .. you are so right .. through all these food blogs, I feel like I know people who I have never met so much more than the people I do know since ages. I have quoted you and spoken about you a million times to my family and friends .. as if you were my next door neighbor!! 🙂 Thank for this awesome recipe and even more awesome blog!!
Sharmila
I am born and brought up a non veggie and am not apologetic about it. And that does not mean that I am insensitive to living beings.
And I love your blog and am going to keep visiting here for a very long time. Absolutely love all your recipes.
And your blog is all yours to speak your mind Vaishali ... and I love all your writeups. 🙂
That's one great looking cake! 🙂 Congrats on completeing 20 months ... just a few more months to the big two! 🙂
Mints!
You will not believe me I was going to email you and request to put this recipe. I was 1000% sure that you have tried it 🙂 What a telepathy!
I really cant thank you enough.
Vaishali
Nithya, thanks!
Pavani, you're right-- I don't cook it in a waterbath, but the pan with the water, placed on a lower rung or even next to the cheesecake pan, does a great job of preventing the cheesecake from developing that dreaded crack 🙂
Pavani
OMG Vaishali.. That cheesecake looks soooo delicious and its VEGAN.. yummmmmmm. I have to got to try it. Btw you dont bake the cake in the waterbath but have a pan with water along with the cake.. right???
Nithya
Absolutely yummy.. 🙂 I am getting absolutely tempted.