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Recipe by Nisha Vora

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cheesecake (Instant Pot, Dairy Free, Vegan)

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Parve Parve
Medium Medium
8 Servings
Allergens
5 Hours, 30 Minutes
Diets

If you think it’s impossible to bake a cheesecake in the Instant Pot, let alone a vegan cheesecake, let me share some secrets. Since cheesecake is essentially a custard, it should be baked evenly and ideally in a water bath. This can be annoying to deal with in an oven. Luckily, the Instant Pot already acts as a huge water bath. The water at the bottom of the pot steams the cheesecake inside the cake pan and cookies it perfectly every time.   Now, for the vegan part. Soaked raw cashews and coconut cream bring the ultra-rich, creamy and smooth texture characteristic of cheesecake. You can either soak the cashews in room-temperature water for eight hours or overnight, or if you forget to soak them, you can do a quick soak in boiling water for one hour. Lemon juice adds the hangy bite typical of cheesecake without the cream cheese, but if you prefer a but more of that tangy flavor, you can add 2/3 cup vegan cream cheese (I recommend the Tofutti brand) and reduce the amount of both the cashews and coconut cream to 2/3 cup each.   And if a vegan cheesecake in the Instant Pot wasn’t enough to wow you, this cheesecale has cookies in the filling and the crust. You’re welcome.

  For more delicious cheesecakes like this one, see our post The Ultimate Cheesecake Roundup.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, or a neutral-flavored oil

Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 and 1/4 cups raw cashews, soaked for 8 hours and drained well

  • 3/4 cup coconut cream, refrigerated for at least 24 hours to solidify (see tip)

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or Heaven & Earth Lemon Juice

  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar or sweetener of choice

Optional garnishes

  • nondairy whipped topping, such as Kineret Whipped Topping or coconut whipped cream

  • crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

  • melted dark chocolate

Directions

Prepare

1.

Use the bottom of a seven-inch springform pan to trace a circle on a piece of parchment paper and cut the paper into a round. Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment round for easy removal (or generously grease with cooking spray). Lightly grease the sides of the cake pan.

2.

For easy removal of the pan from the Instant Pot, create a foil sling. (Alternately, you can use oven mitts to carefully remove the pan.)

Make the Crust

1.

Place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until pulverized.

2.

With the machine running, drizzle in the oil, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed.

3.

Wipe out the processor bowl to prepare the filling. (Alternatively, you can crush the cookies by placing them with a rolling pin; transfer cookie crumbs to a medium bowl and pour in the oil, stirring to combine with a fork.)

4.

Press the cookie crust firmly onto the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the Filling

1.

Add the soaked and drained cashews and solid coconut cream to the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese.

2.

Add the melted coconut oil, lemon juice, sugar, arrowroot, vanilla, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.

3.

Using a silicone spatula, fold the chopped cookies into the cheesecake batter.

Assemble and Cook

1.

Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the refrigerated crust, smooth out the top with a silicone spatula, and cover the pan tightly with foil.

2.

On the counter, place the pan on top of the steamer rack (with the handles facing up) and arrange the foil sling (if using) underneath the steamer rack. Pour one and 1/2 cups water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Carefully lower the steamer rack and pan into the inner pot using the foil sling or steamer rack handles.

3.

Secute the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting and set to high pressure for 35 minutes.

4.

Once the 35-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release.

5.

Open the pot and using oven mitts, grasp the foil sling or steamer rack handles and lift the pan out of the Instant Pot. Carefully remove the foil cover, taking care to not drop any condensation on the cake. Use the corner of a paper towel to soak up any water on the cake’s surface.

6.

Allow the cake to cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours. When ready to serve, garnish as desired.

Tips:

You’ll need to refrigerate your can of coconut milk for 24 hours (or more) to solidify the cream. Depending on the brand, there is between 2/3 and 3/4 cup of cream in a 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk. You can also buy canned coconut cream.

About

Recipe reproduced from The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook (Avery, 2019) with the kind permission of the publisher.

Cookies 'n' Cream Cheesecake (Instant Pot, Dairy Free, Vegan)

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