Vegan Cheesecake Pudding

A small glass cup filled with cheesecake pudding with graham crumbs on bottom and fresh berries on top.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Chill time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings:4 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Vegan cheesecake pudding is creamy, tangy, and perfect when you're craving cheesecake but want something lighter and easier! Made with almond flour or cashews, lemon, and vanilla for a satisfying, dairy-free dessert.

Yield: makes about 1¾ cups

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

1¼ cups unsweetened almond milk - or other non-dairy milk
½ cup raw cashews - or blanched almond flour
⅓ cup organic cane sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 teaspoons corn starch - or arrowroot

Instructions

Combine the milk and cashews (or almond flour) in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides of the blender. Add the sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla, and salt. Blend again until completely smooth. Taste for sweetness and acidity and adjust as desired.
Add the starch and blend for a few seconds to incorporate. Pour the mixture into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Over low to medium-low heat, whisk frequently, slowly heating the pudding until thickened and creamy. This should take about 8 minutes (heating it too quickly can scald the milk). Whisk constantly during the last few minutes to avoid clumps. The pudding should thicken even without bubbling or reaching a full simmer. Once it's creamy and coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and immediately pour into a bowl or other container.
If desired, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Enjoy as-is, or serve with fresh berries and crumbled graham crackers or cookies.

Notes

Substitutions

Nuts - For an even lighter version, use silken tofu, similar to this tofu cheesecake recipe. The tofu replaces the cashews and most of the milk. Depending on the batch size, adjust the other ingredient amounts accordingly. Taste as you go, and add the starch last.

Sugar - Regular sugar for the most classic cheesecake flavor. I use this organic cane sugar. Feel free to use another type of sweetener, if desired. Note that it will affect the flavor and color of the pudding.

Store pudding in a covered container the refrigerator for up to 6 days.

Nutrition