Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake with Cherries

Rich and decadent, Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake topped with cherries is the ultimate dessert. It's the best treat for special occasions, date night, and Valentine’s Day. This easy baked cheesecake recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free.

Desserts: Chocolate vs Fruity

It’s no secret that I love chocolate. I follow the belief that if a dessert isn’t made with chocolate, it’s not really worth the calories. Add cherries to that chocolate, and I simply can’t say no.

Dennis, however, prefers fruity desserts. Key lime is his favorite, which is why you’ll find a few key lime pie recipes here on my blog. While I prefer fluffy cakes, he prefers pies. Sometimes, when I’m making a dessert, we’ll compromise, and I’ll make a chocolate pie with a fruit topping. (Which explains why I have so many chocolate pie recipes here on my blog.)

We both love cheesecake, so for his last birthday, I made a Raspberry Lime Rickey Cheesecake from Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. It consisted of a tofu-based lime cheesecake with a sweet raspberry topping. While it was delicious, I couldn’t help but think it would be so much better if it was a chocolate cheesecake with a cherry topping.

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

So, I set about turning it into one! I used that recipe as a springboard to create this Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. I swapped out the lime juice for chocolate, and the raspberries for cherries, and I eliminated a few ingredients to streamline the recipe a little. For the crust, I used a walnut and date mixture similar to the one in my Chocolate Cream Pie recipe.

Since fresh cherries are not in season right now, I used frozen ones. If you happen to have access to fresh cherries and you want to use them in this recipe, you’ll need about 2 cups of them. Don’t forget to pit them! I’d suggest adding about half a cup of water or cherry juice the pan while cooking the cherries, to help make things saucy.

I’ve topped my cheesecake with melted chocolate in addition to the cherries. I simply melted half a cup of chocolate chips in a pan over low heat. You can also use non-dairy whipped cream or cashew cream as a topping, if you like.

What You Need

• Raw walnuts
• Medjool dates
• Cocoa powder
• Sea salt
• Dairy-free chocolate chips
• Raw cashews
• Silken tofu
• Coconut sugar
• Cornstarch
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla extract
• Frozen cherries
• Coconut sugar

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

Vegan Chocolate Chips

When buying chocolate chips, make sure you check the ingredients for dairy. Chocolate chips that were once vegan are sneaking milk into the ingredients, so I always check, even if it's a brand I've bought before. I like to use Enjoy Life or Pascha.

How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

• First you preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly oil the inside of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan.
• You make the crust by mixing together the crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles crumbs.
• Next you press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Then you set up a double boiler by placing a medium pot filled with water on the stovetop over medium heat. Allow the water to simmer. Place another pot or heatproof bowl on top of it. The bottom of the pot should not touch the water. You place the chocolate chips in the top of double boiler and mix until it’s melted and smooth. Be careful not to allow the chocolate to burn.
• You now place all of the cake ingredients including the melted chocolate into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process everything until it’s smooth and creamy. This could take up to 5 minutes.
• Now you pour the filling into the springform pan.
• Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has puffed up slightly and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
• While the cheesecake is baking you make the topping. You combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. You bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer, stirring frequently. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the cherries are jam-like in consistency.
• To assemble the cake you pour the topping over the fully-baked cake. Allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap it tightly and place it in the fridge to set. Let it chill for at least two hours. 
• Release the cake from the springform pan, and garnish with vegan whipped cream and/or melted chocolate, if you want. 

Serving your Cheesecake

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to serve this luscious Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. It’s also great for birthday parties, dinner parties, potlucks, or anytime you want to celebrate with a little something sweet!

Serve it drizzled with melted chocolate and vanilla cashew cream, for extra deliciousness.

Storing Your Cheesecake

Store your cheesecake in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake with Cherries

Dianne

Rich and decadent, this easy-to-make Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake is the ultimate date night dessert. It’s the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day. It's dairy-free and gluten-free.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 352 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Crust

• 1½ cups raw walnuts
• 6 medjool dates
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

For the Cake

• 1 ½ cups dairy-free chocolate chips
• ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least two hours, drained and rinsed
• 1 12-ounce package silken tofu
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping

• 1 10-ounce bag frozen cherries thawed
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

To Serve, optional

• Melted dairy-free chocolate optional
• Vanilla Cashew Cream optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly oil the inside of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan

Make the Crust

• Mix together the crust ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles crumbs.
• Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Make the Cake

• Set up a double boiler by placing a medium pot filled with water on the stovetop over medium heat. Allow it to simmer. Place another pot or heatproof bowl on top of it. The bottom of the pot should not touch the water. Place the chocolate chips in the top of double boiler and mix until melted and smooth. Be careful not to allow the chocolate to burn.
• Place all of the cake ingredients including the melted chocolate chocolate into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. This could take up to 5 minutes.
• Pour the filling into the springform pan.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has puffed up slightly and the edges start to pull away from the pan.

Make the Topping

• Combine the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the cherries are jam-like in consistency.

To Serve

• Pour the topping over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap it tightly and place it in the fridge to set. Let it chill for at least two hours.
• Release the cake from the springform pan, and garnish with vegan whipped cream and/or melted chocolate, if desired. Slice and serve.
• Tightly wrap up any remaining slices of cake and store in the fridge until ready to eat.

More Cheesecake Recipes include

• Raw Mini Raw Vegan Chocolate Marble Cheesecakes
• Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
• No Bake Vegan Key Lime Cheesecakes

More Chocolate Cherry Recipes You Might Enjoy Include

• Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Cherry Smoothie 
• Nice Cream
• Chia Pudding Parfaits