This allergy friendly, vegan dessert recipe is a great dairy-free alternative for cheesecake and key lime pie. And the tofu in the vegan cheesecake also makes it a very protein-rich dessert option. Note: It’s also baked in a vegan graham cracker crust. And, you really can’t go wrong serving any kind of pie with a delicious graham cracker crust!
Lime Tofu Vegan Cheesecake Recipe
I’m constantly amazed by how creative substitutions can result in some amazing, vegan, allergy-friendly alternatives for various meals and desserts. And this tofu cheesecake recipe is a great example of just that. Now, compared in a side by side taste test with a standard cheesecake, you’d easily be able to tell which was which, so this isn’t a miracle-making exact taste match, but it’s a really delicious, very cheesecake-like dessert option for people who are:
- vegan
- allergic to dairy
- experimental substitution lovers
- looking for a healthier cheesecake option
- lovers of pretty much anything that comes in a graham cracker crust
Another WIN for this vegan cheesecake recipe is that it’s extremely high in protein. When I serve slices to my kids, I can feel pretty good about how much protein they’re getting from the tofu, to offset the sugar a bit.
Vegan Graham Cracker Crust
A bit about that vegan graham cracker crust . . . I’m a firm believer that almost anything placed inside of a graham cracker crust is not going to be bad idea. And this vegan cheesecake recipe is no exception. While the filling may not be an exact match flavor-wise to a traditional cheesecake and/or key lime pie recipe, the graham cracker crust tastes just as you’d expect, remember and love, so it’s nice to have that solid, familiar base to work from. And to make this crust vegan or non-vegan, it’s all about the butter or “butter” that you use. I tend to lean on the Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Allergy-Friendly Vegan Cheesecake Notes
This recipe is dairy free, egg free and vegan. As long as you source safe graham crackers, this recipe is also peanut free and tree nut free. For us, we like to use Nabisco Grahams Original Crackers
Lime Tofu Vegan Cheesecake
Allergy friendly, vegan dessert recipe that's a great dairy-free alternative for cheesecake and key lime pie.
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 2 sleeves graham crackers (18 crackers total)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoons Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Pie Filling:
- 2 (12-14 ounce) packages extra firm tofu
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 squeezed limes
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Place graham crackers, sugar, melted "butter," and cinnamon in a food processor or blender and pulse until a nice, crumbly mixture forms.
- Pour graham cracker crust mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press down to evenly form your crust on the bottom and edges of the pie pan. Set aside.
- After cleaning your food processor or blender from making your crust, now get it ready to use to make the filling. Add in the tofu, sugar, lime juice, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and salt, and blend until smooth.
- Pour your pie filling into your prepared graham cracker crust.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Then, place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Tofu Notes: I say to use 2 (12-14 ounce) packages of tofu for this recipe, since I sometimes see 12-ounce packages, and I sometimes see 14-ounce packages. I've made this recipe using both sizes, and it works fine. If you use 14-ounce packages and end up with extra filling, simply use it as a sweet fondue dip with fresh fruit!
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 322Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 0mgSodium 133mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 2gSugar 46gProtein 2g
This nutrition label is a product of an online calculator. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
Great to have a vegan alternative, I can’t quite picture the flavor using tofu but lime anything is always a start. Pictures look great.
Thank you! Tofu is so versatile as a “blank slate” to add flavor to, so the lime really pops. 🙂
Nice dessert not a tofu fan but I would definitely try it in a form of a key lime pie my most favorite dessert of all times =)
It’s a great vegan alternative for key lime pie! 🙂
WOW this cheesecake looks so delicious and perfect for the summer! I love how easy it is to make. I never tried vegan cheesecake before but it sure does look and sound amazing ♥
Oh YUM! Love everything about this recipe! Now, this recipe will be one of my favorites. Looks incredible! YUM!
Awesome! Thank you!
What an interesting and unique idea, I’ve never heard of tofu in a sweet pie, the texture looks lovely.
Thank you, Brian!
So good that I fooled my non-vegan room mate! I know your recipe called for extra firm tofu, but I decided to try it with silken tofu so the pie would have a very silky texture. Unfortunately, the pie didn’t set up well, and it ended up being more like a delicious pudding in a graham cracker crust. Next time, I’ll either try the extra firm tofu, as you recommended (doesn’t this give a grainy texture?) or I’ll add some xantham gum or other thickener to the pie filling. Oh, and, I used about 3/4 lb of fresh squeezed key limes to get a very limey flavor. Thank you for the recipe- I think it can be easily adapted to make vanilla cream, banana cream, or lemon cream pies. I’ll continue to come back to it.
I used the extra firm tofu. It is gritty BUT it does taste good. Next time I will use the soft tofu. It was as easy to make as it looks like it is.