No-Bake Ube Cheesecake (Vegan)

This Ube Cheesecake combines the nutty sweetness of ube with the luscious, creamy texture of a classic cheesecake. Top with vegan whipped cream, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of sweet ube sauce, then dig in!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Graham Cracker Crust 

  • Vegan graham cracker sheets: It can be tricky to find graham cracker sheets that are made without honey or other non-vegan ingredients. Nabisco Original Grahams (red box) are the most mainstream vegan graham crackers. If you’re gluten-free, the brand Kinninkinick Graham Crackers are naturally vegan and gluten-free.
  • Vegan butter: Melted vegan butter acts as the binding agent, helping the crushed crackers form a cohesive crust when pressed together. 

For the Cheesecake Filling

  • Vegan heavy cream: An essential ingredient in a no-bake vegan cheesecake! We use Trader Joe’s Heavy Cream, but you can also find other brands like  Country Crock, Silk, and Nature’s Charm in most regular grocery stores now. 
  • Vegan cream cheese: The base of the cheesecake filling, adds tanginess, structure, and a natural richness. We used Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese, but Kite Hill and Tofutti are other great brands to try. 
  • Mashed ube: Just like our Ube Pie, this ube cheesecake is made with mashed ube. We typically find it at our local Asian market in the frozen section. 
  • Powdered sugar: Adds the perfect sweetness without changing the color of the ube cheesecake. If your powdered sugar is hard or lumpy, sift thoroughly before folding it into the cheesecake filling. 
  • Lemon juice: Adds a bit of acidity that helps to brighten the rich cheesecake filling and enhances the tang in the vegan cream cheese.
  • Ube extract: Intensifies the deep ube color, ensuring the cheesecake has the best color and ube flavor. I order ube extract on Amazon.

Ingredients For Serving

Vegan Whipped Cream

  • Vegan heavy cream: When whipped, heavy cream traps the air, causing it to expand and create the light and airy consistency of whipped cream. Use your favorite vegan brand (we usually use Trader Joe’s Vegan Heavy Whipping Cream).
  • Sugar: Regular, granulated sugar sweetens the whipped cream without overpowering the flavor or color.

Or, if you don’t have enough vegan heavy cream, you can also make our Homemade Cocoonut Whipped Cream with a can of full-fat coconut milk instead!

Ube Coconut Flakes and Drizzle

  • Coconut flakes: We recommend using sweetened coconut flakes for the best sweet and toasted coconut flakes. They’ll caramelize better than unsweetened coconut flakes.
  • Powdered sugar: Sweetens the ube drizzle without darkening the color in the ube. 
  • Coconut milk: It has a naturally sweet, nutty flavor that complements the nutty flavor of the ube. 
  • Ube extract: Gives the drizzle the perfect, intense purple ube color. 

If desired, you can also use Toasted Coconut Milk Curds and Latik Sauce (the Coconut Caramel Sauce from our Popular Suman recipe!)

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

  1. Add ingredients to the food processor. Add the graham crackers to a food processor and process until the sheets are broken into small crumbs. Add the melted vegan butter and a pinch of salt and pulse until combined.
  2. Press into a 9” springform pan. Use your hands and/or a flat-bottomed glass to press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. 
  3. Bake. Transfer the springform pan to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before filling. Alternatively, set the crust in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before filling for a completely no-bake cheesecake.

Prepare the Filling

  1. Whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks. Add the heavy cream to a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to whip the cream into stiff peaks for about 3-4 minutes. Place the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the filling. 
  2. Cream the cream cheese. In a separate large bowl, add the vegan cream cheese. Use your hand mixer to beat until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Add the remaining ingredients. Add in the mashed ube and mix well. Then, add in the powdered sugar, lemon juice, ube extract, and salt and mix until uniform. 
  4. Fold in the whipped cream. Add the whipped cream and fold everything together using a spatula, trying carefully not to deflate the filling mixture.

Assemble the pie 

  1. Add the filling to the crust. Pour the prepared ube filling into the cooled graham cracker crust and smooth out using a spatula or the back of a spoon. 
  2. Chill for at least 8 hours. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge to set for at least 8 hours or overnight. 
  3. Serve. Once chilled, top with whipped cream, toasted coconut flakes, and ube coconut drizzle. Slice and enjoy!

How to Prepare Toppings for Serving

  1. Ube coconut drizzle: In a large bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, ube extract, and enough coconut milk for your desired consistency for drizzling. 
  2. Toast the coconut flakes: Preheat your oven to 350ºF and evenly spread the coconut flakes onto a lined baking sheet. Bake coconut for about 3 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown. Stir and bake for an additional 2-3 more minutes or until golden brown. Store coconut in the fridge for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container.
  3. Vegan whipped cream: Before serving, prepare the whipped cream by adding the vegan heavy cream and sugar to a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. 

Find the full printable recipe here: No-Bake Ube Cheesecake (Vegan)