Vegan Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars
Vegan crème brûlée cheesecake bars are a dairy-free, egg-free dessert built on a blended base of soaked cashews, silken tofu, and coconut cream, baked over a vegan biscuit crust. They are finished with a crackly torched sugar top, then cut into squares so the rich, custardy cheesecake stays easy to serve.
These crème brûlée cheesecake bars are vegan, which means I did not use milk, eggs, or any butter to make them, and yet they tasted incredibly good. I used cashews and silken tofu as the base for the cream, and that combination is what gives you the dense, tangy bite you expect from cheesecake without a single dairy product. This recipe was a hit among my friends, even among those who are not vegan, which is always the real test for me.
Classic cheesecakes are usually served in a round shape, but I chose to prepare this one in a rectangular pan and cut it into small squares. I find it easier and more practical to serve this way, especially when I am feeding a crowd and want everyone to get that signature shattering sugar crust on their own portion.
This Recipe Works If You Need
- A make-ahead dessert for a dinner party that you can bake the day before and torch right before serving.
- A vegan dessert impressive enough to win over non-vegan guests without any explanation needed.
- A crowd-friendly format you can cut into neat squares instead of fussing with slices of a round cake.
- A dairy-free and egg-free cheesecake that still delivers a dense, custardy texture.
- A reason to finally use that kitchen torch sitting in the back of your drawer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is fully vegan but tastes like the real thing. No milk, eggs, or butter, yet the cashew and tofu base gives you that tangy, dense cheesecake bite.
- The caramelized sugar top is the showpiece. That thin, glassy layer of torched sugar shatters under a spoon and is exactly what makes crème brûlée so satisfying.
- It feeds a crowd cleanly. Baking in a rectangular pan and cutting into squares means tidy, equal portions with no messy slicing.
- It is a true make-ahead dessert. The bars bake and chill ahead of time, so the only last-minute step is the sugar torch.
- It quietly converts skeptics. The kind of vegan dessert that disappears at the table before anyone asks whether it is vegan.
Ingredient Notes
Raw cashews are the backbone of the cream. Buy raw, unsalted, unroasted cashews, since roasted ones carry a toasty flavor that fights with the clean dairy-free tang you want here. Soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes softens them so they blend into something silky rather than gritty. If your blender is not high-powered, soak them longer, because any undissolved cashew bits will read as graininess in the finished bars.
Silken tofu is what makes this set like a custard instead of a nut paste. Reach for the silken variety specifically, not firm or extra-firm, which are too dense and will leave you with a heavy, rubbery cake. Silken tofu blends into a smooth, pourable cream and brings the wobble that turns into a clean slice once baked and chilled.
Coconut cream adds the richness that dairy normally provides. Use thick coconut cream, not the thin coconut milk in cartons, for the fat content that keeps the cream luscious. If you only have full-fat canned coconut milk, chill the can overnight and scoop the firm cream off the top, leaving the watery layer behind.
Vegan biscuits and vegan butter form the crust. Check the label, because many plain biscuits sneak in dairy or honey. The melted vegan butter binds the crushed biscuits, so blend until the crumbs look like wet sand and hold together when you press them into the pan.
Lemon juice and grated lime peel do the work that cultured dairy does in a traditional cheesecake. The lemon juice brings the acidity that mimics that classic tang, while the lime peel layers in a bright, aromatic top note. Grate only the colored part of the peel and avoid the white pith underneath, which turns bitter.
Flour and cornstarch are the quiet stabilizers. Together they thicken the blended cream and help it hold a firm, sliceable structure through the long bake, standing in for the eggs that would normally set a cheesecake.
Brown sugar and white sugar make the brûlée top. The blend gives you both the deep caramel notes of brown sugar and the clean, glassy crackle of white sugar once torched. Keep the layer thin and even so it melts uniformly rather than burning in spots.
Tips
- Do not skip the water bath. Setting the cheesecake pan inside a larger tray of water keeps the cream gentle and even as it bakes. The steam stops the edges from cooking faster than the center, which is what causes cracks and a dry rim.
- Bake until the center is just set, not stiff. After 60 minutes the cream should be firm at the edges with a slight wobble in the middle. It will continue to set as it cools, so pulling it when it is fully solid in the oven means a dense, dry result.
- Blend the cream until it is completely smooth. Run the blender longer than feels necessary and stop to feel the cream between your fingers. Any grit means the cashews need more time, and you cannot fix the texture once it is baked.
- Torch the sugar only right before serving. The crackly top softens within a couple of hours as it absorbs moisture from the cream, so caramelize the sugar at the last moment for that signature shatter.
- Keep the torch moving. Hold the flame a few inches above the surface and sweep it across the sugar so it melts into an even amber sheet instead of scorching in one spot.
Substitutions and Variations
- No kitchen torch? Slide the sugar-topped bars under a hot broiler for a minute or two, watching constantly, until the sugar bubbles and turns amber. Cut into squares only after the top has cooled and hardened.
- Swap the citrus. If you do not have lime, use all lemon for the peel as well, or lean into orange zest for a softer, sweeter aroma.
- Make it gluten-free. Use certified gluten-free vegan biscuits for the crust and replace the wheat flour in the cream with a gluten-free blend, keeping the cornstarch as is.
- Add a flavor layer. A scraped vanilla bean alongside the vanilla extract, or a spoonful of citrus zest folded into the cream, deepens the aroma without changing the structure.
Storage and Make Ahead
These bars are at their best made ahead. Bake the cheesecake, let it cool, then chill it covered in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight so the cream firms up fully and slices cleanly. Store the un-torched cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, and only sprinkle and caramelize the sugar right before serving, since the crackly top softens once it sits. I would not recommend freezing it after torching, because thawing turns the glassy sugar layer sticky and damp.
If you love this caramelized finish, try my vegan crème brûlée next for the same burnt-sugar magic in a spoonable form. For more plant-based sweets to round out your baking, take a look at my gluten-free vegan brownies and these vegan whole grain cookies.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Vegan Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 250 g 8.8 oz vegan biscuits
- 100 g 3.5 oz vegan butter, melted
Cream:
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 400 g 14.1 oz silken tofu
- 1 cup coconut cream
- ¼ lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lime peel grated
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
For the topping:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 C (356F).
- Add the biscuits and melted butter to the blender. Mix until the biscuits are completely crushed and the butter is completely incorporated.
- Transfer the composition to the baking tray and press to obtain an even layer.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and let it cool.
- Prepare the cream by firstly soaking the cashews in hot water for 30 minutes before using.
- In the blender or food processor, add soaked cashews, silken tofu, coconut cream, lemon juice, lime peel, sugar, flour, starch, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until the composition becomes homogeneous and creamy.
- Pour the cream over the cooked cheesecake base.
- Place the cheesecake tray into another larger one and add water to the large tray.
- Bake the dessert for 60 minutes, until the cream becomes firm.
- After it cools down, prepare the topping.
- Sprinkle brown and white sugar over the cheesecake and melt it with a kitchen torch until caramelized.
- Cut the cheesecake into squares and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This version uses no milk, eggs, or butter. The cream is built from soaked raw cashews, silken tofu, and coconut cream, set over a crust of vegan biscuits and vegan butter. Even the brûlée top is just brown and white sugar, so the whole dessert is dairy-free and egg-free.
Sprinkle the brown and white sugar evenly over the chilled cheesecake, then place it under a hot broiler for a minute or two. Watch it constantly, since the sugar can go from amber to burnt quickly. Let the top cool and harden before cutting into squares.
Setting the cheesecake pan inside a larger tray of water creates gentle, even heat as it bakes. The steam keeps the edges from cooking faster than the center, which is what prevents cracks and a dry rim and gives you a smooth, custardy texture throughout.
No, stick with silken tofu. Silken tofu blends into a smooth, pourable cream that sets like a custard. Firm or extra-firm tofu is too dense and will leave you with a heavy, rubbery cake that does not have the right cheesecake texture.
Store the un-torched cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Caramelize the sugar only right before serving, because the crackly top softens within a couple of hours as it absorbs moisture from the cream.
Soaking the raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes softens them so they blend into a silky cream instead of a gritty one. If your blender is not high-powered, soak them longer, since any undissolved cashew bits will read as graininess in the finished bars.
