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This creamy, non-dairy, maple-pecan cheesecake has a cinnamon-pecan crust and the most delicious glazed pecan topping.  Thanksgiving may be over, but Christmas is coming. While the other’s serve pie, wow your family with a Pecan Pie Vegan Cheesecake!

I got this idea about a week and a half before Thanksgiving, and while I could have rushed it in for a last minute post before the holiday, I figured most people already had their desserts planned out, and this gave me time to get a few taste-testers as well!

This cheesecake passed the taste-tester seal of approval with two very big thumbs-up’s from both my omni and vegan friends, so now I share it here with you. I’m a little bummed I didn’t have this recipe in time to include it on my post for all my holiday favorites, but I could always add it on in the future.

The crust on these is a standard no-bake cheesecake crust, made by chopping and mixing nuts and dates in the food processor. For the nuts, I, of course, used pecans (or sub out almonds — for the crust only — to save a buck) and along with them, the dates, and your normal pinch of salt, I added some cinnamon as well. It all gets mixed into a sort of dough, and then you press it the bottom of an eight by eight inch baking dish, lined with parchment paper.

For the filling, I did something I wasn’t sure would work but I was determined to give a try. Along with cashews (a typical no-bake cheesecake filling ingredient), I used some pecans as well (for about a third of the nuts). Also included in the filling is maple syrup, coconut cream, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon (to give it that “cheesecake” tartness), and cinnamon. These ingredients get blended until smooth to create a creamy maple-pecan flavored filling. Not too sweet, a little mellow, so it’s not overbearing once the glazed pecan topping is added. Once blended, this gets poured over the crust and placed in the freezer overnight.

The next day, I pulled the cheesecake out of the freezer and left it on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour (you want the sides becoming unfrozen, but you don’t want the whole cheesecake completely defrosted). While my cheesecake defrosted, I preheated my oven and roasted some more pecans, which only took about 10 minutes.

When the cheesecake was ready, I lifted up on the parchment paper to pull it out of the dish. I cut the cheesecake into nine “equal” sized squares (I used the quotes because no matter how hard I try, my squares are never equal, LOL!). I transferred the squares onto a cutting board and then started my topping.

This topping, like other parts of this dessert, was experimental, but I’d been dreaming about it, and it turned out sooooo good! Even better, it’s also easy to make! All I did was melt some coconut oil in a saucepan on the stovetop, then added in my toasted pecans, corn syrup, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and a little salt. Once well combined, I turned off the heat and spooned the mixture on top of the cheesecake squares. Finally, I put the squares in my refrigerator until no longer frozen. Defrosting will take about one to two more hours, depending on your fridge.

An alternative to letting the topping cool and harden is it to let the squares of cheesecake defrost completely without the topping (but you will need to cut them while still slightly frozen) and then make the topping right before serving. This way you can enjoy them with warm goodness on top. Either way is delicious!

One day I might be able to have an entire blog of no-bake cheesecake recipes because they’re kind of my thing! LOL! They’re just so good! They may be a little time consuming (although it’s mostly dead time — soaking cashews, freezing, defrosting, but not actually cooking) but they’re pretty simple to make.

Another one vegan-made and omni-approved. I hope you, as well, enjoy my creative take on pecan pie. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or taking a pic of yours and tagging me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.