The legendary combination that is chocolate and orange is difficult to beat. My vegan chocolate orange cheesecake recipe is going to blow your mind when you try it. A rich, smooth and creamy texture, filled with zesty, juicy orange sensations.
The base and filling take less than 30 minutes to prepare (minus the chill time) and once it's ready, your cravings will be satisfied for sure! This no-bake treat is definitely a staple comfort food of mine. It's so easy to make and with each mouthful you take, the increasingly moreish it becomes.
This treat is great all-year-round. I often like to it this cheesecake on it's own but it also tastes amazing with vegan double cream or vegan coconut whipped cream. Dairy free cream soaks nicely into the Digestive crust, making it nice and soft.
If you love a chocolatey cheesecake, you should also try my vegan snickers cheesecake, vegan chocolate cheesecake & my vegan black forest cheesecake which are all yummy classics within my no-bake collection.
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Why You Will Love This Cheesecake
- Delicious Flavours - The chocolate and the orange flavours in this recipe infuse beautifully with each other, creating a super delicious dessert. Other recipes where this combination works well, are my vegan chocolate orange cake & my vegan chocolate orange macadamia nut clusters.
- Easy to Make - To make this treat, you need to make the base and filling inside a blender or food processor, then simply wait for it to chill. It really is that easy.
- Amazing Texture - The chocolate cheesecake filling is so thick and creamy, giving it a really authentic cheesecake consistency.
- It Looks Great - The cheesecake is topped with chocolate shavings and an extra slice of orange, making it even more appealing.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This dessert is completely vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan & Gluten Free Digestives or Graham crackers - this main ingredient for the cheesecake base. For Digestives that are both Vegan and Gluten Free, check out the Schar range. Many grocery stores also make sell them under their own brand.
- Vegan butter block - usually works better for the crust, compared to vegan margarine brands.
- Vegan dark chocolate - when melted, this ingredient really helps the create the thick, creamy cheesecake texture. Dark chocolate in particular is very rich and really adds to the luxury flavour of the cheesecake.
- Raw unsalted cashews - soak these nuts overnight so that they become soft enough to blend. Cashews are also a great nut to use for vegan cheesecakes because of their ability to give them a thick, creamy texture. I also used them in my vegan Nanaimo bar custard slices & vegan strawberry cheesecake bars and they worked fantastically.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice - whatever you do, please don't use artificial, concentrated or store-bought orange juice. The juice from real oranges are what you need.
- Vegan cream cheese - this gives the cheesecake the majority of it's creamy, standard cheesecake texture that we all know and love.
- Orange zest - adds an extra, stronger orangey kick. The juice alone, is okay but I always like to add some zest too.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you'd like to make this recipe gluten free, all you need to swap out are the regular Digestive biscuits or Graham crackers. Find a gluten free alternative to these that you like, which is also vegan and you're a winner!
- You can also change the topping if you wish. Instead of having dairy free dark chocolate shavings on top, you could swap it out for dairy free white chocolate, like in my vegan double chocolate pudding pie.
How To Make A Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease a round, springform cake tin with vegan butter.
2: Make the base then press it into the tin.
3: Melt the chocolate until it is completely smooth.
4: Blend the cashews with the orange juice.
5: Add the remaining filling ingredients to the blender to make a chocolate filling. Pour it into the prepared tin. Refrigerate.
6: Slice the cheesecake and serve.
Expert Tips
Use high quality oranges - The cheaper oranges in the supermarket don't have as much flavour and some can even taste a little bit watery. The stronger the orange flavours, the better this cheesecake will taste.
Use room temperature dairy free cream cheese - The vegan cream cheese needs to be room temperature to ensure that the cheesecake will have the best texture possible, which is nice and creamy.
Recipe FAQs
It freezes really well. Place individual slices into airtight, freezer-friendly containers are store them for up to 3 months!
Store this chocolate orange cheesecake inside the fridge for up to 4 days, where it will stay nice and fresh.
Simply, swap out the Digestive biscuits or Graham crackers for a Gluten Free alternative.
More Vegan Chocolate Recipes to Enjoy
If you tried this Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake (No-Bake + Gluten Free Option)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 350 g Digestives or gluten free version Graham crackers work too
- 120 g vegan butter block melted
- Pinch of salt
For the chocolate orange filling:
- 350 g vegan dark chocolate finely chopped
- 120 g raw unsalted cashews soaked overnight
- 200 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 450 g vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1.5 Tablespoons orange zest
- Pinch of salt
Topping:
- Grated vegan chocolate optional, to taste
- Orange zest optional, to taste
Instructions
Preparation:
- Grease a round 8-inch, round springform cake tin with vegan butter. Set aside.
Make the base:
- Blitz the Digestives or Graham crackers to your high-speed blender or food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Pour in the melted vegan butter and sprinkle in the salt. Blitz the base mixture again until consistency becomes like wet sand.
- Press the Digestive base mixture into the greased tin with either your hands or firmly with the flat bottom of a glass.
- Place it into the freezer to set. Meanwhile, make the chocolate orange cheesecake filling.
Make the chocolate orange filling:
- Use the double-boiling (bain-marie) method to melt the chocolate inside a heatproof bowl over a medium heat. Stir continuously until it is completely melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Next, drain the soaked cashews. Add them to the high-speed blender along with roughly half of the orange juice. Blend until a smooth mixture forms.
- Add the vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, orange zest, salt and the rest of the orange juice to the blender. Blend again until all the ingredients are combined. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate and blend one more time until creamy.
- Pour the chocolate orange cheesecake filling over the base. Make sure it is level on top, them place it into the fridge for 4 hours to set.
Add your toppings:
- Top the cheesecake with grated chocolate and orange zest if you wish. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- The cheaper oranges in the supermarket don't have as much flavour and some can even taste a little bit watery. The stronger the orange flavours, the better this cheesecake will taste.
- The vegan cream cheese needs to be room temperature to ensure that the cheesecake will have the best texture possible, which is nice and creamy.
Maisie Prescott says
This was wonderful!
DJ says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Julia says
Hi there!!
I’m wanting to make this vegan chocolate orange cheesecake, but is it possible to swap out the cashews for chickpeas???? My daughter is allergic to cashews!!😱 thanks!!
Julia & Freya!!
Vegan Treats Blogger says
Hi Julia & Freya! You can use skinless whole almonds or skinless macadamia nuts instead. The cashews are there as a thickener and help to achieve a creamy texture. Substituting for almonds or macadamias should give you a similar outcome 🙂