Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Hint of Chocolate

Here’s a vegan cheesecake-like version of pumpkin pie that offers a subtle chocolate twist with each bite. What a perfect way to finish a Thanksgiving dinner! Recipe adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas. Photos by Susan Voisin.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Hint of Chocolate

Here’s a vegan cheesecake-like version of pumpkin pie that offers a subtle chocolate twist with each bite.

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Course: Dessert / Pie

Cuisine: Vegan / Healthy

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 8

Author: Veg Kitchen

Ingredients

• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ¼ cup walnuts
• One 9-inch good-quality natural pastry crust preferably whole grain
• One 12.3-ounce container extra-firm silken tofu
• ½ cup vegan cream cheese
• ⅔ cup natural granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or more, to taste
• 1 ½ cups well-baked coarsely mashed sugar pumpkin or butternut squash
• ½ cup chocolate chips for optional chocolate drizzle see Note

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350º F.
• Combine the chocolate chips and walnuts in a food processor and pulse on and off until finely chopped.
• Scatter the chocolate chip-walnut mixture evenly over the bottom of the pie crust and set aside.
• Combine half of the tofu, half the cream cheese, and half of the sugar in the container of a food processor and process until smoothly pureed. Pour into the pie crust and smooth down with a cake spatula.
• Combine the pumpkin or squash pulp in the food processor with the remaining tofu, cream cheese, and sugar, along with the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Process until smoothly pureed.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pie crust over the tofu layer. Smooth down with a cake spatula.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the crust is golden.
• Let the pie cool to room temperature. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges to serve.

Vegan-ize any recipe!Grab our free vegan cheat sheet, packed with my favorite easy substitutions to make any recipe vegan.

Note
If you’d like to garnish each slice of pie with chocolate drizzle as shown in the photo, melt the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl in the microwave (start with 45 seconds) or in the top of a double boiler.

Transfer the melted chips to a pastry piping bag or, less fancy but almost as effective, a ziploc bag. If using the latter, snip a tiny hole in one corner. Gently squeeze the melted chocolate over each wedge of pie in an attractive zig-zag pattern.

• Sweet tooth still craving? Here are more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Easy Vegan Cakes and Pies