This Vegan No-Bake Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake is my current obsession from ATD’s ever-growing arsenal of plant-based cheesecake recipes.
If you love breakfast pastries filled with sugar, spice, and everything nice, you’re going to fall head over heels for my No-Bake Vegan Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake. Made exclusively from simple ingredients and just 20 minutes of active prep, this plant-based copycat recipe of the Cinnabon cinnamon swirl cheesecake is destined to become one of your favorites.
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📖 Recipe Overview
- This no-bake cinnamon cheesecake is fuss-free and easy to make!
- It’s perfectly spiced with both a cinnamon speculoos biscuit crust and a beautiful cinnamon sugar swirl.
- Only simple, easy-to-find ingredients are used.
- Despite being egg-free, dairy-free, and completely vegan, the consistency of this cinnamon roll cheesecake is enviably rich and creamy.
If you love the combination of warm spices and creamy, dreamy vegan cheesecake, give my Chai Latte Cheesecake, Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake, Carrot Cake Cheesecake, or Gingerbread Cheesecake recipes a try next!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised, this recipe for cinnamon roll cheesecake requires only simple ingredients.
Here are a few notes to keep in mind:
- Biscoff Cookies - These traditional European cookies are crave-worthy and perfect for pairing with your afternoon cuppa. And they also happen to be naturally vegan. Feel free to substitute your favorite vegan cookies, biscuits, or vegan graham crackers instead.
- Light Brown Sugar - Since it has less molasses than dark brown sugar, light brown sugar will add the perfect complementary flavor to the cookie crust. You are welcome to substitute coconut sugar if you prefer.
- Ground Almonds - Also known as almond meal, this ingredient helps to absorb any of the syrup that develops from the cinnamon sugar layer. (Sugar, which is hygroscopic, attracts liquid, which can turn the swirl layer into a mess — this is also why we freeze it instead of refrigerate it!) You are also welcome to swap in oat flour if you prefer a nut-free version.
- Raw Cashews - Please note that you CANNOT substitute roasted, salted nuts for this recipe, as they’ll never achieve the creamy consistency we’re going after. Raw, unsalted sunflower seeds are an acceptable stand-in.
- Vegan Cream Cheese - While you’re welcome to use a store-bought brand you trust, I highly suggest you give my homemade version a try. It’s super easy and the quality is just as good — without any stabilizers or additives!
- Vegan Vanilla Yogurt - You can also use plain soy or coconut yogurt with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or paste stirred in.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: bottled lemon juice can’t hold a candle to the flavor of fresh. To get the most juice from your fruit, give it a firm roll on the countertop for 10-15 seconds before slicing it open.
- Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, this is an important element in achieving a perfectly smooth cream cheese frosting. If you’re fresh out, you can easily make your own using granulated sugar and cornstarch or potato starch.
🥣 How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Though there are a number of steps, this plant-based recipe for cinnamon cheesecake is quite simple to make.
Prep. Line the bottom and sides of a 7.5 or 8" springform cake tin (with a removable base) with parchment paper.
Step 1: Blitz the cookies, sea salt, and cinnamon until finely ground.
Step 2: Finish Crust Mixture. Add the vegan butter and blend again until evenly combined and the mixture sticks together between your fingers.
Step 3: Press & Chill Crust. Press the cookie mixture into the base of the cake tin, making sure it is compact and smooth. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Step 4: Make Cinnamon Sugar. Whisk the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Add the melted butter and rub the butter into the flour mix. Lastly, add the ground almonds and rub it into the mixture. Set aside.
Step 5: Make Cheesecake Filling. Add all of the filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Separate the filling into 2 parts.
Step 6: Assembly, Part I. Pour one-half of the filling into the cheesecake tin.
Step 7: Assembly, Part II. Top the cheesecake with the cinnamon sugar in an even layer.
Step 8: Assembly, Part III. Carefully pour the second half of the filling on top of the cinnamon sugar. Place the cheesecake in the freezer to set it for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Once set, remove from the cake tin whilst still frozen.
Step 9: Make Cream Cheese Icing. Whisk the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add the non-dairy milk and mix until smooth.
Step 10: Decorate. Add the icing on top of the cake with a spatula. To get the swirl effect on top, place the cake on top of a turntable. Use a spoon to make a swirl print on the surface of the cake whilst spinning the turntable. You can dust the top with some more cinnamon if you like!
Step 11: Serving and Storage. Allow the cake to defrost completely for an hour before serving. To store, place the cheesecake in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 day
🔪 Optional Variations
As much as I love this cinnamon roll cheesecake recipe just as written, there’s room for you to make some adjustments based on your needs and preferences. Here are a few variations to consider:
- Gluten-Free - Simply swap in your favorite gluten-free vegan speculoos cookies, sweet biscuits, or graham crackers.
- Nut-Free - Swap in soaked sunflower seeds in place of the cashews and use oat flour in the cinnamon sugar swirl.
- Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars - If you prefer your treats in squares, try an 8x8 baking tin instead, a la my strawberry cheesecake bars!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This no-bake vegan cinnamon bun cheesecake is an ideal dessert for dinner parties, ladies’ brunches, book club meetings, or just because. In fact, I’ll even admit to sneaking a slice for breakfast every once in awhile. It IS modeled after one of my favorite breakfast pastries, after all!
If you’re looking for a beverage to serve alongside, might I suggest my vegan Bailey’s in a cup of hot coffee, some whisky-spiked oat nog, or a cold glass of homemade hazelnut milk.
📝 Recipe Tips
You absolutely MUST freeze this cinnamon bun cheesecake. Unlike my original no-bake cheesecake recipe that this stunner was based on, the refrigerator simply won’t cut it. After some serious trial and error where the sugar layer kept melting into caramel syrup when the cake was setting in the fridge, I remembered something important: sugar is hygroscopic, which means it has a tendency to attract and hold onto water. The solution was simple — freeze it first so the sugar didn’t have a chance to dilly-dally with the surrounding liquid.
Make sure you move the blender pitcher around the surface as you add the second layer of cheesecake mixture. If you pour it in one spot it will disrupt the cinnamon sugar layer.
Consider running a warm damp cloth around the outside edge of the cake tin to help you remove the springform sleeve.
💬 FAQs
Why, homemade, of course! My recipe is made with just 4 simple ingredients and only a few minutes' worths of active prep time, so it’s totally doable.
Not yet, but this recipe is my copycat version of Cheesecake Factory’s Cinnabon Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake, so you don’t have to miss out on the fun!
🍰 More Vegan Cheesecakes
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Description
Ingredients
Crust
- 155 g (20) biscoff cookies, or other vegan cookies
- 60 g (4 tbsp) vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Layer
- 50 g (¼ cup) brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 20 g (⅕ cup) ground almonds, or oat flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted
Filling
- 200 g (1 ½ cups) cashews, soaked *see notes
- 300 g (1 ⅓ cups) vegan cream cheese
- 150 g (⅗ cup) vegan vanilla yogurt, or plain soy or coconut yogurt with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 90 ml (⅓ cup) pure maple syrup
- 50 g (¼ cup) coconut oil, solid
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cream Cheese Icing
- 100 g (½ cup) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 60 g (½ cup) powdered sugar , sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste or ½ vanilla pod
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Crust: Line the bottom and sides of a 7.5 or 8" cake tin (with a removable base) with some parchment paper.
- Add the cookies, sea salt, and cinnamon to your food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds until evenly finely ground. Add the vegan butter and blend again until evenly combined and the mixture sticks together between your fingers. Press the cookie mixture into the base of the cake tin, and smooth it out with the back of a spoon, making sure it is compact. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
- Cinnamon sugar layer: To a medium bowl, add the brown sugar, and cinnamon, and whisk to combine. Add the melted butter and use the tips of your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mix. Lastly, add the ground almonds and rub them into the mixture. You'll be left with a crumble consistency. Set aside.
- Filling: Add all of the filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz for several minutes until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Separate the filling into 2 parts.
- Assembly: Pour one-half of the filling into the cheesecake tin. Top with the cinnamon sugar in an even layer.
- Carefully pour the second half of the filling on top of the cinnamon sugar. Make sure you move the jug around the surface because if you pour it in one spot it will ruin the cinnamon sugar layer.
- Freeze: Place the cheesecake in the freezer to set it for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Once set, remove from the cake tin whilst still frozen.
- Icing: Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a bowl and mix using a whisk or spoon. Add the non-dairy milk and mix until smooth.
- Decorate: Add the icing on top of the cake with a spatula. To get the swirl effect on top, place the cake on top of a turntable, and use a spoon to make a swirl print on the surface of the cake whilst spinning the turntable. You can dust the top with some more cinnamon if you like!
- Serving and Storage: Allow the cake to defrost completely for an hour before serving. To store, place the cheesecake in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Soaked cashews: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, rinse, and drain. Alternatively, soak in boiled water for 1 hour, rinse, and drain.
- You absolutely MUST set this cheesecake in the freezer.
- Make sure you move the blender pitcher around the surface as you add the second layer of cheesecake mixture.
- Consider running a warm damp cloth around the outside edge of the cake tin to help you remove the springform sleeve.
Nutrition
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*This recipe was originally published in January 2018. The recipe has since been improved and updated to minimize the ingredients used and simplify the instructions.
