This vegan caramel cheesecake has a no-bake salted pretzel cookie base, creamy caramel filling, and is covered with thick homemade caramel sauce. It's the ultimate sweet and salty vegan dessert, perfect for any occasion.
Line the bottom and sides of a 7" or 8" cake tin (with removable base) with some parchment paper.
Add the cookies and pretzels to your food processor and blitz for about a minute until evenly finely ground. Add in 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 a ¼ cup measure or flat bottomed glass, making sure it is compact. Set aside in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
Add all of the filling ingredients to a high-speed blender and blitz for several minutes until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and place back in the freezer to set for a minimum of 4 hours (or overnight if preferred).
Garnish
Once set, remove the cake from the tin whilst frozen. Allow it to defrost at room temperature for about an hour.
Pour the vegan caramel sauce on top of a cake, using a spatula to spread it over the edges. Top with pretzels, popcorn, and caramel shards if you're using them.
Storage instructions
Place the cheesecake in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the cheesecake in an airtight container for up to a couple of months. I recommend first slicing the cheesecake into individual portions so that you can defrost them as needed. Then just allow them to sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.
Notes
Soaked cashews: Soak the cashews in water for 4 hours, rinse and drain, or quick soak your cashews by soaking them in boiling water for one hour.
Vegan caramel sauce: This recipe won't use a full batch of caramel sauce, you can use any leftover sauce to serve alongside the cheesecake or as a topping for other desserts.