Vegan Gingersnap Cheesecake ~ 3 ways!

Along with my love for lasagna, cheesecake is way up there too. Well, there are a lot of things up there, actually 🙂 .  But cheesecake was always one of my favorites. And when a cheesecake craving strikes, who can resist? The beauty of this one is that it can be customized so many different ways. The ginger crust totally paves the way for these seasonal flavors, but it can go even further ~ springtime blackberry ginger cheesecake, anyone? Ginger peach in the summer? I love it!

But today, I wanted to make 3 seasonal varieties topping the ginger crust: plain cheesecake, So Delicious Coconut Nog flavored cheesecake, and spice cheesecake. They are all amazing, and need just a slight variation from the base to achieve.

Gingersnap Cheesecake ~ 3 ways

For the crust:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons sweetener (I used coconut sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup candied ginger
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan margarine, melted

Place the ginger in a food processor and process until chopped (it will probably start to gather into a ball). Add the oats, sweetener and nutmeg and process into crumb-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in the Earth Balance. You’ll have best results if you use your hands to get it fully combined.

For the base filling:

• 2 containers (8 oz each) dairy-free cream cheese
• 1/2 cup dry sweetener (I used coconut sugar again)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt

And to make the final flavors ~

For the plain cheesecake, add 1/2 cup vanilla non-dairy milk (it lightens up the filling)

For the Nog-flavored cheesecake, add 1/2 So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog and a dash or two of nutmeg.

For the spice cheesecake, add 1/2 cup vanilla non-dairy milk, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom.

To assemble, press the crust into a springform pan and pour the filling into it. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. The center may still seem jiggly, but it will firm up as it cools (don’t use a toothpick to test it!). Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for another 15-20 minutes, then take out to finish cooling. Chill before serving.

(For 10 servings, 29.2 g carbs per serving)