Every year, as the weather warms up, I begin to get hungry for rhubarb. Voraciously so. Rhubarb, like cranberries, tends to be rigidly seasonal, unlike most other fruits and vegetables, which are available year-round. So it’s always a special treat when I can get my hands on some. For years now I’ve shared a rhubarb recipe with you each spring, and fortunately, I found some rhubarb last week at the grocery store. As I have already posted on the blog some scrumptious rhubarb goodies, like this Vegan Upside Down Rhubarb Ginger Cake and Vegan Rhubarb Crisp, among many others, I was at a bit of a loss as to what I could come up with that would be as good as, if not top, all of those other rhubarb recipes. And then, a brainwave: rhubarb cheesecake. It was perfect, Jay loves cheesecake, and what better way to eat rhubarb than to encase it in the smoothest, creamiest filling possible? For this vegan cheesecake I combined the rhubarb with a fruit it dovetails nicely with: strawberries. Not only do the flavors of rhubarb and strawberry go together like a house on fire, the strawberry also helps give the rhubarb swirl a nice, pink color. Rhubarb stalks, if you’re used to cooking with them, are not always bright pink, the way they appear in photos, and I find that the pink skin can also, at times, be stringy. When that’s the case I prefer to peel the stringy bits of skin off, which has the unfortunate side effect of making the rhubarb less red. The strawberries make up nicely for that setback, however. I used a ton of rhubarb in this recipe (did I say I love it? ;)) but you can certainly use less, this recipe is quite tweakable that way. Be sure to make it before rhubarb bids adieu to 2021. And if you do, you know what to do: leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me @holycowvegan on Instagram!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Tastes heavenly. This is a true cheesecake, only made without any dairy products. And no one would know that if you didn’t tell them. Easy to make. So long as you follow the recipe, you will succeed. The rhubarb strawberry swirl quantity is tweakable, but the rest of the recipe needs to be made as is. I’ll indicate substitutions where they are possible. Can be gluten-free and/or nut-free, so everyone can eat it.
How to make vegan strawberry rhubarb cheesecake
Make the crust: Process the graham crackers with the softened vegan butter and sugar in a food processor until you have a sandy mixture. Press evenly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan placed on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Make the rhubarb strawberry swirl: Chop the rhubarb and strawberries into small pieces, about half an inch. Place in a saucepan with sugar and a pinch of salt over medium-low heat. The rhubarb and strawberries will express a lot of their juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently (don’t walk away) until the mixture becomes very thick, almost the consistency of jam. Stir in vanilla extract and turn off the heat. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
Make the cheesecake batter: Place the vegan cream cheese in a stand mixer or food processor with sugar. Beat together until incorporated and smooth and then add the vegan yogurt, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine. Put the cheesecake together: Pour half the cheesecake batter over the crust in the springform pan. Dollop half of the rhubarb strawberry swirl over the batter, then pour the remaining half of the cheesecake batter on top. Repeat with the rhubarb strawberry swirl mixture. Run a knife through the rhubarb-strawberry mix to make a swirl pattern. Don’t take the jam too close to the edges (as I did) as it could burn in the spots where it touches the metal of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake: Put a water bath in the oven–a pan filled with water and placed on the lower rack of the oven. Place the baking sheet with the springform pan on the middle rack and bake 60 minutes or until the cake has set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Cool thoroughly on a rack. Run a knife along the edges of the cake, but don’t unmold yet. Place it in the refrigerator for a few hours or preferably overnight. The next morning carefully remove the springform pan rim or collar, slice and eat.
More vegan dessert recipes
Recipe card
