Dairy-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Recipe

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. I love its texture, density, and how it melts in my mouth before I slowly swallow each bite with real pleasure. For me, eating cheesecake is a form of mindfulness practice. Unfortunately, my digestive track doesn’t tolerate dairy very well, limiting the amount of dairy I eat. Because my favorite flavor during winter and fall is pumpkin, I’ve created a recipe that combines cheesecake’s texture with pumpkin flavor and is dairy-free, gluten-free, full of nutrients, and delicious. The best part is that I can eat this “cheesecake” every day, often for breakfast with my morning matcha tea.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned works, but the texture is better with a homemade pumpkin puree)*

  • 2 TBS collagen powder (I use Grate Lakes unflavored collagen hydrolysate)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 TB coconut oil (melted)

  • 3 TBS maple syrup

  • 5 TBS coconut flower (sifted)

  • ¼ cup almond or coconut milk

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • ½ tsp fresh ginger (grated)

  • ½ tsp salt

  • ½ tsp baking soda

  • Zest from one small lemon (organic)

  • 8 – 10 gluten-free graham crackers

 

Instructions:

  • Beat eggs with maple syrup

  • Add pumpkin puree and mixed it all well

  • Add coconut oil, almond milk, salt, spices, and lemon zest

  • Mix coconut flower with baking soda and collagen powder and add it all to the pumpkin mixture

  • Mix it all together with a wooden spoon

  • Heat the oven to 350F

  • Grease square (8 X 8 inches) or round baking pan and arrange graham crackers in a single layer

  • Pour the pumpkin mixture into the pan and place it in the warmed-up oven

  • Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake is firm.

  • Serve cold or room temperature

  • Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

 

*It is very easy to make pumpkin puree from scratch. You will need a pie pumpkin that is much smaller and sweeter than the regular one. Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop the seeds, and place both pumpkin halves (holes down) on a cookie sheet or a roasting pan and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until it feels soft under the skin. Let it cool, scoop the flesh out to a bowl and mash it with a hand blender.