Vegan Butterfly Pea Cheesecake

This delightful cheesecake features a lovely blue tint and delicate floral taste, thanks to the addition of butterfly pea flowers. It's a vegan, no-bake twist on the classic creamy dessert, crafted with silken tofu and agar-agar, both of which are plant-based ingredients. The result is a colorful and delicious treat.

Made with beautiful blue pea flowers, this butterfly pea cheesecake is a colorful variation of the beloved summer dessert. Our no-bake, vegan recipe is perfect when you need a make-ahead dessert that will please everyone!

Regarding the crust, you will require dry cookies such as Digestive biscuits, which should be crumbled, and coconut oil to bind them together. While melted butter is the norm for a classic cheesecake, using coconut oil is an excellent option for those who are dairy-free and vegan.

Regarding the filling, we've substituted the conventional ingredients of cream cheese and double cream with two innovative ingredients: silken tofu and agar powder.

Silken tofu is a smoother, creamier, and more watery version of regular tofu, which is ideal for vegan desserts. Moreover, it is low in fat and high in protein, making this blue pea cheesecake not only vegan but also much healthier.

Agar powder is a plant-based gelling agent that's commonly used in jellies and desserts. You can usually find it in the baking section of your local supermarket. It's similar to gelatine in that you need to cook it to activate it, and then it will solidify in the fridge as it cools down.

When using agar powder, it's crucial to measure it accurately with a scale, as it's super potent. Just a few grams are enough to thicken the cheesecake. If you prefer to use agar flakes or vegan gelatine, we have some helpful tips in the recipe below.

To make the filling for this cheesecake, you'll need to blend silken tofu until it's creamy, and then cook it with agar for a few minutes. Once it's done, add in the butterfly pea powder, which is an exotic blue flower commonly found in Southeast Asia. It's used for colorful desserts, drinks, and many other dishes because of its high concentration of blue pigments.

You can find butterfly pea as dried flowers or powder online or at your local Asian food store. The powder is also known as "blue matcha" because it has a slightly grassy, earthy, and wheaty taste, similar to matcha but not as bitter. We suggest using butterfly pea powder for this cheesecake as it's easy to mix into creams and batters.

If you want to make the whole cheesecake blue or give it a layered look, we have a step-by-step guide in the recipe to show you how. Once it's ready, don't forget to garnish it and serve it with pride! And if you're feeling adventurous and want to try another exotic cheesecake flavor, check out our no-bake durian cheesecake recipe too!

Ingredients 

Instructions : 

Step 1 :

To make the cheesecake base, crush the digestive cookies in a plastic food bag using a rolling pin. Then, transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl, tip in melted coconut oil, and mix well.

Step 2 :

Transfer the cookie mixture into the cheesecake tin.

Press the crumbs firmly with the back of a spoon down into the base to compact them and create an even layer.

Then, chill it in the fridge for one hour or freeze for 30 minutes until the cookie base has set and hardened.

Step 3 :

Meanwhile, rinse and drain the silken tofu to remove the brine water.

Make sure you're using silken tofu and not firm tofu, or the recipe won't work.

Slice the tofu block into cubes, tip them into a food processor, and blitz until smooth and creamy.

Blended silken tofu should look like thick yoghurt.

Step 4:

Transfer the blended tofu into a pot and tip in the agar powder a bit at a time to avoid lumps, stirring until it's incorporated.

You must weigh the agar accurately as even a small difference can affect the final result.

You can swap agar powder with the same amount of vegan gelatine or with double the amount of agar flakes (but always check the package instructions first).

Then, stir in the sugar or erythritol sweetener for a low-sugar option, followed by the almond or vanilla essence if you're using it.

Bring the tofu mixture to a gentle boil and simmer it over low heat for 3 minutes to activate the agar.

Stir the mix while it cooks to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and

burning.

Step 5:

Next, spoon one-third of the tofu cream over the cold biscuit base.

Tap the cake tin on the worktop to remove air bubbles and level the tofu filling with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Step 6 :

In a small cup, dissolve the butterfly pea powder in little tofu cream until you have no lumps.

If you want to use dried butterfly pea flowers instead of the powder, check the tips section below.

Then, incorporate the blue pea mix into the remaining two-thirds of the tofu cream.

Stir well until you have a uniform blue cheesecake cream.

If the cream doesn't look too uniform and you have small bits of white tofu cream, blend all into a food processor until smooth.

Step 7:

Carefully pour the blue tofu cream over the white tofu layer.

Again, tap the cake tin on the worktop to remove air bubbles and level the blue tofu filling with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Wrap the tin with cling film and refrigerate the butterfly pea cheesecake for 2-3 hours or until the filling is set.

Step 8:

If you are using a spring-form or loose-bottom tin popping out the cheesecake is easy:

Place the tin on a tall glass, unlock or loosen the cake tin ring, and carefully slide it downward.

Once freed, transfer the butterfly pea cheesecake onto a serving plate, remove the cake tin base (if possible), and garnish the cake to your liking.

You can top it with fresh or dried flowers, crumbled cookies, fresh fruit, or coconut flakes.