Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Dip

Name: Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Dip
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 8 oz. vegan cream cheese; ¼ cup coconut milk; ⅓ cup powdered sugar; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp fresh lemon zest; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; berries, vanilla cookies, or graham crackers for dipping

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Congratulations, you've found a recipe for the easiest and most crowd-pleasing dessert! This Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Dip works for a wide range of special diets, is easy to prepare ahead, and makes an impressive dessert platter for your next gathering. The dip tastes just like lemon cheesecake filling; it's lightly sweetened, a little tangy, and the lemon flavor shines through.

Looking for more citrus dessert inspiration? Try these Cranberry Cheesecake Bars, Orange Cardamom Sugar Cookies, or Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies!

Graham crackers, lemons, and berries are arranged on a white background along with a bowl of white sauce.

Ingredients

There are only 5 ingredients for this recipe but they sure do combine to make a delicious dessert!

Vegan Cream Cheese: The one I used in this recipe (from Trader Joe's) used coconut oil, potato starch, and chickpea protein for the base. Use your favorite brand and let me know how it works for you in the comments. See the FAQ section for substitutions.

Coconut Milk: Shake your canned coconut milk well before opening the can to distribute all of the fat that normally sits on top of the more watery coconut milk. Now you can measure out the quarter cup and save the rest for smoothies or curry.

Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioner's sugar, store-bought powdered sugar contains a bit of corn starch.

Vanilla Extract: I used pure vanilla extract here, but this would be a great place to use vanilla bean paste if you have it on hand. Those lovely specks of vanilla won't get lost in this minimal recipe.

One Lemon: Zest the lemon first, enough to get one teaspoon of zest. Pro tip: zest the lemon over your mixing bowl to capture all the fragrant oils that are released! Then, juice the lemon for two tablespoons of juice.

Preparation

Gather your ingredients, a medium bowl, and an electric mixer. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place it in the bowl along with the coconut milk. Beat this for 3-4 minutes. You want a very smooth consistency. Start with low speed! Otherwise, your coconut milk will go flying and you'll have a mess on your hands.

Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, zest, and lemon juice and beat for another full minute to completely mix in all of the ingredients. If you want a soft and dippable texture, you're done! Transfer this to your serving bowl and serve. If you'd like a more spreadable texture, simply refrigerate for one hour or more before serving.

Cream cheese and coconut milk are in a stainless steel bowl over a white surface. — Start with the cream cheese and coconut milk in a medium bowl.

Cream cheese and coconut milk are whipped to a smooth consistency in a stainless steel bowl over a white surface. — Start with the cream cheese and coconut milk in a medium bowl.

FAQ for this Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Dip

Can I use standard dairy products in this recipe?

Absolutely! Substitute standard cream cheese, light cream cheese, or Neufchatel cheese for the vegan cream cheese and use half and half or heavy cream for the coconut milk.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Yes. Once you've incorporated all of the ingredients, transfer the dip into a serving dish and cover it so that it's airtight. Refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it. The dip will be spreadable right out of the refrigerator, but once it is warmed up to room temperature you can easily dip your berries or cookies into it.

How do I serve the dip?

The dip makes a great after-school snack for the kids if you provide some graham crackers. As a dessert platter, you can place the dip in the center of a large plate and surround it with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries on a toothpick, vanilla cookies, and graham crackers. A few mint leaves for garnish would be pretty. Finally, we've been enjoying this on toast or a plain bagel for breakfast with a light sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Try It and Share

I hope you try this Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Dip and share the recipe with family or friends. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

Isn't lemon just the best for dessert? If you're a fan, try these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies too!