How to make Vegan Cream Cheese

If you struggle to find great sandwich fillings then this Vegan Cream Cheese is for you. This makes a protein-rich, herby, creamy cheese which is perfect on toast, with crackers and delicious on jacket potatoes. Try some for yourself and see!

Introduction to Vegan Cream Cheese

I’ve wanted to share this recipe for a while as it’s really delicious and a great spread to have in the fridge for when there’s an urgent need for a healthy snack.

If finding great fillings for your sandwiches or crackers is a challenge… if you run out of ideas of what to slather on top of that fluffy jacket potato you should really try this cheese.

This tofu based, vegan cream cheese recipe is really versatile. We eat it a lot. It isn’t identical to the dairy version but it has great flavour and is certainly a great replacement for it. It’s creamy and super quick to make, flavourful and high in protein. The addition of the garlic and the herbs make it a savoury cream cheese but you only have to omit the garlic and the herbs, reduce the nutritional yeast to 1 teaspoon and you have a more ‘plain’ version of a cream cheese.

Tofu is a good plant source of all nine essential amino acids and contributes valuable calcium and iron to our diets. So, this cheese is an easy way to do yourself some good too.

Most important of all, it is really, really tasty.

Ingredients in this recipe

• cashew nuts – gorgeous curly cashews.
• Soaking Cashew Nuts: The longer that cashew nuts get to soak the easier they’ll blend and the creamier the result.  Soaking them for over 30 minutes in hot water works well but won’t blend quite so finely without a high power blender. Leaving them to soak overnight will make it easier to get a really creamy result with most blenders.
• tofu – firm. This along with the nuts provides a really good amount of protein. The tofu just needs to be cubed before adding to your blender or food processor to help things along.
• nutritional yeast – adds a nice cheesy flavour and a few very useful vitamins too, namely vitamin B12.
• lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, garlic and salt – present to add flavour and structure to the ‘cheese’.
• miso – this brings a wonderful amount of savouriness to the cheese. Omit it if you cannot find this ingredient.

Making Vegan Cream Cheese

This is ridiculously easy to make but it is easier with a food processor or blender of some kind. A stick blender will do the job but it may take a little longer.

The cashew nuts need to be soaked in hot water, preferably overnight but as long as they soak for more than 30 minutes you should get a good result.

Slicing the firm tofu roughly into cubes makes it easier for the food processor but you don’t need to be too precise about it.

Add the drained nuts to the blender or food processor and process until they are very finely ground. Then, add the garlic clove and process just enough for that to be chopped up finely too.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and process until it is smooth and creamy. Do the taste test and adjust the seasoning to your personal taste.

Variations

• change the add-ins; basil and sundried tomatoes make a good combination
• leave out the garlic and oregano and add chives instead

Make a ‘plain’ vegan cream cheese

If you would like to make a more neutral tasting, ‘plain’ cream cheese then make the following amendments to the recipe.

• omit the miso, garlic and the herbs
• reduce the amount of nutritional yeast to 1 teaspoon
• reduce the amount of salt to 1/2 teaspoon (adjust to your individual preference)
• add 1 teaspoon of agave nectar or maple syrup

This ‘plain’ version would also work well on toast, crackers, jacket potatoes and salads but still isn’t suitable for use in cake frosting.

Using this cheese

This is a very versatile spread. Vegan cream cheese makes a wonderful filling for sandwiches and a nice topping for toast. It is wonderful on jacket potatoes although it doesn’t melt as a dairy version might. I like it spread on crackers and we also eat it daubed on pasta dishes with rich tomatoey sauces, which is quite sublime. It also works well as part of a salad dish. There are many ways that you can add this nutritious vegan cheese to your daily diet.

This herby version is savoury, which makes it unsuitable to use as part of a frosting for a cake.

If you have any other ideas of how you might use this cheese, please share.

Storing this cheese

This vegan cream cheese stores for up to 4 days in the fridge in a suitable airtight container.

It will also last for up to 2 months in the freezer but the texture changes a little once it has defrosted. I prefer not to freeze it.

Is this creamy cheese suitable for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets?

Yes, it is. It’s made with ingredients that are all suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Just ensure that the nutritional yeast is vegan friendly.

If you need a diet that is gluten free then check the label of on your nutritional yeast and make sure that it does not contain gluten. Very few types do but it is best to be sure.

If you like this …. then you may also like…

Other Spreads:

• Easy to make Peanut Butter
• Almond Butter
• Chocolate and Hazelnut Spread
• Hummus
• Avocado hummus
• Avocado Toast (with variations and ideas)

Why not pin this for later?