I bring you this amazingly scrumptious Vegan Cream Cheese. With this creamy delicious, dairy-free recipe, I show you how to make you homemade vegan cream cheese with options to make a classic plain, herb & garlic, or fruity flavours. My Vegan Cream Cheese takes 25 minutes or less to make (plus 1 hour of setting time) and only requires 6 ingredients.
Boy am I glad this recipe was requested by so many of you because oooo-eee is this yummy! When designing my Vegan Cream Cheese recipe, I knew I wanted to make it as easy as possible (in true fuss-free vegan style). No days spent culturing and no hard to find ingredients.
Cashews are used as the creamy base for this cream cheese recipe. For flavor, a combination of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and white miso paste are added. Which, when combined together add the perfect amount of tang and umami. Coconut oil is also added to both help the cheese firm up when setting in the fridge and so the cheese will get a bit melty when spreading on a hot bagel. The result is the perfect creamy, slightly tangy, spreadable, vegan cream cheese. Ooh la la!
But it get's better! Not only did I give you a recipe for a plain vegan cream cheese, but I have also included additional instructions so that you can make your very own fruit cream cheese. I made this super cute vegan strawberry cream cheese. You could also try pineapple, raspberry, blueberry, any flavour you like!
AND I even included additional instructions so that you could make your very own garlic & herb vegan cream cheese. How fun is that? You can have all the vegan cream cheese you want and customize it as you please. Now let's get spreadin'!
How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese:
Add the softened or soaked cashews, coconut oil, fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, white miso paste, and salt to a food processor. If you are making one of the flavoured cream cheese recipes then add the additional ingredients here too.
Blend to get the mixture as smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
Pour the cream cheese into a small dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover, then let set in the fridge for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. Once ready to serve, my Vegan Cream Cheese will firm up and become nice and spreadable. Try it on my Best Vegan Bagels, Easy Crispy Vegan Crackers, or toast up some of my Vegan Sandwich Bread and spread it on there! It also makes for a great dip for veggies, or whatever takes your fancy!
Common Questions:
- How long can I store Vegan Cream Cheese? Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Can I freeze Vegan Cream Cheese? Yes you can. But be sure to keep stored in a sealed container to avoid any freezer burn. Also note that freezing and then defrosting may affect the consistency. Best to defrost in the fridge rather than at room temperature. Defrosting in the microwave is not advised.
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
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The Best Vegan Cream Cheese
Servings: (makes just over 1 cup)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews,, softened (see below)
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- ¼ teaspoons salt, or to taste
Instructions
To soften the cashews:
- You can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews (the fast method): add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight until tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
To make the vegan cashew cream cheese:
- Add the softened cashews, coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, white miso paste, and salt to a food processor. Blend to get the mixture as smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Spread the cream cheese into a small dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover, then let set in the fridge for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. The vegan cream cheese will firm up and become nice and spreadable. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
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Fruity Vegan Cream Cheese
Servings:
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Vegan Cream Cheese, (above)
- 2 - 6 tablespoons jam, jelly, or preserve of choice, (strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, blueberry, etc)
- 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
- Vegan Food Coloring, (optional)
Instructions
- When making the Vegan Cream Cheese add in the jam, additional coconut oil, and food colouring (if using) to a food processor and blend until as smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Spread the cream cheese into a small dish. Cover, then let set in the fridge for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. The vegan cream cheese will firm up and become nice and spreadable. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
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Garlic and Herb Vegan Cream Cheese
Servings:
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Vegan Cream Cheese, (above)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon dired parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- When making the Vegan Cream Cheese add in clove of garlic, oregano, parsley, basil, and dill to a food processor and blend until as smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Spread the cream cheese into a small dish. Cover, then let set in the fridge for 1 hour, or until ready to serve. The vegan cream cheese will firm up and become nice and spreadable. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
More Vegan Cheese Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Christina K says
4.5/5 This actually tastes like cheese spread! It’s absolutely delicious! The only thing that puzzles me is the description of “pouring” out the cream cheese. The texture is quite stiff - I added a tablespoon of warm water to smooth it out. Are you sure there isn’t some wet ingredient like water that was left out of your recipe? Anyway, amazing taste!!! I love it!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Christina, so happy you enjoyed! I guess I used the wrong word and should have said something like dump out or scoop out. The cheese is supposed to be thick- like the texture of cream cheese. I hope that helps!
Christina K says
Yes. Thank you
Juanita Hubbard says
Is there anything I can use instead of lemon juice?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
The combo of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar is what really give the cheese the proper flavor, but in a pinch you could substitute lemon juice with a bit more vinegar, it just won't have quite the same flavor. I hope that helps!