Easy Vegan Cream Cheese

Give me all the vegan cream cheese!

I love bagels, I love cheese cake, I love cream cheese danish, I love cream cheese frosting.

I can not imagine a world where I can not eat cream cheese!

This being said, vegan cream cheese can be expensive. I have a few brands I love, but I do not love the price!

I have made several variations of vegan cream cheese over the years and have never been too impressed. I mean, plenty of the recipes I tried might have tasted fine, but if they were cashew heavy, I wasn't saving a whole lot of money making my own. If they were tofu based, they tasted too much like tofu to me.

So fast forward to now, and me trying to fall asleep, but being distracted by planning out my next morning’s breakfast. Yes, this is something I do most nights…go to sleep thinking about what I will eat when I wake up. It’s a problem….Anyways, I was thinking about a carrot lox ( carrot lox is sooo easy by the way, follow the link to our simple but delicious recipe) bagel and vegan cream cheese, except it’s Passover at this moment and I can’t have a bagel. So I settled on a carrot lox matzah BUT it is also currently a pandemic, and I have not found vegan cream cheese at a store in weeks. The odds were stacked against me here.

BUT, I had a thought! I could wake up and try a NEW vegan cream cheese recipe idea. I could take the parts I like about different brands and different recipes of cream cheese I have liked, and try to make a perfect homemade cream cheese that won’t cost me an arm and a leg!!!

I decided to MIX cashews and tofu. I could get the cheesy, creamy element from the nuts but use way less, and I could get the texture that I like the tofu without it being all tofu. Surely it would work!!

And it did! This cream cheese is better than any other I have tried to make, in my opinion. I used like a quarter of the nuts I used to use when making just a cashew based cream cheese, and the nuts mixed with the tofu cut the raw tofu flavor, while yielding a perfect texture!

If you allergic to nuts you can sub out the cashews with sunflower seeds! This works well in just about any cashew cheese recipe!

I also add sauerkraut because y’all, I add it to almost all of my vegan cheese. It is a really easy and healthy way to give your vegan cheeses a fermented, tangy kick. Trust me with this. Once you try it, you will ALWAYS add sauerkraut to all of your vegan cheeses. Soft cheese, hard cheese, cheese sauces. Just start looking at sauerkraut as a vegan staple. Even if you would never eat it on its own, its a vegan cheese secret weapon.

So if you have been looking for an easy and delicious vegan cream cheese recipe, I think I have all you need right here!! I do hope you love it as much as I do.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 block super firm tofu, 16oz (the the kind that is vacuum sealed in little water)

• 1/2 cup cashews or sunflower seeds if you have an allergy

• 2 tablespoons sauerkraut, not the juice

• 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup refined/filtered coconut oil, melted

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Begin by adding the cashews to a microwave safe container. Cover the nuts in water and microwave on high for 3 minutes. If you do not have a microwave you will need to soak the cashews in water for at least a few hours. Drain the liquid from the microwaved/soaked cashews.

2. You will need a high speed blender, or a food processor for this recipe. Add all of the ingredients to the blender or processor. Blend on high, using your blender’s plunger to move the ingredients around, or use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides serval times during the process to make sure everything is getting nice and blended up. Depending on the machine you are using, the amount of time you need to blend will vary. The goal is a nice creamy and smooth consistency. I use a vitamix and it takes several minutes. I use the plunger pieces to keep pushing the ingredients down into the blender and moving them around. I also pause the blending several times and scrape down the sides.

3. Taste the mixture. If you want it to have more tang you can add another teaspoon or so of vinegar.

4. Store the cream cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this cream cheese.

5. You can mix in diced green onions or chives, diced berries, cinnamon and a few pinches or sugar, anything you like!

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Easy Vegan Homemade Bagels

Vegan Triple Coconut Cheesecake

Vegan Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Vegan Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

I have a friend named Shannon who is just about perfect. She is for sure the perfect hostess, and ever since I have known her (which has been forever) she could host a perfect party with her eyes closed.

It was at one of her many gatherings a million years ago that I first had marshmallow fluff cream cheese fruit dip. I had no idea what I was eating, I just knew I could not stop eating it.

This is saying a lot for me because I will always choose a veggie plate over a fruit plate, every single time. I like fruit just fine, but I like dip more, and veggie trays normally involve dip. So give me a dip for my fruit and its a game changer.

I have not eaten this dip in years or even thought about it since going vegan. That is until we were trying to plan snacks for our daughters princess themed third birthday party, and I need a “grey stuff” from Beauty and the Beast. Suddenly I remembered the marshmallow cream cheese dip, and realized that I could use sweet aquafaba whip in place of marshmallow fluff! It worked y’all, and I actually had to refill the bowl of dip during the party.

Also, you can dye it any color with a few drops of food color, in case you ever need some “grey stuff, its delicious, don’t believe me, ask the dishes. And thanks again Shannon for being an amazing friend all these years, for hosting the best parties, and for making this dip a gazillion times so I could stuff my face with all the fruits!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups Sweet Aquafaba Whip

• 8 oz container of vegan cream cheese, we used Kite Hill

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make Sweet Aquafaba Whip according to instructions. You will have a good bit leftover, but could use it to make meringues, or store in the fridge for later to use as whip cream.

2. Beat cream cheese with an electric hand mixer or briskly stir it with a fork to soften it up. Using a plastic spatula, fold in the 2 cups of sweet aquafaba whip and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, just until everything is well incorporated.

3. Serve with fruit, vegan graham crackers or cookies.

4. I prefer to serve immediately just because the aquafaba will break down some once stored in the fridge. This dip does hold up better than the whip does on its own, and I have eaten the leftover dip the next day without it being weird or liquidly.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Vegan Caramel Sauce

Vegan Fudge Sauce

Grilled Peaches with Maple and Vegan Ricotta

vegan marshmallow cream cheese fruit dip

Pumpkin Spice Vegan Cream Cheese

Once October hits (ok, ok, we all know its more like September) the pumpkin spice craze is upon us.

I am guilty of loving all things pumpkin and cream cheese is no exception.

Just the right amount of pumpkin spice and sweet maple syrup make this cream cheese a fall favorite, and staple in this house.

If you are not into bagels ( we may need to have a chat, because I truly just can’t understand anything but an intense love for any bread) then you can always spread some of this magic on some apple slices or graham crackers.

You could eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon and I wouldn’t judge you! If you do love bagels as much as I do, then check out our easy homemade bagel recipe.

I really can not think of a better breakfast this fall than a homemade cinnamon bagel with this delicious cream cheese all over it.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted cashews

• 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin

• 1/4 cup coconut cream ( from a can of full fat coconut milk)

• 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• pinch of salt

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Soak cashews overnight, or cover with water and microwave for three minutes. Drain water.

2. Refrigerate one can of full fat coconut milk for a few hours. Once it is good and cold, the cream will separate from the liquid in the can. Open and use 1/4 cup of just the cream.

3. Add cashews, coconut cream, and remaining ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor.

4. Blend until the nuts are completely broken down, and the mixture is creamy smooth.

5. Put the cream cheese in a shallow bowl, or a few ramekins, and refrigerate for several hours until the cream cheese sets.

If you like this recipe, try these:

Pumpkin Spice Vegan Cheese Ball

Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin Spice Cashew Creamer

easy vegan cashew pumpkin spice cream cheese