This super easy to make vegan Cashew Cream Cheese is going to be your new best friend in the kitchen! It's a super versatile recipe that can be used as an easy cream cheese spread, thinned out to become a sour cream analog, or spiced or herbed up to be fancy.
We like to spoon this yummy cashew cream cheese into pasta or use for dipping crispsbreads into, or to top our yummy parsnip latkes or with our scrummy smoked salmon carrot 'lox' . It makes a brilliant alternative wherever you would use a savoury cream cheese!
Made with a few simple ingredients, this easy cheesy recipe might be one of the hardest working in our vegan repertoire. Expect it to pop up everywhere in various guises.. but here it is in all it's classic vegan creamy cheesy goodness.
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🧀Key Ingredients
Cashews - the backbone of this recipe is cashews, that are soaked, then blended up with other ingredients. Something about the bland smoothness of cashews, rich with natural nut oils, really lends them to making vegan cream cheese!
Nutritional Yeast- cheesy and flakey, this hardworking vegan ingredient is deployed here for a delicious cheese flavour. Use one fortified with B12 for added nutritional benefits!
Lemon Juice - other more complicated vegan cheeses use probiotics to create a tang, but in this quick recipe we keep it simple and rely on lemon juice.
Garlic- A hint of garlic takes this simple vegan cheese into a savoury direction that is irrisitible
👩🍳Handy Step by Step Instructions
Ingredients for How to make vegan cream cheese ; Cashews, nutritional yeast, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and salt 1.Cover cashews in boiling water and leave for 2-3 hours until soft. 2. When cashews are soft, drain and put in food processor. 3. Add garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, salt and lemon juice. 4. Put lid on blender and blend the cashew mix. 5. Every now and then push ingredients down so everything gets blended. 6. Keep blending until you have lovely creamy vegan cheese texture. Might take a four or five times to be fully smooth. 7. Scoop into an airtight jar and use as needed.
❓Vegan Cheese FAQ
Yes, you will definitely need a good quality blender. The nuts need to be blended to create the cheesy creamy texture.
You can either soak the nuts overnight, or soak them in boiling water for a few hours. This softens the nut so it can be blended to a creamy texture.
You can store this cream cheese for up to a weeek in the fridge, or longer in the freezer. Simply defrost to use.
We don't recomend this recipe for sweet recipes. However you can leave out the mustard and garlic to create a more nuetral flavour cheese that would be appropriate.
If you thin this recipe out with some water, it can become a more cream-like texture suitable for drizzling on soups or adding to potatoes.
🧀Other similar recipes & where to use..
Use this recipe in these scrummy ways:
The perfect companion to our Vegan "Smoked Salmon" Carrot Lox and 4 Ingredient Vegan Parsnip & Potato Latkes
Use in these recipes: Greek-ish Greens Filo Pie (Spanakopita Veganised) or in Vegan Chorizo Croquettes with Alioli & Stuffed Tomatoes, or even in my fave Cheesy Spinach Triangles
Or use in place of the herby cheese in these sandwiches Scandi Inspired Smoked Tofu Sandwich - or even make your own herby cheese-- just add chives and parsley!
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 140 g cashews 1 cup
- 3 tbsp lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for 6 hours, or soak in boiling water for 1 hour. Drain.
- Add all ingredients into a blender and blend. Keep pushing down the sides to ensure all is blended up well
- You might need to blend 3-4 times depending on the strength of your blender.
- When you are happy with the consistency, put the cream cheese into an airtight container and keep in the fridge.
Notes
- Keep in fridge for up to a week
- Add other flavours such as herbs or smoked paprika for a different flavoured cheese.
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