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
❓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.
This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based. She helps people get high energy, great health, and balanced eating with delicious plant-based food.
She’s also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you’re welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.
🧀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
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 140 g cashews (1 cup)
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 lemon )
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon 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.
Rachelle says
Amazing and super simple recipe! My first try turned out awesome. I didn't have any dijon mustard but didn't feel like I needed it. Lots of room to experiment with adding extra flavours. Thank you!