Vegan Cream Cheese

this creamy rich soy free Vegan Cream Cheese recipe is the perfect bagel topper and cheese board spread! also: How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese

recipe originally published February 4, 2018

Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe

Our favorite “plain” cream cheese! 

Ultra creamy and super easy to make, this is a recipe you will make again and again. Versatile and customizable – add your favorite herbs, jams, fruit – this plays well with so many flavor additions.

The star of your cheese board is this Vegan Cream Cheese. Right out of the gate I want to impress on you that this is a soy free vegan cream cheese recipe. (If I was talking on Instagram, there’d be hand claps between each word for emphasis.)

Soy Free Recipes

I happily consume soy often, AND as a recipe developer I consider it the top two allergen, among my readers anyway. Soy and gluten are my most requested ingredients for substitution, so when a recipe doesn’t have it, I want to make sure you all know!

Also known as my new favorite base recipe for  vegan cream cheese. Since the first cheese board over the holidays, this recipe has become a standard in our kitchen. I have made this as is several times, and I have mixed it up by mixing in herbs and other flavors…

How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese

Our method gives you not only a soy free vegan cream cheese, but an oil free option as well.

This recipe calls for macadamia and cashew nuts, but we have used all cashews with good results. 

Making vegan cream cheese could not be much easier than this recipe! So quick and easy to blend the ingredients, then transfer to a cheesecloth lined container and…

wait.

The majority of this method is the waiting time. I think you will agree it is worth the wait.

How To Make A Cheese Board

I love a good cheese board assembly.

Cheese.

Board.

Assembly.

Mmm. We enjoy many quick and mini version over the holidays, as well as large and fancy party spreads.

When you are having a Happy Hour at Home or a quick snack with friends before heading out for a fun night out, a quick cheese board can be super easy to assemble. Choose your favorites and go!

• one or two cheeses
• crackers
• crostini and bread
• nuts
• jams, jellies, apple butter
• dried fruit
• fresh fruit
• olives
• pickles / pickled vegetables

These are items we always have in our kitchen:

Vegan Cream Cheese and Fermenting Recipes

I have had a fantastic book in my kitchen library for a while now – and am finally and excitedly sharing this vegan cream cheese recipe, one of my favorites from the book.

The book is The Cultured Cook – Delicious Fermented Foods with Probiotics to Knock Out Inflammation, Boost Gut Health, Lose Weight & Extend Your Life.

This book is full of vegan and gluten free recipes for snacks and meals. The first recipe I tried? Cultured Vanilla Ice Cream. Uh huh. Seriously amazing and different and cool. Literally and figuratively.

My new favorite thing you might be hearing more about soon? Pineapple Vinegar. This stuff is amazing, and is an easy, approachable recipe. Have your pineapple (vinegar) and eat it too.

The Rejuvelac recipe in this book is great, as is the Cultured Coconut Cream.

There are several cheesecakes, ice creams, and an incredible icing! Two fruit chutneys and a Cultured Bloody Mary.

We have had a good deal of fun with this book already, and there are still so many dog eared pages and fun recipes to try!

Fermentation Facts

Fermentation has been used for thousands of years as a way to preserve foods, and modern research has now confirmed the health benefits of this process, which ranges from the improvement of various intestinal inflammatory conditions, to building a stronger immune system.

According to Kirsten Tillisch, MD, chief of integrative medicine at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, the microbes in the gut can determine whether or not we will develop other conditions that extend outside the gut, including “obesity, cancer, anxiety, and depression.”

In fact, research shows that some fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut may even help in the fight against superbugs — those virulent strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that have become stronger and are now resistant to most of our medicines — when our best antibiotics fail!

from the book:

If you just have to spread cream cheese on bagels or toast, you’ll love this dairy free, fermented version that has all the flavor and loads of probiotics to give your health a boost.

This delicious and creamy dairy free cream cheese has a delicate macadamia nut flavor. Unlike dairy based cream cheeses, this vegan cream cheese recipe is packed with health promoting beneficial bacteria.

It’s simple to make but does need about twelve hours to culture and a couple of hours to set.

Vegan Cheese Recipes

• Vegan Goat Cheese
• Vegan Boursin
• Vegan Brie
• Spicy Chorizo Queso
• Pumpkin Basil Cheese Ball
• Melty Pizza Cheese Dip

That cream cheese bagel, though.

this creamy rich Vegan Cream Cheese recipe is shared with permission from The Cultured Cook by Michelle Schoffro Cook. Dr. Cook is a certified herbalist and a board-certified doctor of natural medicine, holding advanced degrees in health, nutrition, orthomolecular nutrition, and acupuncture.

Did You Make This Vegan Cream Cheese? 

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Yield: one 8 ounce block cream cheese

Vegan Cream Cheese

Print

Soy Free Vegan Cream Cheese – as a bagel topping or a cheese plate spread, this soft set, mildly flavored spreadable cheese is the perfect base recipe!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 10 hours

Total Time 10 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted macadamia nuts *see notes
• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons filtered water, divided
• 1 probiotic capsule (contents of), or 1/4 teaspoon probiotic powder
• 3 fresh Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/3 cup coconut oil * see notes
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the macadamia nuts, cashews, 1/2 cup water, and the probiotic capsule (discarding the empty capsule shell) or probiotic powder; stir until mixed, and cover.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the dates with remaining 3 tablespoons of water, and cover. Allow both to sit overnight for twelve hours.
3. In a blender, combine both mixtures, and the salt, and blend until smooth. Add the coconut oil and continue blending. You may need to push the ingredients down with a spatula a few times to ensure a creamy, smooth consistency.
4. Pour into a cheesecloth lined dish or mold. Refrigerate for one to two hours, or until it is set. Store in refrigerator, covered, for up to one month.

Notes

*spabettie notes:

we often make this with 1 cup cashews if we don't have macadamia.

we have successfully made this recipe several times without using oil – sometimes a small amount of additional water is needed.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Food to Live Macadamia Nuts (Raw, Kosher) (8 Ounces)
• 
  NOW Foods Raw Organic Cashews
• 
  Solaray Multidophilus 12 20 Bil Supplement, 100 Count
• 
  Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Medjool Dates, 2 Pounds
• 
  Cheesecloth - 2 Yards - Fine Weave: Grade 90-100% Unbleached Cotton - Filter - Strain - Reusable (Cotton String Included)
• 
  Glass Meal Prep Food Containers with Lids [4-Pack]

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 ounce
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 113 Total Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 69mg Carbohydrates: 1g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 4g

nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.

about Kristina:

Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food!  Read more…

spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.