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    Vegan Cream Cheese

    Published: Jul 10, 2020 · Modified: Jul 13, 2020 by Sina · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

    29.6Kshares
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    a collage of two recipes of vegan cream cheese with an overlay

    This vegan cream cheese is incredibly creamy, garlicky, and super delicious spread on a fresh bagel or toast. And it’s ready in just 5 minutes! 

    a hand holding a bagel with vegan cream cheese over a white plate

    Kiss your dairy products goodbye and say hello to this delicious vegan cashew cream cheese with garlic and fresh herbs!

    Spread it on your favorite bagel or enjoy it with some veggie sticks or crackers. Or stir it into your pasta sauce for a change. Believe me, it’s pretty addictive!

    Why This Recipe Works

    I’ve experimented quite a bit with dairy-free cheese alternatives and I think cashews are just the perfect base for plant-based cheese. They work great in this recipe! 

    Cashews have a mild flavor and with a bit of water you can blend them in a high speed blender until you’ve got a smooth cream. 

    I decided to make a version with fresh herbs and garlic, but of course you could also make a plain version.

    What Goes Into This Recipe

    various cooking ingredients for this recipe on a counter with labels

    • Plant-Based Yogurt – This recipe works well with plant-based yogurts. I recommend unsweetened soy yogurt.
    • Fresh Chives and Cress – I like fresh best, but you could also use frozen herbs. 
    • Cashews – Make sure to use raw cashews, not roasted and salted. 
    • Nutritional Yeast – adds a bit of a “cheesy” flavor. 

    How To Make This Recipe

    This recipe couldn’t be much easier! It’s ready in just 5 minutes and all you have to do is follow these four easy steps:

    a collage of four photos that show how to make this recipe

    1. Step: Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours. If you want to make it easier for your blender you can also soak them overnight.

    2. Step: Drain the cashews and put them in a high speed blender together with the unsweetened soy yogurt, the garlic, the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice, salt, and the herbes de Provence.

    3. Step: Process until smooth. This will take about 3-4 minutes depending on your blender. You want the cashew cream cheese to be super smooth without any chunks.

    4. Step: Season it with black pepper and stir in the fresh chives and cress. If you’d like you could also add some red pepper flakes. Enjoy on a freshly toasted bagel!

    a small bowl with cashew cream cheese on a marble countertop

    Recipe Tips:

    • It’s best to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours. If you want to make it a little bit easier for your blender, you can also soak them overnight. For best results, you should use a high speed blender as you want the cashew cream cheese to get really creamy and smooth. Be patient, it will take a while!
    • Don’t cut down the recipe to a smaller batch size as most blenders need a certain amount of cashews to process them into a smooth cream. 
    • It’s really important to use unsweetened plant-based yogurt. Nothing with flavor and sugar in it!

    a bagel with cream cheese with another bagel and lemons in the background

    Variations

    If you want you can also play around with the herbs a little bit. I also love adding some sun-dried tomatoes for a change.

    Or you could use the base to make a sweet cream cheese by adding blueberries, strawberries, or any other berries.

    Recipe FAQs:

    What’s the best way to store the finished cream cheese? 

    The best way to store it is in a small air-tight container in the fridge. This way it will last for about 4 days.

    Can it be frozen?

    Yes, it freezes really well, so you could just make a bigger batch and freeze it for later.  Just freeze it in a small container and it will last in the freezer for around 2-3 months.

    Could you make this recipe without cashews? 

    Unfortunately cashews are used as the base for this recipe and you can’t replace them with any other product them for the same result.

    But no worries! If you’re allergic to cashews and nuts, you can still enjoy delicious vegan cream cheese.

    You could either use tofu, plant-based yogurt, or sunflower seeds as a base. Here are two delicious recipes for sunflower cream cheese and tofu cream cheese.

    a bowl with vegan cream cheese with chives and cress on top

    Related Vegan Cheese Recipes:

    • Vegan Mozzarella Cheese 
    • Vegan Cheese Fondue
    • Basil Ricotta Pinwheels
    • Vegan Mac and Cheese 
    • 30 Stunning Vegan Cheese Recipes 

    I Love To Hear From You Guys! 

    I hope you like this vegan cream cheese as much as we do around here.

    If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

    You like my recipes and want to see more? Then follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest! 

    Sina 

    a hand holding a bagel with vegan cream cheese over a white plate

    Vegan Cream Cheese with Cashews

    This vegan cream cheese is incredibly creamy, garlicky, and super delicious spread on a fresh bagel or toast. And it's ready in just 5 minutes! 
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dip
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Total Time: 5 mins
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 217kcal
    Author: Sina

    Equipment

    • high speed blender

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups cashews
    • 4 tablespoons unsweetened soy yogurt
    • 1 clove of garlic
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
    • 3 tablespoons fresh chives, cut into rings
    • 2 tablespoons cress
    • black pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    • Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours. If you want to make it easier for your blender you can also soak them overnight.
    • Drain the cashews and put them in a high speed blender together with the unsweetened soy yogurt, the garlic, the nutritional yeast, the lemon juice, salt, and the herbes de Provence.
    • Process until smooth. This will take about 3-4 minutes depending on your blender. You want the cashew cream cheese to be super smooth without any chunks.
    • Season with black pepper and stir in the fresh chives and cress. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Soak the cashews for at least 4 hours. For best results, you should use a high speed blender. Be patient, it will take a while!
    • Don't cut down the recipe to a smaller batch size as most blenders need a certain amount of cashews to process them into a smooth cream. 
    • It's really important to use unsweetened plant-based yogurt. 
    • This recipe freezes really well. Freeze it in a small container and it will last in the freezer for around 2-3 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 7.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @_veganheaven_ or tag #veganheaven!
    Rate the recipe!If you like this recipe, please leave a good rating! This will help other readers.
    Previous Post: « Vegan Ravioli Salad
    Next Post: 15 Fresh and Easy Summer Salads »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elaine Kaethler

      April 26, 2020 at 6:51 pm

      Excellent recipe !

      Reply
    2. Regina Brickett

      June 17, 2019 at 1:24 pm

      5 stars
      So, I know it’s been a while since you posted this but I have to say this. This stuff is fantastic!!!!! One of the hardest things about going dairy free was bagels and cream cheese. I mean, I have to have my bagel and cream cheese every morning for breakfast. Then I found Kite Hill and while it was twice the cost of Philly it was good so I paid it. And then one day I went to the store and it had gone up to almost $8 a tub, I gasped and left it behind. After 2 weeks of no bagels and cream cheese I decided to search Pinterest and see what I could find. I decided to try yours and while it almost killed my 10 year old blender it was worth it. I got it as creamy as I could, I really don’t mind the texture, and followed the recipe exactly and it’s love!!! I can’t wait to try some different flavor combinations and I am going to try some cooking with it. Thanks so much for giving me my bagels back!!!

      Reply
    3. Edward Felici @ Foodaciously

      December 05, 2018 at 11:00 pm

      Uuh this looks incredibly creamy! The fact that it’s so simple to make it’s definitely a plus. Reminds me about hummus too by the looks and it could work very well as a replacement!

      Reply
    4. JoAnn

      November 24, 2018 at 6:42 am

      5 stars
      Can I leave it out to ferment for about 24 hrs?

      Reply
    5. Marie

      August 25, 2018 at 3:11 pm

      What can I use to substitute soy yogurt but still vegan. There is a legume allergy.

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sina

        August 26, 2018 at 1:13 am

        Hi Marie,

        You could use almond or cashew yogurt instead. Just make sure it’s unsweetened. :-)

        Hope that helps!

        Reply
    6. Lisa

      June 28, 2018 at 1:43 am

      5 stars
      Soo soooo good and creamy !!! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    7. Tyler

      March 14, 2017 at 4:46 pm

      How long would you guess this keeps in the fridge?

      Reply
    8. Alisa Fleming

      January 07, 2017 at 10:11 pm

      So smart to use yogurt in this recipe! I’ve made a lot of cashew cream cheeses, but never with yogurt added. I bet this would ferment well, too.

      Reply
    9. Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

      January 05, 2017 at 11:28 pm

      I love how easy this is. And I love all of that garlic. Yum!

      Reply
    10. The Vegan 8

      January 05, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      I love making cream cheese! So much better than dairy. This looks so creamy Sina! Love the herbs!

      Reply
    11. Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite

      January 05, 2017 at 7:11 am

      I love a good vegan cream cheese! I especially love the fresh chives. And the photo with the pretty radishes. Yum!

      Reply
    12. Mel @ avirtualvegan.com

      January 03, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      I can think of so many things that I want to slather this on….First being the loaf of fresh bread which is about to be taken out of the oven…Yum!

      Reply
    13. Jenn

      January 03, 2017 at 4:16 pm

      Yum! I love cashew cream cheese and make it almost weekly around here. I like your trick of adding a few tablespoons of yogurt – I bet it’s awesomely tangy and creamy!

      Reply
    14. Sarah

      January 03, 2017 at 7:46 am

      Oh wow! My husband loves cream cheese, and I loved Boursin! This looks delicious!

      Reply
    15. Becky

      January 02, 2017 at 7:52 pm

      This looks so rich and creamy. Yum!!

      Reply
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    Sina-Veganheaven

    Hi, I'm Sina and this is my recipe blog where I share heavenly simple and sinfully delicious vegan recipes.

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