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Cream cheese is undoubtedly scrumptious, but whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, cutting down on dairy, or just itching to try something new on your morning toast, DIY vegan cream cheese is one of my favorite things to make.
I like to make mine from cashews. Not only are cashews tasty, they are extremely healthy. Cashews are rich in copper and magnesium and, they boast a high concentration of heart-healthy fats. Best of all, cashews, when soaked in water become soft and very “blendable” you can make everything from nut milk to cream sauce to (my favorite) cashew shakes. But, today, we’re here to talk cream cheese, and it couldn’t be simpler.
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 4 cups filtered water + ½ cup more for blending
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- Soak cashews four hours - overnight in filtered water
- Drain all water and blend with ½ cup filtered water, lemon juice white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast , and half of salt, until smooth (this will take at least 10 minutes unless you’re working with a high-powered blender like a vitamix or blendtec) .
- You may need to add more water if your cream cheese is a bit too thick - for example if it looks more like cashew butter than cream cheese, but don’t add too much.
- Test seasoning, add more salt if needed and blend to finish.
I am always stuck for a substitute for cream cheese….I have soaked some cashews after reading this post and will make the cream cheese when I get home from work today. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it. With some slight mods (less nuch + maple sugar) you can use it for cream cheese frosting too!
Do you use raw or roasted cashews?
Glenna, use raw
Yes, raw cashews! Sorry about that.
I just updated the post to specify “raw.” Thanks!
This looks very tasty. Ive been a vegan for over 3 years. Its great to have healthy alternatives to the junk food I used to enjoy. I have some great blog posts on the raw vegan diet at vegansgoraw.com
Oh, goodness, that looks delicious. I’m not a vegan, but I can’t wait to try this!
(And thank goodness for all my real-life vegan friends who taught me how to appreciate really great vegan cooking! I would be missing out otherwise.)
Have you made this with other nuts? Almonds, peanuts? I’m cooking for someone who’s deathly allergic to poison oak, to which cashews are related – so they’re also off his food list.
Thanks.
Thanks for the recipe! I made it yesterday and served it with handmade almond crackers and my hot pepper jelly – http://gazingin.com/2012/10/15/almond-crackers-spicy-cream-cheese/
Can’t wait to try this one…I would also love to know if someone else has tried other nuts???
I have made cheese with macadamias, also great!!
Oh, cool, thanks! I love macadamias!
Just made it! Does anyone know how long it will last for?
Mine tasted fine a week out
Have you tried freezing the cashew cheese? I don’t want to make it daily but my son can’t have leftovers due to mold. He is super sensitive and have found he can’t eat anything that’s more than 12-24 hours old without getting sick. Thought maybe the texture would change though if frozen. Thoughts?
Thanks
Kristy
Kristy- Cashew-based creams freeze pretty well. You may need to give it a quick buzz in the blender to get the texture back to it’s optimal creaminess! A little change in the amount of water can move the texture of cashew cheese from ricotta to sour cream!
I wonder if the soaked cashews could be frozen in serving-size amounts and then prepared as needed??
I did not have much success with the “cream cheese” outcome, i don’t think my food processor was strong enough. HOWEVER, Husband and I have decided it is more like cashew ricotta and are planning to use it in a lasagna soon!
I’ve been experimenting with cashew cream cheeses (it’s my new obsession). This is my fav so far! Can you tell me why some say to put in a glass container and/or sit outside the fridge for 24-48 hours? This time I took your recipe and put in a glass container and put in a cabinet, and plan to crack it open in two days. But I’d like to know why some give these instructions. Thank you!
Excellent!! I used this for vegan cream cheese frosting. I didnt soak the nuts, i just let them blend in the food processor for about 12 minutes.
The cream cheese frosting was excellent!