Vegan Cream Cheese – Creamy smooth with a bit of tang this tasty dairy free cream cheese recipe is customizable and easy to make!
Bring on the bagels, homemade cream cheese and all the fixings for a great breakfast platter or main meal!
This vegan cream cheese recipe is a perfect substitute for dairy cream cheese and is adapted from my Cashew Ricotta Cheese. It’s easy to make and can easily be customized for extra tang or flavored with optional add-ins.
If you’re trying to give up dairy or are just craving a great dairy free cream cheese than I think you’re going to love this vegan cream cheese recipe!
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this recipe, cashews are blended with two types of acidic ingredients creating a slightly tangy and creamy spread that you won’t believe is dairy-free!
Here is everything you’ll need:
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Lemons
- Apple cider vinegar
- Mineral salt
Pro Tip: Use a high-speed or small personal blender (affiliate link) for the best results.
Can I Add Flavors?
Yes, I love adding fresh chopped chives, ½ – 1 teaspoon onion powder, or a small diced jalapeno for a change of taste. When adding flavor, I suggest blending chives and jalapeno in by hand at the end. For a sweet variation try this Sweet Cashew Cream.
How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese
Making vegan cream cheese only takes a few simple steps:
- Soak cashews. Soften the cashews by soaking them in hot water for 10 minutes. Alternately, soak them for 2 – 3 hours in cool water. Cashews don’t need any longer than 3 hours to soak but will be fine if soaked overnight. Soaking also aids in digestion and is good for those with sensitivities.
- Blend. Add the ingredients to the blender cup and process until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides every now and then. Taste for flavor, adding more lemon or apple cider vinegar for more tang.
- Eat as is or chill. Serve right away or keep in the refrigerator to chill and thicken even more.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This cashew cream cheese can be kept in the freezer, in a freezer safe container, for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using.
Serving Suggestions
You can use it anywhere dairy cream cheese is called for. We absolutely love this stuff!
- Smear on crackers and bagels (sweet or savory)
- Make cream cheese filled celery sticks
- Serve with a platter of fruit and breads
- Use it in baking, like this Persimmon Ricotta Scones
- It’s great in this Zucchini Ricotta Pasta + Mint
Can I Buy Dairy-Free Cream Cheese In The Store?
Absolutely! Before learning how to make homemade, my favorite store bought vegan cream cheeses were kite hill and Miyoko’s. Kite hill has a variety of flavors and is my #1. Miyoko’s plain is tangy and great when you want that extra zing.
More Easy Cashew Recipes
If recipes using cashews intrigues you, be sure to take a look at this amazing:
- No-Bake Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake
- or this comforting Easy Vegan Mac & Cheese with Peas
- Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
- Cashew Sour Cream
- or maybe this flavorful Vegan Aioli!
If you try this cashew cream cheese recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintVEGAN CREAM CHEESE
Silky smooth vegan cream cheese is made with 5 simple ingredients and is a perfect condiment for bagels, sandwiches, and veggies!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 1 cup 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: blend, puree
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 + ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 – 3 small lemons)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon mineral salt
Optional add-ins (use one):
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
Instructions
Soak cashews: Cover cashews with hot water and soak for 5 – 10 minutes. Alternately, soak them for 2 – 3 hours in cool water. Soaking will aid in digestion.
Blend: Using a high speed blender or small personal blender, add the ingredients to the cup of your preferred blender and blend until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides every now and then. If using optional add-ins, stir them in.
Enjoy vegan cream cheese right away or let chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Makes about 1 cup
Store: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, it will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Notes
Add-ins: For variation try adding fresh chopped chives, ½ – 1 teaspoon onion powder, or a small diced jalapeno for a change of taste. When adding flavor, I suggest blending the chives and jalapeno in by hand at the end. For a sweet variation try this Sweet Cashew Cream.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I ♡ my NutriBullet (affiliate link) for small jobs like this. It’s powerful, compact and easy to clean! For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my kitchen essentials.
Keywords: vegan cream cheese, cashew cream cheese, cream cheese recipe
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Swati says
I would love to make an open grilled chilli cheese toast with this cream cheese – will it become golden brown on top after grilling?
Debbie Nokes says
I just made this and it’s amazing. Four ingredients and so delicious! We enjoyed it as a dip for red bell pepper slices with toasted sesame seeds.
Better than the “real cream cheese” .
So glad I found your site. Your photos and instructions are beautifully done. Thank You for sharing!
★★★★★
Thekla Marcus says
How can one make almond sweet cream for frostings?
Despo says
Hello! I plan on making a vegan carrot cake and in the frosting i need to add vegn cheesecream. The problem is that in my country it is really hard to find vegan cheese cream. Do you think this recipe would work?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, this will work!
KG says
I’ve never tried to make my own cream cheese before but a pasta dish called for some and I didn’t have any store bought in the fridge, so I gave this a shot. So glad I did! This turned out perfectly and was so easy to make using my NutriNinja (even though it’s not super powerful, I just boiled the cashews an extra minute to make sure they were soft enough). Excited to try the leftovers in bagels in the morning. Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Sarah says
Will regular sea salt work fine?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, it will work just as well. Enjoy!
Alice says
What can I use instead of apple cider vinegar?
★★★★★
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
You can use lemon juice! Enjoy :)
alessandra says
I really want to try this recipe out, it looks really good
But i have a question, can this cream cheese be used to male cream cheese frosting?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yes, you can use it to replace dairy cream cheese for cream cheese frosting! This is something I’m working on at the moment too.
alessandra says
Wu! Awesome, im gonnna try it out!
Laura says
What is mineral salt?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Mineral salt is similar to sea salt, but unlike other salts it contains essential minerals and trace elements the body uses. There are two kinds of mineral salt: 1) himilayan salt (aka pink salt) 2) celtic sea salt (grey). It can be found in bulk, and is also sold in grinders (Trader Joe’s has a great price). It can be expensive so be sure to look around. I use it almost exclusively and will buy a big bag of it which lasts me a looong time. I use this Terrasoul Himalayan Salt from amazon. I tastes nice and you don’t generally need to use as much as regular salt. Hope that helps!
Laura says
Awesome! I have pink himilayan! Thank you!
Luciana says
How long can it be stored for in the refrigerator? Thanks.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
It will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator. I’ve added it to the recipe card for reference. Enjoy!
Faith King says
I absolutely love this recipe. I think it tastes better than dairy cream cheese. I just changed to vegan , I wondered if I could live without cream cheese, sour cream . I’m so encouraged. Thanks for your recipes!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Yay, so glad you found this recipe! I agree, it’s better than dairy cream cheese! Cheers :)
Ruth says
Hello! I love your recipes. I seriously live on them.
I bought a smaller processor to make this, but it never got creamy – we used it as ricotta instead.
I see you used the Nutribullet, but we are not smoothie people.
Do you think an immersion blender would help it to get creamier?
It also was on the sweet side for a cream cheese.
I’d like to make it again with more acid ingredients.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Ruth, so glad the recipes are working well for you. This cream cheese is definitely not as tangy as some so adding more acid will help with that. This is more like the Philadelphia cream cheese. Please let us know how much acid you used so we can note it in the recipe for others who want a tangier cream cheese.
I don’t think an immersion blender will get it any creamier than your blender, but you can give it a try. I would say try blending it a little longer and see if that helps.
I love my nutribullet, it’s powerful, especially for small jobs like this. I’m not much of a smoothie maker either (but my daughter is). I use it for so many other things like making almond parmesan, cashew sour cream, caesar salad dressing, just about anything the calls for blending nuts, as long as it’s not a huge amount.
Hope that helps, and keep enjoying the recipes! :)
Nechama says
Oh, it tastes good, but a tad not thick enough. What can I do now? Looking forward to this very much. Also, need to make some bagels.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Put it the refrigerator and it will thicken up perfectly! Or put it the freezer for about 30 minutes to quicken the process. Enjoy!