Make luscious and creamy Easy Vegan Cream Cheese at home with simple ingredients and easy steps! Plain, strawberry, and garlic chive recipes included!
Homemade dairy free cream cheese. How hard can it be?
Luckily for us, these three cream cheese recipes are easy peasy. But, man was it a long road of recipe testing to get there!
I started by culturing and fermenting just about every type of nut based milk and spread out there. Some were funky, others were chunky, all of them were overcomplicated.
Who has time to soak nuts overnight, blend and strain them, thicken the mixture over the stove, then wait for it to culture for dayssss on the counter? I mean, cream cheese is good, but is it worth-all-that-work good?
Not when we have a recipe for 10 minute vegan and paleo cream cheese that tastes and looks like the real deal. It is silky smooth. Perfectly tangy and ready to be smeared on a bagel.
Once you know how to make plain dairy free cream cheese, you can get fancy and jazz it up with different flavor combinations (recipes included below!). So, let’s dive into how to make the OG plain cream cheese.
How to make easy vegan cream cheese:
1: Blend and chill
Add all your ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend until that cream cheese is creamy and smooth. Pour it into a lidded container and pop it in the fridge to set up. That’s it. Told you this was simple and easy!
2: Customize with flavors
Plain cream cheese is good, but chive and onion cream cheese? An entire different level of delicious. At least in my book! But if you fancied strawberry or garden herb, this is where you can shine. Recipes are included below for a few different flavor variations, but feel free to get creative. You can add flavor by blending in ingredients in the previous step, or stirring them in after the cream cheese has set.
Tools you’ll need to make easy vegan cream cheese:
Ingredients you’ll need to make easy vegan cream cheese:
Firm tofu
Dairy-free yogurt (homemade or store bought)
Lemon juice
What to make with vegan cream cheese:
- Loaded Veggie Cream Cheese Sandwich
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
- Use it as a spread for wraps and bagels
- Stay tuned for more upcoming recipes!
Easy Vegan Cream Cheese
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 2 1/2 cups cream cheese 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make luscious and creamy Easy Vegan Cream Cheese at home with simple ingredients and easy steps! Plain, strawberry, and garlic herb recipes included! This tofu and dairy free yogurt based cream cheese means you get the benefits of a cultured cheese, without the work! Spread it on bagels, sandwiches, and wraps!
Ingredients
Plain Cream Cheese:
- 1 package firm tofu, drained
- 1/2 cup nondairy yogurt (store bought or homemade)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Strawberry Cream Cheese:
- 1 recipe plain cream cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
Garlic Herb Cream Cheese:
- 1 recipe plain cream cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Instructions
For the plain cream cheese:
Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a lidded container and place in the fridge to firm up, about 1-2 hours.
For the strawberry cream cheese:
Make the plain cream cheese recipe, but add in the strawberries and honey before blending. Pour into a lidded container and place in the fridge to firm up, about 1-2 hours.
For the garlic herb cream cheese:
Make the plain cream cheese recipe, but add in the garlic before blending. Pour into a lidded container and stir in the chives and dill. Place it in the fridge to firm up, about 1-2 hours.
Keywords: strawberry, garlic, herb, chive, plain, vegan, paleo, dairy free, healthy, tofu, easy, quick,
What size packet of tofu do you use please?
Hi Nerine! It is the 16 oz container which should be standard in most grocery stores :)
Thank you Laurel! :)
What can I in place of coconut oil
Hi Jeanie, Great question :) The coconut oil is used for creating a realistic cream cheese-like texture, and I would not recommend substitutions. Since coconut oil hardens in the fridge, it helps the cream cheese thicken up and become spreadable.