• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • All Recipes
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Gluten Free
  • Vegan

Darn Good Veggies logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Vegan
  • Gluten Free
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Plant Basics

Published: May 6, 2019 · by Laurel Perry · About 2 minutes to read this article. · This post may contain affiliate links

How to Make Easy Vegan Cream Cheese

  • Facebook
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Make luscious and creamy Easy Vegan Cream Cheese at home with simple ingredients and easy steps! Plain, strawberry, and garlic chive recipes included!

A bowl of strawberry easy vegan cream cheese.

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.

Plain easy vegan cream cheese spread on a bagel with capers and tomato.

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.

Strawberry easy vegan cream cheese spread on a bagel with fresh strawberries.

Tools you'll need to make easy vegan cream cheese:

High speed blender

Lidded storage containers

Ingredients you'll need to make easy vegan cream cheese:

Firm tofu

Coconut oil

Dairy-free yogurt (homemade or store bought)

Lemon juice

Salt

Plain easy vegan cream cheese in a bowl with capers.

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!
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Plain easy vegan cream cheese in a bowl with capers.

Easy Vegan Cream Cheese

  • Author: Laurel
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: about 2 ½ cups cream cheese 1x
  • Category: Side
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

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

Units Scale

Plain Cream Cheese:

  • 1 package firm tofu, drained
  • ½ cup nondairy yogurt (store bought or homemade)
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Strawberry Cream Cheese:

  • 1 recipe plain cream cheese
  • ½ 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,

« No Bake Triple Berry Tarts
Mexican Green Goddess Dressing (Dairy Free) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nerine says

    June 05, 2019 at 12:46 am

    What size packet of tofu do you use please?

    Reply
    • Laurel says

      June 05, 2019 at 1:58 pm

      Hi Nerine! It is the 16 oz container which should be standard in most grocery stores :)

      Reply
      • Nerine says

        August 08, 2019 at 5:35 pm

        Thank you Laurel! :)

        Reply
  2. Jeanie says

    March 14, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    What can I in place of coconut oil

    Reply
    • Laurel says

      March 16, 2020 at 9:23 am

      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.

      Reply
  3. Julia G says

    March 28, 2022 at 10:43 am

    Is there a substitute for the tofu? I get terrible migraines and soy is one of my possible triggers. I’m also allergic to certain dairy products so trying to find new ways to create foods I love. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Laurel Perry says

      March 29, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      Hi Julia, in this recipe there is not a substitute for the tofu. But, there are lots of great cashew-based cream cheese recipes from other bloggers! I would recommend giving one of those a try :) Happy cooking!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Laurel

Eating your veggies doesn’t have to mean bland steamed cauliflower and boring salads! My mission is to help people eat their nine servings of fruit & vegetables a day and LOVE it! About me →

Trying to Eat Healtier?

Subscribe and get our top tips for cooking veggies that you will CRAVE!

No spam. Ever.

Footer

↑ back to top

DARN GOOD VEGGIES

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Media Kit

CONNECT

  • Newsletter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

FOOD & RECIPES

  • 30 Minute Meals
  • 10 Ingredients or Less
  • Gluten Free
  • Vegan
  • Plant Basics

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Darn Good Veggies

Copyright © 2022 · Cookd Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in