Easy vegan cream cheese

13 Jul 2020

I developed this recipe by accident while I was looking for a replacement for cashews. I do love them and I often make delicious cashew cheese but I wanted to come up with a vegan cheese that also has a better calcium content. So I experimented with different nuts and seeds, initially for vegan gouda-like replacements, but I didn't get the results I wanted. One day I really fancied nut cheese again but had run out of cashews. So i was forced to look for a replacement.

And when I looked through my cupboard I found some almonds. I thought, why not give them a try. I very much love their taste but I was a bit worried that the vegan cheese would also have a marzipan taste. Luckily that wasn't the case. I think once you heat up the almonds their taste becomes more neutral. Long story short, the almond cheese tasted amazing, but it didn't hold together as well as cashew cheese, which slices really well. Then I realised that the texture was actually perfect for cream cheese! So I experimented a bit more and out came this beautifully declicious almond cream cheese! It spreads really nicely, has a great consistency and tastes absolutely delicious. It's also full of nutrients thanks to the high calcium and protein content of the almonds. This is also an amazing alternative to hummus (if you are like me and eat way too much of it all the time hehe).

For more delicious, quick and easy vegan recipe ideas, also check out my other videos on my youtube channel and subscribe here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/exceedinglyvegan

If you missed cream cheese like Philadelphia, then this is the perfect vegan replacement for it. I love it on crispbread and you can be super creative with the toppings. The middle one is just sweet chilli sauce, so simple, yet so delicious!

You can spread it on anything you like and it lasts for quite a few days in the fridge as well. Mine kept for a week, but always check yourself to be sure.

You can use this vegan cream cheese on crackers, for picnics or even serve as canapés when parties are allowed again ;-)

Soft, creamy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

75g blanched almonds
150ml water
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt

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METHOD:

Blend all ingredients in a blender for 1.5 minutes until soft. You need a strong smoothie blender for this. If you don't have it you can also used ground almonds instead and mix them with the other ingredients, it won't be as smooth but would work too.

Then pour the blended contents into a pan (non-stick) and heat up for until the mixture changes consistency and turns into a thickish paste. Make sure you stir constantly because it can burn easily.

Then transfer the mixture to a kitchen container and even out the top.

Let cool down and set in the fridge for about 4 hours (or 1 hour in the freezer if you are impatient, but the consistency and taste will be a bit better if you let it cool down slowly).

Enjoy on crackers, bread or with veggies.

And if you enjoyed this recipe, also check out my herb-crusted cashew cheese recipe here.