Cream cheese is very popular in my home. When we first went plant-based I went on the hunt to find a cream cheese that my family would love. Tofutti cream cheese was one that we all agreed was a good replacement to our original dairy based cream cheese, unfortunately it is quite pricey for such a small container. With feeding a family of five, this seemed more like it would be an occasional treat rather than something we would have on hand all the time. I knew we all loved cashew anything and cashew cream sauce was such a hit, why not make a cashew cream cheese. Probably one of the easiest recipes I make. It is so simple to make that when you are done you will wonder if you missed a step or two. It can be spread on crackers, toast or licked right off the spoon. I keep the ingredient list super simple so I can add it into any recipe, including my Tiramisu! Its so tasty, you will find yourself going back into the fridge for more all day long.
Cashews – Use raw cashews and soak them for at least one hour. You can soak them in cold water in the fridge overnight. The long soaking time gives you a creamier cheese.
Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed or real lemon juice from the bottle. You can double up on the lemon juice if you don’t have any vinegar.
Rice Vinegar – I find rice vinegar does not alter the taste of the cheese but still gives it the tang. Apple cider vinegar can used instead but it will affect the overall flavour.
Cashew Cream Cheese
Ingredients
2 cup cashews
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
Instructions
1. In 6-8 cups of boiling water soak cashews for at least 1 hour. The water should be boiling hot when you first pour over cashew and then just let it sit in the water for an hour.
2. Drain and rinse cashews and place in a high-speed blender along with lemon juice, salt and water.
3. In a blender or food processor, starting on low speed gradually increase speed to highest setting and blend until creamy smooth stopping to scrape down sides of blender a few times.
4. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. (it has never lasted that long in my home!
Enjoy!
**Tips**
- This plain cashew cream cheese is delicious on its own, but if you want to kick it up a notch, you can try mixing in any combination of the following…
- fresh green onion or chives
- lemon pepper
- fresh or powdered garlic
- nutritional yeast
- thyme
- rosemary
- basil
- oregano
- chili powder or dried chili peppers
- For a sweet treat mix it with some cinnamon sugar!
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