Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe (Dill)

Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe

Today we are making a dill flavored vegan Cream Cheese Recipe! Here’s a little throwback to my grade school, pre-teen days. My lunches and snacks would consist of a couple memorable snack items. This included Dunkaroos (only ever sprinkle vanilla – the chocolate flavor wasn’t my favorite), those Mrs. Fields single-serving milk chocolate chip cookies, marbled cheese strings, Kool-aid or apple juice cartons and more.

I should mention here that I went through a time where I would take leftover Kool-aid packets from my classmates and get my grandma to sew them together to make purses. I had recently gotten involved with an environmental group at my school and was re-using the juice packs! It was a pretty smart idea, until one of the largest bags I had made got stolen at the mall (which is a story for another time).

Lunch time!

For lunch, I would see my classmates bringing in those Lunchable packs with some crackers, maybe a dip or some cheese to spread on top, and salami (??). I don’t even know what it looks like so I can’t say if it was baloney, salami, ham slices, or what specifically. Me? No way would you have ever found a Lunchable in my hands. My mom always packed me a homemade lunch, since we never had a school cafeteria either.

The lunch bell would ring. I would unzip my lunch pail. Which, at one time, I remember, was the Scooby-Doo Mystery Van – the lunch pail was even shaped like a van and opened up from the top to add your food in! My school’s principal had commented on how he loved it, which I still remember to this day. Mind you, this was also about … 15 years ago! I would slowly take out my aluminum foil wrapped lunch. Crinkle. Crackle. As I would start opening it, smells started wafting. WHAT IS THAT?? The kids would ask. But it didn’t phase me, because the food tasted darn good! It would be some hearty sandwich or wrap, and one of my favorites was this spinach wrap filled with mayo and eggs.

Slather on the cream cheese!

So another lunch item I recall having, but not as often as my beloved spinach wraps, was the whole “cream cheese & bagel” combo. I would smear on the plain white regular cream cheese (or get those everything bagels from Tim Hortons, never bothering to tell them to go easy on the cream. Boy do they SLATHER it on).

Needless to say that after going vegan, I wasn’t able to have cream cheese. Way back in 2014 when I started eating more vegan foods, delicious vegan cream cheese (and other vegan cheeses that even tasted mediocre) were not on the menu for plant-based diets. Nowadays, there are tons of options (and if you’re vegan, you probably already know this – hello, Kite Hill, Tofutti, and tons of other amazing brands)!

However, I do find that the trend of “junk food vegan” has grown, where people become vegan for ethical reasons rather than health. Meaning you can survive on Oreos and still consider yourself vegan. Yay for the animals! Nay for our HEALTH though! We do need some healthy recipes mixed in with those accidentally vegan chips and cookies.

Cashew based cream cheese

TODAY’S recipe brings to you VEGAN recipe for a CASHEW cream cheese. This spread is made with five simple ingredients, so you can whiz it in the blender and have it ready in your fridge for when that bagel craving hits!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe

Cream Cheese That’s Good For You?!: This recipe is made of all wholesome ingredients! For those with allergies, it is also soy-free, oil-free, dairy-free and gluten-free (processed wheat free). It does have cashew nuts, so if you’re allergic to this you may be able to use extra-firm tofu instead. However, I haven’t tried it, so leave a comment if it works! It’s thick and white, similar to cashews (although not soy free).

There are many different kinds of cream cheese bases for the vegan brands in stores today, and cashews are a major option for this because of their high fat content.

Substitutions

Cashews: Cashews are such a great option for making a creamy texture to replace dairy in different recipes. When cashews are mixed with lemon juice or vinegar (something acidic), it makes a somewhat cheesy flavor. This is why it’s used as a base for raw vegan cheesecake too! You do need to follow the instructions in the recipe card and make sure to boil the cashews before using.

Either leave them at room temperature in hot water overnight, or in boiling water for 30 minutes if you’re short on time. You should be able to easily press them with your fingers (to check for softness). Do not replace this with another nut – the kind of nut does make a difference. Other nuts also have an outer coating or a different color (such as pecans) which are not ideal for making this recipe.

Dill: Use fresh dill. You can omit this for just a plain cream cheese.

Lemon Juice: Preferably use fresh lemon juice, not the pre-juiced carton. You may try to interchange this with apple cider vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar: You may try to replace this with white vinegar or more lemon juice.

Serve This Recipe With

There are so many ways to serve this! I think this tastes delicious in a sandwich (honestly, one of my favorite ways to eat cream cheese, like making a vegan carrot lox). I occasionally add it to an “everything” sandwich, wrap, bagel, you have it. What do my “everything” wraps consist of?

All different flavors – artichokes, chutney, roasted mushrooms/onions/green peppers, THIS DILL HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE, sun-dried tomatoes, you name it! So I’ll leave you with this last comment … this is the day you will want to stop buying traditional cream cheese!

Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe Notes

• For best results, use a high-speed blender or food processor. Otherwise, you may be left with chunks of cashews in the mix!
• For an even smoother texture, you can try to add a drizzle of olive oil into the recipe while blending. I do not recommend to use coconut oil, because it hardens at room temperature (depending on how hot or cold it is). This will change the texture of the recipe.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Vegan Queso

Baked Pizza Dip

Cranberry Parsley Cheese Ball

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Vegan Mayonnaise

If you make this Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!