Cashew Cream Cheese is Easier and Tastier Than You Think

I put my cashew cream cheese on my leftover focaccia! It was delicious.

Cheese is my favorite genre of food, so why would I seek out a substitute?

I’ve never wanted to cut dairy completely out of my diet, but I am interested in dietary restrictions. Chefs have been given tools to understand how to treat ingredients with care and make anything delicious, regardless of whether or not you’re using animal products. If omnivores are trying to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet, they’re going to have to be equally delicious and make the person eating it feel better as well.

I first sampled Riverdel’s vegan cheeses at an event in the summer of 2019, and I was so impressed that I have been a customer ever since. It was their cheese that inspired me to try making some of my own plant-based ones at home. I’ve started with a really simple recipe that you can make at home, given that you have patience to wait about 48 hours to eat it!

Once you have done this recipe, you can use a little bit of your old cream cheese as the probiotic starter for the next one rather than buying another yogurt from the store.

Cashew Cream Cheese

Makes about 1 pint of “whipped” style cream cheese— see notes at the bottom

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (roughly 225 g) cashews

• 1 plain non-dairy yogurt or probiotic capsule

• Salt

Procedure:

1. Soak Cashews in hot water for at least 8 hours or overnight.

2. Once the cashews have finished soaking, drain them and boil some water. Pour the boiling water over the cashews as well as the container that you will be putting the cheese in and any other tools that will come in contact with the cashews. This process is to ensure that you cultivate the right kind of bacteria from the yogurt and not any lingering bacterial “guests.”

3. Blend your drained cashews in either a high-speed blender or a food processor to get them smooth, about 2-3 minutes. You may need to add a little water to achieve a homogenous effect.

4. At this stage, scrape your cashews into a non-metal bowl. If the mixture is steaming from the bowl, stir the mixture for about 2-3 minutes to bring the temperature down. If your cashew puree is too warm, it will kill the probiotics in the yogurt and your cream cheese will not culture.

5. Season your cashew puree with salt to taste. Add 2 tablespoons of your plant-based yogurt and combine thoroughly.

6. Place in a sealed container (preferably glass) and leave it at room temperature for 12-48 hours. The longer you leave the cashew cheese out, the more cultured the product will taste. Taste your product at roughly 12 hour increments to decide when you are happy with the flavor.

7. At this point, you can add flavorings to your cream cheese if desired. Add some za’atar or some scallions in the spirit of intuitive cooking!

Notes:

• If you are looking for a more brick-style cashew cream cheese, then strain your puree with a cheesecloth between the 3rd and 4th step to remove some of the additional liquid.

• Your cream cheese will develop cultures at different rates depending on the temperature of your kitchen. If it is cold in your house during the winter, know that it will probably take a little longer to get the flavor you want.

• Your cashew cheese will last at least a week in your fridge. I would recommend labeling your cream cheese, noting the date on some kitchen tape. That way, if it ends up in your fridge a little longer than expected you can track the date.