Apple pie meets cheesecake in this simply divine Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese. It is so delicious, so creamy and full of flavor. You only need 8 ingredients to make this and only 5 minutes!
VEGAN APPLE CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE
This vegan cream cheese is out of this world delicious and just screams Fall. I mean, who doesn’t love all things apple cinnamon? So, naturally I had to create a vegan apple cinnamon cream cheese for all the bagels and breakfast worthy of serving to guests.
The 2nd exciting thing…it snowed here in Houston, Texas! And for us Texans, that is a BIG deal because it rarely ever happens. It’s been so many years I can’t even remember in my mind when it last snowed here. It’s beautiful! When I was driving my daughter to school today I kept laughing and she asked why I was laughing and I told her, “Because I’m giddy with joy over the snow!” Cheesy, but it was so true. When something so rare happens, you really need to take the time to appreciate it.
IT’S ALL ABOUT VEGAN CREAM CHEESE
Now, I already have 4 vegan cream cheese recipes already on the blog, one AMAZING one in my cookbook and now this one. I honestly had to tear myself away from the food processor on this one. Apples are my favorite fruit and cinnamon is my favorite flavor, so when you add in tangy cream cheese to those flavors, it is pure bliss.This Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese will seriously make you weak in the knees. I’m not even kidding, it tastes like the combo of apple pie and cheesecake! That is seriously what the flavor is like. It’s so good I could cry.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CREAM CHEESE
To make this vegan cream cheese, you only need 8 easy ingredients (including salt):
- raw cashew butter
- non-dairy yogurt
- pure maple syrup
- cinnamon
- apple cider vinegar
- lemon juice
- freeze-dried apples
Due to the popularity of my 5 Ingredient Strawberry Cream Cheese, I knew another flavor needed to happen. A trip to the CVS store is what inspired this spur-of-the-moment creation. I was waiting in line and looked over to see some freeze-dried apples and they were super cheap, like less than $2 a bag, so I grabbed 3 of them and immediately knew I would use them to make cream cheese. So, here we are. Dairy-free cream cheese never tasted so good.
OTHER VEGAN CREAM CHEESE RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Smoky Black Pepper Cream Cheese
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Vegan Blueberry Cream Cheese
- Vegan Pimento Cheese
- Vegan Ricotta Cheese
- Vegan Baked Smoky Cashew Cheese
- Vegan Baked Herbed Cashew Cheese
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (85g) raw cashew butter (I use my homemade blend with no additives) (Do not use a roasted cashew butter or one with added oil/sugar, etc.)
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain non-dairy yogurt (Silk brand soy, Kite hill almond or coconut work, but don't use a low-fat one or it will be too runny.)
- 2 tablespoons (40g) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons (10g) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (5g) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 30 grams FREEZE-DRIED apples (fresh WON'T work, see NOTES)
- I use this scale
Instructions
- You need to make this a day in advance before eating, as it needs to chill overnight. You must use a food processor for this, there is not enough liquid for it to incorporate smoothly in a Vitamix or blender.
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and process until it breaks up into chunks. You will need to scrape down the sides several times to get it going. The yogurt and cinnamon will creep up the sides, so scrape it down well with as smooth spatula. It will seem too chunky at first, but scrape them down and let it process. Once it gets going, let it run 2-3 minutes or so until it is completely, super duper smooth, like in the photo. You don't want any bits of apple left.
- You should be able to test it and see how smooth it is. Now, if you taste it, it may seem not sweet enough, but trust me, do not be tempted to add more sweetener at this step! The flavors get sweeter and intensify to perfection overnight. Once it's entirely smooth, scrape all of the cream cheese out well, including around the blade, into a container and place in the fridge to chill and firm up overnight. It will be way too runny at this stage to eat right away.
- The next day when it's nice and chilled and firmed up, to me, it was absolutely perfect. Just enough sweetness and tang. It's not dessert, so you don't want it excessively sweet. It totally reminded me of an apple cinnamon cheesecake! Add to toast or bagels and enjoy!
Notes
The Vegan 8 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see my full disclosure policy here.
WOWZA!!! 😳 This APPLE CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE is PHENOMENAL!!! #mindblown🤯 I made it last night and this morning it is thick, creamy and the flavors are amazing!!! 😋🍎🥯 Definitely makes the perfect b-day breakfast treat, but I won’t wait another year to make it! 😉👍 Well done, Brandi!!!
Oh yum. I think apples and cinnamon are one of the most perfect matches and this just proves it. Trader Joe’s sells 34g packs of freeze dried apples – I just used the whole pack because the difference between 30 and 34g was one piece. It came out perfectly and definitely firmed up in the fridge. This might be weird, but it’s really good on the sweet potato cornbread from your cookbook. I know, that might be weird. I laugh whenever I use this because I remember my mom “yelling” at my dad when we were little because my dad used to lick peanut butter off a knife before he’d put it in the dishwasher. My mom would say he was setting a bad example for us kids because he could cut his tongue. Well I’ve been licking the knife with this stuff and haven’t cut my tongue. Dad will be proud!
Oh, I loved this story Laura, thank you so much for sharing!! Too funny and cute! I have licked a knife many times too, lol!
Thankyou so much Braandi, i was trying to come up with a apple vegan cream using chickpea fats that you can extract through a traditional method found online quite commonly then blend that into cream, but this is great and a very efficient way of preserving and holding consitentcy withthe lemon juice and the apple cider plus i also love the addition of maple and cinnamon delishh
Loved this—but I don’t understand how/why you or anyone else like freeze dried apples as a snack! I’ve had this reaction with all freeze dried fruit, but the apples seem like styrofoam without any taste. I understand completely why they were needed for this recipe and will gladly buy them for it, but no thanks to eating them as a snack—I’d rather have a regular apple. Other than that, I have we identical taste buds, as well as the same philosophy about enjoying healthy food.
Haha, oh I agree, they are certainly not comparable to the actual fresh apple! But, I love apples so much, they are my favorite fruit, so I will eat them in any way shape or form. On the other hand, so glad you loved this cream cheese, thank you for the review Ellen! Haha, that is awesome!
Ok, first of all…SNOW in Houston?!?! We don’t even have snow here in Bend right now! Hahaha!! I would have been super giddy too! That’s so much fun! Did you take a lot of pictures??
Now, moving onto this dreamy cream cheese! Whoa. I’m in LOVE with cinnamon, but paired with apples to make an amazing cream cheese sounds so incredible! Forget the bagels, just gimme a spoon, OK? I love that you used cashew butter and yogurt – I bet this is perfectly tangy and creamy. I can’t wait to give this a try!! I’ll be adding freeze dried apples to our grocery list next week 🙂
So sorry for being incredibly behind on your posts!! It’s so good to see so many new posts from you! ❤️
Wow this looks amazing and I am definitely excited to see a new recipe post from you, but I totally understand how busy you must be so it is completely understandable you had to take a little break. I am excited you are coming back with a bang and I can’t wait to see all the recipes unfold. I really have to try your cream cheese recipes but I just don’t know what to eat them with because I can’t find a gluten free oil free bagel. Bagels and cream cheese is something I really miss. I now have a solution for cream cheese thanks to you but I don’t know if I can find a solution to my bagel problem haha. Either way I enjoy just looking at your cream cheeses and dreaming 😛
Yes, I’m so unbelievably swamped, I really need a clone, lol. Thank you Christina! You can just use toast! This stuff is so delicious and would be good on anything!
On this one, I am sorry there are only 5 stars!
Yes, 5 is perfect, thank you so much Jo!
Brandi, I just answered my own question. Yes, you can use TJ’s coconut yogurt in this recipe. Couldn’t wait any longer to make it and you nailed it! So scrumptious. Also, I made the cashew butter but can you tell me how long the leftover cashew butter will keep in the fridge? Don’t have to worry about the Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese, it will be all gone tomorrow morning. 😍
Yay! So glad it was a hit Jo, thank you so much for making it and I am thrilled you loved it! Thank you for letting me know. Yes, soy or coconut will always work in my recipes 🙂 The cashew butter will actually last for a really long time in the fridge, months, but the longer it’s in the fridge, the harder it will get. I don’t like how hard it gets, so I keep it stored in my pantry and it stays soft. But, I also use mine up within a month. If you think yours will sit longer than a month, keep it in the fridge and then let it sit out at room temperature several hours before use so that it returns to it’s soft, smooth texture.
Thank you again for making this and if you don’t mind, could you star rate the recipe? Those ratings help me out so much, thank you!
Brandi, love your recipes. Only yogurt I can find is TJ’s Coconut yogurt. Do you think that would work? You mentioned almond might be too runny so wanted to check with you on the coconut.
Appreciate all you do.
Nothing much better than apples and cinnamon. One of my favorite flavor combos! This would make waking up for breakfast something I couldn’t wait for…but wait, then I wouldn’t be able to sleep because all I’d be thinking about is breakfast. Hmmm, I need to think on this. I think it’s probably best if I have some at night too.
Totally agree! Apples and cinnamon are pure heaven! Haha, yes, night, morning..midday snack!
Wow, your photos are so professional! Do you use retouching? Tell me what you think about these tips and ideas for food photography retouching http://fixthephoto.com/blog/retouch-tips/how-to-edit-food-photos.html. I would like to hear your advice. Thanks in advance!
Thank you so much, so glad you like them! I use lightroom for my photo editing, but it’s pretty minimal editing, as I use the settings on my camera and control the natural lighting for my photos BEFORE editing, so most of it is done with my own capturing. This is my goal usually, sometimes editing requires more depending on the weather though.
Brandi,
I might call myself the Lone Ranger because my wife and family chuckle at my riding the Vegan Range by myself. That said I’ve tried several of your recipes—most recently (today!) the Apple Cinammon Cream Cheese and at first taste even my gourmet wife said “very nice.”
Keep up the excellent work. I like the 8-ingredients idea.
John from Austin
Haha, that is too cute John! Oh, that is wonderful, so glad you both enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your kind words!
Yippee!!! I am equally as excited over both pieces of news and this spread/pudding (because there is no way I would not be getting in there with a spoon too!) I have no idea how you managed to come up with FOUR more recipes after the zillions you’ve been doing for the book, but I can’t wait for new posts from you again especially if they are Christmasy and desserts. I also can’t believe is snowed there! The only thing that makes cold weather worth it to me haha. I grew up in Arkansas so I distinctly remember the giddy joy of the usually just one snowfall we got each year. I hope there was some snowman building or something wonderfully cliche like that 🙂 Okay but onto the cream cheese–I think this may be my favorite flavor yet! While not purple (hello most beautiful blueb version <3) freeze dried apples are actually my favorite for snacking so I imagine this is just as deliciously sweet. And spiced too of course because cinnamon in everything this time of year. When cashew butter is the first ingredient you know it's going to be GOOD 🙂
Haha, I know right, I couldn’t resist dipping my finger in there….uhmmm, multiple times! I know…but I’ve been so anxious just to get back to blogging! It’s seriously so incredible and shocking that it snowed here, but such a gift…I really wish it would come back! But we enjoyed it for that one day!
I cannot find non-dairy yogurt where I live. Could silken tofu be substituted? If so, what kind and how much. Thank you! This recipe sounds so yummy!
Hi Marianne! I’m not sure since I’ve never used tofu before. I do know that a few readers subbed tofu in place of yogurt in my Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake, but since that whole dish is baked, I’m not sure how it would work here. I have never used silken tofu. My guess would be to use the same amount, weight amount of 120g and drain out any extra water from the tofu first before weighing it. Since tofu has no flavor, it’s not going to have the same authentic cream cheese flavor though. So, to help that, I would try adding (in addition to the other acidic ingredients) 1-2 teaspoons of WHITE vinegar. I use white vinegar to give a cream cheese flavor in one of my alfredo sauce and it works amazing. I do not know if all of this will work taste or texture wise, but that is my best suggestion. Let me know if you try it!
Thank you for a timely recipe! I had a late potluck brunch to attend today. I made this w/ some homemade cashew yogurt. I had left over and it wa amazing! I did not chill overnight but instead put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. I served it with Vegan cranberry walnut bagels. It was a simple process and much less time consuming then anticipated. The group loved it. Happy Holidays!🌲
Yay Luci! I’m SO happy you already made it and it was loved by everybody at the potluck, that is awesome! Thank you so much for making it so quickly 🙂
I think my daughter and I would love this cream cheese. (My son does not like any kind of cream cheese and my husband detests cinnamon believe it or not!) Can you please tell me what brand of food processor you use? Have you had it for long? What are its pros and cons? I’m in the market to buy one so I’d appreciate your input. Also, if there are any brands you’ve either had bad experiences with or have heard negative reviews about please let me know that too so I avoid them. Thanks!
Hi Victoria! I’m so very sorry I missed this comment before! This is the food processor I use and have for years and love it. The Cuisinart 11 cup. It’s phenomenal and I use it for my nut butters, hummus, sauces…anything really. There aren’t really any cons other than maybe it’s heavy, but it’s a solid piece of machine, which is what you want. Highly recommend!
Here is the link to the one I use: http://amzn.to/2Bw5cGD
Thanks for your input about food processors! I appreciate reading about your personal experiences with the two you’ve used. Happy Holidays! 🙂
Oh and I’ve also owned the kitchenaid lower grade version which worked decently too. It is smaller and wasn’t quite as powerful, but still made nut butters. It is a good option if you are on a tight budget, but if you can afford it, get the Cuisinart one I recommended. I’m not really familiar with negative ones since I’ve only used these 2.
Here is the Kitchenaid one: http://amzn.to/2BuIP4x
I cannot get over how GENIUS of an idea this is!! First of all, vegan cream cheese by itself is dangerously addictive, but throw in the whole apple cinnamon combination and I completely understand why you could hardly step away from it! I can think of about ten things this would be great with…oatmeal, pancakes, bagels, apple slices, toast, a SPOON…may or may not be drooling at the thought of it! Love that this is a healthy, homemade version, too. So cool that you got snow in Houston, I’m up in Ohio and we haven’t even gotten any yet! Hope you’re having a great Christmas season so far, Brandi!
Is it possible to leave the apples out and just make it a cinnamon cream cheese? It looks divine!
Hi Shree, you can try it! Not sure how it will firm up though, since the dried apples really help it to firm up. It might be rather runny even after chilling and I’m not sure how the flavor will compare since I’ve only made it as written above, but you are welcome to try it!