VEGAN SMOKY BLACK PEPPER CREAM CHEESE
If there is one major thing I’ve missed since going vegan, it is CREAM CHEESE. One of my favorite things I indulged in the past was cream cheese on a toasted bagel. That irresistible, incredible, bold tang of cream cheese that is insanely delicious. The tang that is in cream cheese compared to regular cheese is what I love so much. Well, my friends, here is the result of my cream cheese dreams come true, in healthy vegan fruition. Read on to see how I came up with this dreamy stuff.
Most commercial vegan cheeses I’ve tried were, how do I put this, nasty. Weird and full of horrible ingredients. That is, until I tried Field Roast Chao cheese. It is incredibly delicious, melts well and tastes just like traditional cheese. They offer 3 flavors and by far, my favorite was their “black pepper” flavor. I love, love black pepper and in a cheese, it’s just divine. Only issue is it is of course highly processed and full of oil, 2 things I try to avoid.
Their “black pepper” flavor was what inspired me to create a cream cheese with that flavor. I took it one step further by adding a smoky element…another thing I loved before, was the smoky cheeses. So this recipe is the result of all things in the past I loved so much.
And my friends, this one passed with flying colors with my hubby, daughter and other family members who are NOT vegans. I’m as giddy as can be, knowing I can now have cream cheese again that I can feel good about eating.
Cashew cream cheese is nothing new. Cashews are a vegan’s best friend. But every recipe I’ve come across has involved strange ingredients I’ve never heard of or really involved steps or draining from cheese cloths….basically things I didn’t want to fool with. This is just soaking cashews overnight and then draining and blending in a food processor! I just wanted simple. I like simple. I also wanted a strong tang, more than just lemon juice, and an easy way to achieve that.
So, how did I achieve that amazing tang?? Well, it requires just 8 ingredients (plus water), but specifically 3 very basic ingredients to get that TANG. Nothing fancy you have to go to a special store for. These 3 ingredients achieved that awesome, bold tang I was after.
Lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and pickle juice! Yes, pickle juice. For some weird reason (no, I’m not pregnant) I started craving pickles really strongly the past month. Maybe it was a sign from the food Gods, I don’t know, but I bought some pickles. I had been working on this recipe a few times and wanted a more depth of tang than just what lemon juice and apple cider vinegar provide. It hit me, the pickle brine! I thought it sounded like the final piece to the cream cheese puzzle. I was right. It provided that extra tang and depth of flavor I was after. Plus, have you all seen the dairy cream cheese dips where people add pickles to the dip?
This cream cheese is soy-free, oil-free and coconut-free!
MORE VEGAN CREAM CHEESE RECIPES
- Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Blueberry Cream Cheese
- Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese
- Almond Blueberry Cream Cheese
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Smoky Black Pepper Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) non-dairy unsweetened unflavored yogurt (I highly recommend the almond kite hill yogurt, it is VERY creamy and rich. Don't use a low-fat brand.)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (23g) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons dill pickle juice OR 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar, which really aids in the cream cheese flavor
- 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (increase to 1/2 teaspoon for a strong peppery taste or omit)
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
NOTE
- I trialed this recipe many times before arriving to the above recipe that I and others absolutely loved, so please don't sub any of the ingredients or change the process below, especially the acidic liquids, as they are the key to this cream cheese flavor. You can leave out the black pepper if you want a more basic cream cheese, but I wouldn't suggest leaving out the liquid smoke, as it does add an extra tang as well, helping to camouflage the cashew flavor. You can customize this with other flavors by adding chopped chives, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes. Have fun with it!
- I use this scale
Instructions
- Important: You MUST soak the cashews for a minimum of 12 hours and use a food processor. A fast boil or quick soak will NOT WORK. You'll need to prep this 2 days before you want to eat it, for the best results. You should literally be able to crumble them after soaking, that's how soft you want them. They become extremely soft this way and is how the whipped texture and super creaminess comes about. Even the flavor is better this way. This recipe uses very little liquids, so trying to skip the long soaking method will affect the results. You want the nuts very soft. A food processor is how to get the specific texture, again because very little liquid is used. A blender WILL NOT WORK. So, add your cashews to a bowl and cover with warm water and leave to sit on your counter overnight. Drain them the next day and rinse very well. Shake off excess water.
- Add the soaked/drained cashews, water, yogurt, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to a food processor and process until a paste forms. Scrape the sides a couple of times and process again. You want it relatively smooth, but it doesn't have to be perfect since we are processing again.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients, liquid smoke, pickle juice, nutritional yeast, pepper and salt. Process for several minutes. I'm talking, walk away for a couple of minutes and come back. Scrape the sides down and process once more. DO NOT add more water or you will dilute the flavor. You want that stuff silky smooth and a whipped like texture. Refer to photos above for a visual.
- Once it's completely smooth, transfer to a glass container and store in the fridge overnight. It will thicken and firm up some and get really chilled, making it perfect for your bagel in the morning. You will experience the full flavor and texture after it has chilled overnight. Be patient my friends. Enjoy!
Oh wow! I love cream cheese, and this one looks heavenly! So loved this coconut-free, dairy-free version! Can’t wait to try this!
I MADE IT!!!!!
I soaked my cashews for 5 and a half hours in warm water,
and added pickled cucumber juice instead of dill pickle juice, which i don’t know if they are the same or not.
Also, i didn’t add liquid smoke since i don’t have.
I processed them with kitchen aid food processor as you instructed.
To make them as smooth as possible, i processed them to the extent that the machine got heated up!
Refrigerated them, and they came out AMAZING. they are not as smooth as the dairy stuff, but who cares, they really tastes good!
my non-vegan sister said it tasted good and… familiar. i, of course said,”it’s CREAM CHEESE!”
thank you for the recipe <3
greeting from veganabby3775 (instagram, haha)
Yay Abby! I’m so happy you made it and loved it sooo much!! Haha…awesome that even your non-vegan sister liked it! As far as soaking, I would suggest going a full night of soaking, at least 8 hours. I suggest fully overnight because they become extremely soft this way and should easily break with your fingers after soaking. I soaked mine at least 12 hours. This is what will give them the unbelievable smooth texture. It should be as smooth, if not smoother than storebought. Mine was literally like “buttah”, hahaha! Silky smooth, so soak it twice as long next time and it will be even smoother. Regardless though, like you said, you loved it and I’m stoked. Thank you so much for making it and leaving feedback!!
I have never commented on a blog for a recipe in my life. This shall be the first.
You. Are. A. Genius..
I could just end there, but I won’t. I saw your teaser photo for this on Facebook a few days ago and was intrigued. When the recipe was published yesterday, I threw some cashews in water immediately so I could get right on it today!
Easy to make. Flavor OUTSTANDING! Tastes JUST like cream cheese! The liquid smoke and pickle juice absolutely make the flavor so close to the real thing. It’s unbelievable. You obviously have an outstanding palate to know that it required those flavors. I consider myself to have an outstanding palate, but I never could have guessed that these flavors would be required.
Thank you SO MUCH! This is a gamechanger. I am now a fan for life! Bravo!!!
Lauren-BEST comment ever! I’m so honored that mine is the 1ST blog you’ve ever commented on, WOW! That is truly a compliment and made my day! I’m beyond excited that you loved this as much as we all have. I wasn’t kidding when I said cream cheese dreams came true! But cruelty-free and it’s sooo much healthier than dairy. It’s like a total dream, lol!
Thanks again for the compliments so much. My first couple trials were just with the liquid smoke, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar…it was great, but I knew something was missing…it was not until I added that pickle juice that it BECAME cream cheese. I am so persistent until I get a recipe right, especially with something as classic as cream cheese, so I’m ecstatic that you loved it so much! Thanks again for the feedback…can you tell I’m excited?! Haha
You’re welcome! You deserve a culinary award for this one…truly…
I’m going to have to make another batch ASAP because someone (who may or may not be ME) keeps digging a finger in this lusciously creamy stuff every time she goes in the fridge. LOL
I’ve made lots of plant-based cheeses before. Most use raw cashews. And don’t get me wrong, they are ok…but not like this.
So nice to “meet” you Brandi!! I’m a fan for life!
Lauren
I had to run to my computer since I just finished making this and OMG, it’s amazing! I’ve made a lot of different cream cheese recipes since going vegan and I do buy processed vegan cream cheese but this stuff is extra special and super addicting! It’s setting up in the fridge right now and I can’t wait to try it on an everything bagel in the morning, it will get me out of bed way faster knowing it’s waiting for me : ) Definitely can’t wait 2 days and I can’t imagine it getting better tasting than straight out of the blender (I did have to use my Vitamix since I don’t have a food processor but it worked out great, although I did soak the cashews for over 24 hours and used my small Vitamix container). I dipped pretzels in the leftover cream cheese I scraped out of the bottom of the blender! Will post a pic on IG in the next couple days, was just excited to tell you I made it and it’s awesome!
Nicole, yay!!! I’m so, so happy to hear you love this so much!! Oh girl, just wait til morning when it’s chilled and firm and smooth and on a hot toasted bagel…you will think you are in New York eating one of their bagels, hahaa! Thank you so very much for making it and the awesome feedback! Oh and overnight chilling is plenty, you don’t need to wait 2 days for it to chill! Enjoy my dear!
Girl, I am so with you on the dill pickle juice. I use it whenever I make vegan ranch dressing/dips. I’m so glad I’m not the only one!
Haha, so funny, you are the 4th person to tell me they use pickle juice in their ranch dip or dressings, I really need to try that in my ranch potato salad! It’s definitely new for cream cheese and oh my, it WORKS!! It really made the flavor!
I discovered this recipe and had to make this right away. I had the cashews and ingredients on hand, so why not? It was soooo easy to make and the taste was fantastic! I sure did miss cream cheese and I do not eat oil, so I haven’t had any store bought or vegan cream cheeses in over 4 years. I did not deviate from the recipe at all, and I’m glad. But I have to be honest, I couldn’t wait for day 2. Once I had the cheese in the fridge for a few hours, I had to dip into it. YUM!! Thanks for developing this recipe !!
Haha, I’m so glad you loved it so much Jill! It’s okay dipping into it after a few hours, the most important step is soaking overnight first, which you did! The flavor will even further intensify and thicken as it sits even more. I’m so happy you loved it and thank you so much for leaving feedback! I loved your “Oh My Gawd!” comment after you made it that I saw in the plant-based group, thank you so much, haha! I feel the same way!
I am totally thinking Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches!!
Yes! Let me know when you try it!!
GIRL I AM LOVING THIS RECIPE! HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!! This looks amazing!!!
I haven’t had a good cream cheese in FOREVER. I had a vegan store-bought cream cheese once (one that everyone raves about) and hated it! This looks absolutely amazing. And I am seriously craving a fresh bagel after this post as well! TOTALLY making this! YUM!
Thank you sooo much my friend!! It really is amazingly delicious, I can’t wait to hear what you think!! I agree too, storebought, YUCK!
WOW! Look at how creamy this is!!!! I’ve made a couple attempts at my own cream cheese, but they’ve all failed. Who would have thought to use some pickle juice?!!? So crazy. That’s the liquid smoke we use in some of our homemade sauces…so good. I can’t wait to try this!!!!
Thank you so much Mandy!! You will love it! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
i will make it with out liquid smoke, hopes it still turns out to be a good, not-smoky cream cheese, i shall remember buying some raw cashews later at my grocery shopping yay
Wow, what a gorgeous recipe, Brandi! I’ve made cashew cream cheeses and I also make a tofu-based one, but I’ve never thought to use pickle juice. That’s brilliant! Love it. And those pictures — I’m feeling an urgent need to go get some bagels… 😉
Thank you Audrey so much for the compliments! You really should try this!! Cream cheese dreams I tell ya!
uumm….HELL YEAH! I had no other words for this delicious-ness…need to make asap..
Haha…that’s basically what I said after I took a bite….for real!!
This may be a silly question but how long will it store in fridge? Thanks 🙂 cant wait to try!
I am not sure, but I would guess at the very minimum a week at least. It’s not containing any ingredients that I wouldn’t put in cashew based sauces that I’ve kept in the fridge about a week. If it even lasts that long. As long as it isn’t turning moldy, I think it’s fine 🙂 Let me know after you try it!
Pickle juice! Who knew? I can’t wait to try this, Brandi. I loved cream cheese too, but I don’t like the processed stuff in the stores. Thanks.
My vitamix won’t work??????? Oh, how I wish I still had a food processor, then! It looks wonderful – I used to love a toasted bagel with cream cheese, many years ago:)
Christine I have found certain things do not work as well in a Vitamix as well as a food processor, this being one of them. Since a food processor has a large bowl and area to process the ingredients and there is very little liquid used, it’s the only way I could get it to work. I’m afraid with the blender, there just isn’t sufficient room. Do you have a wide Vitamix blender container or the other one that is tall and thin? You are welcome to try it, but I’m just letting you know it’s not likely to work without major frustration. You don’t want to have to add any more than 2 tablespoons of water to get it to blend, and that’s why the food processor works so much better in this situation of ingredients. Could you maybe borrow somebody’s?
I do have the large jug as well as the small, so I’ll give it a whirl, and if necessary I can then whip it with my beaters!!! Cross your fingers:)
Well, the Vitamix broke most of it down, and I then transferred it to a mini processor that came with my Bamix, and I now have a delicious, creamy mix, chilling in the fridge. I didn’t have any dill pickles, so I used a teaspoon each of olive brine and pickled onion brine. I had no cider vinegar either, so used coconut vinegar – it’s a great mix. Thank you:)
Hi Christine! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for letting me know. Definitely get the pickle juice and apple cider vinegar for next time and you’ll love it even more. Coconut vinegar tastes nothing like apple cider vinegar and pickle juice is very specific, so you’ll be even MORE amazed at the flavor! ?
As soon as I read that the Vitamix wouldn’t work in making this recipe I thought, challenge accepted! I personally haven’t found anything that hasn’t worked in my Vitamix yet and I wanted to try this recipe SO badly I thought, why not 🙂 I had no problem what so ever using the vitamix, I measured out all of the wet ingredients perfectly and then added them to the blender first, then added my cashews I had soaked for 12 hours overnight after draining them. I turned it to level 1 and let everything get mixed together, had to scrape the sides one time, then turned to 2 and voila- cream cheese! I taste tested it before putting in the fridge to set and I am SO excited- its delish! After having bought vegan “cream cheese” at the store because my fiancee was craving it, we were severely let down- i seriously almost puked after trying it, it was that nasty! Thank you SO SO SO much Brandi! I’m not sure what I did differently but maybe adding in the liquid first and using such a low speed did the trick. If I tried to turn it up beyond 2 it did this weird vibrating thing and didn’t work so well.
Oh I’m so STOKED to hear it worked for you Meg!! It absolutely did not work in mine and I know personally that I always get that more airy, whipped texture in a food processor since there’s so much more room to swirl everything around. Do you have the wide Vitamix blender container? Did it turn out really light and whipped texture?
I’m so so happy to hear you loved it, thank you so much for the feedback!! I agree, storebought is just NASTY, haha! Thanks again!!
I just have the regular tall blender! It is probably more fluffy in a food processor but to me the texture is perfect and TASTES AMAZING! I am officially addicted! I will try with a food processor when i can get my hands on my moms so I can compare but just as I made it I’m super happy with it. I am especially excited that it doesn’t melt and get gross on a hot bagel right out of the toaster 🙂 it stays nice and creamy!
I’m soo happy to hear you loved this so much Meg!! If you were able to get it really smooth in your blender, then that is great! The food processor just makes it slightly more whipped/airy, but the taste is the same. So glad you are addicted….just like I am, haha! Thanks for the wonderful feedback!
I am super excited about this! I have grown up with fruity and sweet cream cheese so I may add some dried strawberries or fresh strawberries and omit the water or even add cinnamon to it and put it on toast. I haven’t decided but this is officially on my list of things to try. Thanks so much!
That is so crazy you mentioned strawberries because that is one of the other versions I’m trying soon for my daughter since she loves strawberries so much! I think the possibilities are endless here! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I know I already ran and messaged you in excitement when I read this, so you know how I feel about pickle juice! Thank god I’m not the only weirdo out there that uses it! I can probably eat this with a spoon. Not sure it will make it onto a bagel…this is happening. And very very soon. Because I have everything needed, especially a jar of pickle juice. Yup, I save the juice sometimes since I use it in dips and stuff. It’s SO tangy and delicious!
Making this over the weekend! SO excited! I have bagels on my shopping list for tomorrow!
Your pictures are out of this world Brandi! So beautiful and elegant, wow! To the cream cheese this looks absolutely delicious and I like the use of pickle juice why it is very creative, adds a unique flavor to it. This Recipe is just a winner so we all have a basic recipe and play around with flavors like garlic or herbs.
Oh my goodness Brandi!!!!!! Cream cheese is one of my favourite things to eat too – I would always have it with smoked salmon and cucumber on Bagels when I was younger! I’ve been longing to find a dairy free version I could make at home now for so long. This is a dream come true! I definitely need to try this! It looks so amazing!
Sounds like a winner! I’m sure I would love the black pepper AND the smokiness!
I sure did!! Even the picky hubby and my 3 year old loved it! The smoky isn’t intense, just adds more tang than anything!
I cannot WAIT to try this! We are new to Vegan and the 14 & 16YO’s are doing “OK”. I really think they’d like this! I’d probably try to keep some of this around to add to pasta dishes that need a little bit of creaminess… thank you!
I’m so glad you mentioned that because it reminded me to add a note to the recipe! You can also thin out this cheese with some plant milk, up the flavors/spices and it totally can go over pasta! I was telling my hubby that a big dollop of this would also be delicious in soups or chilis, yum! Please let me know what everybody thinks after you try it!!
Oh and I wouldn’t tell your kids it’s vegan or “different”…just put it on a toasted bagel and I’m guessing they won’t notice a difference!
Where have you been all my life?! I am a self-proclaimed cream cheese-a-holic. People would tease me and ask if I wanted some bagel with my cream cheese, hahaha! And you are absolutely right – the vegan cream cheeses on the market are just plain gag-inducing; very very weird textures and sour tasting. I’m so glad you came up with such a simplistic recipe – I love anything involving vinegar (Salt & Vinegar chips anyone?!) so I cannot wait to try this version. Thanks again, Brandi!
Hahaha that sounds just like I used to be with bagels and cream cheese! So funny! I would put sooo much on a bagel….and guess what, now I’m doing that with this one now..it’s so unbelievably good and I’m just so happy, lol! I’m so glad somebody else agrees with me on the store kind, I’ve tried commercial cream cheese and found it TOO tangy sour or just weird…can’t really describe it. This one is so much healthier and I LOVE the taste and texture. Let me know after you try it!
Ahhhh this looks incredible! I also miss cream cheese! What a clever way of minimising waste by using the pickle brine. Can’t wait to try this recipe Brandi!
Thank you so much Sus! I will be making A LOT of cream cheese now! Haha!
Confession: back when I was a cheeseaholic I used to wrap slices of cheese around pickle spears and devour! And, no, I wasn’t pregnant at the time either. The creaminess with the saltiness and the tangy bite. I get it, Brandi, I truly do! This looks delicious!! I’m not a huge fan of pepper, so I might just leave that out, but I think this looks a true winner even without the pepper. I’m sure you could add some finely shredded veggies to this too to make a veggie cream cheese spread. Yummmm! And those bagels…omg, they look to.die.for!
Cheese wrapped around pickles?! Omg that sounds soooo good, lol! Thank you so much Jenn for your kind words! I agree too that this is totally customizable to add any extra veggies. I have other ideas as well. It’s SO dang delicious as is that I’m just going to savor every bit for the time being, haha! My hubby scarfed his first bagel down SO FAST that I knew I finally had a winner. It wasn’t until I added pickle juice did it taste “right” to me! I had done a few trials before and they were good, but not nearly as amazing as with the pickle juice! Oh yes, I died when I found these bagels at Whole Foods…vegan and very small amount of oil. Not gluten-free, but I made an exception with this!
It’s been soooo many years since I’ve had cream cheese. I used to be a huge cream cheese girl as a kid, but now that I need it dairy and soy-free, I just never do :/ Silly though since it’s so easy to make!
Well, hello this is dairy and soy-free and coconut-free! Now you can make it, haha! This is so much easier than others I’ve come across that involve too many odd steps or ingredients. This literally is just soaking overnight and then in a food processor. Boom, done. And it has that depth of tang than just vinegar or lemon juice have, all while being super simple, which is a HUGE plus for me because I can now have cream cheese again!!!
This sounds amazing, Brandi! I know you said don’t substitute but hubby’s allergic to cashews but I have to try it with sunflower seeds. So stay tuned to the results! Thank you for this (once again) awesome recipe!