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!
LOVED this recipe! My husband was especially thrilled, said he could eat it EVERY day! We had it on bagels and veggie sandwiches and it was great both times! Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit with both of y’all April! Thank you so much for letting me know, I love hearing the feedback!
Brandi!!!!!!! We made this a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it! After seeing Sophia’s post adding in sun-dried tomatoes, I had to do that too and it was delicious! It literally tastes like the cream cheese I loved during my dairy eating days. I licked the food processor clean! We used this on crackers, in sandwiches and on toast. I need to make another batch soon! Awesome recipe, my friend!
Yay! So awesome to hear Mandy! Thank you so much for making it and leaving such wonderful feedback! I agree, it totally, truly reminded me of dairy cream cheese, yet this one is actually good for you!! Thank you again!
I just finished making this, and it’s really, really good! I’m trying really hard to not devour the whole thing at once. Thanks for the recipe, I will be making it many more times!
Wonderful Andrea! I’m so happy to hear you loved it so much, thank you so much for providing feedback!
WOAH, I completely missed this the first time, Brandi… (crazy summer spent away from the computer)
So glad I spotted it after the blueberry version. I can’t wait to try this out with my parents. 🙂
Thank you so much Janet! Let me know how it turns out!
This sounds fantastic! I have one question about the pickle juice. Are we talking about the brine from Kosher dill pickles (like Strubbs) or the juice from a jar of Bick’s dill pickles? Both are sour but they are so very different from one another and I don’t want to mess up my first batch!
Thanks!
Hi Kirsten! I have never heard of Bick’s dill pickles, so I would just go with kosher dill pickles. You basically just want the classic dill pickle juice for the kind of pickles you would use on a burger. Let me know what you think of the cream cheese after it has chilled, thank you!
This looks AMAZING, Brandi! I love the shot of the cream cheese in the food processor… so creamy!!
Thank you so much Sarah!
Hey Brandi…this is so awesome…the photos and the detailed steps have blown me away! I am on the fence about smoked cheese but the pickle juice idea is brilliant. I think I might also try the juice of pickled jalapenos.
Two thumbs up!
Awww thank you so much Pragati! You are so kind! I hope you try it!
Superb recipe, fabulous texture. Used food processor, no problems. Only comments: the liquid smoke was a little pronounced-may decrease or omit next time. My pickle juice tang was on the mild side, will get the TJs brand next time. Thanks for working so hard to unmask the miracles of the vegan food world!
Wonderful to hear Bonnie!! I’m so happy you loved this so much! Feel free to use half the liquid smoke if you are sensitive to it, there isn’t much in the recipe, but it is a pronounced taste and does help with the tang and I love the stuff, haha. I know some don’t like it, so decrease if you like next time. Thanks again for the wonderful feedback!
Brandi – I LOVE this cream cheese!!!! Absolutely delicious!!!! I ate it all by myself over 2 days. I just couldn’t leave it alone. Thank you for a wonderful recipe….my kind of recipe….few ingredients and so simple to make. No need to ever buy over- processed cheese again! Yay!
Aww yay! So thrilled to hear that! You basically described my feelings toward this cream cheese as well. So happy you loved it so much, thank you for the feedback!
Made this this weekend for my daughter and son-in-law. Boy was a hit! I made a double batch so they could take it home with them and it ended up being all gone. They thought it was wonderful. Thanks for the recipe it’s a keeper
Thank you so much Jim for the amazing feedback, I truly appreciate it!!
The smoky black pepper cream cheese is such a wonderful concept. I can’t believe that I haven’t thought of it before. I have vegan friends who don’t eat regular cream cheese, so, this will be perfect for them. Great Recipe.
Thank you so much!! It’s soooo good!
brandi, I make and love so many of your recipes. I SO wanted a cream cheese recipe and followed this one to the letter. However, mine tastes like cashew cheese–even with extra pickle and lemon juice later, it never lost that cashew taste. So sad.
I’m posting not to criticize–I love and appreciate your recipes so much. Just wanted to let you know my experience.
Hi Heidi! Hmm, that’s so odd, you shouldn’t taste the cashews AT ALL! I’ve had dozens of reviews come in on this cream cheese and they’ve all been stellar. I’m curious, did you use roasted cashews by accident by chance? Use the correct weight amount of cashews and soak them a really long time? There shouldn’t be any cashew taste left, I actually cannot stand the taste of cashews, so that was a big one for me to create something that didn’t taste like them, which is why I loved this so much. I want to help and the only thing I can think is you had some roasted cashews by accident, because with the acidic elements added, you shouldn’t taste it, especially after letting it chill overnight in the fridge! I’m working on a nut-free version as well, so if you are really sensitive to cashews, then I think you will love the nut-free one. 🙂 Thank you so much for making so many of my recipes, I really appreciate it! 🙂
I also soooo wanted to love this recipe, I am not vegan but I TRY really hard to eat as many plant based foods and limit my dairy, cream cheese is one of those things that I struggle the most to give up, so when I saw this recipe I was so excited! I followed it exactly as written, I don’t know what it is but it doesn’t taste like cream cheese to me 🙁 I’m thinking it may be the nutritional yeast that may be throwing me off? It tasted more like cashew cheese, than cream cheese. I know that all of the reviews have been great I just wanted to also let you know my experience. Maybe I’ll leave off the nutritional yeast next time or put less of it, to me cream cheese is not as cheesy as it is this mild and creamy cheese so that may be why.
Hi Ana! Aww bummer! I’m so shocked because I had so many non-vegans taste test this and none of them had a clue there were cashews in them. I don’t taste the cashews at all, especially after it’s chilled over night, which is the true test of the flavor. The lemon juice, pickle juice and liquid smoke completely camouflage it…did you leave any of those out? You know, since you mentioned the nutritional yeast, I know some people are VERY sensitive to it and can taste it a mile away, haha, so yes maybe leave that out next time. OR, I would really recommend my newest cream cheese, Strawberry cream cheese, it has a very strong amazing strawberry flavor that masks 100% any cashew taste and also there is no nutritional yeast in that one. I think you would really like that one! Other than that, since I’ve only heard the mention of cashew flavor twice, I’m wondering if roasted cashews were used by accident b/c you shouldn’t taste them. Anyways, I hope you try the strawberry one and I truly thank you for your comment! 🙂
https://thevegan8.com/2015/09/05/vegan-strawberry-cream-cheese/
I didn’t think it was cashew-y (I actually like cashews) I wanna say it was the nutritional yeast, it was my second time trying it and I’m just not too sure about it lol but that strawberry one will be the next one I’ll make and I am sure I’ll love it! I made your sunflower seed brownies and I absolutely loved them! Thank you so much for replying 🙂
Ahhh gotcha! Yes, it could very well be your sensitivity to nutritional yeast. I have a friend who cannot stand the taste of it in sauces/dips and can detect it. I definitely think the strawberry one will be more your style. Please leave feedback on that one if you try it, I’d love to hear, thank you so much! 🙂
Oh, and YAY on the brownies, so glad to hear you loved those so much!
I’m also working on a nut-free cream cheese recipe, so there definitely won’t even be a hint of cashews, so stay tuned 🙂
Did you do this yet?? I can’t do cashews so just wondering!
Gotta love the black pepper! Love this Brandi!
Wow! I never tried vegan cream cheese. This one actually looks very easy to make! Definitely cool that you could even convince your family members 😀
Yes, soo many non-vegans have been floored over this recipe….and shocked, lol! It’s a winner for sure. I’m thrilled with all the dozens of reviews coming in on it!
A wicked recipe! I have so got to try this. Funnily enough I have been craving pickles lately…and no Im not pregnant! lol
I love subbing cashews for dairy for a protein kick! I never thought to make my own cream cheese!!! pure genius! gorgeous photos btw! saving, sharing and now following! 😉
Thank you so much Gwen! It’s truly amazing!!
Wow I wouldn’t have suspected pickle juice to be the key ingredient to vegan cream cheese! How clever of you to figure that out! I also love that this doesn’t involve cheesecloths or other odd methods! Seems easy and delicious!
You’re kidding me! I’m a cream cheese junkie and not a vegan, but this is something I will try for sure!
Please do Byron, I think you’ll be amazed at how much it tastes like cream cheese!
This is such an innovative recipe! I’d love to try it!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m so excited to try this. You put so much work into making each recipe just right. I know the best version of this is as it’s presented but I don’t have any plans to buy liquid smoke, do you think smoked paprika would work? Thanks so much. Michelle
Hi Michelle, I would just leave it out, I wouldn’t add smoked paprika. It’s not a crucial ingredient, I mean it does add some tang, but the smoked paprika will turn it pink and it’s not necessary to add it. The other acidic ingredients are most important. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
My parents are coming to stay with us next weekend and my mom loves cream cheese on bagels. I’m going to make this for her and see what she thinks! Can’t wait! And I can’t wait to try it myself too! 🙂
So awesome to hear Jenn! SO far even all the non-vegans LOVE it and it’s been a huge hit, so I’m hoping your mom will love it too!!
I can’t believe this cream cheese is vegan! It looks so flavorful and delicious–especially with the pickles!
Wow. There is no way I can wait for it to thicken. This is amazing!! Is it bad that I have no plans to eat it other than with a spoon??
Hi Misti! I’m so glad you loved this and I understand! I can’t keep my spoon out of it either everytime I go to the fridge, haha. It’s delicious straight out of the processor, but it’s even BETTER after it chills and thickens! Thanks again ?
I knew I had to make this as soon as I saw it! I was already prepping to make bagels today, so last night I also soaked the cashews for this. Unfortunately I don’t have any pickles right now! So I subbed 1 1/2 tsp of ume plum vinegar instead of pickle juice, since that is actually “pickle juice” from pickling ume plums, so it was as close as I could get. I left out the black pepper and liquid smoke as I didn’t know how they’d go over with my daughters. It turned out fantastic! My husband said “this tastes just like cream cheese! No, it’s BETTER than cream cheese!” Woohoo! Thanks so much! I’ll definitely get some pickles soon and try it again with the pickle juice as well.
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear this feedback and that your hubby thought it was BETTER than cream cheese!! So awesome to hear, thank you so much for the feedback!
This looks so incredibly delicious, Brandi! 🙂 I just love cashew cream cheese and I’ll definitely try your recipe. 🙂
Thank you so much Sina! Definitely try it, it’s the closest to cream cheese of any I’ve had, crazily spot on. I’ve tried others and none of them reminded me of true cream cheese, which is why I came up with this. Hope you give it a try!