Herby Garlic Cream "Cheese"
1 hr + 10 min
Breakfast
Spread
Make-ahead
One-bowl / one-pot
10 ingredients or less
Servings
(¼ cup per serving)
Total
1 hr + 10 minPrep
10 minSoak
1 hrContains
soy
tree nut
Free from
peanut
sesame
gluten
Ingredients
-
¾ cup (98 g)raw cashews†
-
11 oz (325 g)firm tofu, pressed
-
2cloves garlic
-
½lemon, juiced
-
-
2 tsp (6 g)garlic powder
-
2 tsp (5 g)onion powder
-
1 tsp (6 g)salt
-
½ tspground black pepper
-
⅓ cup (11 g)fresh chives
-
⅓ cup (5 g)fresh dill
-
3 Tbsp (4 g)fresh basil, sliced
Directions
- Place the cashews in a heat-proof bowl and soak in boiling water for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Drain the cashews and add to a blender or food processor, along with the tofu, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and spices. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and fold in the herbs.
- Optionally, place the spread in the fridge for an hour to set and for the flavours to meld.
- Enjoy on your favourite toast or bagel with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Almonds give it a slightly more hummus-like texture, while cashews make it more creamy.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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Nutrition info
We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.
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Discussion & Rating
The best vegan cream cheese I tried. Very delicious.
This is delicious!
I just made it today and I can't stop eating it. Very easy to follow.
Thanks for sharing this.
I am not vegan but can’t really do lactose, and lactose free cream cheeses are really expensive. I tried this recipe out and it’s amazing how much it tasted like real dairy! I will be making this often and trying out my own spins on the seasoning!
I made the recipe for the first time today and I love it! Will it also work if I add a bit more Tofu for some extra protein? :) Thanks a lot!
Sadia this recipe was phenomenal!!! Wow. I'd much rather prefer this than cream cheese. This will definitely be a staple from now on. I am so grateful for your recipes, you're the only plant based chef that "does it for me." Literally no one else creates such balanced and deeply satisfying recipes as you do. I found you a few years ago, and still when I eat I say "Thank God for Pick Up Limes" lol Amazing work, I look forward to more recipes like this!
I tried this and turned out wonderful. Certainly adding it to the weekly breakfast rotation!
I've been making this recipe for years now and it ALWAYS hits the spot. I think my review for this is way overdue! If you're looking for a bagel spread substitute - this is it! I wouldn't say it replaces cream cheese, but most vegan "cheeses" can't really match the flavor of cheese anyway. This doesn't have to though because it's perfectly good on its own and I'd happily eat this instead because its healthier anyways with the tofu-cashew base. This is my go-to recipe when I have the herbs on hand and definitely one of my favorites from PUL. Thanks PUL team for always having amazing content here :))
love you
Can this dip be frozen? I have made too much, and I am going to have to waste a lot and throw it out if I can't freeze it.
I tried this recipe today it tastes so good, these herbs really make it taste amazing 🤩
PS: I always reduce the amount of garlic because after trying most of PUL’s recipes I know how much you guys love garlic😂 I added only one clove garlic without garlic powder and found there is too much garlic flavour. Although I also like garlic but next time gonna add only half one 👍🏻
One of my favorite PUL recipes ever. I make this all the time in the summer! The fresh herbs make this recipe. It's so delicious I can't get enough of it!
This is so delicious, I have made it many times!
Beautiful and very satisfying, with a cup of tea on the side. :) Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sadia, thank you for this amazing recipe. I absolutely love it 😋.
I want to use this creame cheese with everything now. So do you think it could be used in veggie lasagne?
I stopped making lasagne after I decided to go vegan. I'd like to find a way to adapt this into it...
This spread is amazing!!! It haс become a staple in our fridge. Just five stars are not enough! I put it on everything. Rice cake with this spread on top is now my favorite snack. Thank you so much for the amazing recipes you create for us. I will use this post to point out how good and user friendly your website is. It is a real pleasure to use and I constantly turn to it when I wonder what to make for a meal.
I am about to cook this recipe and I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe because it is so easy to read, I love how you give different options for foods you may not have or like. I also really appreciate how you give different measurements to match everyone’s needs! Also the Photography here makes the food look so Irresistible and delicious! Love your recipes Sadia your channel takes the difficulty out of cooking and adds joy to my life!
Is it possible to give this 10 stars???
I planned to have this cream "cheese" bagel for breakfast and was so excited the night before I could hardly go to sleep ~ :p and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!
Sadia, congratulations on another outstanding recipe! All the herbs add such a complexity of flavour, each bite tasted different to the last. I had it as shown in your video, with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts.
And just a heads up to other readers, it is possible to soak the cashews in boiling water for ~15 minutes prior to making this, and they blitz up well (I have a moderately powerful blender).
Well done, Sadia and the PUL team, you guys definitely keep me well fed, and make it so easy to maintain a vegan lifestyle!
xxx
I’ve made this probably 20 times - one of my all time favorite recipes! I tend to double the fresh herbs just because I love a really strong flavor. I’ve stopped looking for other vegan cream cheeses! Highly recommend!
I would like to try this recipe, though I am concerned to use the tofu uncooked since the packaging mentions to cook before eating. Is it safe to consume tofu raw ? Otherwise if I saute the tofu with some oil before blending, would it lead to the same result? Thank you.
This is one of the greatest recipes I've ever found. I now make this almost every single weekend for snacking with veggies throughout the week. I just add everything to the food processor and it's delicious (and it decreases the risk of a "too big" piece of herb). I have looked far and wide for more recipes like this for a little variety and nothing has held up, I always come back to this. To anyone reading this, make it. It's so easy and so delicious.
I adore this spread!! It's really fresh tasting. I've found it freezes really well too - top tip! The only downside was that, even though it was delicious mine came out quite crumbly with the firm tofu (perhaps it was the brand i used) so i might try it with silken tofu next time to make it really creamy.
wow, are these packed with flavor! my entire family loves these & i’m definitely making these often. thank you for this delicious recipe!
So so so good! Love it ♥ Would love to see more savory spread ideas!
Delicious.. made it many times..
I missed the creamy, tangy delight of cream cheese bagels before going vegan and I’m glad I found this recipe! Now I also load my bagels with extra veggies, like alfalfa sprouts and cucumbers. Thanks so much!!
This tastes like the real deal!!! Non vegans would never know!! Thanks for a winning cream cheese recipe I can actually eat on my plant based diet.
Hello !
Discovering with much much pleasure your densité website and YouTube channel ! Congrats for the amazing work you're doing !
I'm long looking for a cream cheese that can be used in dessert. How do you think I could accomodate this recipe ? By taking off all the herbe herbs and union and Garlic ?
Thanks so much !
OMG! Delicious!!!
I’ve made this spread at least 5 times and it is my absolute favorite! Even my non-plant based family love it as a cream cheese substitute!
Delicious!
I just made this. It is very good! I am going to be eating this as a vegi bagel sandwich with cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts and shredded carrots on top. Can't wait!
This really tastes like a "real" cream cheese. I gave my boyfriend a try and he agreed!
Love, love, love this….now we need some variations please!
I've made this several times. This cream cheese is *life.* Pure joy!
This was so delicious! I have a hard time with fresh, uncooked garlic (being all sensitive as I am) so ended up leaving that out. Was still amazing! I really don't like store bought vegan cream cheese (unless it's like cooked in pastry) so this is such a life saver! Also love that it is a source of protein! Excited to try this as more of a sandwich spread 😋
I think I've made this 3 or 4 times by now. I do cut back on the garlic a little but every herb I've tried works wonderfully. I tend to stick with the chives just because they're so brilliant, but I think parsley matches wonderfully as well. In summer I just use whatever I have growing. I use it as a sandwich spread the most, it's heavenly for cucumber sandwiches but it's also great with roasted vegetables.
This is an absolutely beautiful recipe! I tried it and my brother devoured it! He says it brings out the flavour of everything from rice to bread.. I was wondering if we can make a similar sweet cream cheese?
Hey There, great recipe - can't wait to tried it. Am i able to use dried or semi-dried herbs instead? I find the fresh herbs get bad really quickly if they do not get used straight away. We are in strict lockdown in sydney at the moment - so i only have the dried versions of the herbs (as they last longer). Please let me know :)
I am not a vegetarian but I loved it so much. My family enjoyed it mostly as dip. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
My favourite breakfast! When going vegan I was really sad about the idea of not having cream cheese as an option and I couldn’t find a vegan cream cheese in store that I liked. This one really takes the cake (or bagel!) and makes me look forward to breakfast. Healthy, protein packed, and just overall incredible.
This herb "cream cheese" recipe has been a favorite and a staple in my home for over a year now!! It really opened up my eyes to the possibilities of tofu, and works perfectly on a bagel! love it
Hi, this looks so good!
I only have toasted cashews (not raw), mint, parsley and basil. Do you think it would still work?
Thank you so much, I admire your YouTube channel, and every recipe i have tried was a big success.
When I went dairy-free, one of the major treats I missed was having a bagel and cream cheese. THIS RECIPE is even better than regular cream cheese, so herby, thick, creamy, and delicious!!!! I felt even better about eating it because it's packed with protein and healthy fats. I highly recommend it!
I made this recipe several times. It's delicious! A jar of this spread disappears too quickly. The ingredients are quite expensive and this is the biggest but only objection.
One of the first PUL recipes that I made and it didn't disappoint at all. Now I make it at least once a month.
The flavours are just right and even better a couple of days later. Going to try it with roasted garlic next time.
I make bagels for my family every Sunday morning, and this is my favorite way to enjoy them!
I loved the flavor of this recipe! The flavor really melded together overnight. Couldn't get my family on board with it though.
My blender was not nearly beefy enough for the recipe, as a result I had to thin it out with water. Said water then separated in the fridge. I'll be sure to use a food processor next time, thus fixing my only issue with the recipe.
I don't know what I did wrong, but I've made this twice now and both times it's been super salty for me. Maybe I'll do half or a quarter of the salt next time. I really wanted to love this recipe since it uses so many fresh herbs.
The Cashew Spread is amazing!!!!
Vegan cream-cheese is a great idea and I was really greatful for this recipe! 😁
This is amazing! I bought bagels for my non vegan family but couldn’t bring myself to buy them cream cheese while I eat this super spread. I gave them some to taste before going to buy cream cheese. They were sold and even asked for some of their own for veggie sammies. Thank you for your delicious and nutritious recipes. It makes being vegan so much easier and exciting!
This is amazing! I bought bagels for my non vegan family but couldn’t bring myself to buy them cream cheese while I eat this super spread. I gave them some to taste before going to buy cream cheese. They were sold and even asked for some of their own for veggie sammies. Thank you for your delicious and nutritious recipes. It makes being vegan so much easier and exciting!
This was really delicious; the refrigeration really made a difference! My brother and I spread this on bagels, and he even asked for more to dip his veg in. I used soaked sunflower seeds instead of the cashews due to a nut allergy, and it turned out great. A million thanks and more for the recipe!
Hi Sadia! Hope my English will be good enough. First of all thank you for your amazing recipes, you inspired me so much! I am not strictly vegan, but your blog allowed me to introduce more vegan food in my life.
I actually have a question about this recipe, in the video you said a half of a lemon for all the quantity mentioned, and the recipe on this page 2 lemons. So which quantity should I use?
Thanks you for your answer.
Haven't made this yet but I know for a fact its going to be delicious! I have everything to make this but cashews. Question, does this freeze well? If it does, how long do you think it would last? I'm hoping I can make a large batch and just freeze it.
My hubby and I love this spread!! It’s perfect, I think we’ll be making it regularly from now on. Thank you!!
I’m not a strict vegetarian, but I eat a lot of plant-based meals. This spread actually made me consider to stop eating cheese entirely (Since cheese is my guilty pleasure, I’m now only considering to omit cream cheese😅). You must have experimented so much with texture, flavour, and ingredients! But it’s perfect: fresh yet filled with a nutty umami-flavour approximating cheese
This is the best spread ever! I made it twice in a row just to believe it. And my Dad usually eats what I make and likes it, but this one was like "just leave the rest for me, hmm I really like it." :) My Dad is 71 and keeps telling me that old men don't learn new tricks, he bought smoked tofu instead of a block of cheese after the spread experience!!! :) ...made me so very happy that I shed a tear. Thank you so much pickuplimes team! You da best!