This veggie packed cashew cream cheese tastes so much like the real thing that you won’t believe it’s not actually cheese! It’s made in minutes, great as a dip or spread, dairy free, vegan, paleo and Whole30.
Living in the NY metro area my whole life, I’m a hopeless, desperate bagel snob. Hopeless and desperate because I said bye-bye to bagels several years ago and, honestly, they’re the #1 thing I miss that I “can’t” eat. “Can’t” in the sense that they make me feel like garbage and I am (technically) choosing not to eat them.
I’m not sure you’ll ever see a paleo bagel recipe on this site, BUT, if it does happen, you’ll know that it’s nothing short of a miracle, to be very clear 🙂 Anyway, while you won’t find any bagels popping up on Paleo Running Momma anytime soon, cashew cream cheese is another story entirely. I avoided cashew cheese for way too long, not realizing how easy and actually good it is. I started out sweet (because sweet seems safe somehow) but after making my chocolate chip cheesecake dip, I knew I had to experiment with a savory version ASAP.
Yes, admittedly ASAP turned into a month or two, but HECK YES – this was worth the wait. I couldn’t go with just a plain ‘ol cream cheese, I wanted to give this some flavor – so you could use it as a dip, spread, or topping as-is, without “missing” anything.
My two classic savory cream cheese flavors were always scallion and veggie, so I decided to just combine the two to create a veggie (and flavor) packed cashew cream cheese that’s paleo, vegan, and Whole30 compliant.
If you haven’t made cashew cheese before, here are my tips 🙂 The key to the creamy consistency is to:
1.) Soak the cashews in water (I use room temperature) for at least 4 hours. By soaking I mean simply allowing them to sit in enough water to cover them completely – I put a kitchen towel over the top and typically soak them overnight before using them.
2.) You’ll need either a food processor or high speed blender (like a Vitamix) – I wouldn’t attempt this with a regular blender because it’s just too much to handle.
3.) When I use my food processor, it typically takes several minutes of processing/stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl before I get the consistency I want. Patience! If you’re using one of the two kitchen tools mentioned, it will turn out just fine – fool proof!
As for the flavor, just a Tbsp of nutritional yeast does WONDERS to make it taste truly cream-cheesy, along with the right amount of lemon and salt. As for the coconut oil, it adds to the texture, but since you probably don’t want your cheese tasting like coconut, I HIGHLY recommend using organic refined coconut oil, which is totally flavorless. I use refined for almost all my cooking and baking, since it’s never, EVER detected even by the pickiest of eaters. For that it has my respect for a lifetime 🙂
After you get that nice smooth, thick, creamy texture (which, by the way, will thicken more when refrigerated), you stir in your thinly sliced scallions and finely chopped veggies. I used peppers and carrots but you can add a little of whatever you like.
And, if you’re like me and bagels are just not happening anymore, have no fear! I use mine as a spread for roasted sweet potato chips, savory plantain chips, a topping for baked potatoes or a dip for veggies. Plus, you can definitely make savory muffins or bread, toast, and use the cream cheese as a spread.
Are you excited, are you ready?! Let’s make cashew cream cheese!
Veggie Packed Cashew Cream Cheese {Paleo, Vegan, Whole30}
Veggie Packed Cashew Cream Cheese {Paleo & Vegan}
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews soaked overnight, (or for at least 4 hours) rinsed and gently dried with paper towel to remove excess water
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil solid at room temp (use refined coconut oil to avoid coconut flavor)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped bell peppers red, yellow or orange
- 2-3 Tbsp finely chopped carrots
Instructions
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For this recipe you will need either a food processor or high speed blender.
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Place the soaked cashews, coconut oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt in the processor/blender and blend until a puree forms, scraping the sides as needed. This step may take up several minutes depending on your blender.
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Once you get a creamy consistency, stir in the veggies to evenly distribute. The cream cheese will firm up significantly after being refrigerated, but is still spreadable when cold. To get a softer consistency, remove it from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before serving.
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Use as a spread (sweet potato toast would be great!) or dip for baked chips or fries, veggies or as a topping for a baked potato. It should keep in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for up to one week. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Prep time includes the time needed to soak the cashews
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Veggie Packed Cashew Cream Cheese:
Want more savory Whole30 and paleo dips, dressings and sauces? Try one of these!
Tell Me!
Are you (or WERE you) a bagel snob?
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Diego Lopes says
July 27, 2017 at 11:38 amYum, this looks like it’s so delicious! I think I already have all the ingredients needed here, so I’m going to try it now =))
Michele says
July 29, 2017 at 12:29 pmHope you enjoy!
Jess says
July 31, 2017 at 9:45 pmThank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’m fairly new to the paleo world, and I struggle to find new meals, especially meals I can share with my family. We all LOVED this veggie cream cheese! On toast for my kids, and on grain free crackers and veggies for me! I was so excited that it actually tasted like cheese! And my kids were eating veggies, score! Thank you again, this was simple and delicious!
Michele says
August 1, 2017 at 10:06 pmI’m thrilled you liked this! Definitely cool how “cheesy” it really tastes!
Meg says
July 31, 2017 at 11:21 pmCould you use olive oil instead of coconut oil? Many thanks
Michele says
August 1, 2017 at 10:03 pmI think the creaminess and flavor would be affected unfortunately.
Alexandra Schultz says
July 19, 2018 at 6:28 pmCould you omit the veggies and have a plain “cream cheese”? Is that still yummy? Or add a fruit compote to make it seeet? Do you think that’d work? I might have to experiment a bit!