Nut Free Vegan Cream Cheese
Soft, creamy, spreadable, Nut Free Vegan Cream Cheese made with only SIX ingredients (+ salt and pepper) you probably have at home RIGHT NOW. No funny stuff. I know I need to but I still haven’t bought half the ingredients needed to make all the fancy-schmancy vegan cheese out there… yet.
Ohhhhhh my goodness guys. This mild vegan creamy cheese has the texture of a perfect, fresh goat cheese or boursin. It is perfect for a cheese tray, spreading on crackers or eating by itself!
Like a lot of people, I grew up LOVING cheese. My family takes cheese pretty seriously. I grew up on brie, camembert, chevre… all of it. And then I moved to France on exchange a few years ago and literally indulged in ALL the beautiful French cheeses. When I came back from France I slowly transitioned to vegetarianism and started making my own cheeses at home. Some succeeded and there were many countless #cheesefails, ha!
Cheese is probably the first thing that comes up when people learn I’m vegan. I probably would have been skeptical too in my pre-vegan days but making Vegan Cheese at home can be affordable, tasty and remind you exactly of the dairy stuff we all grew up on. Seriously. This Vegan Cream Cheese is based off a traditional, simple cheese my stepmom grew up on that her mom loves to make – thank you for the wonderful inspiration Nezihe!
This nut-free vegan cream cheese starts off by lightly boiling an entire carton of soy milk (and it is really important to use soy milk in this recipe. Rice, almond or cashew milk simple will not work.). The magic starts when you add the lemon juice to the soy milk…
The soy milk curdles and little beautiful chunks of white cheese start to appear in the milk. Add in the spices (salt, pepper, dill and garlic powder). Stir and drain. That’s really all there is to it guys!
The next morning a beautiful round of artisanal vegan cheese will appear in your cheese cloth. My favorite part of making this cheese is opening up the cheese cloth, admiring the beautiful lines, grooves and texture that appear in this cheese after it sits overnight. 🙂
This vegan cream cheese is so incredibly soft, creamy, mild and the perfect texture! Totally perfect for spreading on crackers, serving on a cheese tray or eating by itself. I served this vegan cream cheese to my cheese-loving (non-vegan) family and everyone agreed that the texture reminded them of goat cheese or boursin and the flavor was spot on. Even my ten year old brother agreed! #KidsDontLie #BringONTheVeganCheeseBaby
Nut Free Vegan Cream Cheese
- Total Time: 24 hours 15 mins
- Yield: 1 cheese round 1x
Description
A mild, soft and creamy vegan cheese with the perfect texture! This cheese is perfect for spreading on crackers, on a cheese tray or even by itself! The texture reminds me of goat cheese or boursin.
Ingredients
- 4 cups soy milk (Unsweetened) 946ml/32 oz
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 3/4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 – 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Place a strainer over a deep pot. Place the cheese cloth over the pot. This is where you will pour your milk to make the cheese when it is ready (see photo for reference). Note: It’s important that your pot is deep so the cheese doesn’t come into contact with the liquid overnight.
- In a large pot, over medium high heat, simmer the soy milk until a light boil occurs. Stir constantly with a whisk and watch the milk carefully so it does not boil over! It is important to continue stirring the entire time your milk is on the stovetop.
- Once the soy milk comes to a light, rolling boil, add the lemon juice and stir. After about 30 seconds you should see some curdling start to occur (little white chunks of cheese will start to appear!).
- Add the sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and dill. Turn down the heat and stir for another minute or so. At this point your milk should be really curdled (lots of beautiful little chunks of cheese separating from the milk!).
- Stir in the nutritional yeast (I used 1 1/2 tbsp but use 2 tbsp if you want a cheesier flavor) and apple cider vinegar into the milk mixture and whisk lightly.
- Pour the milk over the cheese cloth. Be careful because the milk will be very hot.
- Tightly tie the cheesecloth at the top (see photo for reference). Place a weight on top of the cheese cloth to help it drain faster and the cheese to solidify. A clean rock or ramekin full of stones work well as a weight.
- Place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, the whey will have separated from the milk into the bottom bowl. Carefully unwrap your cheese. Enjoy by itself, with crackers or on fresh bread!
Notes
1) This cheese is very mild. After making it once, feel free to try a variety of different spices!
2) It’s very important that your soy milk is not flavored and unsweetened.
3) Do not use other types of milk in this recipe – only soy milk will work!
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Cheese
I L O V E seeing your delicious creations guys!! If you do make this Nut Free Soft & Mild Vegan Creamy Cheese, share your feedback with me by writing your thoughts in the comments below, tagging me (#cearaskitchen) in your beautiful shots on Instagram or sharing your photo on my Ceara’s Kitchen Facebook page. Have a beautiful weekend guys! #EatHappyLiveHappy
