Vegan Cream Cheese
Smooth, creamy and tangy vegan cream cheese that uses only 5 simple ingredients and is so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 400 g plain unsweetened soy yogurt*
For 280g of remaining yogurt (adjust these ingredients according to your quantity of yogurt)
- 40 g refined coconut oil, melted
- ⅛ tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp lemon juice, or to taste
- pinch of baking soda, if the cream cheese is tangier than you want it
Instructions
- Line a strainer with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth, a nut milk bag or a muslin cloth. Place it over a deep bowl and pour the yogurt into the lined strainer. Tie it up and let it drain in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Once drained, transfer the remaining yogurt (I had 280g left) to a small food processor or blender. Then, while it’s running, slowly stream in the melted coconut oil to create an emulsion (like making mayo).*It’s preferable if both ingredients are close to the same temperature for a stable emulsion, but it’s not the end of the world if they’re not. But if your yogurt is cold, make sure the coconut oil is hot enough not to solidify when poured in.
- When all the oil is in, blend in the rest of the ingredients and adjust the quantitites to your taste. If you find it too tangy, add in a tiny bit of baking soda at a time to neutralize the acidity slightly. Don’t add too much or you’ll risk ending up with an aftertaste.
- Pour the cream cheese into a container or jar, close it and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for it to thicken before enjoying!
Notes
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
- This recipe yields basic cream cheese so you can add any flavourings you want in the form of spices, herbs, etc.
- *I also tested the recipe with silk unsweetened almond yogurt and it worked as well.