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    Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free Appetizers

    Published: Dec 1, 2018 · Modified: Apr 30, 2020 by Jen Wooster

    Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Cheese

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    garlic cashew cream cheese recipe for pinterest

    This Savory roasted garlic cashew cream cheese recipe is a vegan treat. Spreadable, savory, and perfect on a bagel, crackers or as a dip for carrots and celery. Add fresh parsley or chives for herb and garlic cream cheese version the whole clan will love.

    herb and garlic vegan cheese in a bowl with celery and carrots

    Please read the entire post for tips and tricks to ensure a perfect recipe every time. And don't forget to tag @peelwithzeal on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

    This post may include affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    We have been wanting to experiment with dairy-free and vegan cheese making. I first saw this vegan blue cheese recipe over on Full of Plants.  This site has a few aged and smoked vegan cheeses that I just can’t wait to try. But our past dairy-free cheesemaking attempts did not fare too well (recipes from a cookbook we had at home). Before trying again I thought I would try my hand with a  basic cashew cheese that didn’t require aging.

    After a few attempts I got my perfect cashew cream cheese consistency, but it needed a little something. I had several heads of roasted garlic leftover from our roasted garlic post. And a very yummy, and VERY garlicky, roasted garlic cream cheese was born. Or cream cheez if that is your vegan-thing.

    easy cashew cream cheese recipe in a bowl

    Vegan Cream Cheese Ingredients & Substitutions

    You only need a few basic ingredients to make this recipe. The nice thing about this is that it relies on pantry staples. Another reason to embrace being dairy-free!

    • Cashews- The base of this vegan cream cheese recipe is raw unsalted cashews. unfortunately, you can't substitute any other type of cashew. You could, however, substitute raw unsalted almonds. Organic is always best but we know that can get a little pricey and availability might be limited.
    • Nutritional Yeast- A vegan cheese's best friend. Nutritional yeast is a vegan food product that is used for its natural savory cheese flavor. The active yeast cells are eliminated during manufacturing and not alive in the final product. There really is no good substitute. Fortunately, it is easy to find online and in most grocery stores.
    • Lemon Juice- Fresh or bottles, both work in this recipe.
    • Kosher Salt- With so few ingredients the salt really matters. Use a good quality kosher salt like Mortons or Diamon Crystal, not table salt.
    • Cold Filtered Water- Because the raw cashews soak for so long it is important to properly filter your water. The water can, and will, affect the taste. A basic pitcher style water filter will work fine.
    • Roasted Garlic- You need one head of garlic from our roasted garlic recipe. You can also use raw garlic for a less sweet, more pungent garlic flavor.
    • Herbs- Personally I almost always add herbs to this recipe to make it an herb and garlic cream cheese. My go-to herbs are a mix of chives and parsley but the possibilities are endless. Basil, oregano, and chervil come to mind.

    How to Make Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Cheese

    Like any cheese, vegan, or not, the hands-on time for this recipe is minimal but it does require a little preplanning before serving to ensure you have enough time to soak the cashews, roast the garlic and allow time for the cream cheese to chill.

    Step 1: Start by soaking cashews in water for 12 hours. This makes them soft and makes the blending easier. While the cashews are soaking you will need to roast the garlic if you haven’t already done so. Our roasted garlic post has all the details covered.

    Step 2: After draining the cashews, place all the ingredients, minus any herbs, in your food processor. Pulse a few times to break up the cashews and garlic. Blend on high until smooth. Scrapping down the sides, as needed. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, to gain a smooth lump-free texture.

    Step 3: If you are using fresh herbs to jazz up your cream cheese stir them in by hand at the end. Putting fresh herbs in the food processor will cause them to breakdown faster and the cheese to turn green.  Season to taste with additional nutritional yeast.

    vegan garlic and herb cheese in a mixing bowl

    Step 4: Chill for 4 hours prior to using. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    How to Use Cashew Cream Cheese

    We ended making this recipe several times to get it just right. We were getting creative with vegan dishes to use up all the extra cream cheese. Some worked and some did not. Not at all.  Here are a few of our favorites:

    • Spread on morning toast or a bagel and sprinkle with chili flakes
    • On a traditional cheese plate or antipasto platter so our vegan party guests could partake
    • Mixed ¼ cup into warm marinara sauce and served over gluten-free pasta
    • Spread on a roasted veggie sandwich
    • Ate as a snack on crackers and with crudité
    • Eat it with a spoon out of your fridge while wearing your PJs at 2 o’clock in the afternoon (don’t judge)
    • As a cheesy  filling for a mushroom quesadilla
    • Stir a tablespoon into your vegetable bisque or tomato soup (this was a favorite!)
    vegan antipasto platter

    If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave us a rating or a comment. It helps other wonderful people connect with our food.

    cashew cream cheese recipe in bowl with crackers

    Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Cheese

    Recipe Created By: Jen Wooster
    Spreadable roasted garlic vegan cream cheese.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Soaking Time 12 hrs
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Sauce, Snack
    Cuisine American, Vegan
    Servings 2 cups
    Calories 756 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food Processor

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews
    • 1 head roasted garlic
    • ¼ cup water
    • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ cup fresh herbs, chopped (optional) parsley, chives etc.

    Instructions
     

    • Place cashews in a bowl and cover with cool water. Soak for 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
    • Add cashews to a food processor with the roasted garlic, water, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, and salt.  Pulse to break up the cashews and garlic.
      garlic cashew cream cheese recipe ingredients in food processor
    • Blend until smooth. Scrapping down the sides, as needed. Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, to gain a smooth lump free texture. Season to taste with additional nutritional yeast.
    • If you are adding fresh herbs, stir them in by hand. 
      vegan garlic and herb cheese in a mixing bowl
    • Cover and store in the refrigerator. Chill for 4 hours prior to using.

    Video

    Notes

    Vegan garlic cream cheese can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 756kcal | Carbs: 47g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 57g | Fiber: 6g
    Keyword cashew cream cheese, cream cheese, cream cheez, Garlic, herb, vegan cream cheese
    Tried this recipe?Tag us @peelwithzeal so we can see your creation!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sandy Guidry says

      September 02, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      I'm making this for a friend tomorrow who is allergic to almost everything. She can have cashews, herbs and garlic! So I'm sure she will love this. Have you ever made cashew cream cheese and added honey or fruit to use on bagels or gluten free bread? Just wondering if it would be good as a sweeter cream cheese.

      Reply
      • Jen says

        September 09, 2020 at 9:53 pm

        Yes! Honey, coconut sugar and maple syrup are all excellent sweeteners with cashew cream cheese for sweet version.

        Reply
    2. Violet says

      August 20, 2019 at 6:03 am

      5 stars
      Just made this today and can’t believe how close it tastes to the real thing! Love it, thanks for this amazing recipe!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        September 02, 2019 at 2:20 pm

        So glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    3. Mahy Elamin says

      December 03, 2018 at 7:45 am

      5 stars
      umm this has made my world a better place and I haven’t even tried it yet………
      I can tell by its lovely texture that we are going to be besties…cant wait to put this in/with/on/?under? ALL THE THINGS.

      Reply
    4. Byron Thomas says

      December 03, 2018 at 7:24 am

      5 stars
      You had me at garlic. I'm such a lover of garlic and dips, so this recipe will most certainly be added to my list of recipes to make for the holidays. Such a great way to feed everyone without singling out the vegans and vegetarians at our holiday get togethers!

      Reply
    5. Tracy says

      December 02, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      5 stars
      I am so intrigued by vegan cheeses! I think my favorite kind are the ones made with cashews and adding roasted garlic in the mix? That sounds like a cheese I'd want, vegan or not!

      Reply
    6. Marisa Franca says

      December 02, 2018 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      Well where the heck have I been. I've never heard of cashew cream cheese although we simply love cashew nuts -- what's not to love about those delicious nuts? Anyway, add roasted garlic into the mix and I imagine it makes quite a tasty cheese ball sans cheese. Would love to be dipping some veggies into it right now.

      Reply
    7. Noel Lizotte says

      December 02, 2018 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      I love appetizers and anything with cheese is a winner in my book ... I love the addition of garlic and cashews to this mix.

      Reply

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    My name is Jen and I am the recipe developer, writer, and photographer around here. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease over 10 years ago I have been slowly curating a recipe box full of gluten-free goodness. I adore vegetables, crave chocolate, and I am always up for an adventure.

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