Cream cheese is traditionally not vegan, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a simple tofu cream cheese at home using vegan ingredients. This vegan tofu cream cheese can be whipped up within 7 minutes.
I’m all about making vegan versions of cheese products including Vegan Feta Cheese, Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, and Vegan Nacho Cheese. And as per requests of many readers, I wanted to share my vegan cream cheese recipe.
Here is an easy way to make a creamy, whole foods cheese replacement using tofu and pantry staples, so you can enjoy creamy, cheesy goodness while saving money and without leaving the house.
Related Recipe: Everything Bagel Seasoning
TOFU CREAM CHEESE
DAIRY-FREE | NUT-FREE | GLUTEN-FREE
This easy tofu cream cheese recipe is a simple way to make any bagel, pasta, or dessert (tofu frosting) more creamy and full of flavour. Store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze it, and use in countless recipes!
How To Make: Vegan Cream Cheese
INGREDIENTS FOR TOFU CREAM CHEESE (VEGAN):
- Firm tofu
- Nutritional yeast
- Miso paste (white is preferred)
- Coconut oil (Refined/deodorized)
- Lemon juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt
- Onion powder (optional)
- Garlic powder (optional)
- Dried dill (optional)
- Unsweetened soy milk (optional)
OPTIONAL CREAM CHEESE FLAVOURS:
- Herb and garlic: add in 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs
- Everything bagel: 2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning
- Vegan Smoked Salmon: 1 tsp fresh dill & ¼ cup chopped carrot lox
- Strawberry: skip the savoury herbs in the original recipe, add ½ cup mashed strawberries and 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I USED:
- Measuring Cup and Spoons
- Food Processor or Vitamix
- Wooden Spoon
- Tupperware Container
- Tofu Press (optional)
Related Recipe: Best Vegan Feta Cheese
- 1-454 g block firm tofu
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 5 oz melted coconut oil (refined/deodorized)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- Unsweetened soy milk as needed to blend
- Place tofu, nutritional yeast, miso, coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried dill in a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides.
- It gets quite thick, so you will need to help it along with a damper or wooden spoon. This may take some time, let it blend.
- Taste and salt as needed.
- Place tofu mixture into a sealable Tupperware or bowl. Cover and place in the fridge.
- Spread onto your favourite bagels, or crackers or use in recipes.
Hey, I’m Candice & welcome to The Edgy Veg! I veganize popular food recipes for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or by-products of animals. I hope you enjoy this tasty vegan recipe!
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If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by leaving a 
star rating & comment below. It truly helps me & I really appreciate any support! Feel free to share your food photos on social and tag me @edgyveg so I don’t miss it!
may I know how long it can keep in refrigenator？
This should keep perfectly for 3-5 days in the fridge before the flavour starts to change.
this tasted amazing!! thank you!! the tanginess is spot on to cream cheese’s. i calculated the nutritional facts on this, but somehow got a WAY larger calorie count than yours. 1 tbsp of coconut oil = 120 calories. 5 oz is like almost 10 tbsp of coconut oil.
This recipe is amazing. The combination of spices give it a nice sharp tang. The coconut oil helps iit set up in the fridge so it’s great for spreading. I made this recipe straight up twice except I used chive instead of dill (my personal preference). Firm or soft tofu works. Yesterday we made macaroni and cheese with it- just added a little cashew milk and topped it with Chao Cayenne cheese crumbled. Thanks so much- it’s a family favorite. Glad it just popped up when I was looking for a bagel recipe. 👍
My husband says he thinks this tastes better than regular cream cheese and he’s soooo picky about vegan recipes. This is going to be a staple in our household!
Looking forward to more recipes like this one!
This receipe is yummy!
I couldn’t hold myself from adding fresh green oinions a clove of garlic and a teaspoon of dryed ground shiitake mushrooms
You are the beeeeest!
If all I have is red miso but don’t have the ability to go to the store to get white miso , would that be an okay swap out? I know it would affect the color which I don’t really mind but would it affect the flavor ?
Turned out great. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow on my bagel 🙂
can oatmilk be used instead of soy?
I haven’t tried but it should work! It might just add a touch of sweetness to the recipe
Can you use another plant based milk besides soy? Also is extra firm tofu okay?
I always use soy milk but another thick milk like cashew, rice or oat should have a similar result. Extra-firm should be alright, you just may need to blend a little longer to get a smooth result.
I attempted to print just your recipe but got 4 pages colored pictures also. Why do I need all the damn pictures? Are you getting a royalty from the printing ink people?
Next time just click ‘print recipe’ it automatically prints just the ingredients and directions 👍
Would firm silken tofu work? I’ve been having trouble finding regular tofu in these pandemic times.
Can I leave the oil out? Would I need to replace it to keep the texture accurate “
It definitely helps to include the oil but you could opt for any neutral flavoured oil you like (avocado, grapeseed, refined coconut etc.)
I’m wondering the same. Did you try it without oil?
Just made this an enjoyed it on toast!! So simple and so yummy! I used my food processor as my blender isn’t the greatest so I didn’t get the creamy texture like Candice did that didn’t change the flavor!
Super easy and beginner friendly! Way better than any store bought cream cheese!
As a vegan chef and vegan food truck owner I would highly recommend this cream cheese recipe! ♥️ It’s so easy and takes no time at all. Give it a try yourself!
When you say skip the savoury herbs for a sweet cream cheese, does that include the miso and nutritional yeast?
To make the cream cheese sweet, I would include the miso and nutritional yeast because they make it “cheesy”. But skip the garlic, onion, dill
Sounds great and much cheaper! Curious if coconut oil could be swapped for something else? Thanks!!