Emulsifier Free Vegan Cashew Cream Cheese
Creamy, tangy, and genuinely satisfying on a bagel or cracker, this cashew-based spread delivers everything you want from a classic cream cheese — without a single additive or emulsifier in sight. Most store-bought vegan cream cheeses rely on a long list of stabilizers and emulsifying agents to hold their texture together, which makes finding a clean option surprisingly difficult. Here, soaked raw cashews do all the heavy lifting, blending down into a naturally thick, spreadable base that firms up beautifully in the fridge. Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar bring that signature tang, while a touch of coconut oil gives it richness and helps it set. A little onion powder and optional nutritional yeast round out the savory depth, so it tastes complex without any mystery ingredients. The key is patience — a good long soak and a few minutes of high-speed blending are what transform simple nuts into something genuinely silky. Once it's chilled, you'll have a fridge-ready spread that's as clean as it gets.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 2–4 tbsp cold water, as needed
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Soak for at least 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, until the cashews are plump and noticeably softened.
- 2
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews under cold running water.
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