This tofu cream cheese is cheesy, creamy and spreadable. It's the perfect topping for toast or bagels. You can even use it as a vegan cream cheese frosting for cupcakes. And, the best thing is that you can customize it to your heart's content. I'll give you a few creative suggestions for add-ins that will make your cream cheese extra delicious.
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Who needs dairy when you can make vegan cheeses like my creamy vegan queso my smoky vegan cheese ball? And, now I'd like to introduce you to the ultimate tofu cream cheese!
While you're never going to get a vegan cheese to taste exactly like it's non-vegan counterpart, this cheese comes pretty close. If you're missing the creamy, spreadableness of cream cheese, then you're definitely in the right place.
The secret ingredient here is tofu. When blended with the right ratio of ingredients you end up with an immensely satisfying cream cheese. I've found that tofu works particularly well for creamy, spreadable vegan cheeses. I've used it to make tofu ricotta cheese, and it's fantastic. If you're looking for a soy free cream cheese, be sure to check out my cashew based cream cheese.
Now, all you need to do is spread your vegan cream cheese on your favorite bagel! If you're feeling ambitious, you can make you own authentic New York style bagels with this New York bagel recipe.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅You only need 6 ingredients (plus tofu) that you probably already have in your pantry.
✅Tofu cream cheese is a great addition to Charcuterie boards, sandwiches, wraps, and it even makes a tasty frosting if you add a bit of sugar or maple syrup (and omit the garlic and onion powder.)
✅Looking for a creative addition to the kid's lunchboxes? This is it!
✅Tofu cream cheese makes an amazing spread for this hearty semolina bread.
✅This is just a recipe template that you can customize. Like a harissa flavored cream cheese spread? No problem, just add a tablespoon of harissa. Be sure to check out my suggestions below on how to ramp up the flavor of your tofu cream cheese.
Like Tofu?
Check our my roundup of 15 creative tofu marinades!
Ingredients
- Tofu: Choose extra firm tofu. Silken tofu is too watery to make vegan cream cheese with.
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy, umami flavor. If you want to keep your cream cheese white, choose an unfortified nutritional yeast.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a nice tangy background note. If you don't have a lemon, you can substitute apple cider vinegar. When using lemon juice, it's best to use the juice of a real lemon, not bottled.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil adds a bit of fat and improves the texture of this tofu cream cheese.
- Garlic Powder: I normally like to use fresh garlic where I can, but in this recipe garlic powder is a much better choice. Fresh garlic is far too harsh.
- Onion Powder: A small amount of onion powder adds a bit of funky flavor that you can only get from onion powder.
- Salt: Salt enhances all the other flavors.
How To Make Tofu Cream Cheese
- Drain your tofu. Wrap in paper towels or a tea towel and place something heavy (like a cast iron pan) on top. Press for 15-20 minutes.
- Place the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Spread tofu cream cheese on bagels or toast, or use it as a frosting for your vegan cakes.
Creative Add Ins
- Add a tablespoon of fresh dill and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper for an herb tofu cream cheese.
- Blend in some roasted sweet peppers for a veggie packed cream cheese that's sweet and delicious.
- Add a spicy kick by mixing in a teaspoon of wasabi paste.
- Mix in some fresh chives and 2 teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest for a zingy tofu cream cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
You can freeze tofu cream cheese in an airtight container for up to 2 months. However, the texture changes a bit once defrosted. It will be slightly grainier and not as spreadable as it is fresh.
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📖 Recipe
Tofu Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 14 ounces tofu extra firm
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Drain the tofu. Wrap in paper towels or a tea towel and place something heavy (like a cast iron pan) on top. Press for 15-20 minutes.
- Place the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Mike
Came out surprisingly well! Using a blender definitely made it super creamy. I ended up adding another tablespoon of olive oil because the mixture kept rising up and avoiding the blades every 2-15 seconds or so, and while it came out a little closer to sour cream in texture (not thickness itself though; this was definitely thicker) the taste shocked me. Fantastic.
I did use lime juice instead of lemon (1 lime is about 2 tbsp generally speaking), and I also added a little bit of Tamari and Kelp flakes. Dipped my first homemade gluten free vegan no-yeast bread made with rice flour and tapioca flour (toasted the piece I was using first, and btw use a better blend than this or else it'll be thick like banana bread and a bit sweet like rice!) and it didn't last more than 20 seconds. This stuff is addicting. Thank you for this, was looking for a recipe that doesn't require vegan yogurt or refined coconut oil (I couldn't go out and buy them since I'm broke and hand-injured so had to use what I already had) and this hit the spot perfectly.
Keri Bevan
Hi Mike, Thanks so much for your feedback!
Keri Bevan
Hi Mike, I'm so pleased that you liked the recipe!