In a little over a month, Crave Eat Heal: Plant-based, Whole Food Recipes to Satisfy Every Appetite will make its way into the nearly infinite cookbook universe. In anticipation, over the next several weeks I will be sharing recipes from its pages, starting with one of I make all of the time – a vegan cream cheese that gets its inspiration from herbed Boursin.
For instant gratification, get my 16-recipe companion e-book, Crave. Eat. Heal. Outtakes available for only $4.99! Get it from my Shop. It’s also available as a generously-sized, colorful paperback on Amazon for $15.95.
Beginning in early April look for the Crave Eat Heal Blog Tour which is making stops at some of my favorite blogs.
Vegan Roasted Garlic & Fresh Herb Cream Cheez
- Prep Time: 2880
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 48 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A smooth, creamy, and flavorful spread perfect for bread and crackers.
Ingredients
- 1 small head garlic
- 4 Tbsp. fresh chopped herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, chives, and/or oregano
- 1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in water 8-10 hours, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup coconut butter or 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, soaked in water for about 15 minutes, drained
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 – 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 450-degrees. Cut off the top 1/3 or so of the garlic and wrap the head in foil. Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, or until fragrant and very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before unwrapping.
- Line two 3/4 cup ramekins with cheesecloth. Sprinkle the bottoms of the ramekins with one tablespoon each of the herbs, reserving the remaining herbs.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the cashew pieces, coconut butter or coconut flakes, and salt until fairly smooth. (It will not get completely smooth.) Squeeze the cloves from the roasted garlic and drop into the bowl of the food processor. Add the garlic powder and the lemon juice and process until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins, pressing the cheese down into the herbs and cheesecloth. Tap the ramekins on the counter a few times and level the top. Divide the remaining herbs between the two ramekins, gently press them into the cheese and cover with the ends of the cheesecloth. Put one ramekin on top of the other and fill a third ramekin with water and place it on top of both ramekins (you’ll have a “tower” of 3 ramekins). Place them in the refrigerator and let set overnight.
- The next day, remove the water-filled ramekin. Gently tug the cheesecloth to remove the cream cheese from the other ramekins and serve with bread or crackers – or place them in an air-tight container for up to one week.
Notes
- Though the prep time looks scary, it’s mostly inactive time – roasting the garlic, soaking the cashews, and letting the cheez rest in the refrigerator. Making the cheez takes only minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 40
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 3
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
That looks absolutely delicious and gorgeous Annie!! I want a big chunk right now!! So easy to make too. So excited about your book, can’t wait to get it and I will share it more on social media closer to it’s release date 🙂 🙂
You’re the best, girl! I’m glad you’re excited about the book – – because I feel so over it, hehe! But when I actually SEE it, I know I’ll be thrilled, too. <3
This cheeze looks SO GOOD! I’m also LOVING the new site! It’s so lovely, just like all of your photos!
Thanks, babe!
I just so happened to buy cashews the other day. Coincidence? I think not!
Your book is sounding so incredible I can’t wait to check it out!
Now that’s what I call serendipity ;-)!!
Beautiful, Annie! Love your new blog design too!
Thank you! It (and I!) was in dire need of a refresh!
if i quadruple this and put it in a 8″ springform pan for a group, would that be about right in your estimation?
That sounds about right, Suzi. It probably won’t be as tall as what you’d get in the ramekins, but that might be better for a group anyway.
perfect!! thank you for your extra TLC!! keep on making all that delicious magic for us 🙂
<3
I know that seasoned Vegans look at those ingredients and think, “Yeah! Sounds great!” But isn’t it crazy that you can make BETTER tasting cheese than dairy from such simple ingredients and so quickly? LOVE!! And those crackers look like a perfect match for the herbs and sour of the cheese, yum!
I haven’t done much with vegan cheese, okay, I made 1, and I really need to make this soon. Maybe your next book should be just cheese and crackers?
Beautiful ♥
Thanks, girl! Yep, no excuses about weird ingredients or too hard on this one!
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This post couldn’t possibly come at a better time. For some reason last night I was dreaming about bagels…like lots and lots of bagels slathered with cream cheese. When I woke up I naturally was craving them but just kept thinking how do you possibly make vegan cream cheese? You are absolutely brilliant and the fact that you added roasted garlic…omg yum! I can never have too much garlic. I’m making this tomorrow. Usually I wouldn’t bother soaking the cashews for a recipe but I need this to be perfect so I’ll wait 🙂 I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
This is very bagel-friendly! I hope you LOVE it – – and really, you could totally adapt this recipe. Leave out the garlic and herbs and add cinnamon and maple syrup; stir in chopped dried figs…
This cheese looks so creamy I have to make it this coming weekend! Roasted garlic, hm… 🙂
Hope you like it, Nori!
Love the sound of this easy vegan cheese. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the sneak peek of the book.
Yummm !!! I can’t wait to see your cookbook 🙂 You’ll have success…I know it 🙂
This was amazing! I’ve tried a lot of different cashew cream cheese recipes but the coconut butter just took this to a whole new level! I’m bringing it to a non-vegan get together tomorrow night and can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks!
So glad to hear it, Nicole! And I really appreciate you sharing on Instagram :-).
Do you need cheesecloth? Can this just be a cheese spread if you don’t use the cheesecloth?
Hi Alissa – no, you could certainly make this without the cheesecloth. It’s fairly dry as is, but the cheesecloth just absorbs some of the moisture. I’m sure it will work just fine!
So I tried this, and used the unsweetened shredded coconut. The coconut flavor is really pronounced, even when I added a lot more cashews. What did I do wrong? Does that mellow out if it sits another day? Could I use coconut oil in place of the butter or flakes? Don’t get me wrong, I like coconut, but here it took away from the cream-cheese vibe. I have the feeling that maybe my shredded coconut measured out to be too much compared to bigger flakes. Maybe?
Hi Kate – I’m sorry that this didn’t turn out as you expected! I’ve used the smaller flakes without issue so not sure that’s the answer. But I suppose some coconut could taste more coconutty than others (i.e., freshness, hence stronger coconut taste?). Did you use a reduced amount of roasted garlic/garlic powder? That could be a factor if so. As for coconut oil, you could try using the refined type (to eliminate any coconut flavor), but it would affect the texture. Since I haven’t tried using coconut oil, I really can’t vouch for it.
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This past week I decided to make a healthy switch, purely on a health basis, but then watched “Vegucated” and cried for days. Well not literally, but I did cry a lot while I watched it. So I’ve been vegetarian for a week, but I definitely want to become a vegan because the horrors that happen to dairy cows and their young, and male “egg chicks” make me want to throw up every time I think about it.
Today though my sister brought home an amazing herb and garlic cheese spread; I had a nibble and had a life crisis. While I hate the taste of dairy milk and don’t drink it it to begin with, cheese is one of my favorite foods. You can literally put it on anything. So I knew going into this that it would be my biggest struggle. But I can’t shake what I know, and I don’t want to.
So, just thank you SO MUCH for this recipe. There are so many awesome vegan blogs out there right now that are making it that much easier for me and other budding vegans, and I appreciate it so much!
Post-crisis, I’m really excited to try this!!
Thank you again 🙂
Hi Rizza! First of all – I applaud you for the changes you’ve made in your diet/life. You’re doing good for yourself, the planet, and for the animals who have no voice. It IS difficult to transition; giving up so many foods that have emotional and familial connections. But thankfully, plant-based options and alternatives are just getting better and better. Vegan cheeses alone have gotten truly incredible: Heidi Ho, Treeline, Miyoko Schinner, Kite Hill – just to name a few. Hampton Creek is constantly coming out with spot-on plant-based alternatives, too. And as you mention, wonderful vegan blogs abound so you’ll never go hungry :-). You can do this! If you give this garlic/herb cheese a try, I hope you love it – or at least that it gets you through any rough patches. Keep in touch and let me know how it goes! xoxo
Hi there, for someone on a candida diet, do you think the cashews could be swapped with almonds or another candida ‘safe’ nut??
I haven’t tried this recipe with any other nut – – but almonds would probably work just fine here.
Hello! Thank you for the recipe. But could you please tell me what is the purpose of the 3 rd ramekin filled with water? Only for weight?
Hi Mia! Yes, to compress the cheez – but I’ve had some people let me know that they’ve made this successfully without the added weight.
I didn’t had ramekin so I just put it in a tupperware.
It’s very nice , creamy, flavoured and I can spread it with a kinfe. 🙂
I hope you will post a recipe for firm vegan cheese too that melts.
My husband tried the cheese tonight, and he absolutely loves it. Thank you again. Best regards from Amsterdam.
Oh, I’m so happy to know that! Thank you, Mia!
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Print button?????
Yep – if you scroll down to the recipe, you’ll see a gray Print button next to the (red) Save Recipe button. They’re both just under the recipe title, description & serving size.
I have my batch of cheez in the fridge now. I can not wait for tomorrow to come! It tasted amazing even before the setting time! You, are a genius! I should add that I am newly vegan, about 2 months in.
Hey Lindsay! Welcome to Vegan World :-)! Thanks so much for your comment and I hope that you loved the cheez – – and that it inspires you to explore all of the amazing plant-based cheeses out there now.
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The garlic is roasting & i’m patiently (lol) waiting to put everything together. I just found this site & ordered the book. Happy, happy, happy
Hi Shaj! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment – – I hope you like the Cheez recipe! BTW, if you haven’t subscribed to my blog, now is a good time to do so because you get my new 16-recipe ebook for free! Best, Annie
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I was wondering if there was a substitute for the coconut. I don’t think I’m allergic (I haven’t been tested and do not suffer hives or difficulty breathing or any other threatening symptoms), but coconut does make me nauseous.
Hi Ashley, I would just leave it out. The coconut butter adds a richness and “buttery” flavor, but I think the recipe will be quite tasty without it.
I was wondering the same about the coconut. I see so many vegan recipes with coconut something or cashews. I don’t like either. So, what is a good substitute for coconut? In this case, will vegan butter do?
I suggest just omitting the coconut – it will be just as tasty :-).
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ohhh looks amazing, i want to know How many days can you save it in the fridge?
Oh gosh, it should be good for 5-7 days. Hope you enjoy it!
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would sunflower seeds work instead? I’m allergic to treenuts and peanuts and so am looking for something that would work instead…?
Hi Jenn – I haven’t tried sunflower seeds in this, but now you’re making me curious! I no longer eat nuts – might be an interesting experiment!
Sounds good…thanks! I might try it. 🙂
Hi, I was wondering, by coconut butter do you mean something like coconut based Earth Balance, or is it something you make from scratch? Thanks.
Coconut butter is coconut that’s been finely ground – so it is pure coconut. Definitely don’t use Earth Balance, which is more like margarine.
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I put this herbed cheese together today and can’t wait to try it tomorrow. I can tell it’s going to be awesome. I did two different herb combo’s. One with Rosemarie & Thyme and the other with Dill& Chive. I am following a nutritarian diet and haven’t found any non dairy cheese that has good flavor or good ingredients, with the exception of Miyoko Mozzarella. Yum. Thanks for the recipe, I know I will love it!
Hi Mary – I hope you liked it! The dill/chive combination sounds fabulous!
This has become my favorite vegan cheese recipe, hands down. It’s so good that I’ve won over dairy cheese lovers. It’s like a specialty cheese, delicious! I have passed it on to family for when they have dinner parties and the like, where again, it’s a big hit. Thank you for sharing it. It’s been a big hit
That’s fantastic to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know – I really appreciate it.