Easy Vegan Tofu Cream Cheese (4 Flavors)
easyhealthyrecipes.com/tofu-cream-cheese/This vegan tofu cream cheese is deliciously creamy, thick, and perfect for bagels. Includes recipes for plain cream cheese, onion & chive cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, and berry cream cheese.
Recipe makes approximately 8 servings
Equipment Needed
- Paper towels
- Cutting board
- Heavy skillet
- Food processor (fitted with "S" blade, or blender)
- Silicone spatula
- refrigerator-safe airtight container
- Large mixing bowl (for chive & onion or scallion flavors )
Ingredients Needed
For Plain Tofu Cream Cheese
- 1 14.5-ounce block firm tofu (at room temperature )
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
For Berry Tofu Cream Cheese
- 1 14.5-ounce block firm tofu (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 1 cup berries of choice (fresh or frozen, see Notes)
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
For Chive & Onion Tofu Cream Cheese
- 1 14.5-ounce block firm tofu (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup chopped chives
For Scallion Tofu Cream Cheese
- 1 14.5-ounce block firm tofu (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green parts only)
Instructions
To Prepare the Tofu
- Remove and discard packaging from 1 14.5-ounce block firm tofu (at room temperature), draining any liquid from packaging as needed.
- Layer 2 to 4 sheets of paper towels on flat work surface, then place tofu block on top of paper towels.
- Cover block of tofu with 2 to 4 sheets of paper towels, then cover paper towels with large cutting board.
- Place heavy skillet on top of cutting board and leave for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove skillet and cutting board. Remove used paper towels, patting outside of tofu block dry if needed.
For Plain Tofu Cream Cheese
- Break pressed tofu into pieces and place tofu pieces into food processor bowl. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon salt to food processor.
- Process ingredients until mixture is completely smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of food processor bowl as needed.
- Once mixture is smooth, taste mixture and add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and/or salt as needed.
- Transfer prepared tofu cream cheese to airtight container, then cover container with lid and place in refrigerator. Chill tofu cream cheese at least 30 minutes or until cream cheese is firm.
- Once tofu cream cheese is firm, serve or use tofu cream cheese as desired. Alternately, keep tofu cream cheese refrigerated in airtight container until ready to serve. If stored properly, prepared tofu cream cheese will keep up to 7 days.
For Berry Tofu Cream Cheese
- Break pressed tofu into pieces and place tofu pieces into food processor bowl. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon salt to food processor.
- Process ingredients until mixture is completely smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of food processor bowl as needed.
- Once mixture is smooth, add 1 cup berries of choice and ¼ cup confectioners' sugar. Continue processing mixture until berries and sugar are incorporated and desired consistency is achieved.
- When satisfied with consistency, taste mixture and add lemon juice, berries, confectioners’ sugar, and/or salt as needed.
- Transfer prepared tofu cream cheese to airtight container, then cover container with lid and place in refrigerator. Chill tofu cream cheese at least 30 minutes or until cream cheese is firm.
- Once tofu cream cheese is firm, serve or use tofu cream cheese as desired. Alternately, keep tofu cream cheese refrigerated in airtight container until ready to serve. If stored properly, prepared tofu cream cheese will keep up to 7 days.
For Chive & Onion Tofu Cream Cheese
- Break pressed tofu into pieces and place tofu pieces into food processor bowl. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon salt to food processor.
- Process ingredients until mixture is completely smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of food processor bowl as needed.
- Once mixture is smooth, transfer tofu cream cheese to mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon onion powder and ¼ cup chopped chives. Gently stir mixture until ingredients are fully incorporated.
- When onion powder and chives have been incorporated, taste mixture and add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, chives, and/or salt as needed.
- Transfer prepared tofu cream cheese to airtight container, then cover container with lid and place in refrigerator. Chill tofu cream cheese at least 30 minutes or until cream cheese is firm.
- Once tofu cream cheese is firm, serve or use tofu cream cheese as desired. Alternatively, keep tofu cream cheese refrigerated in airtight container until ready to serve. If stored properly, prepared tofu cream cheese will keep up to 7 days.
For Scallion Tofu Cream Cheese
- Break pressed tofu into pieces and place tofu pieces into food processor bowl. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, and 1 teaspoon salt to food processor.
- Process ingredients until mixture is completely smooth, pausing to scrape down sides of food processor as needed.
- Once mixture is smooth, transfer tofu cream cheese to large mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons chopped green onions and gently stir to incorporate.
- When green onions have been incorporated, taste mixture and add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, green onions, and/or salt as needed.
- Transfer prepared tofu cream cheese to airtight container, then cover container with lid and place in refrigerator. Chill tofu cream cheese at least 30 minutes or until cream cheese is firm.
- Once tofu cream cheese is firm, serve or use tofu cream cheese as desired. Alternatively, keep tofu cream cheese refrigerated in airtight container until ready to serve. If stored properly, prepared tofu cream cheese will keep up to 7 days.
Recipe Notes
- Firm Tofu: You can also use extra firm tofu instead of firm tofu. I don’t recommend using silken tofu - it contains too much liquid so it won’t give you the right texture. Also, the tofu needs to be room temperature, so let it sit out 30-60 minutes before making the cream cheese.
- Pressing Tofu: You’ll want to remove the excess moisture from the tofu or you’ll end up with a watery cream cheese that doesn’t incorporate well. It doesn’t need to be pressed as much as tofu you plan to fry or bake, though, since we don’t need it to crisp up.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If needed, substitute 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or fresh lemon juice.
- Nutritional Yeast: You can omit this if needed, but it gives the tofu cream cheese the cheesy flavor of traditional cream cheese, so I recommend using it if you can.
- Berries: Any berries will work. If you’re using frozen berries, defrost them overnight in the fridge first, then rinse them well and pat them dry before adding them to the food processor. Make sure to remove as much moisture as possible from the tofu because the berries will release juice as they’re processed.
Nutrition Info (Approximate)
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 102kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Total Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.2g | Net Carbs: 0.5g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 8mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg