There is nothing quite like a toasted bagel loaded with garden vegetable cream cheese. It’s a weekend staple. But if you avoid dairy, finding a store-bought alternative is nearly impossible. Enter this easy, chef-created, homemade dairy-free veggie cream cheese. It’s fresh, flavorful, creamy, and perfectly chunky, and it combines a little convenience with from-scratch ingredients for optimal taste and texture.
Why You’ll Love This Dairy-Free Veggie Cream Cheese Recipe
- Delicious Taste & Texture Tricks: Using just a touch of store-bought cream cheese provides a flavor and texture base that this recipe builds upon with fresh ingredients.
- Nutrient-Dense: A mélange of plant-based ingredients elevate this cream cheese to healthy spread status.
- Customizable: Don’t like carrots? Add bell peppers instead. Love herbs? Add some dill, rosemary, or fresh basil. You control the flavor profile.
- Uses Up Leftovers: Don’t let that dairy-free cream cheese alternative you bought (and perhaps didn’t like) go to waste! Use it and remaining vegetables in your keeper up with this recipe.
- Meal Prep Friendly: It tastes even better the next day after it thickens and the flavors meld, making it perfect for Sunday meal prep.
- Versatile: We’ve got some serving suggestions below that go well beyond bagels!
Ingredient & Method Tips
- Cream Cheese Alternative: You are just using a little to provide the flavor and texture base, and also to help emulsify. It’s okay if you didn’t love the brand as is, since you’ll be building on it with more ingredients! Brands like Violife, Daiya, or some of our favorites will work just fine.
- Blender / Food Processor: This is a small batch recipe, so don’t use large equipment. I use a personal-size blender with grinder blade for best results, but a high-speed blender or small to medium food processor should work fine. You can always double the recipe for a mid-size food processor.
- Salt to Taste: This recipe uses a rather high ratio of salt. For some it will be perfect, but if using a saltier cream cheese alternative, I would start with just ¼ teaspoon salt, and add more to taste.
- Prep Work: To maximize your time, prep all ingredients while the cashews soak.
- Cashews: If you prefer a cold soak, let them soak in water in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Avoid roasted or salted cashews, which can overwhelm the flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Obviously, this dairy-free veggie cream cheese belongs on a toasted everything bagel. But don’t stop there! Try it:
- Spread inside a veggie wrap or pinwheels.
- As a dip for pretzels, dairy-free crackers, and cucumber slices.
- Dolloped onto a baked potato.
- Layered or stirred into a casserole.
- Level up avocado toast by spreading this vegan veggie cream cheese on first.
- Stir it into freshly cooked pasta for an easy, creamy sauce.
- In afternoon tea sandwiches. You can even use fun cookie cutters, like the glass slipper one used for these pictures.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Veggie Cream Cheese
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, \gluten-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian.
Dairy-Free Veggie Cream Cheese
This delicious veggie-spiked spread can be pureed until smooth or left a bit chunky. We prefer it chunky-style. Prep the vegetables while the cashews soak for a quick and efficient recipe.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place the cashews in a small bowl, and cover with hot water, about an inch above the cashews. Let the cashews soak for 30 minutes, and then drain.
- Put the cashews, cauliflower, cream cheese alternative, and salt in your food processor or a small blender and process until smooth.
- Add the carrot, radish, and green onion, and pulse until it reaches your desired texture.
- Store this cream cheese alternative in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, depending on the freshness of your vegetables. The veggies might release a little water - just stir it before use.
Nutrition
Notes
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches: For an afternoon gathering, cut the crusts off 8 slices of bread. You can eat the crusts or turn them into breadcrumbs for recipes (they can be frozen). Spread the veggie cream cheese on 4 slices, top with thinly sliced cucumber, and top each with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Use cookie cutters for fancy shapes or cut each sandwich into squares or small triangles.
Spicy Option: You can add a dash of ground cayenne or ¼ cup chopped jalapeño peppers to the food processor.
Garlic & Herb Options: Blend in 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and/or stir in 1/2 teaspoon dill or 1 teaspoon other minced fresh herbs.
1 Comment
Really appreciate this recipe! Finding a good dairy-free cream cheese alternative isn’t easy, but this looks both simple and delicious. I like that it can be used in multiple ways—bagels, dips, and spreads. Can’t wait to try it out!