This Vegan Cream Cheese is easy and quick! Made with just 3-ingredients, you’ll have thick and tangy cream cheese in 30 minutes. Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free.
Vegan cream cheese is still pretty difficult to find here in Malaysia, and can be really expensive.
I’ve seen many versions of homemade vegan cream cheese using cashews, but this version is nut-free and no soaking is required. I learned this method from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking, and the results are almost identical! It’s so easy and quick, you can have vegan cream cheese in just 30 minutes.
The 3 ingredients you’ll need to make vegan cream cheese
- unsweetened soy milk
- lemon juice
- salt
And that’s it!
You could also add in some nutritional yeast for a more cheesy, savoury flavour, but I couldn’t really taste a huge difference, so it’s optional.
Soy milk is very affordable in Malaysia, and I believe in other parts of the world as well, compared to cashews. I believe mastering this technique of making vegan cream cheese is essential so you’ll be able to enjoy cream cheese without burning a hole in your wallet!
Tips to make easy vegan cream cheese
- You can make very good vegan cream cheese in only 30 minutes, but you can also let the soy milk sit for more than 10 minutes after adding lemon juice, or allow most of the water to drain naturally in the cheesecloth over a longer period of time. This will further ensure a thick cream cheese!
- I’ve tested this method with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Both worked well, but I prefer the flavour of lemon juice. Some people prefer apple cider vinegar, so it really is up to your personal preference!
- The soy milk curdles are much smaller than dairy milk curdles, so make sure you use ultra-fine cheesecloth. I layered 4 pieces to ensure that none of the curdles escape.
- The liquid after straining should be slightly yellow, transparent but not cloudy. If it appears very cloudy, that could mean the soy milk hasn’t curdled enough, or the layers of cheesecloth are too thin. Make sure you let the milk sit for 10 minutes after adding lemon juice, and use the right type of cheesecloth.
- Blending the cream cheese in a food processor with salt helps break the curdles down to make it extra creamy and spreadable. You could also mix in the salt vigorously with a fork, which is what I did with the cream cheese pictured in this blog post.
10 minutes after adding lemon juice 
Straining with cheesecloth 
After squeezing the liquid out by hand
Can I use other plant milks?
The ratio of water to beans in commercial soy milk is 4:1, and so one litre of soy milk will produce around 180-200 grams of cream cheese.
Other plant milks such as coconut, almond or oat milk do not contain as much protein compared to soy milk. Pea milk is relatively high in protein, so I assume it will work but I have not tried it myself. The yield won’t be the same too.
For the best results, use soy milk as stated in the recipe.
I don’t have a cheesecloth!
That shouldn’t stop you from enjoying homemade vegan cream cheese! Read this blog post from The Spruce Eats for cheese cloth alternatives.
Feel free to add in herbs or spices for extra flavour but if you plan on using this in a recipe, keep it simple with just salt.
Because it contains no fat, it may not work very well recipes that rely on fat from cream cheese. I’ve tried using this vegan cream cheese in frostings and no-bake cheesecakes, and both turned out amazing. You’d best believe I’ll be making a lot more recipes with cream cheese in the near future!
Here are more fun recipes for you to try as well:
- Vegan Tofu Mayo (Gluten-Free | Oil-Free | 5 Min | 5 Ing)
- Vegan Pumpkin Seed Pesto (5 Minutes!)
- Easy 1-Pot Vegetable Stock from Vegetable Scraps
- How to Prepare Dried Chickpeas (with Notes on Aquafaba!)
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on InstagramΒ @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Easy Vegan Cream Cheese (GF | OF | NF | 30 Min | 3 Ing)
Ingredients
- 1 litre unsweetened soy milk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice*
- ΒΌ tsp salt more to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, bring the soy milk to a simmer. Stir in 1 tbsp of lemon juice at a time. Remove pot from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. The soy milk should have curdled, and you can see the slightly yellow water beneath the curds.
- Over a large bowl, layer a large strainer with a cheesecloth that is at least 4 layers thick. Pour the curdled soy milk over the cheesecloth, and let sit for 10 minutes. Halfway through, stir the soy curdles gently so that the liquid strains evenly.
- Fold the cheesecloth over the curdles and very gently squeeze any remaining liquid out. If you apply too much pressure at once, the curdles may come out. The liquid will be slightly yellow, but not cloudy.
- The cream cheese should be firm, and able to hold its shape. Transfer to a food processor and blend with salt until creamy OR simply transfer to a bowl and mix in the salt with a fork.
- Use this vegan cream cheese as a spread or in recipes that call for cream cheese!** Enjoy.
Notes
