Tofu Cream Cheese – Nora Cooks

This Tofu Cream Cheese is creamy, thick and perfect for spreading on bagels. With only 5 ingredients, it’s ridiculously easy to make and customizable. My personal favorite flavor? Chive and onion.

A bagel for breakfast just isn’t complete without a generous schmear of Tofu Cream Cheese! Serve alongside Tofu Scramble and Vegan Pancakes for an unforgettable brunch.

This 5-ingredient vegan cream cheese alternative is just as creamy and tangy as my 5-Minute Vegan Cream Cheese but is completely nut free. It’s easy to make, too. A brick of tofu and a handful of wholesome plant-based ingredients blend together in a food processor, then it’s ready to eat.

As-is, the cream cheese is rich, creamy, and subtly sour. Want to take it up a notch? Blend in the flavor boosters of your choice, like herbs, onions, fruit, or nuts.

I’ve included 5 delicious flavor options to dress up your vegan cream cheese. Add garlic, scallions, or dill for a savory flavor, or make it sweet with fresh strawberries, pecans, and maple syrup. It’s up to you!

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

• Firm tofu – Firm or extra-firm tofu is the best tofu for this tofu cream cheese recipe. Unlike other types that are soft and watery (like medium, soft, or silken tofu), these give the cream cheese a thick, slightly firm, and spreadable consistency. Soft or medium tofu should work if that’s what you already have at home. They won’t affect the flavor of the cream cheese, but the consistency will be looser. 
• Lemon juice – You can make this recipe with either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Both give the cream cheese a classic tangy flavor and a subtle sweetness.
• Coconut oil – Just like in my vegan butter recipe, melted coconut oil adds richness to the cream cheese but also helps it firm up in the fridge. Use refined coconut oil for NO coconut flavor. You may leave it out if needed.
• Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy and savory flavor.
• Salt – Don’t skip it! The salt rounds out all of the other flavors and helps the cream cheese taste its best.

How to make vegan cream cheese with tofu

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.

Break the brick of tofu into chunks and place them in a food processor, followed by the lemon juice, melted coconut oil, nutritional yeast, and salt. 

Blend the ingredients until they’re smooth and creamy. At this point, you can add some flavor boosters (see the options below) and blend again. Enjoy!

Tips for success

• Room temperature tofu is the secret to easy blending! Unwrap the brick of tofu from the package, set it on the kitchen counter, and let it come down to room temperature for 30 minutes before blending. You don’t have to do this, but things will blend better if you do.
• You can use the cream cheese right away but the consistency is thicker and richer after it chills in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• No food processor? Make this recipe in a blender instead. Just know that you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides more often.
• Gently pulse in nuts, fresh vegetables, vegan bacon, and other chunky ingredients into the cream cheese. Or fold them into the batch with a spatula. You don’t want to completely pulverize these add-ins and potentially lose the texture.

Serving suggestions

One of the best ways to use tofu cream cheese is as a bagel spread (it goes especially well with everything bagels). Top your cream cheese bagel with sliced cucumbers, fresh dill, pickled red onions, avocado, and/or vegan salmon for an epic vegan breakfast or light lunch.

Need an easy party snack? Spread the cream cheese (with or without flavor boosters) on crackers or crostini and top them with dried fruit, jam, fresh herbs, scallions, avocado, and/or everything bagel seasoning. You can also use it as a spread in pinwheels or a filling in vegan jalapeno poppers.

Lastly, use the tofu cream cheese as a creamy and tangy base for cold dips. Stir pre-cooked spinach, diced artichokes, pickled jalapenos, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or fresh dill into the batch. Add a scoop of vegan mayo or yogurt to thin the texture, and you have a flavor-packed, no-bake party dip!

Customize the flavor

You can think of tofu cream cheese as a blank canvas for your favorite flavors. Whether you’re serving it with a sweet treat or as a savory spread, you can take it up a notch with all kinds of add-ins. Find your perfect flavor using any of these variation ideas:

• Strawberry – Add 1 cup chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.
• Maple pecan – Add 3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
• Chive and onion – Add 1 teaspoon onion powder and 4 tablespoons chopped chives.
• Bacon scallion – Add about 1/2 cup crumbled vegan bacon (tempeh, tofu, or store-bought and cooked) and 4 tablespoons chopped scallions.
• Vegetable – Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 cup chopped fine red bell pepper, 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, and 2 tablespoons chopped small red onion.

Frequently asked questions

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