Tofu Cream Cheese
Creamy and so easy, this Tofu Cream Cheese comes together in just 5 minutes and is the perfect topping for high protein bagels, sandwiches, and more. This low fat vegan cream cheese is the perfect flavorful base for oil-free salad dressings, pasta sauces, grain bowls or anything else you want to put it on!
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So, I’ve been making some version of this tofu cream cheese for years. I think I’ve finally perfected it, but I also had to put it on the blog when I came out with my High Protein Bagels. They’re amazing together!
But as I mentioned above, you can put this low fat vegan cream cheese on just about anything, and I also use it as the base for my salad dressings most nights. Just add a little lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and whatever seasonings sound good and there you go, instant creamy salad dressing!
We can totally just add this to the amazing arsenal I’m building of dips and sauces, though. Check out my favorites that are right in the same vein as this tofu cream cheese: Silken Tofu Cheese Sauce, Plant Based Nacho Cheese Sauce, Creamy Tomato Silken Tofu Pasta Sauce, Oil-Free Pesto, and my Silken Tofu Ranch Dressing to name a few, but way too many to list here!
You might have noticed a pattern there… I really like silken tofu as the base for a lot of sauce recipes! It’s creamy, you don’t have to add liquid to get it to blend, it’s low calorie, and no soaking required. Just blend and go!
But this recipe does NOT use silken tofu. It can, and I’ll give you some tips if that’s what you have on hand.
For cream cheese though, we want it to be thick and spreadable, not thin. The best way to do this in my opinion (without adding nuts, seeds, or beans) is to use firm or extra firm tofu. As long as you blend it enough, you can still get a smooth, awesome tofu cream cheese.
And the flavor! I feel like I’ve really gotten the flavor after a lot of experimenting. This tofu cream cheese is a neutral base, but feel free to add in other things such as caramelized onions, roasted garlic, or even chopped scallions or chives (I would pulse or stir those in at the end).
Anyway, let’s learn how to make this great tofu cream cheese recipe.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.
- Extra Firm Tofu: I drained a 16-ounce block of extra firm tofu (make sure to buy organic/non-GMO) for this recipe. Regular firm tofu should also work but you might need less liquid (start with half the amount and add more as needed. Easier to add liquid than be stuck with a mixture that’s too thin).
- Unsweetened Soy Milk: This helps our tofu to blend and adds creaminess to the recipe.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Cream cheese has some tang and a little sweetness. I’ve experimented a lot and apple cider vinegar is the perfect acidic liquid for this recipe.
- Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast: This helps our cream cheese taste actually cheesy! Regular fortified nooch will work, it just might darken the color a bit. (I also like the flavor of non-fortified nutritional yeast a lot more.)
- Spices: I just used granulated onion and granulated garlic to keep it simple and classic. I use more onion than garlic here and I think that’s one of the secrets to getting the flavor! Feel free to play around to suit your taste buds.
- Iodized Salt: Okay, now most of you who are familiar with me know I try to keep my sodium low. Based on some dialogue with my doctor and personal experimentation, I have added a small amount of salt back into my diet with great results. If you would prefer to use miso paste in this recipe you can do that.
Substitutions
- Extra Firm Tofu or Firm Tofu: If you can’t have soy, try Big Mountain Foods Soy-Free Tofu; it’s made from fava beans and I really like it! If you can’t find it or want to try another alternative, try blending 1-2 cups of soaked raw cashews or raw sunflower seeds (I’d recommend soaking for an hour in just-boiled water).
- Unsweetened Soy Milk: Any plain (unflavored) non-dairy milk should work fine in this recipe.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Rice vinegar is a good substitution but you need a vinegar that is tangy and sweet. Balsamic may be a bit too strong for this recipe.
- Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast: Regular (bright yellow) fortified nutritional yeast is fine for this recipe if that’s all you have. If you cannot have nutritional yeast at all, you can leave it out and add a bit more spices if needed, but the nooch really does add a lot to the recipe so try to add it if you are able to eat it.
- Spices: I recommend making the recipe as is and then tasting it. Feel free to change up the spices and amounts to suit your tastebuds because everyone is different!
- Iodized Salt: I do feel you need something salty in this recipe because cheese is salty. Feel free to use miso paste instead (I’ve made this recipe before with miso paste and it’s good, I just feel the salt version tastes more like traditional cream cheese). If you use it, a potassium chloride salt substitute will also work.
How to Make Tofu Cream Cheese
Watch me make this recipe or follow the step-by-step instructions below.
- Add Ingredients: Drain the block of tofu and break up the block into smaller chunks. Place those in the blender along with the soy milk, vinegar, nutritional yeast, spices, and salt.
- Blend: Blend until completely smooth. You may have to stop and scrape down the blender a few times. I don’t recommend adding more liquid unless you absolutely have to. Keeping the amount of liquid low is what helps keep the tofu cream cheese to be more of a spreadable consistency instead of runny.
- Taste and Adjust: Now is the best time to adjust the flavor of the cream cheese. Is it salty enough? If not, add a little more salt. Is it acidic enough? If not, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Blend again and taste again. Adjust until you are happy with it.
- Store and Refrigerate: I like to serve my tofu cream cheese cold, so scrape the blender out (this blender spatula really comes in handy) into a container, add the lid and refrigerate for at least a few hours. It will thicken slightly. After storing for a day or so, a little water may separate at the top. You can pour it off or mix it in; it doesn’t matter.
- Add Any Mix-Ins: You can fold in fresh or dried herbs like chives or even chopped fresh scallions if you’d like!
- Serve: This tofu cream cheese is perfect on top of my High Protein Bagels, but feel free to use in any way you’d like!
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned above, my impetus for posting this tofu cream cheese today is that I published my High Protein Bagel recipe and they go perfectly together.
But I’ve been making a version of this recipe for years and it’s so versatile!
- Thin it out and dress it up with herbs and spices for a great salad dressing (it’s already pretty much the basis for my Broccoli Salad and Potato Salad recipes)
- It’d also be great with cooled cooked elbow pasta and raw veggies for a macaroni salad!
- Add it to pasta or a grain bowl
- Mix with a little sweetener of choice and add fruit and Oil-Free Granola for a fun parfait
- Use in a sandwich as the mayo (it’d be great instead of the hummus in my Veggie Sandwich!)
More Oil-Free Sauce and Dip Recipes
- Silken Tofu Cheese Sauce
- Edamame Guacamole
- Creamy Hummus
- Silken Tofu Ranch Dressing
- Sweet Lime Oil-Free Vinaigrette
- Plant Based Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Oil-Free Pesto
- Beet Hummus
- Oil-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette
Tofu Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 425 Grams Extra Firm Tofu (16-ounce block, drained, see note 1 below for substitutions)
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Teaspoons Granulated Onion
- 1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- ½ Teaspoon Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add Ingredients: Drain the block of tofu and break up the block into smaller chunks. Place those in the blender along with the soy milk, vinegar, nutritional yeast, spices, and salt.
- Blend: Blend until completely smooth. You may have to stop and scrape down the blender a few times. I don't recommend adding more liquid unless you absolutely have to. Keeping the amount of liquid low is what helps keep the tofu cream cheese to be more of a spreadable consistency instead of runny.
- Taste and Adjust: Now is the best time to adjust the flavor of the cream cheese. Is it salty enough? If not, add a little more salt. Is it acidic enough? If not, add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Blend again and taste again. Adjust until you are happy with it.
- Store and Refrigerate: I like to serve my tofu cream cheese cold! If you're ready to store it, scrape the blender out (a blender spatula really comes in handy) into a container, add the lid and refrigerate for at least a few hours. It will thicken slightly. After storing for a day or so, a little water may separate at the top. You can pour it off or mix it in; it doesn't matter.
- Add Any Mix-Ins: You can fold in fresh or dried herbs like chives or even chopped fresh scallions if you'd like!
- Serve: This tofu cream cheese is perfect on top of my High Protein Bagels, but feel free to use in any way you'd like!
Video
Notes
- Tofu: Regular firm tofu should also work but you might need less liquid (start with half the amount and add more as needed. Easier to add liquid than be stuck with a mixture that’s too thin). If you can’t have soy, try Big Mountain Foods Soy-Free Tofu; it’s made from fava beans and I really like it! If you can’t find it or want to try another alternative, try blending 1-2 cups of soaked raw cashews or raw sunflower seeds (I’d recommend soaking for an hour in just-boiled water).
- Soy Milk: Any plain (unflavored) unsweetened non-dairy milk should work fine in this recipe.
- Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast: This helps our cream cheese taste actually cheesy! Regular fortified nooch will work, it just might darken the color a bit. (I also like the flavor of non-fortified nutritional yeast a lot more.) If you really cannot eat this, leave it out and consider increasing the spices for more flavor.
- Salt: Okay, now most of you who are familiar with me know I try to keep my sodium low. Based on some dialogue with my doctor and personal experimentation, I have added a small amount of salt back into my diet with great results. If you would prefer to use miso paste or a potassium chloride salt substitute in this recipe you can do that.
