This almond cheese is my go-to for an almost-instant, creamy, versatile spreadable cheese. It blends up in no time, has only 5 ingredients (+ water), and is great for immediate gratification! I spread it on toast, fill homemade ravioli with it, dollop it on pizza, and stuff jalapeños with it (recipe here)!
It’s also great for when I’m having no luck with culturing my cashew cream cheese–which, by the way, seems to be a regular occurrence for me since moving to DC (anyone have any insight as to why DC hates my culturing attempts?).
This creamy almond cheese is rich and salty, lemony, and a little sharp tasting from the garlic. It’s really delicious. Almonds don’t blend as smooth as cashews do, but that’s actually perfect in this style of cheese.
It’s still a very creamy cheese, and that little bit of texture makes the cheese have a lovely crumbly affect. This can be increased by baking the cheese at your oven’s lowest temperature to dehydrate it.
If you want to be like me and eat toast for breakfast regularly, this cheese pairs so perfectly with my overnight artisan walnut bread. So maybe try out that bread recipe alongside the cheese and treat yourself for breakfast!
If you want to expand your homemade vegan cheese repertoire, I’ve got a couple other recipes for you to try! The same day vegan mozzarella is perfect to use in any melty cheese capacity, and my vegan roasted jalapeño cheese is melty and spicy and makes a perfect quesadilla (or, clearly, bagel topper).
Let me know if you make this creamy vegan almond cheese, I love seeing & hearing about it when you guys make my recipes! Leave a comment and/or rate the recipe below, tag me on Instagram (#thecuriouschickpea), or share with me on Facebook!
Notes:
- The almond cheese will thicken slightly as it sits in the fridge, but if you want a thicker and slightly crumbly cheese, put it in a pyrex container or a small baking dish and bake at 200 ºF for 30-60 minutes to dry it out a bit.
- To soak the almonds, either cover them in boiling hot water for 30 minutes, or leave them to soak in cold water for at least 2 hours (refrigerated if more)
- 2 cups blanched slivered almonds, soaked and drained
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ - ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice (~ juice from 1 lemon)
- Put soaked almonds, olive oil, garlic, salt, and ½ cup of water* in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down as you go. Add more water a little at a time if necessary.
- Then add lemon juice and blend to incorporate. Taste and add salt or more lemon juice if desired.
*If you know you want a thicker cheese, you can try starting with only ¼ cup of water and only adding more if your machine needs it.
indian cuisine edmonton says
I’ve tried various vegan cheeses, but I liked it these recipe!! I tried it with slightly more of garlic, but taste fine. Thanks for sharing!!
Tegan says
This is glorious. Thank you for sharing.
I am no oil (it causes severe asthma attacks with me if consumed). Are there any oil free substitutes?
thecuriouschickpea says
Oh dear! Oil adds to the rich mouthfeel of the cheese, so nothing can quite take its place, but to leave it out I would try adding some nondairy milk, plain unsweetened yogurt, or aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas–I’d add less of this though so the taste doesn’t over power). There will still be the natural fats from the nuts. Can you have tahini? If you like the flavor you could try adding some of that for richness.
Jessica says
There are a few items you should try. One: a tablespoon or less of coconut cream. The cream is the hard part in coconut milk but you can buy it in cans. Two: if you just want the mouth taste, you can heat a cup of vegetable stock (without mushrooms) with a teaspoon of cornstarch. Mixing frequently until the “cloudiness” goes away. When it cools, you should be able to put your fingers into it and rub them together. it should feel like oil.
Though I haven’t tried this recipe yet, i’d try the coconut cream first adding in a milk alternative if you need to thin it out a bit more, Add in a teaspoon for and work your way up if you need more fatty of a taste. usually if you stay under a tablespoon, you wont taste the coconut.
Cali says
Thank you, thank you thank you!!! My husband and I are exploring the vegan diet, my only sadness was not being able to have cheese! …who needs cheese with this amazing recipe! I didn’t even use blanched almonds – needed to use up my almond meal (skin on) and it still tasted great.
thecuriouschickpea says
I’m so happy to hear you guys enjoyed it! I definitely get missing cheese when going vegan, but I promise it gets easier 💚
Kelley Kalomiris says
How long will this last in the fridge? Thanks!
thecuriouschickpea says
It should last a week, to be honest I’ve had it in there for longer… as long as it looks and smells ok you should be good!
Anu says
Delicious and so creamy. I never knew it was this easy!!
thecuriouschickpea says
I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂
CB says
This looks good! Can it be made with blanched almond flour? I always have that on hand.
thecuriouschickpea says
Hm it might work, I’ve never tried it. If it’s not dehydrated it might work. If you try it please report back!
Raquel Sukhu says
This sounds great! Can’t wait to try it. Does it freeze well?
Jenna says
This sounds great! Do you think whole raw almonds would work? Or do they really need to be slivered to blend up?
thecuriouschickpea says
Hi Jenna! You will want to consider removing the papery brown skin on whole almonds after soaking them. That’s the real reason I use slivered, so you can skip that step!
Jenna says
Good to know, thanks!! I’m also not sure if it will work in my Ninja. I have a regular one where you pulse or hold it down. It’s not professional grade, but does blend well. Just not sure if something more heavy duty like a Vitamix is needed.
thecuriouschickpea says
I think it would work in your Ninja! It won’t be as smooth and creamy as in a high speed blender, but almonds never get as smooth as cashews anyway. I’ve made this almond cheese in my food processor and really liked the way it came out! I would just be sure to soak the nuts for several hours, maybe stick them in your fridge to soak overnight. You can always add a bit more water to help your Ninja out.
Jenna says
Thank you so much!! I’ll give it a try and will definitely soak the almonds. Thanks again for all the tips!!
Rainie says
Excited to try your recipe. Why do you say to soak the almonds in the fridge?
Thank you,
Rainie
thecuriouschickpea says
Hi Rainie, I’ll soak the nuts at room temperature on the counter for about two to four hours but if I’m soaking longer (which I don’t usually do as I have a high speed blender) I’ll stick them in the fridge so they don’t start to ferment or go bad.
Rainie says
Thank you.