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)
Creamy Vegan Almond Cheese
A creamy almond based vegan cheese. Can be used as a cream cheese or a chevre type cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched slivered almonds, soaked and drained
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (~ juice from 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Put soaked almonds, olive oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 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.
Notes
If you know you want a thicker cheese, you can try starting with only 1/4 cup of water and only adding more if your machine needs it.
This recipe is slightly adapted from The Vegetarian Times
Ira
Sunday 17th of January 2021
How long does it last in the fridge?
Eva Agha
Monday 18th of January 2021
Hi Ira, it'll last 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
Abs
Tuesday 21st of July 2020
Wow this is really great! I ate it on crackers straight away! Do you think it would work in a lasagne? Almost like a ricotta! I think it could be nice... Thanks for the recipe :)
Zoila
Tuesday 21st of April 2020
Hi Eva! Is it possible to omit the garlic or would it taste too bland? Could I substitute it for something else? I have IBS and garlic really upsets my stomach. Thanks so much :).
Eva Agha
Friday 24th of April 2020
Hi Zoila, if you want to skip the garlic please do! I don't think there is a direct substitute for garlic, but here are some things you could try: you could add some lemon zest, or some fresh or dried herbs (any Italian or mediterranean one would be good–e.g. oregano, basil, thyme) to give the cheese a different but tasty flavor! You could also try adding a teaspoon or two of white miso for a bit of funk.
Anandi
Wednesday 24th of April 2019
This turned out very well. I did use raw, whole almonds because that's what I had. I experienced the pleasure of removing the skins from the soaked almonds for an hour. I did catch up on Queer Eye when doing it, lol. I will use the slivered almonds as recommended next time. My partner, who is not on any dietary restrictions, seems to love it better than the real cheese. This recipe is a keeper.
Elizabeth
Friday 4th of January 2019
I made the tofu cheese and it is so delicious, thank you so much for your wonderful recipes, as a Hispanic is very hard to let go the queso fresco, now thanks to you I can. Ii nearly cry of joy after I tried this recipe,looking forward to try others. Thank you so much and God bless you