Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese
I can’t believe I’m making this cultured cashew cream cheese, a vegan cheese spread, and I also can’t believe how well it came out, since it was my first try at plant-based cheese. But you’ll see—it even passes the bagel test. Made with soaked raw cashews, fermented until tangy, this spread is wonderfully creamy and tasty.
INGREDIENTS :
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons plain cashewmilk yogurt
- 1/4 cup water, or as needed
DIRECTION:
- Place cashews in a bowl with enough cold water to cover, and soak cashews overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Drain, and add nuts to a blender, along with sea salt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, cashew yogurt, and water. Blend on high until very smooth.
- Transfer into a sterilized glass container (See Note), and let ferment in a warm spot for 8 to 24 hours, or until the mixture is as tangy and fermented as you want.
- This can be done at room temperature, which will take longer, or wrapped in a heating pad set on low (about 90 degrees F (32 degrees C)), which will speed up the process.
- Check, stir, and taste mixture a few times during the process to monitor its progress.
- Once the mixture has fermented as long as you want, season with salt to taste. At this point, additional flavoring can be added such as garlic, herbs, or spices.
- Chill before serving, at least 1 hour. For best results, refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours to let the flavors develop even more.
