Confession: I have yet to try a store-bought vegan cheese I like. And that’s not to say that there aren’t any good ones out there. I just haven’t had a good one that I like yet (Is there one that you love? Tell me about it in the comments!). So when it comes to vegan cheese products from the store, I just stay away. However, I got a little curious with all the vegan cashew cheese recipes out there and decided to try something with almonds. What I came up with is this garlic herb vegan almond cheese spread that’s bursting with flavour and can be used in so many ways.
So why didn’t I just make a cashew cheese recipe when there are already so many to be found on the internet? I can’t. A family member has a severe allergy so I cannot have cashews in the house. And I’m fine with that, I’ve never had cashew cheese, so it’s not like I feel as if I’m missing something. Quite the opposite. Especially when I have my vegan almond cheese spread!
Since coming up with this recipe, I have been putting it on everything. Like the hot sauce lady. You know who I mean š
I have been having it on crackers and I LOVE it slathered on a good veggie sandwich or on a toasted bagel.
There aren’t too many ingredients needed to put this vegan almond cheese spread together and the ingredients are not complicated (simple like my easy kale chips!). The one ingredient you may not have tried before is the nutritional yeast. If you haven’t used it before, read this article. It’s quite nutritious and can be used many ways. Buy a bag and put it in everything you want to give a little “cheesy” flavour to.
This recipe is also very easy and straightforward. The hardest part is being patient while the almonds soak. They need to soak for 24-hours, so be sure to plan ahead.
After the almonds have soaked, I don’t peel the skin off, but you can if you’d like. I skip that step because the skin becomes so soft after being soaked that it makes no difference to the recipe since it doesn’t change the taste or the texture. The only way you know the skin is still there is because you see the light brown specks in the finished spread. If you prefer to not have the almond skin as part of the spread, you can do one of two things…
You can either start out by using blanched raw, natural almonds or you can peel the skin off yourself after the almonds have been soaked. The skin comes off really easily at that point, it’s just a little time consuming. It’s totally up to you and whichever way you go, your result will be delicious!
Another good thing about this recipe is that you can alter the flavour based on your favourite herbs. While testing, I tried making the vegan almond cheese spread with chives, and then with dill, and they were both so delicious, but the parsley is my favourite.
The spread is soft enough to also be used as a veggie dip. See how versatile it is? There are probably many other ways it can be used that I haven’t tried yet!
If you make my garlic herb vegan almond cheese spread, tell me your favourite way to use it! Leave a comment below, or even better, show me! Upload a picture to my Facebook page or to Instagram. If you do it on Instagram, be sure to tag me, @delightfuladventures.
Craving a little something sweet after indulging in almond cheese spread? How about checking out one of these recipes?
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UPDATE: So many of you have asked about the crackers in the first few pictures! They are by a brand called “Mary’s Gone Crackers.” They are delicious and also happen to be vegan and gluten-free. You can look for them at Costco, your grocery or natural foods store, or you can also find them on Amazon. (I always have them in my cupboard!)
How to Make Vegan Almond Cheese Spread
This garlic herb vegan almond cheese spread is bursting with flavour and can be used in so many ways. It's great on crackers, sandwiches, as a veggie dip, and more!
- 1 cup raw almonds (see notes below)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (see note below)
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Place the raw almonds into a glass container and cover with water. Cover, and place in the refrigerator. Soak for 24 hours.
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Drain and rinse the soaked almonds after the 24 hours have passed.
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Place the soaked almonds, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
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Empty mixture into a bowl, add chopped herbs and mix until everything is combined.
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Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for a few hours so the flavour can develop.
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Store unused spread in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Be sure that you are using a high-speed blender for this recipe. A regular blender will not work. (I use my Nutri Bullet)
- Use your favourite herb and be sure to chop it up really well. My favourite is parsley and I also love using dill or chives (but not at the same time!).
- Only use raw, natural, unsalted almonds for this recipe.
- After soaking your 1 cup of almonds, they will expand a little. The soaked almonds will be 1 1/2 cups.
- Recipe makes 1 3/4 cups of spread. Calorie count is for a 1/4 cup serving.
- Spread will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Claudia says
Thanks for the recipe. I would love to try it but yeast is a problem for me. For store bought vegan cheeses, Miyoko’s vegan cheeses are so good! Even non-vegans love them. Kite Hill cream cheese is also really good.
http://miyokoskitchen.com/
http://www.kite-hill.com/
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Claudia! I think you will still end up with a great spread if you have to omit the nutritional yeast. I have not tested it that way but I would not be afraid to. That being said, the nutritional yeast adds a little “cheesiness” to the flavour so that will be missing from your version but you can experiment with maybe a little more garlic powder or herbs to bump up the flavour a bit.
And thank you so much for the links! I have heard of both these vegan cheese brands but we don’t have them in Canadian stores, yet (that I know of!). We are a little slower to get some things up here! When they do arrive, I will be sure to check them out. Thanks again š
Diane says
Always trying to find a recipe for a cheese spread. I try to avoid oil. Do you think I could omit the oil or substitute another ingredient?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Dianne, you can definitely omit the oil. Just replace it with 1 tbsp of water š
Nicole MacPherson says
Yum! I love cashew cheese but I make an almond feta that is REALLY GOOD. So I think I’ll try this one of yours. Delicious looking. As for store bought vegan cheese, yeah. I don’t mind Daiya if I’m using it on a pizza or something, it’s not too bad. At least it melts decently!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi! š I imagine cashew cheese being really delicious. So many recipes for it out there! If you do try this recipe, Nicole, I’d love to hear what you think. Yes, Daiya does melt well! Have you tried their other products (cream cheese, etc)?
Nicole MacPherson says
I’ve tried their cream cheese and I found it oddly sweet-tasting. I’ve also tried their “cheddar” and it’s not bad in a grilled cheese sandwich.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I’ve tried the cheeses, they are OK, but not something I buy. So I was hesitant to try the other things like the cream cheeses etc. Good to know š
Jan says
Yum! This looks great!! Your crackers look good, too! Bought or homemade? Would like those too!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Jan! The crackers are just as delicious as they look (and they’re gluten-free and vegan too! š ) They are by a brand called Mary’s Gone Crackers. You can see them here: http://geni.us/qAXpTCL
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
This looks amazing, Gwen! I so wish I weren’t allergic to almonds. š
As others have said, Miyoko’s is the best. Hopefully you’ll be able to get it where you live soon.
Julie says
Hi, I will have to try this looks great. Go Veggie makes little miniature cream cheeses that you could pack in lunches and I think they are delicious. Kite Hill chive cream cheese is also delish. I tried Miyokos and it was horrible….like eating old seaweed…or old kimchee, not sure if we got a bad batch. I saw another post on FB someone said they had to throw it out. I wrote to the company, no response. I love Miyokos butter:) Thanks for this recipe.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Thanks for the recommendations, Julie! I will look out for the Go Veggie, I think we may have that here, the name sounds familiar. I have heard Kite Hill is great and I always hear Miyoko’s is also a good one (someone commented here about it) maybe you did get a bad batch! Either way, I want to try them all once they are available here! Thanks again for your note š