This tofu vegan cream cheese is made with 5 simple ingredients and it's smooth, velvety, and perfect to use as a starter, dip, or spread in a sandwich.
And you can easily flavor the basic recipe of this vegan cream cheese with many vegetables like roasted eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, or steamed artichokes.
Check out our best tofu recipe collection!
What to expect
This is basically a vegan cream cheese recipe that is very versatile and delicious.
We love eating this as an alternative to cream cheese on toasted bread, in wraps, sandwiches, and even to stuff roasted vegetables such as roasted peppers or mushrooms.
You can make this in literally 5 minutes with a few ingredients.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tofu: we prefer to use firm tofu for this recipe. Silky and soft tofu is too watery for this vegan cream cheese.
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed, it helps neutralize the tofu flavor.
- Olive oil: best if extra virgin and of good quality since you are going to taste it in this recipe. Any other neutral vegetable oil would work too, but we like the olive oil flavor.
- Salt: to taste, we like to add a couple of pinches.
- Tahini: this is the key to a smooth, rich, and velvety tofu cream cheese. Tahini adds loads of flavor, and healthy fats, and makes this recipe irresistible.
Tip on Tahini: choose one made with 100% hulled and toasted sesame seeds.
You can find it written in the ingredients, it is important that they are hulled otherwise the tahini has a different, stronger flavor.
To make this tofu cream cheese even more flavorful you can also add a variety of vegetables. For example, try adding:
- the flesh of roasted eggplant.
- artichoke hearts in oil (drained from the oil).
- sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained from the oil).
- fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, or chives.
Instructions
To make this vegan cream cheese you'll need a blender. Put the 4.5 ounces (125 grams) of tofu in the blender.
Break it up with our hands, then add about 2 tablespoons (20 grams) of extra virgin olive oil, two pinches of salt, 3 tablespoons (40 grams) of lemon juice, and about 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of tahini.
Blend well until the tofu cream cheese is very smooth. If you think it's too thick, then add a tablespoon or two of water.
Then once the cream is smooth we transfer it to a bowl to serve it.
I sprinkle this with a little parsley and if you want you can also drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top.
Variations
When we have friends over for dinner, we make two or three kinds of this tofu cream cheese as an appetizer.
For example, with the same basic recipe, you can make one with a delicate artichoke flavor by adding well-drained artichoke hearts in oil.
Blend as before until the sauce is smooth, et voila, this one on toasted bread rubbed with garlic - bruschetta style - is my absolute favorite, and if you are an artichoke lover you must try it.
Louise, on the other hand, is crazy about the roasted eggplant variation. To make it, just follow the same procedure as before, that is, put all the ingredients in a blender, then add the flesh of half an eggplant roasted in the oven at 370F or 190C for about 20 minutes.
This version is very reminiscent of Baba Ghanoush, a delicious eggplant dish popular in the Middle East.
Serving suggestions
- As an appetizer: Our favorite way to serve tofu cream cheese is on toasted bread, lightly oiled, and rubbed with garlic, like Italian bruschetta, as an appetizer.
To enhance the flavor even more you can top with some confit tomatoes, some caramelized onions, or steamed artichokes. - As a quick lunch: Use as a spread in a sandwich with your favorite lettuce, slices of cucumber, and tomato. A perfect lunch box idea, also for kids.
- As part of an easy dinner: Spread the cream cheese in a bagel or a wrap with roasted vegetables, it's a delicious and fulfilling meal.
If you want to make an even more varied appetizer, you can use this vegan cream cheese to fill some peppers. I use peppers that I lightly roast on a grill, then cut in half and fill with the tofu - yum!
Similar recipes
By now, you've probably realized that we are big on tofu in our family. You too? Then, take a look at our easiest tofu recipes:
- Tofu salad
- Fried tofu
- Pan-fried mushroom tofu
- Vegan egg salad
- Lemon tofu
- Tofu in pizzaiola sauce
- Scrambled tofu
- Spinach tofu pesto
Isn't tofu incredibly versatile? Let us know in the comments below how you like to eat tofu, we'd love to hear.
Storage
Store this vegan cream cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Let warm up at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating. Not suitable for freezing.
For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.
Recipe
Tofu Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 4.5 ounces firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon tahini (from hulled sesame seeds and light in colour)
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 handful fresh herbs (parsley, chives, spring onions)
Roasted Eggplant Cream Cheese
- ½ eggplant
Artichoke Cream Cheese
- ½ cup artichoke hearts in oil (drained)
Sun Dried Tomatoes Cream Cheese
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil (drained)
Instructions
- Squeeze the tofu with your hands to remove some of the water from it. It's ok if it breaks as we are going to blend it.
- Add tofu, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and salt to a blender and blend for 2 to 3 minutes till you have a very smooth tofu cream.
- Serve as a spread on toasted bread, in sandwiches, bagel, or as a dip. You can either mix the finely chopped fresh herbs in or sprinkle then on top.
Variation with Sun-Dried Tomatoes or Artichokes
- Drain the sun dried tomatoes or the artichokes to remove as much oil as possible. Then add them to the blender with the other ingredients and blend till you have a smooth cream.
Variation with Roasted Egggplant
- Preheat the oven to 390F or 200C. Cut the eggplant in half, and bake it for 20 minutes or until very soft, cut side down, on a baking tray line with parchment paper.
- With a spoon, remove the flesh of the eggplant from its skin. Add the flesh to the blender with the other ingredients and blend till you have a smooth cream.
Nutritional Values
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Christina P.
So I forgot to squeeze the water out making this in a rush. It was still good just a lighter weight than the recipe intended. I used up the rest of the tofu block and added more of the other ingredients so I would have more. I think with some garlic this would be an absolutly lovely creamy pasta sauce actually! Which is nice because my daughter is allergic to cashews and all the best vegan creamy pastas use this. So I'm glad to have found 2 great uses for the recipe! Thx for sharing. (I'll ne sure to squeeze the tofu for toasts next time lol)
Louise
Hi Christina, thanks so much for your comment! I think the tofu pasta sauce with garlic sounds like a wonderfully creamy pasta sauce, I need to try that! I'm delighted you and your daughter found an alternative to cashews with this recipe, we're just happy we can help you and your family! Have a great Thursday, cheers Louise
kim
Great recipe. 👍👍🙏🙏
Nico
Thank you, Kim! We're delighted you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Cheers, Nico