This Tofu Cream Cheese is creamy, thick and perfect for spreading on bagels. With only 5 ingredients, it’s ridiculously easy to make and customizable. My personal favorite flavor? Chive and onion.
A bagel for breakfast just isn’t complete without a generous schmear of Tofu Cream Cheese! Serve alongside Tofu Scramble and Vegan Pancakes for an unforgettable brunch.
This 5-ingredient vegan cream cheese alternative is just as creamy and tangy as my 5-Minute Vegan Cream Cheese but is completely nut free. It’s easy to make, too. A brick of tofu and a handful of wholesome plant-based ingredients blend together in a food processor, then it’s ready to eat.
As-is, the cream cheese is rich, creamy, and subtly sour. Want to take it up a notch? Blend in the flavor boosters of your choice, like herbs, onions, fruit, or nuts.
I’ve included 5 delicious flavor options to dress up your vegan cream cheese. Add garlic, scallions, or dill for a savory flavor, or make it sweet with fresh strawberries, pecans, and maple syrup. It’s up to you!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Firm tofu – Firm or extra-firm tofu is the best tofu for this tofu cream cheese recipe. Unlike other types that are soft and watery (like medium, soft, or silken tofu), these give the cream cheese a thick, slightly firm, and spreadable consistency. Soft or medium tofu should work if that’s what you already have at home. They won’t affect the flavor of the cream cheese, but the consistency will be looser.
- Lemon juice – You can make this recipe with either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Both give the cream cheese a classic tangy flavor and a subtle sweetness.
- Coconut oil – Just like in my vegan butter recipe, melted coconut oil adds richness to the cream cheese but also helps it firm up in the fridge. Use refined coconut oil for NO coconut flavor. You may leave it out if needed.
- Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy and savory flavor.
- Salt – Don’t skip it! The salt rounds out all of the other flavors and helps the cream cheese taste its best.
How to make vegan cream cheese with tofu
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Break the brick of tofu into chunks and place them in a food processor, followed by the lemon juice, melted coconut oil, nutritional yeast, and salt.
Blend the ingredients until they’re smooth and creamy. At this point, you can add some flavor boosters (see the options below) and blend again. Enjoy!
Tips for success
- Room temperature tofu is the secret to easy blending! Unwrap the brick of tofu from the package, set it on the kitchen counter, and let it come down to room temperature for 30 minutes before blending. You don’t have to do this, but things will blend better if you do.
- You can use the cream cheese right away but the consistency is thicker and richer after it chills in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- No food processor? Make this recipe in a blender instead. Just know that you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides more often.
- Gently pulse in nuts, fresh vegetables, vegan bacon, and other chunky ingredients into the cream cheese. Or fold them into the batch with a spatula. You don’t want to completely pulverize these add-ins and potentially lose the texture.
Serving suggestions
One of the best ways to use tofu cream cheese is as a bagel spread (it goes especially well with everything bagels). Top your cream cheese bagel with sliced cucumbers, fresh dill, pickled red onions, avocado, and/or vegan salmon for an epic vegan breakfast or light lunch.
Need an easy party snack? Spread the cream cheese (with or without flavor boosters) on crackers or crostini and top them with dried fruit, jam, fresh herbs, scallions, avocado, and/or everything bagel seasoning. You can also use it as a spread in pinwheels or a filling in vegan jalapeno poppers.
Lastly, use the tofu cream cheese as a creamy and tangy base for cold dips. Stir pre-cooked spinach, diced artichokes, pickled jalapenos, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or fresh dill into the batch. Add a scoop of vegan mayo or yogurt to thin the texture, and you have a flavor-packed, no-bake party dip!
Customize the flavor
You can think of tofu cream cheese as a blank canvas for your favorite flavors. Whether you’re serving it with a sweet treat or as a savory spread, you can take it up a notch with all kinds of add-ins. Find your perfect flavor using any of these variation ideas:
- Strawberry – Add 1 cup chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.
- Maple pecan – Add 3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
- Chive and onion – Add 1 teaspoon onion powder and 4 tablespoons chopped chives.
- Bacon scallion – Add about 1/2 cup crumbled vegan bacon (tempeh, tofu, or store-bought and cooked) and 4 tablespoons chopped scallions.
- Vegetable – Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 cup chopped fine red bell pepper, 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, and 2 tablespoons chopped small red onion.
Frequently asked questions
Nope! Instead, drain the water in the package and pat the brick dry with a clean kitchen towel. Only softer varieties, like medium tofu, should be lightly pressed before blending to drain the excess water.
For the most part, yes. I haven’t tested it yet in vegan cheesecake recipes, so I can’t guarantee that would work. But it works well in vegan cream cheese frosting as well as vegan cheese danishes made with puff pastry.
The cream cheese will last for up to 1 week when it’s stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
I haven’t tried freezing the cream cheese, but it will likely lose its rich and creamy texture after thawing.
Want more vegan cheese recipes?
- Vegan Feta Cheese
- Vegan Mascarpone
- Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Ricotta
- Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
Tofu Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 14.5 ounce block firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional flavor add ins, see Notes below
Instructions
- Remove the tofu from the package and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes if possible.
- Break the tofu into large chunks. Place the tofu, lemon juice, melted coconut oil, nutritional yeast and salt in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
- Add any optional flavor add ins and mix again.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to help it firm up, or serve immediately.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
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Strawberry – Add 1 cup chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.
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Maple Pecan – Add 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
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Chive and Onion – Add 1 teaspoon onion powder and 4 tablespoons chopped chives.
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Vegetable – Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 cup chopped fine red bell pepper, 1/4 cup finely chopped carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped chives and 2 tablespoons chopped small red onion.
Ahhh I foolishly made it with extra virgin coconut oil and the COCONUT taste in my chive onion cream cheese is so illogical and overwhelming :((( I have to give it a try with the refined coconut oil as the recipe is so easy. Until then – BE CAREFUL and don’t do like me lol
Question – Where do you find bagels that don’t have animal enzymes in them? Thanks.
I actually rarely see bagels that have animal products in them at all, other than cheese bagels. I buy both bakery fresh bagels from stores near me and brands like Franz, etc. The ingredients are typically just flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar.
Which of your cream cheese recipes works best im baking? I can’t have gums or gels, which is in all of the commercial vegan cream cheese that I have found. So, I am desperate for an alternative for my vegan cheesecake!
I’m sorry to hear this! I haven’t tested my homemade cream cheeses in my vegan cheesecake recipe yet, but I should honestly. I’m not sure if they would work the same or not, without testing it myself. I do have a recipe for Cashew Cheesecake that doesn’t require vegan cream cheese at all.
Delicious! Will be my go to. I added dill, garlic & onion powder, and extra lemon juice & salt to get the flavour right. Thanks so much for a healthy, cruelty free alternative
You are welcome, Krystal. I’m thrilled that you love the cream cheese recipe! Your flavor e additions sound delicious! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and feedback!
Thank for such a wonderful recipe. The manufactured brands are so expensive per volume. Plus this recipe is a lot nicer. I did the onion/chives addition. John in New Zealand.
Hi John in New Zealand! It is good to hear from you! Thank you for sharing your terrific review! I’m so glad that you love the cream cheese recipe! Happy cooking!
The texture of this is great but the coconut oil made it way too coconut forward, even with lots of spices and add ins. The flavor was just off to me. I will maybe try a more neutral oil next time
It sounds like you used unrefined coconut oil – the recipe calls for refined coconut oil, which has no detectable coconut flavor, but it helps the cream cheese firm up for spreading.
I wish I’d seen your comment as I did the same silly thing. Lesson learned!
Can you freeze this? Any recommendations if you can?
Hi Kait. This can be frozen, however, it will likely lose its rich and creamy texture after thawing. Hope this helps!
Hi Nora!
Do you think this recipe can be used with your jalapeño popper recipe? I’ve made them before using the cashew cream cheese recipe, but unfortunately I have to avoid cashews now. I’ll probably just use Tofutti if I can find it, but I wanted to ask. Thanks!
Yes, it works well for those! Enjoy.
Love this!!!! Was wondering tho how many tablespoons is the serving cuz it just says 8 servings and nothing else
I have been on a quest FOR YEARS to find decent vegan cream cheese. I have literally bought every brand available to me in Dallas & sometimes online.
THIS BEATS THEM ALL BY A MILE!
My Tips:
I always rinse tofu before using it, and I also pressed the extra water out of it.
If you taste the cream cheese right after processing it, it’s going to taste very salty. Don’t be alarmed. It does not taste that way after it sits in the fridge for a while.
I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight for my scallions & jalapeños to meld into the cream cheese.
Hi Nancy. I am thrilled that you loved the cream cheese recipe! I appreciate your tips and glowing review! Wishing you happy cooking!
Hey, great recipe! Super easy and customizable, which I loved. Am I able to freeze this? I don’t know if we can use all of it in one week!
Thanks! Yes, you can freeze it. The texture might be a bit different after thawing, but it works.
I have made 3 different versions for this using the add in. They have all been delicious!
Hi Marsha. I’m glad you are experimenting with different flavors and loving the recipes! Thanks for your glowing review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Hi there Nora,
I’m so keen to try this, yum! Just a quick question … sorry if it’s a silly one. If I want to make a sweet cream cheese (e.g. with the maple syrup, etc.) do I omit the nutritional yeast from the recipe? I see nutritional yeast forms part of the base recipe but I can’t get my head around having it as an ingredient for a sweet cream cheese 🙂
Thanks so much 🙂
Hi Kate. Yes, you can leave out the nutritional yeast for a sweet cream cheese! Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
I followed exact directions with ingredient list and came out perfect! No food processor or blender, i used my handy dandy submersion blender….so easy. At thend, I folded in sliced green olives with minced pimento ( had a jar off sliced Spanish salad olives), and Thyme. If I had fresh dill on hand I would have added that instead. But, my daughter and I loved it! Next batch I think I’ll be adding walnuts, raisins and cinnamon for a sweet variation. Thank you for this recipe! Delicious and so easy to make and economical too.
Thank you!
Sandy
You are so welcome, Sandy. Your additions sound amazing! Thanks for your stellar review and ideas! Wishing you happy cooking!
Thank you for another fantastic recipe.
Could you use a blender instead of a food processor?
Hi Liz. Yes, this recipe works in a blender. Just know that you’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides more often. Enjoy!
This recipe is game changing. I love it. Replicates everything I love about cream cheese. I will try without the oil next. Thank you, Thank you
You are welcome, Heather! How fabulous you are loving the recipe! Thanks for taking time to share your terrific review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Hi Heather,
I’ve used this exact recipe minus the oil, and it tastes so good!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nora never lets me down! I’ve made the recipe as written several times and the flavour and consistency always turn out great. Most recently I added dill and lemon zest after blending – delicious!
Hi Torie. I appreciate your encouraging words! I am thrilled you are loving my recipes! Thanks for your stellar review! Isn’t it fun experimenting with different flavors of cream cheese! Wishing you happy cooking!
I tried this recipe exactly and idk if I did something wrong but it tastes very oily, next time I will omit the coconut oil
I made without the oil to reduce the calories and bring down to zero points on weight watchers. The consistency is easily spreadable…very happy about that! I did squeeze out the water from the tofu with a top plate a few times. I’m not sure if this helped but I am truly pleased with the taste and consistency. I added fresh dill and the flavor shines through…thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you mentioned making this without the oil. I don’t use coconut oil oil because of the saturated fat. Nice to know the recipe still works! I’ll give it a try soon.
Hello, can you use another oil such as vegetable or olive oil? Thank you
I’d just leave it out instead. The coconut oil helps it firm up a bit in the fridge; other oils won’t have that effect.
This was so quick and easy to make, delicious and made a really good amount. The whole recipe was much cheaper than buying a vegan cream cheese and probably healthier too. The high protein content of the tofu meant it really satisfied my appetite.
Hi Nicola. Thanks for sharing your glowing review and feedback! I’m glad you loved the cream cheese! Happy cooking to you!
Really good! They stopped selling my favourite cream cheese everywhere, and this is cheaper, easier to get, and more protein. I LOVE it. And I’m picky. I add sriracha for sriracha cream cheese and sprinkle on everything spice I make from bulk barn.
Hi Jenny. I’m so glad you loved the cream cheese! It is wonderful to add the flavors you love! I appreciate for great review! Happy cooking!