Cashew Cheese
This super velvety, spreadable, dippable cashew cheese is perfect for spreading on bagels, crackers or veggies. Dairy-free. Party-perfect.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese, plain (Kite Hill advised)
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice, about one juicy lemon
- 1 ½ tablespoon agave syrup
- 2-5 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian herbs seasoning, salt-free
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- ¾ -1 teaspoon sea salt
- raw walnuts for edges - or another nut, seed or herb
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling over top - optional
Instructions
- Place your cashews in a medium bowl and fill with water. Place the bowl in the fridge. Allow the cashews to soak overnight, or for at least six hours.
- The next day. Drain water from cashew bowl. Rinse the soaked cashews in water by filling and draining the bowl they were soaking in. Drain all the water a final time and pour the soaked cashews into a blender container. A food processor can also be used.
- Also add to the blender: cream cheese, agave syrup, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt. Blend from low to high until silky smooth. You will want to stop and scrape down the sides of your blending container a bit. Blend for a good 3-4 minutes and finish with a very high speed to really smooth and fluff the mixture.
- Line a small and tall bowl with parchment paper. You can either use 2-3 pieces of parchment, or simply fold it over a few times. You want about 2-3 layers of paper lining the bowl. The paper will collect a bit of moisture from the cheese.
- Pour the cashew mixture into the bowl. Smooth the top. Cover top of bowl with plastic wrap.
- Allow the cashew cheese to chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Lift the parchment out of the bowl and onto a plate. Tear the edges of the parchment so that you have trimmed any visible parchment paper from the cashew cheese and it is just sitting on a layer of parchment. Take your walnuts and press them into the edges of the cheese. Also sprinkle a bit of pepper and herbs if desired. Drizzle some EVOO over top - optional.
- Serve! If making ahead of time: you can now cover the cheese again and chill in the fridge overnight to firm up the texture even more.
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg