Special Diet Notes: Tofu Cream Cheese Alternative
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, nut-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Tofu Cream Cheese Alternative
Author: Alisa Fleming
Ingredients
- 1 cup firm silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice or 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
- Pour into a bowl and chill.
27 Comments
I don’t know if you’re still answering questions on this recipe, but I’ll try anyway. I need a substitute for cream cheese in baked goods (my own cookie recipe). Do you think this would work? I’m allergic to cashews, so the nut recipes aren’t an option for me. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Courtney, I haven’t had great luck with homemade tofu cream cheese in recipes (really, the nut ones do work best), but the store-bought soy-based ones work great. Tofutti (the yellow label is non-hydrogenated), Galaxy Foods Vegan (the purple packaging, not the green), and Daiya all work well and I believe all three are nut free. They’re also pretty well distributed! I can’t remember, but I think Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese alternative is also soy-based / nut-free.
I have a really good recipe for smoked salmon dip that uses cream cheese. I’m wondering if I could just substitute firm tofu for the cream cheese, without adding any of the other ingredients? I don’t think a recipe with a sweetener in it would make a good salmon dip.
Are you allergic to nuts? I think a blend of tofu and cashews would work best, adding lemon juice and salt still, to taste. You could probably get away with just tofu, but it won’t be as rich, and I would still add oil, lemon, and salt.
Great recipient. But . . . Can I freeze it? It is too much for one person to use as quickly as you suggest.
Unfortunately, tofu doesn’t tend to freeze very well.
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I am looking for a soy tofu that can be turned into cream cheese to make cheesecake. Do you think this would work?
Yes, but or the firmest results, I would use coconut oil or reduce the oil.
Hi Alisa,
I just want to ask if it’s okay to use the regular sugar instead? Does it measure the same as the artificial sweetener? Thank you
I tried this as is, and it does taste more like mayo than cream cheese. However, I salvaged it by turning it into vegan ranch dressing. With this recipe as a base for the ranch dressing, I added 1/4 cup almond milk, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp Italian herbs, and pepper to taste. <3
Thanks for sharing this Rae!
Ths tastes like vegan mayo.
I’m wondering how you think this cream cheese recipe would work if I made it and used it in a dairy free cream cheese frosting recipe? I’ve been having trouble finding any ready made lactose free cream cheese in stores and am looking for an alternative way to make my frosting.
Thanks!
Kaylene
I don’t think it would work quite as well – I prefer cashew-based crème cheese for frostings. In stores, you can look for brands like Go Veggie, Daiya, Follow Your heart and Tofutti.
Hi! It looks like a great and simple recipe. Can I use a different sweetener rather then using sugar? like maple syrup or agave?
Thanks,
Amit
I would recommend finely ground coconut sugar to keep it from softening too much. This definitely has a softer texture, so a liquid sweetener may be a bit much. You can also try reducing or omitting the sweetener.
I found this to be far too strong with the vinegar and sugar levels. I cut the vinegar in half as well as the sugar and then salted to taste.
Thanks for the feedback Cassie.
I’m wanting to try this out! Would it taste good on a bagel? I’m hoping the texture wouldn’t be too goopy.
Great recipe – it tastes just like the tofu cream cheese that we usually buy but with only five simple ingredients instead! I’ll be adding this to my regular repertoire.
How long does this last in the fridge?
I would only keep it for 2 to 3 days.
Hi Alisa,
I am new to trying tofu and dairy alternatives. I would like to make fried cream cheese wantons and was wondering how soft tofu would hold up to deep frying.
Thanks!
Hmm, not sure how that would fair in terms of keeping a cream cheese like texture, but tofu is pretty yummy when fried.
Neat! I knew there had to be a cream cheese alternative! I’m evolving into a vegetarian, trying to go vegan, since I’m lactose intolerant anyway. Great place to help fill the void.
Hi Lora, I MUCH prefer the cashew cream cheese alternative recipe (if you can do nuts). Tofu tends to work better for alternatives like ricotta, since it is softer.