It’s been a big year for dairy alternatives. We’ve seen all types of new products hit the market, including a dairy-free version of this famous spreadable French cheese. But many of these plant-based products are hard to find, and I’m still partial to homemade. Recipes like this Dairy-Free Boursin Style cheese spread are quite easy to make, and I feel better about the ingredients. Unlike the store-bought version, which is primarily oil, modified starch, and additives, this homemade dairy-free Boursin is made with healthy foods. Plus, it’s so much cheaper to make your own!
This Dairy-Free Boursin Recipe is Easy, Delicious, and Budget Friendly
I did the math, and this recipe makes more than three tubs of dairy-free Boursin for the price of one tub at the store! And that was being liberal with the ingredient prices. The suggested retail price for dairy-free Boursin is $6.99, but most stores seem to sell it for $8. The cost of this recipe, which makes more than three times the amount, is $6 to $8, depending on your ingredient prices.
And it literally takes minutes of hands on time to make. The hard part is waiting for it to thicken up in the refrigerator. On that note, I’ve included it in the recipe, but please make sure to NOT soak the cashews. The ground cashews work as a very powerful thickener, but if you pre-soak them, you loose that benefit.
This vegan Boursin recipe was originally shared with us by Bryanna Clark Grogan, a prolific vegan cookbook author and blogger at Vegan Feast Kitchen. We posted it many, many years ago, and are giving it an update today with a few little tweaks.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Boursin Style Cheese
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, and keto friendly.
- 1 (12.3-ounce) box extra-firm silken tofu
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces (do NOT soak them)
- ½ cup dairy-free buttery spread
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white or light miso
- 1 to 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Crumble the tofu into a clean tea towel, gather the ends up and twist, knead, and squeeze for a couple of minutes to extract as much of the water from the tofu as possible.
- Grind the cashews in your spice grinder or small food processor until powdered or very fine.
- Put the drained tofu, ground cashews, buttery spread, lemon juice, salt, and miso in your food processor or high power blender and process on high speed for a few minutes, or until very smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the garlic, chives, parsley, and pepper, and pulse if you want bits of herbs or process if you want a smooth spread.
- Scrape the mixture into an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least a few hours. It will firm up quite a bit as it sits.
Shallot & Chive Version: Use a minced shallot instead of garlic.
Basil & Chives Version: Substitute basil for the parsley, and omit the garlic and black pepper.
Mediterranean Version: Add some chopped roasted red pepper or sundried tomato.
Fruit & Nut Version: Omit the herbs, garlic, and black pepper, but add chopped nuts and dried fruit.
Holiday Version: Omit the herbs, garlic, and black pepper, but add chopped apple, dried cranberries, and a dash of cinnamon.
More Easy Dairy-Free Cheese Alternative Recipes
Basic Dairy-Free Parmesan (Just 3 Ingredients!)
Dairy Free Cheese Sauce (like Fuddrucker’s!)
Dairy-Free Yogurt Cheese
For More Dairy Alternative Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
7 Comments
The “boursin” spread is wonderful! My husband and I loved it. I did use a little extra garlic (in the form of powder) and some onion powder, too. I used fresh parsley and a little thyme as herbs. We spread it on bread with some lightly smashed, seasoned white beans, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes for sandwiches. Really good and I’ll be making this again. Using tofu as the base was a genius idea.
That’s wonderful! Thank you for your feedback Ginny.
This is an awesome spread, Alisa! Cannot wait to give it a try!
I’m not a fan of miso and have had bad luck with every variety I’ve tried (yes, even the mellow white). Would you advise a substitute or just increase the salt a bit? Thanks much!!
With that small of an amount, salting to taste should be fine. You can also consider adding a little nutritional yeast.
Thanks so much! Your site is such a treasure trove for vegans. I’ve been sharing it on several Facebook boards. 🙂
That’s so sweet of you. Thank you Ruth!