Vegan Cream Cheese substitute

Best substitute

Blended Cashew Base

1 cup raw cashews plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water and ½ teaspoon salt makes about 1 cup

Best for frosting

Close match

The best swap is a blended cashew base: soak 1 cup raw cashews, then blend with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water and half a teaspoon of salt to make about 1 cup. Strained coconut yogurt works if you have time to hang it overnight, and blended firm silken tofu with lemon and oil is the fastest nut-free option. If the recipe does not have to be vegan, plain dairy cream cheese swaps in one for one.

Other vegan cream cheese substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Strained Coconut Yogurt
Different taste
2 cups thick coconut yogurt strained overnight yields about 1 cup
Genuinely tangy and creamy, with a coconut note behind it.
What changes
Best for
frosting, cheesecake, dips, spreads
Line a sieve with a coffee filter or cheesecloth, add the yogurt, and let it drip in the fridge for eight to twelve hours. What is left is thick, cultured and closer to real cream cheese tang than anything else on this list. It is more sour than most vegan cream cheese and it tastes distinctly of coconut, which is lovely in a carrot cake frosting and out of place in a savory herb dip. Use unsweetened yogurt or the frosting will be cloying.
3Firm Silken Tofu Plus Lemon and Oil
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 block (about 12 oz) firm silken tofu plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons neutral oil and ½ teaspoon salt for every 1 ½ cups
Fast, cheap, nut-free, and much leaner than the real thing.
What changes
Best for
cheesecake filling, dips, stuffed shells, savory spreads
Blend until absolutely smooth, which takes longer than you think. It is high in protein and low in fat, so a baked cheesecake sets beautifully but a buttercream-style frosting made with it will slump at room temperature. The flavor is very neutral, so it needs more salt and more acid than you would expect. Press out water first if your tofu is packed in liquid.
4Vegan Butter Plus Lemon Juice
Taste and texture differ
Use ¾ cup vegan butter plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice for every 1 cup vegan cream cheese, and reduce other liquid slightly
A frosting-only fix that gets the tang and the structure but not the body.
What changes
Best for
cream cheese frosting, piped decorations
This makes a stable, pipeable frosting with a hint of the sourness cream cheese provides, and it holds up in a warm room far better than a cashew or tofu base. It is noticeably richer and less tangy, so you lose the slight savoriness that cuts sweetness in a real cream cheese frosting. Do not use it in a cheesecake or a dip, where you need moisture and body rather than pure fat.
5Blanched Almond Base
Close match
1 cup blanched slivered almonds soaked, plus ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, makes about 1 cup
Nearly identical to the cashew version and often cheaper.
What changes
Best for
cheesecake, dips, spreads, ricotta-style fillings
Use blanched almonds with the skins off, otherwise you get brown flecks and a bitter edge. The texture is very slightly grainier than cashew unless you have a high-speed blender, and the flavor is a shade more astringent, which some people actually prefer in a savory spread. Still a tree nut, so this is not a solution for a nut allergy.
6Dairy Cream Cheese
Different taste
Use the same amount
Identical function, obviously not vegan.
What changes
Best for
any recipe where dairy is acceptable
Worth stating plainly, because plenty of people arrive at a vegan recipe without needing it to be vegan. Real cream cheese is richer and less sweet than most plant versions, holds up better in the oven, and does not risk the coconut-oil softening problem. Full-fat block, not the whipped tub, if the recipe needs it to set.

What is Vegan Cream Cheese?

Vegan Cream Cheese is Vegan cream cheese, also labeled dairy-free, plant-based or non-dairy cream cheese, is a thick spreadable paste built from cashews, almonds, coconut oil, soy or a blend, soured with cultures or lemon juice to imitate real cream cheese.

Cooking tips

Vegan cream cheese is doing three jobs at once: it supplies fat, it supplies acidity, and in a no-bake dessert it supplies the set. Work out which one your recipe cares about before you choose a swap. A frosting mostly needs the acid and the structure, a dip needs the fat and body, and a no-bake cheesecake needs all three plus something that firms when cold.
In commercial vegan cream cheese, refined coconut oil is usually what makes it solid, and coconut oil goes soft at around 76F. That is why a vegan cheesecake or frosting that was fine in the fridge collapses on a warm counter. Add 2 tablespoons of melted refined coconut oil per cup to any homemade base if you need it to hold, and keep the finished dish cold until serving.
Never use silken tofu alone in a frosting. There is not enough fat to hold sugar in suspension and you will get a sweet puddle. Combine it with vegan butter, or switch bases entirely.
Homemade cashew and almond bases taste better after an hour in the refrigerator. The salt and acid need time to distribute, and straight out of the blender they always taste flat and slightly raw.
Brands vary enormously in salt and in tang. Taste your carton before you add anything, because some are barely seasoned and some are saltier than dairy cream cheese, and both will throw off a frosting.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular cream cheese instead of vegan cream cheese?

Yes, one for one, and it will usually work better. Dairy cream cheese is richer, less sweet, more stable in the oven and firmer straight from the fridge. Use the full-fat block rather than a whipped tub if the recipe is a cheesecake or anything that needs to set.

Can I just leave it out?

Almost never, because in every recipe that calls for it, it is the main body of the dish. In a frosting it is what keeps the sugar from tasting like pure sweetness; in a cheesecake it is the entire filling; in a dip it is the dip. If you have nothing suitable, change what you are making rather than making it without.

Why did my vegan cream cheese frosting turn soupy?

Two usual causes. Either the base was too low in fat, which happens with tofu or a thin store brand, or the coconut oil that was holding it firm warmed up past its melting point while you were beating it. Fix it by chilling the bowl and the frosting for thirty minutes, then beating in more powdered sugar or a couple of tablespoons of softened vegan butter. Do not add liquid.

Does vegan cream cheese work baked, in cheesecake or a pastry?

Some brands do and some split into a greasy layer with a grainy layer underneath, and there is no way to tell from the label. Coconut-oil-heavy brands are the most likely to separate. A blended cashew base baked with a little cornstarch is the most reliable route if you want a baked vegan cheesecake, and no-bake recipes avoid the problem entirely.

What is the best nut-free vegan cream cheese substitute?

Blended firm silken tofu with lemon juice, oil and salt, which is nut-free, soy being the only allergen involved. If you need to avoid soy as well, strained coconut yogurt is the answer, accepting the coconut flavor that comes with it.

Related substitutes

More dairy alternatives substitutes

Vegan Cream Cheese substitute

Other vegan cream cheese substitutes

2Strained Coconut Yogurt

3Firm Silken Tofu Plus Lemon and Oil

4Vegan Butter Plus Lemon Juice

5Blanched Almond Base

6Dairy Cream Cheese