Vegan Smoky Black Pepper Cream Cheese

• Vegan
• Gluten free

• Condiments

  • 2 tsp Dill pickle
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
  • 1/4 tsp Liquid smoke

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper, ground
  • 1/2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp Sea salt, fine

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 140 g 1 cup raw cashews, raw

• Liquids

  • 2 tbsp Water

Found on thevegan8.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews (140 g, unsalted, no other nut will work for this, weigh for accurate results)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (I used Wrights , its caramel color-free)
• 2 teaspoons dill pickle juice (I used Trader Joes pickles, do not omit this! Im assuming any basic dill pickle juice will work, just dont use sweet!)
• 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (increase to 1/2 teaspoon for a strong peppery taste or omit)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Note: I trialed this recipe many times before arriving to the above recipe that I and others absolutely loved, so please dont sub any of the ingredients or change the process below, especially the acidic liquids, as they are the key to this cream cheese flavor. You can leave out the black pepper if you want a more basic cream cheese, but I wouldnt suggest leaving out the liquid smoke, as it does add an extra zing/tang as well, helping to camouflage the cashew flavor. If you really dont want a smoky flavor, then I would increase the apple cider and lemon juice a bit to desired taste. You can customize this with other flavors by adding chopped chives, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes. Have fun with it!

Directions

• Important: I would suggest prepping this 2 days before you want to eat it, for the best results. You must soak the cashews fully overnight before making this, the longer the better. I soaked mine for a good 12 hours or so. You should literally be able to crumble them after soaking, thats how soft you want them. They become extremely soft this way and is how the whipped texture and super creaminess comes about. Even the flavor was better this way. Trust me, I tried a quick boil method with the cashews and it was not as silky smooth or best in flavor. This recipe uses very little water, so trying to skip the long soaking method will affect the results. You want the nuts soft and cool. A food processor is how to get the specific texture, again because very little liquid is used. So, add your cashews to a bowl and cover with warm water and leave to sit on your counter overnight. Drain them the next day and rinse very well. Shake off excess water. UPDATE: I did not have success in a Vitamix, but others have, so just make sure to process as long as possible until its completely smooth and a whipped texture. Add the liquids before adding the cashews if you use it. I prefer the food processor personally for this.
• Add the soaked/drained cashews, water, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to a food processor and process until a paste forms. Scrape the sides a couple of times and process again. You want it relatively smooth, but it doesnt have to be perfect since we are processing again.
• Add all of the remaining ingredients, liquid smoke, pickle juice, nutritional yeast, pepper and salt. Process for several minutes. Im talking, walk away for a couple of minutes and come back. Scrape the sides down and process once more. You want that stuff silky smooth and a whipped like texture. Refer to photos above for a visual.
• Once its completely smooth, transfer to a glass container and store in the fridge overnight. It will thicken and firm up some and get really chilled, making it perfect for your bagel in the morning. You will experience the full flavor and texture after it has chilled overnight. Be patient my friends. Enjoy! Come back please and let me know how you liked it! You can also add some plant milk to this to thin it out and use over pasta, just up the spices/acidity to balance it out!