Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese

I really love culturing my own foods because it’s so much cheaper and healthier once you get the hang of it! Even some of the almond and cashew based cream cheeses you buy at the store have a long list of ingredients for something that should be very simple. You can also flavor it any way you like, so I love that this base recipe is so customizable! As alway, it’s vegan, gluten free, oil free, and refined sugar free! This is how we made it:

Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups raw cashews

⅓ cup rejuvelac

½ tsp salt

Possible add ins:

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chopped jalapenos

Chives

Fruit

This is how I make my rejuvelac. If you don’t have any on hand, you’ll want to make this first and then come back to see us in 2-3 days when your amazing cheese-making probiotic is ready!

Directions:

Do a quick soak of your cashews. Cover your cashews in boiling water, and then set them aside for at least 30 minutes.

Put the cashews in a food processor, and grind them until they make a smooth paste. This will take a few minutes.

Next, transfer the mix to a high powered blender. Mix in the rejuvelac and salt, and grind until it’s very, very smooth. This may take a few cycles to get a creamy, cream cheese consistency.

Transfer your cashew mix to a glass container, cover with a lid, and let it sit out on your counter out of direct light for 12-24 hours. The mix will begin to turn delightfully sour. Culturing time depends on how warm it is in your house. You can check it at 12 hours and decide how sharp you would like the flavor. Once you’re happy with the taste, move it into the fridge and serve in on a bagel, use it for a cheesecake, or whatever you like! You can also flavor your cream cheese with whatever you like!

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