Paleo Almond Cream Cheese
Make Paleo Almond Cream Cheese from scratch with only 5 ingredients. This thick spreadable vegan cheese is perfect for bagels, dairy-free cream cheese frostings, dips, and so much more!
What’s a good vegan substitute for cream cheese? This paleo almond cream cheese, of course! Truthfully, I’ve never had much luck with non-dairy cream cheese alternatives. They never really taste like cream cheese, except for Kite Hill brand.
With some trial and error, I created this almond cream cheese recipe, and it’s the perfect Kite Hill copycat. This spreadable mixture is rich, subtly tangy, and sweet -just like cream cheese!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Budget-friendly – Making almond cream cheese from scratch is less-expensive than some of the store-bought brands.
- Only 5 ingredients, all of which are vegan and paleo.
- Versatile – You can keep it plain or customize with your favorite cream cheese mix-ins.
- It’s 100% Whole30 compliant!
🌰 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Almonds – You will need blanched almonds with the skin removed. They can be slivered or whole. If you have blanched almond meal, that works too.
- Oil – Any neutral tasting oil like olive oil or avocado oil.
- Salt – to enhance the flavor and texture.
- White Vinegar – for the subtle tangy flavor. You can also use lemon juice here.
- Water – or unsweetened almond milk to add moisture and make a velvety consistency.
- Recommened Equipment – high-speed blender, Vitamix or Ninja, rubber spatula, and a mason jar.
📖 How To Make Cream Cheese Using Almonds
1️⃣ Soak almonds:
Submerge almonds in a bowl of filtered water, covering the almonds with at least 3″ of water over the top. Soak overnight.
2️⃣ Rinse almonds:
After soaking, rinse the almonds and drain them well. Add the almonds to a high-speed blender.
3️⃣ Blend ingredients together:
Add the avocado oil, salt, vinegar, and half of the water. Pulse the ingredients together until a thick and creamy mixture forms
4️⃣ Adjust consistency:
Add the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
👉 Recipe Tips
- Be sure to rinse and drain the almonds well. If your almonds have skins, I recommend removing them. If you leave the skins on, your cream cheeese will be darker in color.
- I don’t advise soaking the almonds in boiling water to speed things up. Soaking them overnight softens them without altering the flavor.
- A heavy-duty high-speed blender is key to whipping the almonds into a rich cream cheese. If you do not have a high-speed blender, you can make this with cashews.
- When adjusting the consistency, keep in mind the cream cheese will thicken more as it sits in the fridge.
🔀 Variations
Take inspiration from your favorite cream cheese flavors. Check out the list below for my personal favorites!
- Chive & onion – add dried onions flakes and chopped chives
- Garden veggie – stir in finely diced red bell pepper, green bell pepper, scallions, celery, carrot, and parsley
- Pumpkin pie – add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice
- Everything – season to taste with everything bagel seasoning
- Cinnamon sugar – add cinnamon and coconut sugar
- Honey almond – add finely chopped almonds and raw honey
- Roasted garlic – Puree roasted garlic to add to your cream cheese.
- Nutrional yeast – to add deep and savory cheesy flavor.
🥯 Serving Suggestions
This paleo almond cream cheese is the perfect dairy-free spread for bagels, crackers, and sliced raw veggies. You can also:
- Make vegan cream cheese frosting by using almond cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese.
- Make your favorite creamy dips, casseroles, and sauces with almond cream cheese. This is a great way to adapt all of your favorite cream cheese containing recipes to be Whole30 compliant.
- Use in keto cream cheese frosting.
♻️ Storing & Freezing
Storing: Your paleo cream cheese will last about 2 weeks if stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Freezing: not recommened; the ingredients will separate when frozen.
❔ FAQ
Yes! You can use cashews instead of almonds. Cashews are inherently softer than almonds, so you’ll only need to soak them for a few hours. Keep in mind, cashew cream cheese isn’t as thick.
I can’t speak for them all, but this one in particular is delicious. You can hardly tell the difference between almond cream cheese and the real deal.
Yes, Kite Hill makes a fantastic line of cream cheese alternatives. However, making it from scratch tastes better and costs less.
Almond milk won’t necessarly become a fluffy whipped cream. However, soaking the almonds first, using quality flavors, and adding an acidic component gives it a similar texture.
More Paleo Sauces, Dips & Dressings
Thousand Island Dressing
Homemade Ketchup
Whole30 BBQ Sauce
Habanero Ranch Dressing
Paleo Almond Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 1 high-speed blender vitamix or ninja
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 mason jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds (blanched) use almonds without skin (can be slivered or whole)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice
- ⅓ cup almond milk or water
Instructions
- Submerge almonds in a bowl of filtered water, covering the almonds with at least 3" of water over the top. Soak overnight.
- After soaking, rinse the almonds and drain them well. Add the almonds to a high-speed blender.
- Add the avocado oil, salt, vinegar, and half of the water to the blender.
- Pulse the ingredients together until a thick and creamy mixture forms.
- Add the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. The cream cheese will continue to thicken as it chills in the fridge.
