This savory vegan cheese spread is packed with garlic and herbs and is so easy to make. Serve this delicious dairy-free cheese on sandwiches, crackers, toast, or bagels. Healthy, oil-free, and gluten-free!
Who loves soft cheeses? ME! And, with Christmas right around the corner, this recipe could not have come at a more perfect time.
There’s just something about spreading a tangy garlic herb-infused cheese spread on a cracker at a holiday gathering. Am I right? And, until now I thought part of my life was gone forever.
Not anymore! And, to say I’m happy is an understatement.
Yes, I have made my share of cashew cheese in the form of cream cheese, queso, and even spinach artichoke dip. But, this one by far is my new fave. You’re about to find out why.
The best part about this recipe, apart from the flavor and texture, is its simplicity. Unlike most vegan cheeses there’s no soaking, nothing to drain, you don’t even need a colander. It’s also not made out of cashews. What?!? Yes, that’s right.
The secret ingredient to this amazing spread is almond flour. I know, I know. It sounds crazy, but you’re just gonna have to trust me.
This cheese requires very little, if any, planning. So, right there I’m pumped. And, the flavor? All I can say is you will just have to taste and see.
Why You Will Love This Cheese
I think you will find there are many reasons to love this recipe. But, here are just a few…
- Soft
- Creamy
- Loaded with garlic and herbs
- Savory
- Super cheesy
- Full of flavor
- So freaking easy to make
- INSANELY DELICIOUS!
Trust me, take this to any gathering and instantly become famous. You’re welcome!
Ingredients
This recipe requires some of the most basic ingredients. You essentially blend, toss in herbs, chill, and consume.
- Almond Flour: yes, almond flour. It becomes incredibly creamy and has an amazing texture once it’s blended with all the delicious ingredients.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds a nutty cheesiness
- Lemon Juice: if you don’t have lemon juice you can use apple cider vinegar. But, you want some type of “acid” to give it that zing commonly found in these types of cheeses.
- Garlic: I used whole garlic cloves but garlic powder will work as well.
- Herbs: oregano, parsely, dill, thyme, and basil. I prefer dried herbs because they’re easy but feel free to use fresh herbs if you prefer. Fresh dill is my favorite!
- Salt: use this element sparingly to taste. I would wait until after you have mixed everything together to add it.
How To Make Garlic Herb Vegan Cheese
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this delicious vegan cheese spread. It’s healthy, gluten-free, and the flavor is absolutely amazing!
- To a high-speed blender or food processor add the water, lemon juice, garlic, and almond flour. Blend until the texture is smooth and creamy. You may have to stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides. You can also add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to help the blending process, but don’t add too much or you will get runny cheese.
- Transfer the mixture to a small mixing bowl, add nutritional yeast and herbs, and stir until everything is well combined. Taste and season with salt as necessary.
- Spoon the vegan cheese spread into the desired container, make sure it’s packed really well, and place it in the fridge, and allow the cheese to sit for 1-2 hours if you prefer a firmer spread.
- Enjoy with veggies, crackers, bagels, or sandwiches.
That’s it! The easiest most delicious vegan cheese spread.
Tips and Suggestions
- Turn this into a really nice cheese ball simply by wrapping it in a cheesecloth or plastic wrap and letting it set up in the fridge.
- Be sure to add all of the liquid to your blender before the almond flour. It will process much easier and give you a much better consistency.
- Top with fresh chives, nuts, or dried cranberries for to create an amazing holiday appetizer.
- Add a little lemon zest before blending if you prefer a lot zing in your cheese.
- If you are having a hard time getting everything to blend add a little water at a time until everything is creamy. But, don’t add too much water or you will get runny cheese.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve on a holiday tray with veggies and crackers.
- Use as a deliciou garlic and herb cream cheese for bagels or toast.
- It makes a great mayo replacement on sandwiches.
- If you don’t store it in the fridge it makes an incredible dip.
- Toss in some of my Vegan Parmesan and then mix it in with your favorite pasta for a delicious dish.
More Vegan Holiday Dishes
- Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Easy Baked Cinnamon Apples
- Easy Vegan Fudge
- Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
- Best Vegan French Onion Dip
I hope you enjoy this Garlic Herb Vegan Cheese Spread. Please leave a comment below with a star rating. And, be sure and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
Easy Garlic Herb Vegan Cheese Spread
This savory vegan cheese spread is packed with garlic and herbs and is so easy to make. Serve this delicious dairy-free cheese on sandwiches, crackers, toast, or bagels. Healthy, oil-free, and gluten-free!
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Setup Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup of water
- ¼ cup of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- To a high-speed blender or food processor add the water, lemon juice, garlic, and almond flour. Blend until the texture is smooth and creamy. You may have to stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides. You can also add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to help the blending process, but don’t add too much or you will get runny cheese.
- Transfer the mixture to a small mixing bowl, add nutritional yeast and herbs, and stir until everything is well combined. Taste and season with salt as necessary.
- Spoon the vegan cheese spread into the desired container, make sure it’s packed really well, place it in the fridge, and allow the cheese to sit for 1-2 hours if you prefer a firmer spread.
- Enjoy with veggies, crackers, bagels, or sandwiches.
Notes
Turn this into a really nice cheese ball simply by wrapping it in a cheesecloth or plastic wrap and letting it set up in the fridge.
Be sure to add all of the liquid to your blender before the almond flour. It will process much easier and give you a much better consistency.
Top with fresh chives, nuts, or dried cranberries for to create an amazing holiday appetizer.
Add a little lemon zest before blending if you prefer a lot zing in your cheese.
If you are having a hard time getting everything to blend add a little water at a time until everything is creamy. But, don’t add too much water or you will get runny cheese.
Serve on a holiday tray with veggies and crackers.
Use as a deliciou garlic and herb cream cheese for bagels or toast.
It makes a great mayo replacement on sandwiches.Â
If you don’t store it in the fridge it makes and incredible dip.Â
Toss in some of my Vegan Parmesan and then mix it in with your favorite pasta for a delicious dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
- Calories: 89
- Sugar: 0.6 g
- Sodium: 1.5 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
- Fiber: 1.7 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
How can I lose weight when you come up with recipes like this? I did a trial batch to see if it would be something my carnivorous friends would like. The party is a week away. Living alone, I am now forced to eat this so it doesn’t get wasted. This spread is fabulous!
This was delicious!
More alchemy from Shane Martin! This recipe is a definite keeper. I’m so glad I found this recipe. I can add this to our Thanksgiving cheese plate this year, so I can have some dippies and not feel deprived. I love being plant-based but in family gatherings, it is hard because I do most of the cooking. Next time I make this, I’ll add southwestern flavors – chili powder, cumin, a dash of hot sauce and there you go.
I don’t see where the 7 grams of fat comes in this cheese recipe.
It’s from the almond flour.
Easy AND scrumptious!
Can this be made using almonds instead almond flour if I have a high speed blender, or would you recommend using/making the flour first?
You could use the almonds. I would soak them for about 30 minutes or boil them for 5 minutes.
This was really good and simple to make. I used with crackers for a non vegan event and it went over well. This would be wonderful so many ways. Thank you for the recipe!
Shane, again, a thousand thanks! I was suspicious of the lack of oil but… dang, this is so good and creamy! Only I think the lemons I bought were extremely bio and citric… so the original probably tastes less lemonish. Next time I will taste the juice before adding it (good thing I love sour)
Great recipe. We have made it numerous times. It doesn’t last long. Great with Crackers, pretzels, veggies, pita crisps , etc. Thanks for the recipe.
Excellent recipe! The second time I made it I left out the herbs except for the dried parsley and garlic but then I added 3/4 tsp turmeric, a handful of fresh chopped chives and a half of a jar of Kalamata olives chopped. This will be my forever go-to spread. Great on celery!!
I can definitely see this with olives! thanks for sharing the idea
Excellent recipe! Made it using Apple Cider Vinegar, (instead of lemon juice) and added about 1/8 Teaspoon of White Pepper. Tastes even better the next day. Delicious mixed with Vegan Parmesan and great on Pasta, tortilla wraps, crackers, etc. So easy to make and blends very fast in my Blendtec blender. Blessings
Wow!! This sounds awesome!! Have a question about something you wrote in your list of ‘notes’. You wrote: “If you don’t store it in the fridge it makes and incredible dip.” Yes, you did write ‘and’… but what I’m wondering about is, are you saying this does NOT need to be kept in the fridge??
Love your recipes!! Thank you for all you do to help us be healthier!
Typo. Should be, “if you store it in the fridge…” because it will firm up even more:) I’ll correct it…thanks!!!
Hi Shane. The recipe still says not to keep it in the fridge in the notes. I just wanted to let you know. Thanks for all you do! Love your recipes!
That’s not what it says…it says “If you don’t store it in the fridge it makes and incredible dip.” Meaning, if you want it softer don’t refrigerate before enjoying.
Haven’t made it yet, but I plan to soon. I was wondering if you could make it a sweet spread with cinnamon and dates or maple syrup? Love your recipes, Shane!
Sounds pretty good to me.
I made this today exactly as written. I didn’t think it would “move” in my Vitamix, so I used a food processor. Wrong choice. I couldn’t get it smooth enough, so I transferred it to my VM , added a little water, and it was perfect. I will definitely make this again!
Awesome! My new favorite! I will be taking it to the neighborhood Christmas Party as a dip so I can enjoy the veggie tray.
This looks great! I have some fresh dill and/or basil I’d like to use. How much do you recommend? And should I still add the other dried herbs? Thanks!
Hey, Susan! When using fresh herbs, double the amounts. Dried ingredients are usually more potent.
Any idea if this can be frozen?
Hi, Kris. It doesn’t freeze well. It would be soggy after it thaws because of the almond flour.
Hi, Kris. It doesn’t freeze well. It would be soggy after it thaw because of the almond flour.
Woah! Can’t wait to try this. I’m a little tired of cashews being used in recipes, and this seems like an innovative way to get around them. Thank you!
I’m excited to try this! Do you have a recipe for spinach artichoke dip (similar to Costco’s party tub variety)—I’d love a df, oil-free substitute to serve for holiday gatherings.
Hey, TJ! Here are a couple of options you will hoepfully enjoy.
https://shaneandsimple.com/spinach-artichoke-dip-vegan/
https://shaneandsimple.com/vegan-spinach-artichoke-dip/
Soooo delicious! There is nothing I would change! It comes together quickly and my hubby was very surprised that it was made from Almond Flour. We ate almost all of it with a half box of crackers in one sitting 🙂
Thanks Shane!
Love this! Thank you! How long will it keep in the frig???
I made this recipe with a few adjustments to the herb profile to use as a ricotta replacement for stuffed shells. It worked wonderfully!
I used Kite Hill ricotta for half of the batch of shells, but it’s so expensive for such a small amount that I needed an alternative, and this recipe worked perfectly. The texture and taste are an exact match for the Kite Hill, and if you use Costco’s blanched almond flour, you’ll save a ton of cash.
The spread is also delicious on sprouted English muffins topped wit a little Mrs. Dash’s Everything Bagel seasoning (no salt).
We didn’t care for it as a dip but also used it as a ricotta sub in a lasagna. Had some oven-ready noodles, sauce and shredded DF mozzarella on hand. Threw in this recipe (didn’t taste the dill). Got a thumbs up from the crew. Easy-peasy and delicious.
Can I substitute the almond flour, in my part of the world, a tiny bag is almost four dollars.
hi, Wilma! Unfortunately, there’s not a sub for it in this recipe.
Oh my goodness! So dang good! I would never thought I’d make cream cheese. Oh sure I could buy vegan cream cheese…but making it just seems more amazing! Lol.
Can’t wait to share this!!
Man o man this is sooo good. And I always have all the
Ingredients handy! I love that it uses almond flour instead of costly cashews and with excellent results. I was amazed. First made it and served it at Christmas time and got great responses from family and have since made it several times. I like to just dip cut up veggies in it, but it is also so yummy on crackers. Shane, I just love your simple and delicious recipes. Thank you for providing so many delicious choices.
Hello…I am wanting to make this! What other flour (if any) can be substituted for the almond flour?
I have: AP White, AP Wheat, Oat & Chickpea
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi, Ken! I’m sorry, but only almond flour will work for this recipe. You won’t get the same texture because the other flours are made from grains and beans.
Delicious! My 3 year-old grandson licked the bowl clean!!
Amazing stuff! I made exactly as written. I had to add about 1/4 cup more water to get it blended smooth. Next time (and there will be a next time!) I will use my smaller container for my vitamix so that I can have the right volume to make it super smooth! This recipe is so delicious. Thank you!
Just made this. It was so quick and easy and creamy. Absolutely divine!! Love that it’s got such simple ingredients. It tastes as good as one I got from the market that was $12 a jar!! Thanks Shane for such a quick easy recipe. I will definitely be making this many times.
the one you buy for 12. can you tell me how many oz. it is? thanks and if you can mention the brand that’d be great too!! 🙂
This savory vegan cheese spread is packed with garlic and herbs and is so easy to make. Serve this delicious dairy-free cheese on sandwiches, crackers, toast, or bagels. Healthy, oil-free, and gluten-free!
Thank you for this! I LOVE creamy cheeses, made my own goat cheese for years before going vegan and I miss just this sort of savory cheese. I can not wait to make this now!
I hope you enjoy it:)
Can’t wait to try this!! Not having snack items that you can just grab without having to make something is my only complaint with the the vegan lifestyle. Cut up veggies just doesn’t do it for me. Cheese and crackers were always my go to, before … But now…!! Maybe it’s back, baby!!
It’s back:)
this looks amazing, but i wonder if oat flour can replace the almond flour to cut down on the fat? what do you think? thanks for all your fabulous recipes…they have helped change my life!
Hi, Shelley! Oat flour will not firm up and become creamy like the almond flour. You could try a 12oz. block of silken firm tofu.
Printing recipe now – gonna buy the ingredients and try it!