Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese - Easy Vegan Recipe (2024)

Creamy, thick, and tangy, this Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese is the best dairy-free cream cheese substitute! It's nut-free, gluten-free, and made with 7 ingredients only!

This sunflower cream cheese is a true staple in my house. It's easy to make, budget-friendly, and makes a big batch that we keep in the fridge and use during the week.

It goes well on anything from homemade bagels, to sourdough bread, to vegan flour tortillas.

The cheese has a tangy and nutty flavor, yet the sunflower taste is not too overpowering. It's well-balanced and goes well with anything, both sweet and savory!

Ingredients and notes

• Coconut oil: Make sure to use refined coconut oil so that your cream cheese doesn't taste like coconut.
• Sunflower seeds: It's important to use raw sunflower seeds, and not roasted. The results won't be the same.
• Lemon: I use only the juice, but you can also use the zest if you want to add more zing. If you don't have lemon juice, you can substitute it with apple cider vinegar.

How to make sunflower seed cream cheese

Start by rinsing the sunflower seeds well under cold water. Then, add to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes or until soft.

Next, drain them into a colander, but make sure not to rinse!

To a food processor or a high-speed blender, add the cooked sunflower seeds, melted coconut oil, nutritional yeast, boiling water, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Blend on high until creamy and smooth, this takes around 10 minutes.

Then, transfer the mixture into a container and let it set in the fridge for 6-8 hours. If you're too impatient, you can serve it right away, but the texture is way better after the cheese has had the time to firm up.

Optional add-ins

This recipe is pretty versatile, so feel free to make it your own! You can add one or more of the following ingredients for even more flavor.

• Garlic- I suggest adding 1-2 cloves of garlic.
• Herbs- 1 cup fresh cilantro, parsley, dill, or a combination of all three.
• Green onion - ½ cup chopped green onion.
• Chives - 2-3 tablespoon chopped chives.
• Jalapeños - 1-2 jalapeños, seeds removed for less heat.
• Sun-dried tomatoes - ⅓ cup chopped sundried tomatoes.
• White/yellow miso paste - add up to 2 tablespoon for more of a salty, umami flavor.

Expert tips

• Boil the sunflower seeds instead of soaking them. I tested the recipe using both methods, and I have found that when the seeds are boiled the cheese stays fresh for much longer.
• Use boiling water to blend. Again, using boiling water will keep your cheese fresh for longer, because most of the bacteria gets killed from the heat.
• Be patient when blending. To get a creamy consistency you'll need to keep blending for at least a couple of minutes.

FAQ

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