Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese (oil free, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese

(oil free, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

I've never been a fan of fatty flavorless cream cheese. I loved the light versions with a lot of fresh herbs and I used to put them on everything. My grandma always had to have that one specific one in the fridge when I was around. "Do we have the ****?" Was one of the first questions when I walked through the door. And if the answer was yes, I was smiling from one ear to the other one. And then we had to buy one again after, let's be fair and say, one hour.

My vegan version is similar to my once beloved dairy one. But there's a little extra add-on: smoked paprika. One of the flavors, I can't imagine my life without any longer. It took me a while to actually find smoked paprika in a store, as it's not something that is sold here very often. But I found it, and here we are!

Fresh Herb and Paprika Cream Cheese

Serves: 1 jar
Soaking time: 2 hours to overnight
Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 100g raw cashews (1 cup)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (2 tbsp if you want a more cheesy flavor)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• a bunch of fresh dill
• a bunch of fresh chives
• salt and pepper to taste
• 50 to 100mL cashew milk, unsweetened (depending on your blender and your desired final consistency)

Instructions

• soak your cashews overnight (or at least 2 hours in boiling water)
• drain your cashews and add them with the remaining ingredients to your blender (or food processor - see Notes below) and blend until smooth
• allow to settle/cool in the fridge or serve right away
• enjoy!

Notes: If you follow me on Instagram, you may have heard that my blender broke the day before I made this recipe. I used a hand blender instead, which is possible, but won't give you a smooth result. In fact, it ended up being a little grainy, but that's alright for me. If you want a creamy and smooth consistency, you should use a high speed blender.