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Loanding
I can’t believe I’m making this cultured cashew cream cheese, a vegan cheese spread, and I also can’t believe how well it came out, since it was my first try at plant-based cheese. But you’ll see—it even passes the bagel test. Made with soaked raw cashews, fermented until tangy, this spread is wonderfully creamy and tasty.
Ingredients
- raw cashews: 2 cups
- fine sea salt: 0.5 tsp
- nutritional yeast: 1 Tbsp
- apple cider vinegar: 1 Tbsp
- plain cashewmilk yogurt: 3 Tbsp
- water: 0.25 cup (or as needed)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place cashews in a bowl with enough cold water to cover, and soak cashews overnight or up to 24 hours.
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Drain, and add nuts to a blender, along with sea salt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, cashew yogurt, and water. Blend on high until very smooth.
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Transfer into a sterilized glass container (See Note), and let ferment in a warm spot for 8 to 24 hours, or until the mixture is as tangy and fermented as you want.
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This can be done at room temperature, which will take longer, or wrapped in a heating pad set on low (about 90 degrees F (32 degrees C)), which will speed up the process.
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Check, stir, and taste mixture a few times during the process to monitor its progress.
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Once the mixture has fermented as long as you want, season with salt to taste. At this point, additional flavoring can be added such as garlic, herbs, or spices.
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Chill before serving, at least 1 hour. For best results, refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours to let the flavors develop even more. John Mitzewich From the Editor: To prevent rogue bacteria from taking over the fermentation process, use very clean tools. A dishwasher set to sanitize might be adequate for cleaning the spoon and blender you use, but the fermentation container and lid should be sterilized. Here are 3 easy methods for sterilizing:Fill a bowl with boiling water to the brim; immerse container and lid. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and air dry.Wash and rinse container and lid; air dry. Place the container and lid in the oven at 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Dilute 1 teaspoon bleach in 3 1/2 quarts water. Immerse and soak equipment for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with hot water. Air dry. Cover until ready to use to avoid recontamination.
