Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese
Okay, so here it is. THIS is the foolproof cultured cream cheese you’ve been waiting for! Yes, I had another one on Helyn’s Kitchen with a cute little video, but it was difficult sometimes… temperamental… cranky even. Depending on the weather, the humidity and the ambient temperature in the room(s) where I’d set it to culture, MOST of the time it was good, but sometimes, not so much. After all, it’s ALIVE! Well, I’ve found a way to make it PERFECT. EVERY. TIME. The secret? My trusty old Instant Pot! Oh yeah, babe. Why oh why didn’t I think of this before? Thank you, Yogurt Setting!
So yes, it’s foolproof. But ONLY if you use an Instant Pot with the yogurt setting and ONLY if you use a very specific probiotic powder called Metagenics UltraFlora® Synergy. And a high-powered blender, like a VitaMix, is also a must. If you follow my instructions to a “T” you will have a perfect vegan cream cheese with quality probiotics for blissful bellies. There you have it, and here it is.
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews
½-1 cup of PURE water—please don’t use city tap water as it contains chlorides which will kill the probiotics.
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp probiotic powder (see notes)
Method
Soak cashews for at least 5 hours, overnight is best. Again, pure water only… spring, well or purified.
Drain and rinse the cashews well. Pick off any dark spots that they sometimes have.
Place in blender with 1/2 cup of water to start. It’s important not to add too much water. Yes, your blender will complain. Use your tamper (if you have a Vitamix) or scrape down the sides every so often. Just keep adding a tablespoon or two at a time after the 1/2 cup until it JUST gets to blending. You don’t want a runny cream cheese! Once the mixture is nice and smooth, add the probiotic powder, a pinch of salt and blend again, just to mix.
Portion the mixture into a non-reactive bowl. I use a medium sized Pyrex bowl, the kind that comes with a lid.
Place the bowl, uncovered, into your Instant Pot. Note, you must use a 6-quart IP or larger for it to fit… I don’t think the 3-quart has a yogurt setting anyway.
Add love 💗
SEAL THE VENT and push the YOGURT button. Reduce the time to 7 hours (it will default to 8).
When it’s done, remove the bowl and stir well. There will be a drier layer on the top that may be a little different color, too. That’s fine. Just stir it in.
Cover it loosely and wait for it to cool before refrigerating in an airtight container. I just use the same bowl that it cultured in.
That’s it!
Makes 2.5 cups. Enjoy!
Notes
So here’s the deal. Yes, that probiotic is PRICEY! Whoa. But at only ½ tsp per recipe, it lasts a LONG time. Make sure to keep it in the fridge! DO NOT FREEZE. And use it all by its expiration date. You know, I’ve used Miyoko’s cream cheese sometimes and while it’s very good, it doesn’t hold a candle to this one (if I do say so myself). And it’s quite expensive. So if you get to making this, you’ll be saving money in the long run. The other thing is, even though hers is “cultured” it has very little, if any, active probiotics in the finished product. I believe the culturing is mainly for taste. Sure, you could try another probiotic to use as a starter, but I can’t guarantee the result. I hope you’ll try this one out. Enjoy and most of all, have fun!
Guys! This cream cheese is SO versatile! Oh yes, it’s great just on its own, shmeared on a bagel or toast, but you can also thin it with a little water for a fabulous sour cream, add it to mashed potatoes for a little tang, mix in some fruits of your choice for a sweet fruity spread, use it in salad dressings, add some fresh herbs, and—one of my favorites—turn it into a French Onion Dip! (watch for that recipe soon). The possibilities are simply and lusciously endless…