Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (2024)

Vegan Cream Cheese made with Butter Beans is a great plant-based spread to use in place of conventional cream cheese. It’s surprising how delicious it is.

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (1)

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Vegan Cream Cheese Using Butter Beans

You’d never guess what’s in this vegan cream cheese if it wasn’t in the title of the recipe. This doesn’t taste like beans. It’s thick, creamy, tangy, and spreadable.

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (2)

What Are Butter Beans and How Do They Turn Into Cream Cheese??

Here’s the scoop on butter beans. They’re actually mature lima beans. Here in the US, we tend to find most lima beans in the green and immature stage. This means the beans are picked when they’re still green and pliable. In Europe, limas are usually eaten when mature. That means the beans are allowed to fully ripen, turn brown, dry on the vine, and are then cooked like any other dried beans. It’s kind of like the difference between edamame and mature soybeans.

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (3)

These are dry, white butter beans. You can cook these like any dried beans and use them in this recipe or just use the canned version.

That was way TMI about butter beans. And here’s more. Beans are actually a great base to make cream cheese. They’re dense, blend well, and are full of protein. The combination of the dense protein of the beans and some thickeners and oil equals a pretty tasty reasonable facsimile for cream cheese.

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (4)

The process is really easy. Just blend the beans and other ingredients in a high-speed blender until very smooth and creamy and then gently simmer in a pot on the stove until thickened, which only takes a few minutes. The photo above is the cooking in a pot part.

Instant Oats

Instant oats give this cream cheese a kind of silky creaminess and also is adding some volume without a whole lot of calories (if calories are something you like to consider … if you don’t that’s cool and please disregard this!). In fact, this whole recipe is far less calorically dense than most vegan cream cheeses and way better than dairy cream cheese!

Vegan Lactic Acid

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (5)Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (6) An ingredient you may not have yet is Lactic Acid. I highly recommend this for any vegan cheese making. Despite the name, it’s not a milk product and is vegan. It’s made from fermented sugars.Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (7)It’s great in so many things. I use it, along with Psyllium husk powder, to get a good texture and flavor in vegan, gluten-free pizza crusts like this one. In breads it can give a sourdough sort of flavor and aroma.

But in cheese, that’s where lactic acid really shines. It adds a tang that’s hard to achieve any other way.

Citric acid can be used in addition to lactic acid and in place of lemon juice, but if you don’t have any just use lemon juice.

And finally, this isn’t rocket surgery, You can omit the lactic acid if you must. Just use salt and lemon juice to get the flavor, It won’t be quite the same, but it should still be creamy and tasty.

Using and Storing Vegan Cream Cheese

This can be used as a spread or a thick dip. I thinned it for a sauce for tacos. It’s versatile. I haven’t tried it for cheesecake, though, but will do that soon … I think it has possibilities!

Store this in a covered container in the fridge for up to a couple of days. It makes about 2 cups.

Cost of Home-Made Plant-Based Cream Cheese

This is relatively inexpensive, especially when a small tub of vegan cream cheese can be anywhere from $3 to $6. This entire batch that made about 16 ounces cost about $1.50 in ingredients.

Let me know if you try this! Would love to hear how it turns out! XO Lisa

Yield: 2 cups

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (8)

Vegan Cream Cheese made with Butter Beans is a great plant-based spread to use in place of conventional cream cheese. It's surprising how delicious it is.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Cooling/Chilling Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 15 oz canned butter beans, with liquid
  • 1/2 cup instant oats
  • 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil (the kind that doesn't smell like coconut).
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon lactic acid powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid powder

Instructions

  1. Place everything in a high-speed blender and puree until very smooth and creamy. This will take about 3-4 minutes in a Vitamix. If the mixture gets too difficult to blend, add a little water when necessary. Blend until the mix is super smooth any lumps or bumps are gone.
  2. Pour the mixture into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Over medium heat and stirring constantly, simmer the mixture gently until the mixture has thickened and turned smooth and glossy.
  3. Keep in mind it can get clumpy at first. Just continue stirring until it smooths out and thickens.
  4. Pour into a lightly greased glass (or other) container and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Then place in the refrigerator for another 30-40 minutes or so, until chilled.
  5. Store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to a few days.

Notes

Use refined coconut oil, which has no odor or taste. The unrefined will taste and smell strongly of coconut!

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

2 tablespoons
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 40

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (13)

Lisa Viger Gotte

Hello! I’m Lisa, a vegan artist, photographer, author, Vegan Life Coach Educator, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. I love showing others how simple and delicious a plant-based diet can be. I draw and paint, cook, write, take lots of pics, eat lots of chocolate, and practice gratitude daily.

Vegan Cream Cheese Made with Butter Beans Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan cream cheese made from? ›

Breathe a sigh of relief as you wave goodbye to dairy cream cheese FOMO. Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Potato Starch, Salt (Sea Salt), Glucono-Delta-Lactone, Flavor (Vegan Sources), Olive Extract, Vitamin B12.

Does vegan cream cheese need to be refrigerated? ›

Yes. For your safety and best quality, our non-animal cream cheese should be refrigerated at all times.

Does vegan cream cheese melt well? ›

The texture is exactly like regular cream cheese: It's thick and velvety as you scoop it out of the container, and it's easily spreadable. It even melts like cream cheese does if you're spreading it on a warm bagel or toast.

Is plant-based cream cheese healthy? ›

If you're looking for one that's on the better-for-you side, avoid the dairy-free varieties made from oil and stick to the ones made from whole food ingredients like nuts, seeds, or even beans. That's not to say that oil-based vegan cream cheeses are bad for you.

Can I eat vegan cheese left out overnight? ›

How Long Can Refrigerated Vegan Cheese Be Left Out. If you have vegan cheese which needs to be kept cool, hence refrigeration is required, we would recommend not having it out more than a few hours.

Can vegan cheese go bad? ›

We have had vegan cheeses in wax and paper wrappers which were not airtight and their quality dropped and would go bad within a couple of weeks, before their best before date. If you check your vegan cheese to see if it is wrapped in an air tight and sealed wrapper, it will last much longer.

Is vegan cheese worth it? ›

If you're avoiding regular cheese because of the saturated fat, you may not need to. Recent research shows cheese may actually be good for your health and reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Vegan cheeses are typically lower in fat, protein and calcium than regular cheese and are likely gluten-free.

Why does vegan cheese taste like cheese? ›

Nuts, such as cashews or almonds, are often used as they contain a lot of natural fat that gives a creamy texture once blended. Many brands also use a vegan lactic acid to add the tang and umami that gives that quintessential cheese flavour.

What are the disadvantages of vegan cheese? ›

It's important to consider all food intake in the context of a balanced diet that includes fiber and essential and non-essential minerals and vitamins. Other drawbacks: A lot of vegan cheese has little or no protein, just fat and starch. Those that do have protein tend to taste the least like traditional cheeses.

Is it OK to eat vegan cheese everyday? ›

Some of the more processed types of vegan cheese contain large amounts of refined oils, preservatives, color additives and sodium while being mostly void of substantial nutritional value. In general, foods like this should be consumed minimally, if at all.

Is vegan cheese inflammatory? ›

Is vegan cheese inflammatory? The vegan cheeses produced on a large scale that we are most likely to find in grocery stores are processed foods. As is the case with all processed foods, they can cause some inflammation in some consumers.

What is vegan cheese made with? ›

What Ingredients Are in Vegan Cheese? Vegan cheeses are 100% animal-free and made using vegetable proteins. Usually, they're made from soy; nuts, such as cashews and macadamias; and vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. You can also find cheeses that derive from agar, tapioca, peas and arrowroot.

Is vegan cheese healthier than regular cheese? ›

Is vegan cheese healthy? In terms of health, vegan cheese is generally considered better for you than dairy cheese as it's lower in saturated fat and often has added vitamin B12, which contributes to a healthy nervous system.

Is vegan cream healthy? ›

A 1998 study comparing vegan cream with dairy cream found that calories and fat content were similar, but that the vegan cream was lower in saturated fat and higher in polyunsaturated fat. The vegan cream contained low vitamin A, no vitamin D, and lower calcium than dairy single cream.

Why is vegan cheese so creamy? ›

Nut milk or finely ground nuts are inoculated with cultures to kickstart fermentation (a key step that lends flavor, complexity, and character), and then the nutcheese is aged anywhere from a few days to a few months. Cashew is the most common nut in nutcheese because of its creamy mouthfeel and neutral flavor.

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