You can find excellent vegan cream cheese in most supermarkets and every natural foods store. In terms of taste and texture, most vegan brands are indistinguishable from dairy-based cream cheeses. Your favorite grocery probably carries these products right where they keep the regular dairy-based brands.
A growing number of bagel shops likewise offer dairy-free cream cheese. If they don’t yet offer it, just buy your bagels to go, and add your favorite vegan brand at home.
Tofutti pioneered this product category decades ago, but the segment is now crowded with a wide variety of excellent products.
Vegan Cream Cheese Brands
If you want to go dairy-free, your love for cream cheese won’t stand in the way. Just try a few of these excellent products and see which you like best:
- Daiya: Cream Cheese Style Spread (Plain, Chive & Onion, Strawberry, Garden Vegetable)
- Go Veggie: Cream Cheese Alterative(Plain, Chive & Garlic, Strawberry)
- Follow Your Heart: Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
- Kite Hill: Dairy-Free Cream Cheese (Plain, Chive, Everything, and Garden Veggie)
- Miyoko’s: Cultured Vegan Cream Cheese (Classic, Scallion, and Fish-Free Lox)
- Nurishh: Cream Cheese Spread Alternative
- Philadelphia: Vegan Cream Cheese (Wide distribution coming summer 2023)
- So Delicious: Plant-Based Cream Cheese Style Spread (Original and Chive & Onion)
- Tofutti: Better Than Cream Cheese (French Onion, Garden Veggie, Garlic & Herb, Herbs & Chives, Plain)
- Violife: Just Like Cream Cheese (Original, Garlic & Herbs, and Cheddar)
- Wild Creamery: Cream Cheese Alternative
Of all these products, Violife’s cheddar variety is the most daring and the least traditional. It tastes nothing like regular cream cheese, but it’s outstanding and unique.
Serving Suggestions
Cream cheese is the classic spread for bagels. These vegan products are also magnificent when spread on whole grain bread or raisin bread. Add some sprouts for extra crunch and nutrition. Also try your favorite brand on crackers.
Finally, you can make an delicious savory sandwich using vegan cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, and a teaspoon of Indian-style pickle.
