I’ve always considered myself a bagel and cream cheese fan, but years ago, the vegan cream cheese options were not that great. Vegan cream cheese has come such a long way over the last few years. The increase of demand for more delicious dairy-free cream cheese options have has pushed these major brands to perfect their formulas and come out with new products. I’ve personally taste-tested every major brand on the market, so you don’t have to. If you’re looking for vegan, dairy-free and lactose free cream cheese options that actually taste good, take a look at my list of favorites below.
Kite Hill Chive Cream Cheese
Kite Hill Cream Cheese is definitely one of the best vegan cream cheese options on the market right now. It’s creamy, smooth, and is mixed with fresh chives to give it that garden taste. The taste is neutral, yet delicious. Kite Hill’s Everything, Plain, and the Garden Veggie are also great-tasting options, but the Chive flavor is my favorite. Kite Hill’s Plain flavor is also my preferred brand when I’m making a vegan cream cheese frosting for baked goods.
Things to Consider:
Kite Hill’s products are made from almonds. So, if you have a nut allergy or have a taste aversion to nuts, then I wouldn’t recommend using Kite Hill.
Violife Just Like Cream Cheese
Violife is hands down one of my favorite vegan cheese brands. They really have perfected their products and are extremely believable. Violife produces their cream cheese alternative products as well as their other products in Greece. Many people don’t know that Greece is one of the top producers of dairy-free cheese due to its large population of people who don’t consume dairy on certain days for religious reasons. Basically, the Greeks have been perfecting the vegan cheese game for a long time and it shows in their products. This Violife Cream Cheese is so smooth and creamy in texture, and has a nice neutral yet tangy taste.
Things to Consider:
Because coconut oil is one of the top ingredients for Violife’s Cream Cheese, it has a tendency to melt if you put it on a freshly toasted bagel. But if you like your bagels room un-toasted, this is a delicious option that’ll fool even non-vegans.
Treeline Herb Garlic
Treeline’s Herb Garlic cheese is out of this world good. Okay, I guess it’s a little bit of cheating because this isn’t a traditional type of cream cheese made to put on a bagel. This type of vegan cream cheese is a French-Style cheese that you can spread on crackers, or spread on a piece of bread to go on a sandwich. You guys, this cheese is honestly so good. It has a cashew base and a rich flavor from the herbs and fresh garlic mixed in. The consistency of the Treeline cheeses are a little firmer than traditional cream cheese – imagine the texture and consistency of a soft cheese on a cheeseboard. It tastes so high quality that if you took it out of the packaging, people would think it was made in a restaurant.
Things to Consider:
As I mentioned, this isn’t a traditional cream cheese made for bagels. But it is great to put on crackers and mix into pasta. Because of the higher quality of this product, there is a higher price point ($6-8 range).
Daiya Plain Creamy Spread
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Daiya for the last four years. When I first went vegan, Daiya was one of the only, if not the only option available in major grocery stores and it was not that great. Daiya products in the past used to have this strange aftertaste and heavy and oily consistency. Luckily, with the growing demand for more dairy-free cheeses over the years, Daiya has reformulated most of their products to combat the negative feedback they were receiving. The Daiya Plain Creamy Spread is a great vegan cream cheese option that can be found at most grocery stores. It’s formulated similarly to the Violife cream cheese mentioned above and has a neutral plain flavor. I like using this cream cheese for when I make vegan cream cheese frosting to go on muffins and cakes.
Things to Consider:
Because coconut oil is one of the top ingredients in this, it also has a tendency to melt a bit where the oil separates. I would recommend this cream cheese for the times you’re not planning on topping it on something hot. Room temperature is the best way to go with the Dairy Creamy Spread.
Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Cream Cheese: Savory Scallion
Miyoko’s Creamery products are very much a staple in my home. The Savory Scallion Cultured Vegan Cream Cheese is no exception to this. It’s a protein packed cream cheese option made with a cashew and coconut cream base. Miyoko’s Creamery currently has three different flavors available to purchase: Plain, Savory Scallion, and Fish-Free Lox. The Plain flavor is a delicious alternative if you’re not a fan of Scallion, but I didn’t love the Fish-Free Lox flavor when I tested it. I specifically love the scallion flavor because it adds a nice brightness to the richer cashew base it has. This is one one of the best vegan cream cheese options you have find at the grocery story. Recently, Trader Joe’s has started to sell Miyoko’s cream cheese products as well, so it’s easily found at most grocery chains.
Things to Consider:
Because of the quality of Miyoko’s products, they are usually priced $1-2 higher than brands like Daiya and Tofutti.
Not Recommended
Miyoko’s Fish-Free Lox
As I mentioned above, I’m not a fan of the Fish-Free Lox Cream Cheese flavor from Miyokos. The “fish” taste comes from seaweed that’s mixed in. I usually love seaweed on my buddha bowls, ramen, and sushi, but it just feels strange tasting it on top of my bagel. That being said, all of the other Miyoko’s products I’ve tried are really delicious.
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
If you remember in my intro, I said that the options that were available when I first went vegan were not great. Tofutti is one of the most commonly found brands that have been around for a long time. This cream cheese is not horrible, it’s just really flavorless. There are so many better options available with far superior taste, so I recommend passing on the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese.
Go Veggie Cream Cheese
The consistency of the Go Veggie Cream Cheese is where I have the most issues with it. It has a really runny consistency when you first open the package. Even after you mix it around a bit, it’s still pretty runny. There are so many better options available for vegan cream cheese.
Summary
Over the years, I’ve found that Vegan cream cheese options can be hit or miss with some brands and flavors. I’ve personally taste-tested a majority of the options available at major grocery chains to find the best options out there. Being the only vegan in my immediate family, I’ve had to find the best options available to appeal to the omnivores in my life.
I hope this guide has helped you find the best vegan cream cheese options available. For more guides and reviews, click here. And let me know in the comments below what you’re favorite vegan cream cheese brands are.
