Easy DIY Vegan Cheese Spread

Recipe by Gem’s Wholesome Kitchen Suitable for Vegans, Low Carb Diets Difficulty Easy Makes 12 crackers Prep time 5 minutes (plus soaking the nuts for at least 2 hours)

Ingredients

• 200g cashews
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt to taste
• pinch of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 12 crackers

To flavour the spread

Pick one of the following:

• Smokey - 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Truffle - a few drops of truffle oil
• Chives - chopped fresh chives

Method

Step 1 Soak the cashews by placing them in a bowl and cover with water by about 2cm. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or cloth and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, and ideally overnight. The nuts will plump up as they absorb the water. Once soaked, drain and rinse them in a colander under cool running water. Step 2 Put everything in a food processor or blender. Pulse to roughly break down the cashews. Scrape down the sides, add 60ml water and blend again for about 2 minutes, until the smooth and thick. It should have the consistency of hummus; add an extra splash of water if needed. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper if necessary. Step 3 Now add your chosen flavour, either Smokey, Truffle or Chives and mix well. Step 4 Spread generously over the crackers and add a garnish of your choice such as cress, sliced radish or chopped herbs. Shop Food & Drink