I'm kind of avoiding cashews right now, so I made this creamy, spreadable, inexpensive Vegan Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese instead that is absolutely delicious.
Why avoid the cashews you might ask?
Well for one, they are EXPENSIVE!
A 13 oz container of cashews costs $8.99 at my local Fred Meyer (that's roughly $.64/oz), whereas I can get a 10 oz container of raw, unroasted, unsalted sunflower seeds that are already hulled, for $3.49.
That's $.35/oz - nearly half the price!
I would say that another benefit of buying sunflower seeds (as Americans anyway) is that they are native to North America, where cashews are grown in countries like India and Vietnam and have to be imported.
But, most Sunflower Seeds are grown commercially in - of all places - Ukraine and Russia - so obviously those prices may change. We'll see.
Fortunately, sunflowers are easy to grow and they are a beautiful addition to any garden.
And yet another reason to choose Sunflower Seeds is their nutrition. They have more protein, more fiber, more calcium, more B Vitamins, and less saturated fat than their cashew counterparts, so this one's an easy choice.
But the biggest reason - for me personally - is the ethics behind cashew harvesting. The cashew tree is related to poison ivy and has a very caustic oil in the shell. The nuts have to be harvested by hand, and continuous contact often leaves the workers' hands burned and blistered.
Most of the workers are women and are paid very little, and then only by volume. So speed is of the essence and oftentimes gloves and other safety equipment are ignored - if they are provided at all.
You can read more about cashew harvesting here.
Needless to say, there are a lot of reasons you may seek alternatives to the beloved cashew (price, health, allergies, ethics), but it is a personal choice. We all have to do what is right for us and our families.
However, if you DO want to try sunflower seeds as one such alternative, I hope you give this recipe a try.
It's a super-simple, no-cook recipe, and absolutely delicious.
Vegan Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese
Start with 1 cup of raw, unroasted, unsalted, hulled sunflower seeds and add enough water to cover them. Let them soak for 1 hour.
After the hour is up, drain them thoroughly and add them to your blender.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the green onions, and blend until smooth and creamy. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
I have used unsweetened almond milk and unsweetened oat milk and they both worked fine, so feel free to use whatever plant-based milk you have.
Scrape the 'cheese' into a bowl and add your finely-chopped green onions and stir to mix.
It will be delicious immediately, but I covered mine and gave it some time in the fridge for the flavors to really come together and it was fabulous.
Remember licking the beaters when mom made icing for a cake? Yeah, my wife was scraping the inside of my blender she loves it that much.
It's a soft creamy 'cheesy' spread that's perfect for slathering on toast or crackers or using as a dip for your favorite veggies.
Have some BIG changes for you next week so be sure and tune it.
Have a great week.
Vegan Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Description
I'm kind of avoiding cashews right now, so I made this creamy, spreadable, inexpensive Vegan Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese instead that is absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sunflower Seeds (unroasted, unsalted, hulled)
- ½ cup Oat Milk (unsweetened)
- 2 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tbs White Miso
- 2 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 6 Green Onions (chopped)
Instructions
- Soak sunflower seeds in enough water to cover for 1 hour
- Drain sunflower seeds and add to a high-speed blender
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the green onions
- Blend until smooth
- Place in a bowl and fold in green onions, mix well.
- Can be eaten right away but tasted better after refrigerated
Priya
Came out very well! Thank you!
Mary
I CANNOT thank you enough!!! In addition to the horrors you've listed, cashews make me ill. And EVERYBODY uses them in vegan food! BLESS YOU!!
If this, the cheese sauce, and the biscuits turn out, you will officially be my favourite person!!
Looking for things I can buy on your affiliate link. Hope it helps a bit.
ELSIE BYLIEFELDT
hi
is this wheat and dairy free?
thanks
Linda
Just made this fantastic recipe! Glad that I doubled it! It is perfect! Would not change a thing.
Thank you!
Sheila
Yum. Had it on homemade multigrain bread with avocado, salad and tomato.
Carol Pierson
This is a fabulous dip and so healthy and easy!
Judith P Foley
The recipe looks interesting... Are you not posting new recipes with videos on YouTube any more? I will miss them. Just wondering. I look there first when I get a notice that you have put out new recipes. Not sure where to go first.
Kathy Timme
I just made this tonight and it is FABULOUS!! I could not find hulled sunflower seeds, so I just used Raw Unsalted ones. This was such an easy recipe. Thanks for another great recipe Chuck.
Lyn
How long does this last I’ve frig?
Steph Nyers
Sunflower seeds are horrible for my celiac & rheumatoid arthritis! Sunflower is full.of lectins, not good for the body.. My hands get numb soon after eating the seeds in any form.
Traci
Raw sunflower seeds are EXTREMELY healthy, if you have issues w/ them (disease) you need to detox your body and heal… It’s not the seed it’s you.
Puremovement holistic health LLC
Jodi
This has a delicious tanginess that reminds me of standard dairy cream cheese. I buy organic hulled raw sunflower seeds from vita cost.com. I’m glad to know about the harvesting of cashews. Thank you Chuck for your creativity and info!
I just made a veggie sandwich with this spread and I look forward to making an English muffin topped with this and some everything but the bagel sprinkle.
Linda
Thanks for the recipe. Is the miso necessary or can it be substituted?
Thank you!
Linda
Thanks fir the ethical issue with cashews. I had no idea! Anxious to try this recipe,
Fernand
Can you use unsweetened almond milk? I cannot eat or drink cashews or oats. Thanks
Christine
Chuck, do you think this would work to be sweet for cream cheese frosting for muffins efc ?
Chuck Underwood
Thant's an idea
Marge Teilhaber
Can't wait to make this! Where to find sunflower seeds that are unroasted, unslated, hulled? What does unslated mean?
Marge Teilhaber
Never mind. I swear I didn't notice that it was a typo. I actually googled unslated to see and of course found nothing. feel free to delete this comment and my original comment.
Maria Barba
I like your recipes! It's nice to get recipes from a variety of folks. Thank you!
Hannah
This looks like a must try!
I just leaned bout the human price of harvesting cashews the other day and I'll keep my usage of cashews very limited if using at all. Also, I'm limiting my use of almonds to the minimum - it's an insane amount of water that's needed per almond. On top of my head I think to remember 3 gallons of water PER one almond!d. Living in California we're asked to conserve water and my household does.. In a household of 3, our water usage per day, is equal to growing 10 almonds! Sorry, Rant over. I love your blog, and your recipes. Very down to earth and real. I will try this for sure!
Terry
Thank you for educating us about the ethics of cashews! I avoid them, because they are high in oxalate, which could contribute to my kidney stones. I have successfully used raw pumpkin seeds in recipes that call for cashews. But, I’m eager to try this recipe! Thanks.
Cherri
How can this be modified for a dairy cream cheese in sweet recipes?
Amy
I would omit all the miso and the onion and garlic powder if wanting for a sweet recipe
Jeanne Rose
Do you think this would work with a regular blender or a food processor? I don't have a high speed blender. 🙁
Chuck Underwood
Probably, make sure you REALLY soak your seeds - maybe 2 hours instead, and blend it longer if it needs it
Pam Cook
Not a fan of green onions but will give this a try this week. Sounds amazing!
Chuck
I can't wait to try this, Chuck. My cardiologist says the ONLY nuts he wants me to eat are walnuts, so I'm staying away from the cashews, as well. It looks fantastic! Thanks 🙂
Colleen
I left out the garlic powder, onion powder and onions because I have an intolerance to alliums but this was still delicious and flavorful! I made a quarter recipe because I wasn't sure if I would like it. It was hard to blend that small amount, so it was a bit grainy. Next time I will make a full recipe and I'm sure it will blend better. Thanks, Chuck!