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    Home » Vegan Cheese

    Sun-Dried Tomato Cashew Cheese Spread

    Published: Jan 26, 2016 Updated: Nov 8, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Cashew Cheese Spread

    This delicious sun-dried tomato cashew cheese spread is creamy and oh-so-cheesy! It’s perfect as a spread or dip and super easy to make.

    Sun dried tomato cashew cheese on a stack of mini bruschetta.

    This sun-dried tomato cashew cheese is absolutely delicious spread on crackers. Or you can dip your raw veggies in it, or put a dollop of it on your salad.

    Want to have a little cheese and wine set up – vegan style? This’ll do the trick!

    Here’s the thing about cheese! Most people are crazy about it! ‘I could never give up cheese’ is often what people say as the reason they could never be dairy free.

    But these days there is just so much good vegan cheese out there that ‘giving it up’ is not required.

    And then the fact that you can make homemade versions of cheese like vegan cheese sauce, vegan parmesan and vegan cream cheese, really takes the deprivation right out of the equation, which is awesome – no one likes deprivation.

    You need a powerful blender to get your cashew cheese spread to the right consistency, and the Vitamix blender stick (called a tamper) comes in hugely handy when blending up this thick spreadable cheese. But if you don’t have a powerful blender then don’t worry, you can make this in a food processor too.

    The end result is so wow. Creamy, salty and smooth and cheesy in all the best ways, like the most creamy cream cheese spread.

    You’ll love spreading it on crackers, or dipping your raw veggies in it.

    The sun dried tomato flavor works so well in this recipe, bringing out the other flavors to perfection!

    And if you love this recipe, you’ll also love our vegan queso and our vegan nacho cheese. And if you’re a fan of sun-dried tomatoes then try our sun-dried tomato pesto.

    Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Cashew Spread:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make sun dried tomato cashew cheese.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Sun-dried tomatoes – can be in oil or vinaigrette, but drain them before using them.
    • Dried basil – is stirred through the cashew cheese spread right before serving.
    • Lemon juice – should ideally be freshly squeezed as that has the best flavor, but bottled will also work.
    • Raw cashews – are soaked for 1 hour beforehand to make this cashew cheese spread the creamiest and smoothest texture possible.
    • White vinegar (Distilled) – creates the best cheesy flavor in this recipe. You could use apple cider vinegar in a pinch but I highly recommend distilled white vinegar, it is the absolute best for flavor.
    • Coconut cream – should be canned and unsweetened. This helps the cashew cheese spread to thicken as well and become a really wonderful spreadable texture. You could also use full fat, canned, unsweetened coconut milk.
    Sun dried tomato cashew cheese spread in a white bowl with a knife.

    How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Cashew Cheese Spread

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add raw cashews to a bowl. Pour over boiling hot water from the kettle until the cashews are completely submerged. Leave them to soak for 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain and rinse the cashews.
    Two photo collage showing cashews in a bowl and then soaked.
    • Add the soaked cashews to a blender jug along with lemon juice, coconut cream, distilled white vinegar, salt, onion powder and sun dried tomatoes.
    • Blend until smooth.
    Two photo collage showing ingredients added to blender and blended.
    • Move to a bowl and add dried basil. Stir it in.
    • Your cashew cheese spread is ready to serve!
    Two photo collage showing cashew cheese added to bowl with dried basil and mixed together.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve this as a spread or dip for crackers or toast or as a dip for raw veggies. It’s also divine spread on sandwiches or on top of a vegan burger.

    Blender or Food Processor

    If you don’t have a powerful blender then it would be better to make this cashew spread in the food processor. It may not come out quite as smooth but it will still be totally delicious.

    Sun dried tomato cashew cheese in a white bowl surrounded by crackers.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep it stored in the fridge in a covered container and enjoy within 5 days. It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and then mix it up very well again before serving.

    Sun dried tomato cashew cheese spread on a cracker.

    More Cashew Recipes

    1. Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    2. Cashew Queso
    3. Cashew Cream
    4. Cashew Dressing
    5. Cashew Cheese Sauce
    6. Cashew Ice Cream

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Cashew cheese spread on crackers.

    Sun Dried Tomato Cashew Cheese Spread

    This delicious sun dried tomato cashew cheese spread is creamy and oh-so-cheesy! It's perfect as a spread or dip and super easy to make.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Dip, Savory, Side
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Soaking Cashews: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 188kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups Raw Cashews (225g) soaked for 1 hour in hot water
    • 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice Freshly squeezed
    • ½ cup Coconut Cream (120ml) Canned, Unsweetened
    • 1 teaspoon Distilled White Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
    • 5 Sun Dried Tomatoes
    • ½ teaspoon Dried Basil
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add raw cashews to a bowl. Pour over boiling hot water from the kettle until the cashews are completely submerged. Leave them to soak for 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain and rinse the cashews.
    • Add the soaked cashews to a blender jug along with lemon juice, coconut cream, distilled white vinegar, salt, onion powder and sun dried tomatoes.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Move to a bowl and add dried basil. Stir it in.
    • Your cashew cheese spread is ready to serve!

    Notes

    1. Coconut cream – should be canned and unsweetened. You could also use full fat, canned, unsweetened coconut milk.
    2. Lemon juice – should ideally be freshly squeezed as that has the best flavor, but bottled will also work.
    3. Sun dried tomatoes – can be in oil or vinaigrette, but drain them before using them.
    4. Blender or food processor: If you don’t have a powerful blender then it would be better to make this in the food processor. It may not come out quite as smooth but it will still be totally delicious.
    5. Storing and freezing: Keep it stored in the fridge in a covered container and enjoy within 5 days. It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and then mix it up very well again before serving.
    6. This recipe has been updated with new photos and an improved recipe. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Toni says

      January 29, 2021 at 2:45 pm

      This “cheese” is delicious! It is the first vegan cheese recipe I actually enjoy. I soaked the cashews just to be in the safe side since my blender isn’t the greatest. It tastes amazing with sliced carrots! I must try more of your recipes now.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:04 am

        Thanks Toni!

        Reply
    2. Nikki says

      September 16, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      Really lovely & tangy. Thanks so much. I had some on crackers & with chili chips —this dip is perfect.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 16, 2020 at 12:49 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for posting Nikki!

        Reply
    3. Dessica says

      April 01, 2020 at 1:26 am

      This is one of our favorite spreads! I think I’ve made it three times already in the month since we went full on vegan. Even my mother in law loves it and she despises tomatoes! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 02, 2020 at 12:12 pm

        Awesome! Thanks Dessica!

        Reply
    4. Wilma says

      November 12, 2019 at 4:44 pm

      Do you use oil packed or dry sun-dried tomatoes? Eager to try this!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 13, 2019 at 10:07 am

        You can use either/or, but if you’re using the ones in oil then drain them before adding them in. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Elaine says

      December 15, 2018 at 12:27 am

      Very nice. Easy to make and delicious to eat. I’m going to make this again for Christmas. I made it with a food processor and it turned out great. Thank you

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 15, 2018 at 11:36 am

        Great to hear that Elaine! Thanks a million! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Lena says

      October 19, 2018 at 9:29 am

      My husband and I loved this cheese recipe! We have moved abroad, and it’s not easy to find nutritional yeast where we currently live. All my previous cashew cheeses were made with yeast. I was trying to find something we like without it. And I was lucky to discover this recipe! Thank you very much for sharing! I add two cloves of garlic and some dry basil.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 19, 2018 at 2:01 pm

        Hi Lena! So pleased you liked the recipe! And awesome to hear about your adjustments, basil and garlic are great additions! Thanks for posting and the fabulous review! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Bea says

      June 24, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      I made the sliceable cheese! What a taste! DELICIOUS! This is a FIVE STAR RECIPE. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 25, 2018 at 9:51 am

        Awesome! So glad you loved it Bea! 🙂 Thanks for posting!

        Reply
    8. Sue Ellerhorst says

      August 19, 2017 at 5:49 pm

      I had almost given up on vegan cheese recipes that I can make out of cashews because it never turned out to be anything that I would really want to eat but this was a very delicious recipe. I would definitely give this a 5-star rating. I had all of the ingredients on hand and it came together very quickly. 5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 20, 2017 at 8:55 am

        So happy to hear Sue! Thanks for posting!

        Reply
    9. Jenni says

      November 18, 2016 at 4:46 am

      Is this considered raw?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 18, 2016 at 6:29 am

        Yes it is!

        Reply
        • Jenni says

          November 19, 2016 at 9:59 pm

          Thank you! 🙂 I bought the stuff today can’t wait to try it!

          Reply
    10. Rachel says

      January 27, 2016 at 8:35 am

      Saw it. Made it! Really good. I had made some dehydrated kale avocado crackers which, I’ll be honest, tasted kind of like lawn clippings but the cashew cheese has saved them totally. Yay! Also, I made it in my sad little old food processor, without soaking the nuts. Just added some water and it was fine.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 27, 2016 at 8:54 am

        Yay! So cool that it saved the dehydrated crackers (lol)! And thanks for letting us know how it worked out in your food processor (without any pre-soaking). Super helpful info for others giving it a bash 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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