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
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. Course AppetizerCuisine AmericanKeyword sunflower seed Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutesTotal Time 1 hour 30 minutes Author Chuck UnderwoodIngredients
- 1 cup Sunflower Seeds unroasted, unslated, hulled
- 1/2 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
