Vegan Chipotle Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
I’m speaking at a potluck today on the health benefits of chile peppers, so I made these insanely delicious Vegan Chipotle Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers to share with everyone!
The mini peppers are not spicy AT ALL, and the chipotle adds just enough kick to make these little guys POP!
What about this vegan chipotle cream cheese?!
I have to tell you, this was inspired by my good buddy Adam over at Cinnamon Snail and MAN is it delish! It’s my first CULTURED cream cheese ( fermented for that cheesy tang!) I only tweaked a couple of things, but I just HAD to share it with you (with his permission of course)
And if you’re wondering what a Cinnamon Snail is…. In 2014 it was ONLY the #1 highest-rated place of any kind to eat in NYC and the #4 highest place of any kind to eat in the entire USA on yelp.com. That’s all.
So go check him out, buy his book, love him like I do, and try his AMAZING food. And if you ask nicely, he may just show you his wallaby.
Why You’re Going to ❤️ This Recipe!
Vegan & Oil-Free: Just like all of my recipes, this one is 100% plant-based and completely oil-free.
Gluten-Free: Now that my wife is gluten-free you’re going to see a lot more recipes here without any wheat.
Better Than Store Bought: No weird ingredients, preservatives, or partially hydrogenated anything!
Not Pretending: I laughed when I read my buddy Adam’s description that this isn’t some tofu flavored with nutritional yeast make-believe cream cheese 🤣. But he’s right, this is the real deal.
5 Simple Ingredients!
That’s right! Only 5 ingredients!!! (well, plus water that’s not shown)
Cashews
I have a hard time buying cashews, considering how they are harvested. But I will say they make the creamiest sauces. Just make sure you buy them RAW (as in unsalted, unroasted, etc.) and maybe try to find some labeled as fair-trade too.
Plant-Based Yogurt
The magical probiotics that are in plant-based yogurts are what we’re going to use to kickstart our fermentation. Look for a plain, unsweetened brand, like Foragers or Kite Hill. And NO vanilla flavorings!
Mini Sweet Peppers
These little guys are in most grocery stores so should be easy to find. They are similar to bell peppers, have lots of CRUNCH, and absolutely zero heat.
Chipotles
Now chipotles are peppers that DO have a bit of heat. They are actually dried jalapenos that have been smoked and give a wonderfully smokey flavor. Most of the little cans in the Mexican aisle of your store have oil, but if you can find the La Costena brand in a glass JAR…. they are oil-free.
Salt
A little kosher salt and water complete our very simple ingredient list.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
How To Make Vegan Chipotle Cream Cheese
You can follow these step-by-step instructions, or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1
Place your cashews in an airtight container and cover with water. Let these soak for at LEAST 2 hours in the fridge or better yet – overnight so they get nice and soft.
Step 2
Remove your cashews from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature. Then drain, rinse, and plop them into a high-speed blender.
Step 3
Add the water, yogurt, salt, and chipotles and blend until silky smooth. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
Step 4
Scrape your cream cheese into a glass container with an air-tight lid and let it sit on your counter for 24 hours to ferment.
Step 5
After the initial 24-hour ferment, move your vegan chipotle cream cheese to the fridge where it will continue ripening. I would give it at least another day or 2 before use.
Then simply grab some mini peppers, slice them lengthwise, remove any seeds, and stuff them with as much of this luscious cream cheese as you want!
SAFETY PSA!
- We’re talking fermentation here, as in bacteria. Hopefully the GOOD bacteria, not the bad. To ensure we only get the good bugs, make sure your container and utensils are clean and sanitized before you tuck your cheese away for its little nap.
- Do not culture the cashew cheese at room temperature for longer than 12 hours if the temperature in your home is over 85°F/29°C.
- Cleanliness is important when dealing with any fermented product, whether it’s cream cheese, kimchi, sauerkraut, or even homemade beer. We want the GOOD bugs here, not the bad.
- A glass container will provide a stable environment for fermenting and allow you to see what’s going on inside. If you want to use plastic, make sure it’s practically brand new and BPA-free with NO cracks or scratches that might be harboring any bad bacteria.
- Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before blending. Cold cashews don’t blend as well and we do NOT want grainy cream cheese.
- Keep in mind that when blending, the friction may cause it to heat up, which might kill the probiotics in the yogurt. If your mixture seems to be heating up, take a break so that the temperature does not exceed 85°F/29°C.
Recipe FAQ
You can but….. the texture might be wonky when you thaw it out and need to be reblended. Plus probiotics are live microorganisms and probably do their best work when they’re not frozen.
Just like kimchi or sauerkraut, this cream cheese will continue “ripening” in the fridge. So it will keep for about 3 weeks, providing all the necessary sanitation steps I’ve mentioned were taken.
To be honest, I’m kind of new to the fermentation game. I have brewed my own beer (back in the day), and more recently made this yummy Kimch. And even tried my hand at making Sriracha. But this cheese is completely new to me. Can you use sunflower seeds? Tofu? Not sure. I would stick to the cashews for now to get the process down, and maybe experiment later when you are more comfortable.
Over the last few years, all kinds of plant-based products have hit the market, so it should be fairly easy to find a plant-based yogurt in your grocery store. I bought the Kite Hill Unsweetened Yogurt at my local Kroger (Fred Meyer).
Food Safety Again!
- Make sure all containers and utensils are clean and sanitized.
- If the temperature in your home is over 85°F/29°C. – do not culture the cashew cheese for longer than 12 hours
- Be mindful that your cheese is not heating up when blending. If it is, blend for shorter periods of time.
Other Dips & Sauces
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Vegan Chipotle Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers Recipe
Prep Time: 48 hrs
Total Time: 0 hours
Yield: About 2 cups 1x
Category: Dips
Method: Fermented
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Description
I made these insanely good Vegan Chipotle Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers! The chipotle adds just enough kick to make these little guys POP!
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your soaked cashews thoroughly. Place them in a blender along with the yogurt, salt, chipotles, and water.
- Blend for several minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed to get a super smooth puree.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean, preferably glass, air-tight container.
- Make sure to use a container with about an inch of extra space to allow for expansion.
- Allow the cream cheese to ferment by leaving it at room temperature for about 24 hrs.
- After a day you should see a few tiny bubbles. Transfer to your fridge for up to an additional 4 days to allow your ‘cheese’ to ‘ripen’.
- When ready to stuff, slice your mini peppers in half lengthwise, remove any seeds & membranes, and fill with your new favorite vegan cream cheese.
