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Lactose-Free Cream Cheese: How To Create The Best Recipe

From ice creams and cake frostings to delicious cheese, it’s quite frustrating to be deprived of one of life’s most pleasurable treats. It can feel like you’re looking into a large room full of milk and cheese, but a great big sign is telling you not to enter! Yes, being lactose-intolerant sucks. But don’t be too frustrated, help is at hand.

The good news is that milk substitutes and lactose-free products are now emerging on the market that enable everyone to enjoy those tasty pleasures that normal lactose-tolerant people take for granted.

As cream cheese is one of the essential ingredients of pastries, this article will help you to ease your dessert cravings.

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Lactose-Free vs Dairy-Free

Both of these terms are similar and tend to be interchangeable for most people, but they are actually different to each other and those differences are highly significant for lactose-intolerant people!

Lactose-intolerance is basically an allergy to the sugar content in milk. People with this condition suffer from symptoms like diarrhoea, nausea, bloating gas, and cramps because they have difficulty digesting milk. Lactose is a sugar component of milk but most people are allergic to its protein components, such as whey and casein.

Dairy, on the other hand, is milk. Or to be more specific, any part of the milk that comes from mammals.So when you say dairy-free, it means there is no milk at all. The product is, therefore, also lactose-free. However, if the product is lactose-free, it does not mean it has no milk in it; only that a part of the milk is removed. So lactose-free does not necessarily mean it is dairy-free, but dairy-free is essentially lactose-free.

People who are lactose-intolerant can buy both lactose-free and dairy-free products, but if you are following a dairy-free diet, you could just stick to dairy-free foods only. Wise consumers who are aware of this are better than the extravagant ones who put their health at risk through their ignorance, so read all the labels carefully to be sure.

The Basic Lactose-Free Cream Cheese

Start from scratch. If you are having a hard time looking for it, or the store product is too expensive for your budget, then you might as well make your own! If you have successfully created your very own lactose-free cream cheese, then brace yourself for these exciting recipes you can try at home.

3 cups of chilled organic coconut cream, unsweetened with no additives.
1/2 tsp. dairy-free probiotic powder.

½ tsp. sea salt.
Nutritional yeast.
½ tsp. garlic powder.
1 fresh lemon.
Blueberries, banana, or any fruit preserves you like.
Fresh herbs.
Maple syrup.

Pouch made up of cheesecloth.
Nut milk bag.
Coffee filter, unbleached.
Strainer.
Medium-sized bowl.

Coconut-Chillin’

Take 2-3 cans of coconut milk (make sure it is organic and full fat).
Refrigerate overnight.
Open the can and scoop out the chilled coconut cream.
Tip: Don’t throw away the remaining coconut water, as you can save it for smoothies.

Cheese-Making

Combine the refrigerated coconut cream with the probiotic powder (or lemon juice and salt). Stir well with a whisk until smooth. Don’t bother if the cream starts to liquefy.
Put the coconut mixture inside a cheesecloth pouch, nut milk bag, and a coffee filter.
Place this into a strainer over a bowl.
Cover and set aside at room temperature. You can also put it into a turned-off oven. Wait for 24-36 hours.
Drain the liquid from the bowl. Remove the cream from the pouch and put it in a bowl.
Combine them thoroughly. Add some lemon juice if you want. Cover the mixture.
Refrigerate until it becomes firm. This might take 4-6 hours.
After refrigeration, cool it to room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If you want to use it as a spread, cool the bread first, so that the cream cheese doesn’t melt right away and is easier to spread.

As you have observed, the recipe contains a probiotic powder, which means it contains nonpathogenic live microorganisms that help to digest the lactose. Therefore, this recipe is good for lactose-intolerant people. You can also get the probiotic powder in probiotic capsules. The requirement for this recipe is 10 billion CFUs. So if one capsule contains 3 billion, then you will need no more than 4 or ½ teaspoon of powder. Read the label well because some powders are not dairy-free.
If you don’t have a probiotic powder, then you can use a lactose-fermented coconut cream. For every 2 cups of coconut cream, add ½ teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Once you have created your own perfect cream cheese, here are some recipes that you should definitely try!

1. Whipped Lemon Mousse

Luscious and creamy, this is a perfect snack that can be used every day. With the sour fruity taste of the lemon and the creaminess of the cheese, tasting this mousse is like being on cloud nine.

1/2 cup coconut cream, organic full-fat, refrigerated overnight.
1 cup of lactose-free cream cheese.
1/4 cup powdered sugar, organic.
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice.
Zest of a lemon.
1/8 tsp. sea salt.
Pinch of ground turmeric.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

Scoop the chilled coconut cream from the can.
Place it in a mixer.
Incorporate the cream cheese, powdered sugar, sea salt, zest, lemon juice, turmeric, and vanilla extract into the coconut cream. Mix until thick and creamy.
Transfer it into a bowl and refrigerate overnight until firm.
Garnish with more zest.

2. Honey And Roasted Grapes Crostini

If you ever doubt that roasted grapes and honey are a perfect combination, this recipe will prove it! Uniquely tasty and sweet, they blend harmoniously with your homemade cream cheese.

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped.
2 lb grapes, seedless.
1 1/2 cup of lactose-free cream cheese.
1 tsp sea salt.
4 tbsp olive oil.
4 tbsp honey.
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped.
Baguette, thinly sliced.

Preheat oven to 400C.
Mix rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt.
Put the mixture on a baking sheet and and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Set aside when done.
Toast the baguette in an oven that is set to 400 degrees Celsius for 3-5 minutes.
Tip: You can also spread some butter or oil on the baguette before toasting it.
Whisk cream cheese, honey, and salt.
Spread the baguette with honey cream cheese.
Decorate toasted rosemary and grapes.
Drizzle with honey.

3. Chocolate Truffles

Truffles are exciting, especially, when flavored with chocolate! They heavenly sweet, chocolate truffles will fit your cream cheese.

½ cup lactose-free cream cheese.
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, organic.
1 tablespoon soy creamer, organic.
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder.
Pinch of sea salt.

Make 5 teaspoon-sized balls using the cream cheese. Freeze overnight.
Pour water on the bottom of a boiler. Simmer and put in a heat-proof bowl on the pot.
Incorporate the chocolate chips and let them melt.
Incorporate vanilla extract, sea salt, cocoa powder, and creamer. Mix until thoroughly smooth.
Using a spoon, coat each cream cheese with the chocolate mixture.
Transfer to a wax paper-lined plate.
Freeze until firm.

4. Macaroni Vegan Cheese

Now that you’ve made the sweets, why not try a healthier, heavier treat? Rich in carbs and veggies, this recipe is good for breakfast.

8 cups of cooked macaroni pasta.
1 cup of lactose-free cream cheese.
4 cups of organic coconut cream.
1 teaspoon sea salt.
1 teaspoon mustard seed, ground.

Combine all the ingredients.
Boil and immediately lower heat to a simmer, stir well.
Pour sauce over the pasta.
Top with grated veggies.
Serve hot.

5. Cheese Ice Cream

When it comes to frozen delights, ice cream always pops first into our minds, and just because you are lactose-intolerant doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it too. Here is a creamy and chillin’ dessert recipe for you to try.

Via: takeamegabite.com

1 1/2 cups of raw cashews.
1 cup lactose-free cream cheese.
2 cups of water with soy milk.
1 1/2 cups of sugar.
4 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice.
2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Blueberry sauce, if desired.
Cheesy graham cracker crumbs, if desired.

3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen.
1/2 cup maple syrup.
Pinch salt.
2 teaspoon cornstarch.
4 teaspoons water.
2 teaspoon lemon juice.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
½ cup brown sugar.
½ cup lactose-free cream cheese.
4 tablespoons coconut oil.

Note: You will need an ice cream maker here.

Grind the cashews in a food processor until powdered.
Mix the ground cashews, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, salt, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of water thoroughly.
Add the remaining 1/2 cups of liquid.
Let the mixture freeze overnight.
Once it’s frozen, put it in your ice cream maker. Read the manufacturer’s manual as a guide.
Pack it and put it in a freezer.
Top with blueberries when served.

Using a saucepan, mix the sweetener, salt, and blueberries until it’s well-combined.
Boil the mixture while mixing. The blueberry juice in here will be extracted. Lower heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for 5 minutes, then set aside.
Stir the cornstarch and water and incorporate them into the blueberry sauce.
Boil the sauce again for 2 minutes or until it becomes thick.
Remove from the heat and add both the vanilla extract and lemon juice.
Let it cool.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar in a bowl.
Using a blender, combine the cream cheese and oil until small crumbles form.
Let the crumbles chill.

Hopefully, we’ve been able to satisfy your creamy dessert cravings through this article. So don’t be frustrated anymore about your allergy, because now you can always eat a mousse, truffle or cake!

We know you’ll be excited to try some of the recipes above, so let us hear your thoughts about them. Don’t hesitate to comment or ask for some help. Also, please tell us some of your own personal recipes that include lactose-free cream cheese so that we can help to make the tummies of lactose-intolerant people happy!

There’s nothing in this world that excites me more other than cooking. From appetizers to desserts, since then, I’ve always been passionate on making foods.

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