Silken Tofu Cream - The healthier alternative to dairy cream
A plant based cream that blends in minutes and transforms pasta, soups and sauces - plus my creamy sun dried tomato pasta recipe.
For years, single and double cream was just part of how I cooked.
As a serious creamy pasta lover, I’d always find myself reaching for it.
It was my way of finishing the dish off and adding that creamy element to a sauce. And it was effortlessly easy too. Probably the easiest way to add richness and creaminess to a dish.
It was my answer for everything.
Soup? Cream. Pasta? Cream.
Then I stopped eating dairy and thought what on earth could I use to replace cream in my plant based cooking now?
Yes there are alternatives out there for single/double creams, made from soy or oat even, and they are actually great.
However, I try not to rely on them because they’re not always easy to find and when developing recipes for people to recreate at home, I want to use ingredients that most people have access too.
Plus, they aren’t always the best in terms of health as they are usually full of oils.
Which are perfectly fine every now and then, but not something I would want to use every day.
HOWEVER, a creamy alternative made from silken tofu IS something I would want to use everyday!
Why though?
This version is higher in protein.
Way lower in saturated fat.
Less calories (not that that is necessarily a bad thing)
And it is lighter on the stomach so it doesn’t leave me feeling like dinner needs to be followed by a little lie down - which certainly was the case after a pasta loaded with double cream.
The silken tofu cream works so well in cooking too. It thickens. It coats. It reheats without splitting. It’s calm under pressure as chefs might say, which frankly, is more than I can say for myself some evenings.
And because it doesn’t blanket flavours the way dairy can, everything tastes brighter. Tomatoes still taste like tomatoes, garlic still shines and herbs feel fresh.
It’s bloody amazing and probably the recipe I implement most in my cooking, and so I want you to have it in your bag too.
So what actually is the recipe then?
Silken tofu cream is almost embarrassingly simple:
1 block silken tofu (approx 300g)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1-2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
Blend with a tiny splash of water until completely smooth using a hand blender or high speed blender. That’s it.
From there, it becomes whatever you need it to be.
You can keep it fresh and vibrant with basil, dill, parsley or coriander.
Add roasted garlic, caramelised onion or a spoon of white miso for more depth.
Stir in Dijon, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for sharpness.
Thin it out for dressings, swirl it through tomato sauce, fold it into soups, or spoon it over roasted vegetables.
It’s endlessly adaptable.
A neutral, protein rich canvas that carries flavour beautifully.
And now that you’ve got the base, here is my NUMBER 1 favourite way (and recipe) to use it with.
My creamy sun dried tomato pasta. Or as the internet would call it “marry me” pasta…
