EV’s Take: A Winning Trio of Plant-Based Cream Cheeses
I am a cream cheese fanatic. I love the tangy flavor and creamy texture, and when an extra toasty bagel has a thick layer of cream cheese slathered on top, I’m just in heaven.
Violife’s vegan cream cheeses bring the right flavor profile to your bagel. They have a balanced tanginess–not too sour or subdued–and the strawberry and chive-flavored cream cheeses are nicely flavored. The strawberry isn’t too sweet or artificial tasting. The chive cream cheese could have a stronger chive flavor, but it still tasted really good.
I struggled most with the texture of Violife’s plant-based cream cheeses. Compared to Kite Hill’s Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese, which was so smooth and creamy, these felt like blocks of hardened coconut oil. I even let them sit on the counter for an hour, and they didn’t soften. I was conflicted because I loved the flavor of these vegan cream cheeses, but I wished the texture matched the delicious taste.
Like my issue with Nature’s Fynd Cream Cheese, these cream cheeses melt into what looks like glue. Again, I’m conflicted because they taste really good but don’t give the same sensation as eating cream cheese. Each bite doesn’t have a creamy mouthfeel, particularly on a hot bagel.
While their website describes the texture as velvety, I must kindly disagree. You’re either getting globs of what feels like hardened coconut oil or a thin, melted film of what feels like melted coconut oil.
That said, the flavor profile of these plant-based cream cheeses redeems the overall experience, especially the strawberry-flavored! That one was so delicious!
Violife Cream Cheese Ingredients
Given my comments on texture, it should be no surprise that Violife relies on coconut oil as one of the primary ingredients in their plant-based cream cheese lineup.
Here’s what’s in Violife’s Original Cream Cheese:
Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Potato Starch, Salt (Sea Salt), Glucono-Delta-Lactone, Flavor (Vegan Sources), Olive Extract, Vitamin B12.
Here’s what’s in Violife’s Chive Cream Cheese:
Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Potato Starch, Salt (Sea Salt), Chives, Onion, Glucono-Delta-Lactone, Flavor (Vegan Sources), Olive Extract, Vitamin B12.
Here’s what’s in Violife’s Strawberry Cream Cheese:
Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Sugar, Potato Starch, Salt (Sea Salt), Purple Carrot Juice Concentrate, Strawberry Flavor (Vegan Sources), Lactic Acid, Olive Extract, Vitamin B12.
The ingredient list is short and sweet. I had to look up what Glucono-Delta-Lactone is. It’s an acidulant, a natural ingredient that gives food a sour taste, so it makes sense to use it here!
Violife Just Like Cream Cheese Nutrition
| Original | Strawberry | Chives | |
| Serving Size | 2 tbsp (30g) | 2 tbsp (30g) | 2 tbsp (30g) |
| Calories | 70 | 80 | 80 |
| Total Fat | 7g | 6g | 7g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 6g | 6g |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0mg | 0mg |
| Sodium | 140mg | 70mg | 140mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 2g | 5g | 2g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g | 3g | 0g |
| Protein | 0g | 0g | 0g |
I never expect cream cheese to be the pinnacle of “health” food, and Violife’s cream cheese is similar to other dairy-free competitors in terms of nutrition. Compared to Oatly’s plant-based cream cheese, the calories are nearly the same, though the fat and saturated fat are higher with Violife’s vegan cream cheeses. The nutritional values vary slightly, but with such slim margins of difference, you’re really splitting hairs comparing them.
That said, if you’re concerned about saturated fat, you may want to choose a cream cheese that doesn’t rely on coconut oil, as it is naturally high in saturated fat. For example, Kite Hill’s cream cheese, which uses almond milk as the base, has no saturated fat.
How did EV eat Violife Just Like Cream Cheese?
It’s cream cheese, so naturally, I had to go on a bagel bonanza. I paired the original cream cheese with Just Egg Folded Eggs for a comforting breakfast sandwich. I slathered the strawberry and chive cream cheese on the other bagels. My comment about the texture still stands as this cream cheese isn’t particularly spreadable, even after sitting on the counter for an hour. The bagels were still delicious; I particularly enjoyed the strawberry cream cheese.
I also made carrot cake overnight oats with the original cream cheese. Since this cream cheese is not particularly creamy, I couldn’t add it straight to the oats as I did with Kite Hill in my pumpkin pie overnight oat recipe. Instead, I had to microwave the cream cheese in 10-second increments to soften it until I could incorporate it into the oats. Because Violife’s cream cheese isn’t very creamy, I don’t think it impacted the texture of the oats as much as Kite Hill’s cream cheese did. It did, however, lend a nice tanginess reminiscent of cream cheese frosting.
We enjoyed the bagels, though my husband and I loved the strawberry cream cheese the most.
Where can I buy Violife Cream Cheese?
You can buy Violife’s original flavor on Amazon. They are also stocked at Sprouts, Safeway, and Whole Foods, to name a few. You can use their store locator to find a retailer near you.
What do you think?
Have you tried Violife’s line of plant-based cream cheese yet? Which flavor did you love most? Tell us in the comments!
