Despite being vegan for many years, I’ve never attempted to make my own vegan cheese. The process always seemed a bit daunting and since I went vegan in the Southern United States in the mid-90s, I quickly got used to living without cheese alternatives (or any processed vegan food for that matter!) Sure, I love a nutritional cheese sauce as much as the next girl, and I’ve enjoyed a couple pizzas here and there sprinkled with Vegan Gourmet or Daiya, but other than that, vegan cheese hasn’t played a big part in my diet. But when I was online-ordering some nutritional yeast the other day, I noticed that the merchant was also selling agar powder (check out my post on agar for more info) so I decided to pick some up. And in the spirit of Vegan MoFo, I decided that it was time to finally take the plunge and make some cheese!
From what I know, there are basically 5 different types of vegan cheeses:
- Cheese sauces that you pour over nachos or pasta (like this mac and cheese)
- Tofu “ricotta”, as used in vegan cannelloni and lasagna
- Spreadable cheeses made with nuts (cashews/macadamias/almonds) that are pretty much ready to eat immediately
- Cheeses that require using a nutmilk or cheese bag and probiotic bacteria to culture (Check-out JL’s probiotic cheese adventure for more info)
- Firm cheeses that contain agar
I decided to go with Ann Gentry’s Vegan Cashew Cheese recipe because it seemed simple enough and now that I had the agar powder, I had everything on hand to make it.
The result is a firm cheese that can be easily sliced and I think that halving the recipe is probably a good idea, at least initially. I wouldn’t say that it’s super creamy, but it has a nice little sharpness to it that pairs really well with tart apple slices. The chive version that I made is AMAZING! Having said that, the plain cheese isn’t that flavorful, so I’ll definitely be experimenting with other flavors to add to it. Things like truffle oil, fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, apricots, walnuts and figs come to mind. You can halve the recipe and still have enough “batter” to make 3-4 ramekins of differently flavored cheeses. Just have your fillings ready to mix in, because as you can see from the chive version above, the cheese firms-up very quickly when taken off the heat. I just love the option of finally being able to bring my own vegan cheese to wine&cheese parties. Yay!
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Wine & Cheese anyone?
Notes
- I halved the recipe and it produced 3 small ramekins worth of cheese. The halved recipe appears below.
- The recipe calls for agar flakes, not agar powder. Agar powder is much more concentrated than agar flakes so you only need about a third as much of it: 1 tsp agar powder = 1 tbsp agar flakes. So for this recipe, 1 cup agar flakes = 16 tbsp agar flakes = 16 tsp agar powder (I used 8 tsp agar powder since I was halving the recipe).
- My food processor is tiny, so rather than return the milk mixture to the food processor, I poured the cashew mixture into the saucepan and stirred it vigorously for a minute or so.
- I didn’t have any white pepper on hand, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe as-is, other than adding a handful of chopped chives to the final portion of cheese.
- I lightly oiled the ramekins before filling them, and although I had to use a knife to gently lift them out, I think it was a good idea to do this. I gently patted-down the cheese with a paper towel to remove the extra oil before serving.
Updates
- It Melts! I just sliced a piece of cheese, stuck it on a cracker and zapped it in the microwave for 10 seconds and it melted! It wasn’t stretchy (like Daiya), but it totally melted. So I’m pretty confident that it would melt in the oven for a few minutes on the “broil” setting. Double Yay!
- The cool thing about agar is that even once it has set, you can re-melt it, add ingredients to it, and let it re-set. So, I just melted-down one of the cheeses in a saucepan and added a few tablespoons of soy milk to help it break down. I added 1 tsp of white truffle oil and a handful of chives. It hasn’t set yet, but I licked the spatula and it tastes AMAZING. I am kinda freaking out right now! What have I been missing?!
PS. If you’re in Australia, I really recommend these crackers. I’ve got a few friends here onto them because they’re just so good. They’re super light and crispy and check out the super-short ingredient list: brown rice, vegetable oil, cornflour, rye, salt, canola seeds, herbs. They’re miles above those regular Styrofoam rice crackers!
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons raw cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1+3/4 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
- ½ cup agar flakes (or 8 teaspoons agar powder)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 tbsp yellow or white miso
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons white truffle oil (optional)
- Chopped chives (optional)
- Lightly oil 3-4 small ramekins.
- Using the pulse button, finely grind the cashews in a food processor (do not allow the cashews to turn into a paste). Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt and garlic powder. Pulse 3 more times to blend in the spices.
- Combine the soy milk, agar, and oil in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the agar is dissolved. With the food processor running, gradually pour the milk mixture through the feed tube and into the cashew mixture. Blend for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. Blend in the miso, lemon juice, and truffle oil and chopped chives (if using). Note: if your food processor isn’t very big, simply pour the cashew mixture into the saucepan and stir it vigorously for a minute or so, and then add the remaining ingredients.
- For grated or sliced cheese: Transfer the cheese to a container; cover and refrigerate until it is very firm, about 4 hours. Once it is firm, use a knife to gently remove the cheese from the ramekin. Grate or slice the cheese as desired.
- For melted cheese: Use the cheese immediately as melted cheese. To make the cheese in advance, cover and refrigerate it. When ready to use, melt it in a saucepan over medium heat until it is smooth and creamy, stirring frequently and adding more soy milk to the melted cheese to thin, if necessary.
- The cheese will keep for 4 days, covered and refrigerated.
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Thank you for posting this! I’ve not wanted to get into making cheeses, because it seemed like a hassle. This recipe is totally doable though. I have everything except the miso.
You’re so welcome! I agree, I’ve always thought it seemed like a hassle but this was super easy! You may be able to get by without the miso, as long as you flavor it with other things. I really do recommend that you split up the batter into a few different containers, so you can try different flavor combinations. Let me know if you make it + what you think :)
That looks so good. I’ve only ever done the tofu ricotta or a cashew “cheese” sauce/dip but have shied away from the full on vegan cheese making.
Thanks Heather – Same here. This is just like making a cheese sauce, except there’s the added step of adding agar and pouring it in a container to set…
Thanks so much for posting this. Daiya is hard to come by in my city and some of the other vegan cheese slices are just yuck.
Hi Raina – Same here, no Daiya in Australia and those cheese slices taste like plastic! Give this a go but try adding your own flavors, as the base recipe is very mild. Enjoy!
I love homemade vegan cheeses! I usually keep an ongoing supply of cashew chz in my fridge. I’d like to try the sliceable version though. I have agar in my pantry!
If you’ve already got agar, then give this a go! As I’ve been saying to everyone, you may want to flavor it the first time. Chives are awesome and I’m going to try truffle oil next…
Amazing! I love the idea but have shied away from it because it seems too much of a challenge – but yours looks so good that it is truly inspiring (I have just added it to my bookmark round up post because I want to remember this one)
Hi Johanna – Same here.Give it a go, it’s really, really easy. Like I’ve been saying to everyone, think of your favorite flavor combinations and give it a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
I’ve only had minimal success with making vegan cheeses. You’ve just reminded me of the agar powder in my pantry. I’m going to have to try this – very soon. It looks great!
Hi Kelly – If you can make cheeze sauce, then you can make this. Like I’m mentioning to everyone, pick our your favorite flavor and add it, as the basic recipe is a bit bland. Best of luck and let me know what you think of it!
Wow. Ok.
First of all, the chives and truffle oil sound like a brilliant idea!
Secondly, I love your photos – they’re actually making my mouth water (yes, at 8:39am I read about food and drool).
And finally, how on earth have I been missing Ann’s blog this whole time? She is one of my culinary heros!
Thanks for a great post as always. Oh, and I’m still trying to figure out how to respond to comments on my blog… :)
Hey Michelle,
Brilliant is definitely the word. I was freaking out pretty hard today when I tried it!
Thanks for the kind words about the photos. I think I’m the last person on earth to know about Ann Gentry. Definitely going to be reading her blog from now on!
Good luck trying to figure out how to respond to your comments! :)
This looks so good! I’ve seen so many posts on homemade vegan cheese recently, I really want to try making something like this!
Hi Mandee – It’s totally do-able. You can do it! I’m just so mad I didn’t try it sooner :)
This is a really great post! I love that you made a cheese that melts! I gotta get back in the kitchen and make some cheese (thanks for the shout out!)
Thanks JL! You totally inspired me way back when you made yours… but I got lazy and took the easy way out with this one. Next time, I’m going probiotic, baby!
it’s been ages since i’ve made an agar cheese! i actually prefer them to storebought (i hate how daiya tastes). i used to put chopped jalapenos and red pepper flakes in mine for a sorta pepperjack flavor. very delicious.
Hi Corrina – Yum, that sounds like an awesome flavor combination. Would be great over nachos or in a burrito!
Hey,
[Fanfare] On my ‘to do’ list for a while….I kept putting it off. Now…I can put it off no longer, this is so doable! I’m hitting the shops for agar tomorrow and by Jiminy, vegan cheese will be produced within the week. THANK YOU! I am so excited it is actually quite ridiculous.
Your pics and blog are great. x
Hi India-Leigh – Thanks so much for the kind words. Try the truffle oil + chive version, you won’t regret it. Thanks for stopping by!
This cheese looks amazing. Thanks for sharing the link to the recipe, your modifications, and wonderful pictures. You sold me on making this sometime soon!
Thanks Amanda, Let me know if you make it, it’s pretty awesome stuff :)
Oh. My. Cheese. Yes, yes, yes AND yes!!!! I have agar sitting in my cupboard–I am DEFINITELY making this!!!
Hi Cara! Let me know when you make it – I had some more of the tuffle oil + chives version yesterday and it was pretty amazing :)
Wow, this is pretty amazing. The pics are awesome of showing the stages and steps. I make komboucha and kefir but have never fermented my own cheese. Nice work!
Thanks Averie! My next step is making fermented cheese. I’m pretty confident that I can do it now that I’ve done this. I’ve never even tried kefir and komboucha… I really have to get on that train!
I haven’t ever been bother to make my own cheese. It isn’t a huge part of my diet either but yours look so good – I may have to give it a go!
Hi Emmy – Let me know if you make it. I’ve been putting it on everything this week!
wow, I am totally going to try this – and I LOVE those crackers too, so good :)
Hi Lou – Add some truffle oil… you won’t be disappointed :)
I made this last weekend for a get together, but just now got around to finishing my post.
It was so good! Babygirl loved it, cheese head husband loved it, family loved it. I’m in love with making my own cheese now. Oh and thanks for the tips too, it really helped the process.
http://www.craftyearthmama.com/2011/11/yum-homemade-vegan-cheese.html
Oh I’m so glad to hear that you liked it! My batch didn’t last very long around here, and same here, my cheese-head fiance really liked it too! Going to check out your post now :)
Yum! I’d just about given up on finding vegan cheese I actually like, but this was lovely! The chives were a great idea – I made one little block with chives and another with cumin seed, which also worked really well
Hi Sarah, I’m glad you tried the recipe and liked it. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. You’re reminding me to make this again. The chive version is awesome and I loved the truffle oil too. I like your cumin seed idea – will try that!
wow wow wow!
Ha ha – glad you liked this post :)
Hey there,
Could you explain just a bit, how you added the flavours to the different ramekins? I assume that you split up the mixture from the food processor and just stirred in the relevant additions and placed in their respective moulds?
Also, have you used it for things like jalapeño poppers, burritos, grilled cheese etc.? Or do you mostly snack on it with crackers?
Thanks much!
Hi Nima – yes, I just stirred it into my separated batches. I ate it on crackers as well as melted on cheese and crackers. Let me know if you try it :)
: )
Thanks for the inspiring site and good luck.
As a Dutch Guy turning vegan I started to miss the cheese and the joy of cooking disappeared somewhat…
The first attempt to copy this turned out to be a lousy cheese but a delicious pâté… and the joy of experimenting returned.
Hope to see many more of these recipes…
Hi Wim – sorry to hear that the cheese didn’t harden up but glad you enjoyed the pate. Thanks for the feedback and let me know if you try anything else here :)
Wow!!! I’m new here…I was looking for a vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and found yours, which I love! Now, this vegan cheese recipe is amazing!!! I have used cashews in my indian cooking to substitute cream and it works great. We avoid soy based items, so we usually buy daiya and we are pleased with it, but I’ll definately try this recipe soon! Thank you for your posts!
Hi Bavani – Thanks for stopping by and let me know what you think of the cheese. It’s not like Daiya but I still really like it!
could you put up the recipe for the halved version?
Sorry for the delay… Yes, I will do that next time I make it!
Enricco – I’ve finally gotten around to posting the halved version. It’s also printable now :)
hello! I am allergic to cashews, macadamia, and almonds, can i use pine nuts in place of one of those nuts? thanks so much!
melissa mueller
Hi Melissa – sorry for the delay! I don’t think that pine nuts will work, as the flavor might be too strong. But maybe try a small (quarter) batch and see? And keep us posted! Good luck!
Has anyone frozen this recipe yet? I’m thinking about making it tomorrow but don’t want any to go to waste.
Also, hello from another Canadian also in Aus, I live in Victoria!
Hello fellow Canadian-Aussie Ex-pat! I haven’t attempted to freeze this recipe, but I have a feeling that it would freeze quite well. Please let me know if you get around to doing it before I do!
I followed the link to Ann Gentry’s blog and made the cheese without halving the ingredients. I used unsweetened almond instead of the soy. I cut my block of cheese in to quarters and individually bagged up two of the quarters and they are now in the freezer. I grated another quarter and it is in a freezer for when I want to try it on some pizza or lasagna. The last quarter is still in the fridge and I have tried a few small pieces on some water crackers (I sprinkled black pepper on one and it was good too). I’m not a fan on vegan cheeses only just started experimenting in the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle recently. This one is better than the others I have bought (haven’t tried daiya or notzarella). I have never used miso before and was a bit worried about eating something with miso in it. I am still addicted to the taste of dairy cheese and hopefully in time I will get addicted to this cheese instead :)
Thanks for the info – I’m curious to see how the frozen cheese works out for you!
Woah! Looks amazing (nice photography, too)!
I noticed that Ann says it will keep for 4 days. Is that right? Have you kept it for longer? I’m worried I won’t be able to eat it up, before it goes bad.
Thanks,
Chris
Thank you and thank you! I think it would keep for at least a week, and you could always halve the recipe if you were worried about having too much. I need to try freezing it though – I have a feeling that it would freeze quite nicely…
I’m about to attempt the halved recipe…I’m so excited! Incidentally, I just tried Daiya for the first time on a soft taco shell pizza crust and found it to melt more like cream cheese but it was stringy like real cheese. I like the flavor, the texture was just a bit different. Can’t wait to try this. I’ve been making the cashew cheese spread for years. I use pimientos and dill in that to give it a look and taste like cheddar cheese so I’m going to use that combo in this batch.thanks for the recipe! :-)
I made a whole batch. I followed the recipe but I added an extra tsp of sea salt, and I added a small drained jar of pimientos during the last blend cycle and 1/4 tsp of dill with the other dry seasonings. I also used coconut oil instead of canola. The cheese turned out amazing!!! It was Already sliceable after 1 hour and with the pimientos and dill added it had a velveeta flavor to go with the texture. My 15 yr old son (not a vegan or vegetarian), was eating it on Ritz crackers and said he thinks it would make a great cheese ball! I will def be testing out that suggestion.
Thanks for the feedback. I love your additions and I’m very happy to hear that coconut oil worked for you. I’ll definitely be trying that instead of canola oil…
Has anyone tried this on pizza? And is it the sort of thing that non-vegans like or accept as cheese? My sons don’t think a pizza is a pizza without cheese and pepperoni. I’m working on a spicy tofu for the pepperoni but the cheese is an issue. Vegan cheese is simply not available round here so I’ve never even tried any and I’m a bit wry of taking on a project without a bit of reassurance!
I think it would be great on pizza, as it does melt. It’s not stretchy like Daiya, but I think it’s a decent substitute… Let me know if you try it!
LOVE LOVE ANDDDD LOVE THIS! I have yet to try it but so looking forward to it. I recently found out I am diabetic and your website is a lifesavor!
Let me know if you try it + what you think!
I just made some vegan “cheddar” cheese using agar agar flakes, nut. yeast, onion and garlic powder, lemon juice, prepared mustard, cashews and water.
Since my blender is somewhat ancient, all the dry ingredients didn’t quite mix so when I poured in the dissolved agar agar, it thickened so fast I was amazed. I could hardly get it out of the blender container.
I think you had a good idea which was to place everything into the pan with the agar agar, stir remove and refrigerate until firm. Next time.
betsy shipley
Hi Elizabeth – That’s good feedback, thanks so much for sharing that tip!
Thank you!!! I made this, reducing miso to 1.5 T as I only had the stronger red miso. And it is incredible. I then melted some of it into a onion/garlic/white wine glaze and made an amazing white sauce for pasta, adding more unsweetened soya milk to get the right consistency and finishing with a bit of extra truffel oil at the end as the flavour dissipates at high temperatures. My husband and I were floored at the result: it did not taste vegan. It will be my new go-to sauce when non-vegans come for dinner.
WOAH! Great idea with the wine… I must try that! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m so glad you stopped by :)
Hi Angela,
I’m on the hunt for vegan cheese recipes! I’ve tried the nutritional yeast cheese and fermented tofu cheese. Now I need to try this nut cheese. From my research it seems that cashews are the nuts of choice for this type of cheese. Any idea why? Just thought I’d ask before I got any bright ideas and tried to make it with a different nut.
Thanks for your post!
Marya
Hi Marya – I’m so sorry for the late reply! Cashews are a great choice because of their reach and creamy texture. However, I’ve had great nut cheeses made of almonds, macadamias, and walnuts. So feel free to experiment :) This recipe is really good though, so maybe try it first and then make your mods from there? Keep me posted :)
OK, I’m going to make it this week with cashews! I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m sure it will be great. Thanks! Marya
Great! Can’t wait to hear what you think of it ;)
Making this in a few minutes! So excited!
Need to tweak but a great start! Didn’t shred as well as I would like.
It definitely doesn’t shred like dairy cheese, but I was still pretty impressed. Let me know what tweaks you make in the future :)
I follow a fat-free plant based diet and was wondering what the oil contributes to the cheese. Do I have to use as much oil as the recipe calls for or would it work with a lesser amount?
Good question. I was thinking of cutting-back on the oil next time… I will post an update whenever I get around to it!
Yum! I just made this and it is great although my cheese looks really rubbery. Yours looks almost like a crumbly cheddar. I processed all of mine, so maybe that’s why. Is it the Agar that makes it rubber? I like the taste, but yours looks more like ‘cheese’. What other flavors have you experimented with? I love your blog and im a Melbourne girl and know all too well how great those crackers are. Namaste
Hi Vanessa – Well mine was pretty rubbery too, at least I thought so! It doesn’t look like “real” cheese, but I loved the taste so it didn’t really bother me too much. I haven’t made it since, but I want to try many of the combinations that readers have shared with me… Hope all is well in Melbourne – I love that city :)
I have cashew butter (I’m out of cashews)–do you think that would work in a recipe like this?
I’m not sure… Maybe try a smaller batch and see?
This looks like a lot of fun. I’m very curious about homemade vegan cheeses and keep reading about them. I’ve been making cheesy spreads and sauces for years, but haven’t yet tried to solidify with agar (or pectin, as I also keep encountering.) Cashews are the obvious choice for a rich nut-based cheese… and I wonder how it’d be with macadamia nuts. Probably super intense!
Macadamias make awesome cheese! I’ve had it at restaurants in the past and will definitely try using it next time I make this :)
Hi, I am so excited to try this recipe but wanted to check if you are supposed to soak the nuts before blending? Other vegan cheese recipe’s call for this, so I wasn’t sure if it is assumed or not required?
Great question. I didn’t soak them, but it couldn’t hurt, especially if you don’t have a super powerful food processor. Let me know if you try the recipe :)
Ok, I tried the recipe without soaking the nuts and it turned out great!
I could get agar powder or flakes, so had to settle for sticks of it that required 1 hour pre-soaking before cooking. I took a batch into work & let everyone sample it with rice crackers & everyone loved it!
I’m very pleased! Thanks for the great recipe!
Can I skip miso or recommend other alternatives? I can’t find miso here in Greece.
The cheese will still form, but the miso is definitely an important part of the flavor. If there are Japanese restaurants where you live, you might want to ask the staff if you can get some miso from them – so worth it!
We also don’t have canola oil. Can I use other oils such as corn oil, sunflower oil or oil oil?
Yes those should work!
A new cheese making book is out and I tried to make the air dried cheese and they did not turn out so well. I am excited to try and make this firm cheese. I have been making vegan cheese spreads for a while. I will keep you posted. Thank you.
Sorry to hear that. Try this one and let me know what you think!
Well done Vegangela !! This is tops. I have tried other vegan cheese recipes but they have been so fiddly.. this is easy and it works great! Any ideas on what I could add to create different flavors?
Thanks Mia! Read through some of the comments here, there are so many great ideas!
I enjoyed this recipe :) thank you. As a nutritarian I substituted a couple tbsp of tahini for the oil and halved the salt :)
I am looking forward to having my home made cheese, I find commercial vegan cheeses too high in salt.
I love the idea of using tahini for part of the oil – thanks so much for sharing!
hi! im so excited to make this! but can i just use water instead of soy milk?
No, I would replace with almond or rice milk if anything…
I have heard that nutritional yeast has the same unhealthy effects as aspertame and MSG, of being an excitotoxin. Have you ever heard this? So, I was wondering if there are any subtitutes for nutritional yeast? Also, have you ever tried a product called Flax Milk? I don’t want to use soy milk as I have heard and read negative health effects of soy as well, and nut milks do not seem to agree with my stomach, so was wondering if the Flax Milk (which I love the taste of when drinking it) would work instead and if sunflower seeds could be used instead of cashews? Lastly, Is miso a soy product?
I haven’t heard that about nutritional yeast, but I’ll do some reading over the holidays and look into it. I’ve never had flax milk but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Does it have a strong taste? I don’t think that sunflower seeds would work as well, however I think that macadamias would. And yes, miso is a fermented soy product. Hope this all helps!
No, flax milk does not have a strong taste. I actually think it tastes the closest to real milk, albeit a bit thinner consistency, than any other faux milk I’ve tried including soy, almond, rice and hemp milks. I really like it. I haven’t done any experimentation with substituting it in cooking though.
Thanks for looking into what I heard about nutritional yeast.
Merry Christmas,
Meowy
Hi, Angela, from here in East Tennessee. I so love the so-called “stinky” dairy cheeses, from the soft, mouldy kind (bleus) to the very hard, sharp kind (Parmesan, Romano, etc.). To make an inexpensive bleu, I have in the past “contaminated” (inoculated) a store-brand Italian 6 cheese blend with an Amish bleu mould, left it out (sealed) over night, then refrigerated it and left if for a couple weeks, mixing it a couple times to spread out the mould, and ‘poof,’ I had a *very* cheap (diary) bleu cheese.
So I come to my question. As a current lacto-ovo vegetarian (living with an omnivore!), I want to eat less and less diary, eventually cutting it out entirely. I enjoy soy milk, various other vegan processed faux meat products, etc., but I have not seen a suitable substitute for stinky cheeses. Assuming it was not against one’s morals to start out a batch with a bit of dairy contamination, do you believe this vegan cheese of yours would be able to become more like ordinary cheeses if inoculated with the proper molds/bacteria? I don’t want something that just spreads and melts, I want it to stand up, put its tiny hand on its tiny hip, bobble its tiny head around and give me attitude! BTW, I don’t care how long it takes to get back to me; but I look forward to hearing from you when you have time.
Good question! You can definitly make vegan cheese with fermentation. Google “lacto fermentation vegan cheese” for a whole list of tips and advice. Good luck!!
Looking forward to trying your recipe, I have found that if nuts are a problem for someone, cooked millet can be substituted. Just use the same amount of cooked millet in place of the amount of nuts. Comes out just as creamy and smooth.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing that, I’ll have to give it a try :)
This seems really great, and I’m excited to try.
I’m having a pasta dinner next week and inviting a vegan guest. Do you think this would do well over a pasta dish (shredding, crumbling)?
Also, any ideas of what flavorings would bring this close to a parmesan cheese?
Thanks! For parmesan, mix 1 part nutritional yeast with 1 part ground blanched almonds. It’s amazing on pasta!
Hi,i’m a vegan. It looks good. I have a manual coffee grinder so it would take a while to get a fine powder of nuts so i rather make it a coarse flour(like coarse cornmeal). Will my cheese still look like your cheese if the nut flour is coarse?. Thanks
Probably… You can pick up a pretty cheap food processor. I think mine was under $50… Definitely worth it for healthy vegan recipes… Good luck!
Please ignore previous question.I’m going to use my blender instead. It would take a long time with my coffee grinder. I plan to soak nuts over night hoping that they’ll become kind of soft.Will it come out good like your cheese if i use almonds? did you try it with almonds? thanks.
Almonds would work but wouldn’t be as rich/creamy… Have you tried the recipe yet? Let me know what you think of it… :)
Not as yet because i didn’t have any money.Thanks for the reply.
Hey! I just tried your cheese recipe. I actually halved your halved recipe as I have yet to try vegan cheeses that actually tasted good, and of course the ingredients aren’t cheap, and I hate to throw both money and food away. Daiya cheese is disgusting, it has a really weird taste (and I braved trying all of their flavours), so don’t worry, you’re not missing anything, plus, the ingredients are pretty gross – far from healthy. So far, while my cheeze still has to set up, it sure tastes good. I added smoked sea salt, a five pepper blend and some onion dip mix (both spice blends from epicure). I happily smeared some of the not-set-yet creamy, yummy cheeze spread on a cracker. YUM! It would make a GREAT cheeze ball :) Oh, I used almond milk in place of the soy too. I’ll update when my cheeze has set. I’m DYING to make a grilled cheeze sammie!! And cheeze and crackers, and pizza, and, and, and….. :D I’ll rate it when I do my update :)
Hi Kristen – I like your substitutions, thanks for sharing them. Glad you like the cheese, and hope you like it just as much once it firms up :)
I’m not vegan, but I’ve had to have only vegan cheese because casein gives me migraines. The shops that I’ve found to have vegan cheese tend to be a good bit out of my way, so it’ll be nice to be able to make my own and save time and money. Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, let me know what you think of it :)
Hello! I enjoyed this recipe so much that I gave it a try in spite of not having all the ingredients. My directions were roughly yours but my ingredients were hazelnuts, yeast, extra virgin olive oil, soya milk, rice milk, lemon juice, coriander, agar-agar, salt, spinach, sweet pepper, garlic and onion. As I was pouring the hot melting cheese into an oiled bowl I tasted it and I have tasted heaven! Oh my God, I’m definitely buying raw cashews so I can try something else. This is brilliant and not as hard as it seems. I believe the fungus plays a major role here, quite the same way it does in several dairy cheeses.
Thank you so much for sharing, I love it!
Hi Jim – Thanks for sharing your substitutions, I’ll definitely try making this with hazelnuts at some point :)
Hello!
I just made your cheese recipe. I am still waiting for it to firm up, which leads me to this question. Can this cheese recipe be made into an air-dried cheese?
Thank you for all you do..
Cordially,
Cecelia Crew
Hi Cecelia – I’m not sure, as I’ve never made air-dried cheese. I’ll have to do some research on that…
I got really excited ready this! I loved the way it looks! I had to try it so I followed the recipe to the very pointt and put it in the fridge I did have a taste before hand but it coated my mouth and was very sticky, I left it over night and rushed to the fridge in the morning and it was shiney? I cut it open and it was like plastic like silicon:s is it supposed to be like this? Thanks
Yes, it does look shiny. How did it taste? That’s the most important part :)
It tastes ok, but your photos look like your cheese is matt not shiney, how can I get mine matt? Thanks
It looks shiny in my photos too…Are you saying its shiny on the inside as well?
I made this yesterday–yum! Even my mom, who is cautious of my vegan ventures, thought it was tasty! Do you think this would be fine to just melt down and add to some pasta for mac and cheese?
Glad to hear it! I think it would be pretty good in mac and cheese. If you try it, can you post here and let me know? Thanks!
I am not a vegan but I cook vegan food for my customers, even though I use Daiya for the restaurant; I tried your recipe at home and the result was delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Marcela
Yay, glad you liked it. It’s not my recipe though. I have to give credit to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, it’s her baby :)
You mentioned that you might occasionally add figs in. I think you should know that figs aren’t vegan. They aren’t even vegetarian. There’s a species of wasp that has co-evolved with figs and the males spend their entire lives in the flower. So when you eat figs, you’re eating wasp bits…
Other than that, this recipe looks really good and I’m looking forward to trying it :)
Wow. Good to know… I had no idea. Let me know if you try the recipe!
Wow, I had no idea that it was possible to make your own sliceable vegan cheese! Yours look amazing! The idea of the truffle oil and chives is mouthwatering. I’m not 100% vegan as my husband is as omnivorous (and meat-loving!) as they come, but I’ll be sharing your recipe with my vegan friends! Thanks!
Thank you! Anything with truffle oil is amazing, but you’re right, the chives make it extra special :)