1 package extra firm tofu
1 package silken tofu
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
juice from half a lemon
1 teaspoon of salt
Add the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth.
Crumble up the extra firm tofu, and fold into the creamy tofu mixture.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
Sweet vegan cheese ball you say?!? Well I say yes!
Even though most cheese balls are savory does not mean you can’t make them sweet.
The base is the same, the spices are just different. So why not think outside of the box and make some sweet versions for your next cheese board.
A sweet cheese ball is perfect for spreading on fruit, cookies, or sweet biscuits.
My all time favorite fall flavor is pumpkin spice and that includes in the form of a creamy sweet vegan cheese ball.
This cheese ball has the right amount of pumpkin pie spice, maple sweetness and of course pumpkin puree! We also gave it a little drizzle of maple icing because why not!
If you are serving a cheese board, or just need a quick fall dessert or snack, give this one a whirl. If you love all things pumpkin spice, I think you will LOVE this cheese ball.
1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for a few hours or microwaved for 3 minutes then drained
1/2 cup refined coconut oil
1/4 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maple syrup or maple butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
A few graham crackers (Nabisco brand is honey free)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
A few drops of maple syrup to thin out the icing
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor, or high speed blender, and blend until the mixture becomes completely smooth.
Crush the graham crackers into a fine crumb. I normally just put them in a zip lock bag use a rolling pin to crush them.
Line 2 small bowls, or ramekins, with a pieces of plastic wrap. You want a piece big enough that it will hang a good bit over the sides. Sprinkle some of the crushed graham crackers on the bottom of the bowls.
Divide mixture evenly into the bowls. Now take the plastic wrap hanging over the edges, bring together and twist to seal up the cheese. Allow to harden in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours to firm up.
Once cheese is ready, whisk together the icing ingredients. If the mixute gets too thin, add some more powdered sugar.
Remove both cheese balls from the bowls, and plastic wrap. Drizzle tops with icing.
Put cheese balls in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serve with fruit or graham crackers
Once October hits (ok, ok, we all know its more like September) the pumpkin spice craze is upon us.
I am guilty of loving all things pumpkin and cream cheese is no exception.
Just the right amount of pumpkin spice and sweet maple syrup make this cream cheese a fall favorite, and staple in this house.
If you are not into bagels ( we may need to have a chat, because I truly just can’t understand anything but an intense love for any bread) then you can always spread some of this magic on some apple slices or graham crackers.
You could eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon and I wouldn’t judge you! If you do love bagels as much as I do, then check out our easy homemade bagel recipe.
I really can not think of a better breakfast this fall than a homemade cinnamon bagel with this delicious cream cheese all over it.
1 cup unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1/4 cup coconut cream ( from a can of full fat coconut milk)
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Soak cashews overnight, or cover with water and microwave for three minutes. Drain water.
Refrigerate one can of full fat coconut milk for a few hours. Once it is good and cold, the cream will separate from the liquid in the can. Open and use 1/4 cup of just the cream.
Add cashews, coconut cream, and remaining ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor.
Blend until the nuts are completely broken down, and the mixture is creamy smooth.
Put the cream cheese in a shallow bowl, or a few ramekins, and refrigerate for several hours until the cream cheese sets.
If you like this recipe, try these:
easy vegan cashew pumpkin spice cream cheese
I love experimenting with different vegan cheese flavors and bases. I really love using coconut milk because it’s easy and affordable.
I am often asked if these cheeses have a strong coconut flavor and the answer is, not really. I always used refined coconut oil which has little to no coconut flavor at all, and all of the spices and other ingredients in the cheese mask the flavor of the milk very well.
I also love making my kids easy and healthy snacks that are a allergy friendly alternative.
What kid doesn’t love to get to play with their food, and with these vegan cheddar shapes it 100% encouraged.
You can make any shape you like using whatever cookie cutters you happen to have on hand.
You can also easily mold this cheese in small bowls and slice or shred it for any recipe calling for cheddar cheese.
Agar powder is simply a vegan gelatin made from seaweed and can be found at Asian markets or online.
It sets up once it cools off but will melt once you heat it.
So don’t be afraid to make your own dairy free cheese!! it’s so easy , cheap and actually really delicious. And in this case, pretty fun too!
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons agar powder
2 teaspoons light miso paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup refined coconut oil
In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, and agar.
Pulse a few times to mix it all up.
Now add the milk, and agar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding. This only takes a few minutes.
Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.
Transfer to the mixture to a 9x13 pan, or high sided baking pan.
Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for about an hour.
Once the cheese is set, cut shapes using your favorite cookie cutters. You use the scrap pieces for tacos, soups and chili, on salads, whatever! It will also remelt, so you could use it in quesadillas, nachos, or any other recipe that calls for melty cheese.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Who doesn’t miss cheese sticks?! Half of my kids had never even had one, so I knew I needed to try and create a vegan cheese stick recipe so I could share this snack joy with them!.
These dairy free, vegan mozzarella cheese sticks are super simple to whip together.
They are made with coconut milk, making them more allergen friendly for kids to pack in their school lunches, because the last thing we want to do is exclude anyone with a nut allergy from this tasty treat!!!
They are also made with a vegan/plant based gelatin called agar agar powder. You can find agar at Asian markets or online at amazon. I prefer Living Jin brand but use whatever brand you can find or like.
Agar is activated when heated and will solidify pretty quickly once it begins to cool. So the result is a quick set vegan cheese. It only takes minutes for the mixture to come together, and a few hours for your cheese to set.
I am often asked if the oil can be left out, and in this recipe it can not. Agar solidifies and tends to have a gelatinous texture on its own. The filtered coconut oil helps get you a firmer cheese with a more palatable and cheese like texture. There are recipes out there for agar cheese without coconut oil, but they include extra starches and typically xanthan gum to help thicken and set the cheese.
If you are not into cheese sticks, you can mold this cheese in some small bowls and slice it for sandwiches or shred it for pizza.
So don’t be afraid to try and make your own vegan cheese at home. Its super easy, and really affordable. You know every ingredient that is going into it and can feel good about what you or your family is eating!
Happy cheese snacking, y'all!
1 1/2 cups of full fat coconut milk or cream in a can (make sure it's at room temp, and shake the can very well first. You need the liquid as well as the creamy part, and since they tend to separate, a good shake will help mix it back up)
1/3 cup vegan plain yogurt
2 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 melted cup triple refined coconut oil
2 tablespoons agar powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, and agar.
Pulse a few times to mix it all up.
Now add the milk, and agar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding.
Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.
Transfer the mixture to an 8x8 pan.
Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for about 2 hours.
Once the cheese is set, remove from the pan and cut into sticks. Store in an air tight container for up to week.
*You can also pour the mixture into small bowls to mold if you just want a shreddable, sliceable mozzarella that will melt!
When we first became vegan it was out of necessity for our youngest daughters food allergies. We had been vegetarian for years but cheese was the thing I 100% swore I would never give up. I loved cheese despite it not loving my back. My husband went vegan before I did and I refused, becauseI was a dairy addict and could not imagine a world without cheese and crackers.
When our daughter first started showing signs of food allergies I prayed it was wheat. Bread Is possibly my second favorite food, but I could give it up far more easily than cheese. At the time we did not have nearly the amount of store bought dairy alternatives easily available at regular grocery store or restaurants. What I had tried was super gross and expensive . But, because I love my kids more than food, I had to give dairy up ,and it did not take long for me to realized how awful dairy had been making me feel for more than 30 years.
I quickly had to scramble for a solution because I still missed cheese and found my recipe ideas limited if I could not include some kind of convincing dairy. That is when I learned about agar agar powder and how EASY it is to make cheese at home. Not only easy, but CHEAP. Vegan dairy product tend to be pricey, bu you can very affordably make a variety of vegan cheeses using a few simple ingredients like canned coconut milk, vegan gelatin, and coconut oil! Y’all, sooooo easy, and quick too! This vegan cheese will slice, shred, and melt! It’s nearly magic as far as I am concerned! For around $5 you will get 3xs the vegan cheese you could buy in the store, and it’s delicious.
Also. don’t be intimidated by agar agar. You can buy it online on amazon or in many Asian markets. It’s just a gelatin made from seaweed that helps the cheese solidify! The agar coupled with coconut oil makes for a perfect cheese texture that slices, shreds and melts beautifully! I am also often asked if the cheese taste like coconut. It really doesn't! I use refined or filtered coconut oil to cut back on some of the coconut flavor, and all the other ingredients like the nutritional yeast and spices help mask the flavor.
So, don’t be scared to try making your own vegan cheese at home! It’s so quick, easy and affordable. You will also likely impress friends and family with your new vegan kitchen skills! But most of all you will be able to enjoy cheese again!! Because I don’t want to live in a world where I can not eat some kind of cheese!! And now, nobody has to!
1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream
2 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 melted cup triple refined coconut oil
2 tablespoons agar powder
3 tablespoons arrow root or tapioca starch
2 teaspoons dried dill
In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, and agar.
Pulse a few times to mix it all up.
Now add the milk, and agar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding.
Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.
Transfer to the mixture to a few ramekins or small bowls. You should be able to fill 2 or 3 small bowls.
Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for about several hours.
Once the cheese is set, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
Vegan cheese balls are so easy to make, and pretty quick too.
Combining cashews, herbs, and some pantry staples, you can make a delicious vegan cheese ball at home in no time at all.
You can use a high speed blender or a food processor to make this recipe. You just need something powerful enough to completely break the cashews down until they are creamy and smooth.
You will actually get 2 -3 cheese balls out of this recipe and they will keep in the fridge for about a week. So even though you are using cashews, it is pretty affordable recipe for the amount of cheese you get in the end!
If you are allergic to cashews or are just not a big fan, you can also use sunflower seeds. Use the same quantity and follow the same instructions as you would for the cashews.
Also make sure to use filtered or refined coconut oil in this recipe. It is often labeled as has no coconut flavor unlike regular coconut oil. You can use regular coconut oil just be aware that it will alter the favor of the cheese ball.
This vegan cheese ball uses green onion, lemon and a mix of herbs to make it zesty and deliciously flavorful. You could toss in any herb you have on hand. I often toss in some fresh dill or sometimes cilantro if I have any on hand. Use what you have or what you like!
This herbed vegan cheese ball is perfect for serving with cracker, veggies, or it is even delicious spread on a sandwich. It is also pretty tasty on top of some grilled portobello mushrooms or tofu!!
1 cup cashews, soaked in hot water for a few hours or microwaved for 3 minutes, then drained
1/2 cup filtered coconut oil
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic depending on preference
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons, chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Add all of the ingredients EXCEPT green onions and parsley to a high speed blender or food processor (I actually prefer a food processor for this).
Process until the mixture is completely smooth. I have noticed because of the volume of the mix, it takes some doing in the vitamix. If using a vitamix you will have to scrape the sides down several times, and use your plunger to keep pushing the mixture down while it blends. It will work, it will just take some time.
Once mixture is completely smooth, drop in your onions and parsley, and pulse until the greens are broken down and incorporated.
Line 2 small bowls, or larger ramekins with enough plastic wrap that it hangs over the sides a good bit.
Evenly divide the mixture between the bowls, pull up the plastic wrap and twist at the top, sealing up the cheese.
Refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours, or until the cheese is firm. If you are in a hurry, you can pop it in the freezer for a bit, then transfer it to the fridge.
Store the cheese ball in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Yields 2 cheese balls.
This sweet and creamy chocolate cheese ball is perfect for serving with fruit or cookies at your next get together. It is also makes for a great anytime snack, or dessert. Cheese balls don't always have to be savory, and this one proves it!
Chocolate coating
serve with fruit or cookies
I make a lot of vegan cheeses with cashews, but it is always nice to have an alternative for those with nut allergies.
There are a lot of recipes out there for coconut milk gouda, and after experimenting with different ones, I finally settled on using coconut milk and adding the coconut oil to help firm up the cheese a bit more! Always look for filtered coconut oil because it does not have strong coconut flavor like regular coconut oil.
People always ask me if coconut milk cheeses taste like coconut and I don’t think they do. All of the other ingredients in the cheese help mask coconut taste.
This cheese is super quick to make and perfect for a beginner. Agar agar makes a quick set cheese, meaning you will have a firm cheese that will slice and shred, start to finish, in just a few hours.
You can easily find agar agar powder on line at Amazon or at your local Asian food market.
You can also omit the liquid smoke and add some dill, or garlic to change up the flavor. You could also add a teaspoon of turmeric, and smoked paprika for a cheddar flavored cheese!
So don’t be intimidated by vegan cheese making, y’all!! It can be quick and really easy! It is also far more affordable and taste better than most store bough versions! So what are you waiting for! Lets make some vegan cheese!!!
1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream
2 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 melted cup triple refined coconut oil
2 tablespoons agar powder
3 tablespoons arrow root or tapioca starch
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, agar, and liquid smoke.
Pulse a few times to mix it all up.
Now add the milk, agar, and liquid smoke to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding.
Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.
Transfer to the mixture to a few ramekins or small bowls. You should be able to fill 2 or 3 small bowls.
Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for several hours.
Once the cheese is set, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
Vegan cheese balls are so easy to make, and pretty quick too.
Combining cashews, herbs, and some pantry staples, you can make a delicious vegan cheese ball at home in no time at all.
You can use a high speed blender or a food processor to make this recipe. You just need something powerful enough to completely break the cashews down until they are creamy and smooth.
You will actually get 2 -3 cheese balls out of this recipe and they will keep in the fridge for about a week. So even though you are using cashews, it is pretty affordable recipe for the amount of cheese you get in the end!
If you are allergic to cashews or are just not a big fan, you can also use sunflower seeds. Use the same quantity and follow the same instructions as you would for the cashews.
Also make sure to use filtered or refined coconut oil in this recipe. It is often labeled as has no coconut flavor unlike regular coconut oil. You can use regular coconut oil just be aware that it will alter the favor of the cheese ball.
This vegan cheese ball is one of my favorites because I love, LOVE pimento cheese!! So what better flavor to create in a vegan cheese ball than pimento cheese!!!
It’s everything I love about pimento cheese in a perfectly creamy, spreadable cheese ball! Seriously, I could live off these!
I spread this vegan cheese ball on crackers, on bagels, on veggies, you name it. It is good on anything really!
If you are a fan of pimento cheese, then this is the vegan cheese ball for you!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for an hour, or microwaved for 3 minutes, then drianed.
1/4 cup diced pimentos drained, and patted dry with a paper towel ( just try and remove as much liquid as you can from them)
1/2 onion
1/2 cup triple filtered coconut oil. Filtered coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor to it. If you use regular, your cheese ball will a slight coconut flavor to it.
2 teaspoons light miso paste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese. I prefer Follow your heart brand, or homemade
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
plastic wrap
Cut onion into quarters, and pulse a few times in your high speed blender, or food processor.
Now, add all of the ingredients, minus the sliced almonds, to a food processor or high speed blender. Process until completely smooth. You will likely have to scrape the sides down a few times to get all the cashew bits blended.
Line 2 - 3 small bowls, or ramekins, with a pieces of plastic wrap. You want a piece big enough that it will hang a good bit over the sides.
If using almonds, sprinkle some into the bottom the plastic wrapped bowls.
Divide the cheese mixture between the bowls. Take the pieces of plastic wrap that are hanging over the sides, pulling them up, twisting them together at the top.
Put the cheese balls in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up before serving. Store leftover in fridge for up to 5 days.
I used to live off of feta cheese before going vegan.
I love a big pie of feta cheese on a salad, in a gyro wrap, in spanakopita.
So coming up with a decent vegan version seemed like a must.
This vegan feta recipe can be made with a block of tofu and vegan pantry staples you probably already have on hand, making this a really affordable vegan cheese to make!
I really do love how easy this recipes is. Just cube up the tofu, mix up the marinade, and let it hang out in the fridge to absorb all that delicious flavor.
Now I know there are now more brands of vegan feta out there than even a year ago. But I have not found one that I like anymore than this. Some brands have been extra oily so when using them to cook, I did not like the finished product. I am not going to name names but if you have tired making spanakopita with one popular vegan feta brands, you probably know what I am talking about. The end result it an oil mess.
So this vegan feta recipe will remain my cheap and easy go to!
INGREDIENTS
1 block extra firm organic tofu
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 oil cup olive or grape seed oil
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Wrap tofu in a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels and place a few heavy books on top for 15 minutes to press out excess liquid.
Whisk remaining ingredients in a bowl
Cut tofu into small cubes and mix into the bowl.
Let tofu marinate in an airtight container in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
Store in fridge.
1 package extra firm tofu
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 onion
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Wrap tofu in a clean kitchen towel or some paper towels and place a few books on top for 15 minutes to help remove excess liquid.
Add onion to a food processor or high speed blender and blend until the onion is minced.
Add the remaining ingredients to the onion and blend on high, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth.
Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Oh mozzarella cheese, how I loved you in all of your many forms.
Soft, shredded, on pizza, in a caprese salad, in lasagna, any way at all. But most of all FRIED and dipped in marinara.
So once going vegan I had to, HAD TO, find a way to mimic soft mozzarella. It is the cheese I missed the very most and could not imagine a world where I would not longer eat mozzarella!
Honestly, hard cheeses are really easy, and coming up with a shreddable mozzarella wasn’t too hard, but what stumped me was a soft vegan mozzarella, one that I could make my favorite salad with!
This may not be my easiest cheese recipe, but it is certainly not difficult. Just a little more time consuming than some agar quick set cheeses. This cheese cooks up like a regular agar cheese, but instead of pouring it into a mold, you scoop the mixture and drop it into ice cold water, causing it to quickly set into soft vegan mozzarella cheese balls!
It’s brilliant really! Agar agar will begin to set at room temperature, so dropping this cheese mixture into ice cold water will have it set into a ball almost instantly! It still needs some time in the fridge to completely set, but over all, this recipe is really easy, quick, and pretty straightforward.
Now, before you glance at the ingredients and gawk at addition of sauerkraut, hear me out. It works! It adds a fermented briny-ness (is that a word, if not it is now on this blog if nowhere else) that a lot of vegan cheese recipes are missing. You will never even be able to taste it in the cheese, but I adds a kick that you would miss if you didn’t add it! You gotta trust me here!
So don’t be intimidated and try your hand at making this soft mozzarella!! I think you will be surprised at how easy it is and how close it mimics the real deal! And trust me when I tell you, you want to fry it up and dip it in your favorite marinara sauce ( or my fave is vegan honey mustard..sounds weird maybe but its soooo good)
Use 1/2 a batch of vegan mozzarella, or a whole batch if you are extra hungry. Just double the following recipe.
1/2 batch vegan soft mozzarella
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dairy free milk (I use unsweetened almond)
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Oil for frying
Cut 4 - 5 mozzarella balls into quarters.
Add flour to a shallow dish.
In a deeper dish, whisk together 2 flax eggs and 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk.
In another dish mix Italian seasoning, garlic powder and panko.
Start by dredging the mozzarella pieces first in flour, completely covering the pieces.
Next, dip the bites in the flax egg mix, letting the excess drip off a little.
Now, lay the pieces in the panko, gently pressing in the crumbs so they stick to all sides.
Lay coated mozzarella on a plate.
Fill a medium size skillet halfway with oil and heat on medium/high heat until nice and hot.
Once oil is hot, add the mozzarella in batches. Just be careful not to over crowd the pan.
Let the cheese bites fry on each side until brown and crispy before turning.
Take a cooling rack, and place it on top of a paper towel line cookie sheet. Place finished mozzarella bites on the rack while you finish frying the rest.
Serve with a side of marinara sauce.
Any leftovers can be reheated in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until heated through.
Oh mozzarella cheese, how I loved you in all of your many forms.
Soft, shredded, on pizza, in a caprese salad, in lasagna, any way at all.
So once going vegan I had to, HAD TO, find a way to mimic soft mozzarella. It is the cheese I missed the very most and could not imagine a world where I would not longer eat mozzarella!
Honestly, hard cheeses are really easy, and coming up with a shreddable mozzarella wasn’t too hard, but what stumped me was a soft vegan mozzarella, one that I could make my favorite salad with!
This may not be my easiest cheese recipe, but it is certainly not difficult. Just a little more time consuming than some agar quick set cheeses. This cheese cooks up like a regular agar cheese, but instead of pouring it into a mold, you scoop the mixture and drop it into ice cold water, causing it to quickly set into soft vegan mozzarella cheese balls!
It’s brilliant really! Agar agar will begin to set at room temperature, so dropping this cheese mixture into ice cold water will have it set into a ball almost instantly! It still needs some time in the fridge to completely set, but over all, this recipe is really easy, quick, and pretty straightforward.
Now, before you glance at the ingredients and gawk at addition of sauerkraut, hear me out. It works! It adds a fermented briny-ness (is that a word, if not it is now on this blog if nowhere else) that a lot of vegan cheese recipes are missing. You will never even be able to taste it in the cheese, but I adds a kick that you would miss if you didn’t add it! You gotta trust me here!
This vegan soft mozzarella will keep in the fridge for about a week and will work perfectly for a caprese salad, sliced on top of pizza, diced on a green salad, or in any recipe where you are missing soft mozzarella!
So don’t be intimidated and try your hand at making this soft mozzarella!! I think you will be surprised at how easy it is and how close it mimics the real deal!
1 cup cashews soaked over night or microwaved for 3 minutes in 1 and 1/2 cups water, then drained.
1/2 cup sauerkraut, without the juice
1/4 cup plant based milk
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons triple filtered coconut oil
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons agar powder
Add drained cashews, and all other ingredients EXCEPT the water and agar to a high speed blender or food processor.
Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth. You may need to scrape the sides down a few times to make sure all of the cashew bits get processed.
Fill a large bowl halfway with water and a cup of ice. Stir in a few teaspoons of salt and place next to your stove top.
In a medium sized pot, bring water and agar powder to a boil.
Once it is boiling reduce heat to med/low.
Mix the cashew mixture into the water and agar, stirring continuously unit it becomes thick and stretchy. This will take just a couple of minutes, as it comes together pretty quickly. Just keep stirring and scraping the cheese from the sides of the pot. It will resemble a stretchy dough/ batter and scoop easily once it is ready.
With a medium size cookie scoop (or you can use a large spoon or ice cream scoop) scoop out balls of mozzarella and drop them into the bowl of ice water.
Once all of the mozzarella balls are formed and in the water, place the bowl in the fridge for about an hour, or until the mozzarella has firmed up a bit.
Once firm, remove mozzarella and place in zip lock bags or a shallow storage container adding just a little of the liquid brine for storage. You don’t need to fully cover them. Just add a little of the liquid so they do not dry out.
Store in fridge for up to 5 days
Hard vegan cheeses are easier than most people think.
Agar is vegan gelatin that you can easily find online or in your local asian food market that helps the cheese to solidify. You can find it in powdered or flake form.
I love this recipe because you can slice and even shred this cheese. If you are not a fan of smokey cheeses, just eliminate the liquid smoke and you will still be left with a tasty cheddar, perfect for sandwiches, cheese plates, tacos, and more.
Also this recipe uses triple filtered coconut oil. I buy mine at Trader Joe's. Triple filtered coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor like regular coconut oil, so if you choose to use regular, you may find the cheese will have a hint of coconut flavor to it.
1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons dry cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powser
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teapspoon liquid smoke
1 and 3/4 cups almond or coconut milk
8 teaspoons of agar powder
1/4 cup triple filtered coconut oil
2 teaspoons light miso paste
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
In a food processor, combine cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Pulse until the nuts are well ground. DO NOT OVER PULSE. You don’t want to end up with cashew butter.
In a medium sized sauce pan, combine milk, agar, and oil, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. You want the mixture to thicken to a thin pudding like consistency.
Add the liquid mixture to the nut mixture in the food processor, along with the miso, liquid smoke, and vinegar.
Mix for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and smooth.
Pour the cheese mixture into 2 - 3 ramekins or small bowls, and let cool uncovered in the refrigerator for serval hours to firm up.
Store in an air tight container for up to one week in the refrigerator.
In college I waited tables at popular casual dinning restaurant. Not naming names, but one of our jingles involved baby baby ribs, and customers thought it was hilarious to ask us to sing it.
But hey, the job got me through college!
One of our most popular appetizers was a chili queso dip in a skillet, and I probably ate my weight in this dip before I was vegan. I have not eaten that dip in forever, but I think of it often and knew I needed to try and create a vegan version.
This one did not disappoint, and I can still eat my weight in it! You can use any store bought meatless crumble, vegan sausage, or you could even use your own vegan crumble recipe.
I love to roll up warm flour tortillas and dip them into this cheesy, spicy, magic! It also makes a delicious enchilada or quesadilla filling!
Cashew Queso:
1 bag of frozen spicy meatless crumbles or vegan sausage (we like Beyond Meat brand, but use your favorite) or one package of vegan chorizo ( I like Trader Joe’s soy chorizo)
1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for one hour or microwaved for 3 minutes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons of miso paste or 2 tablespoons sauerkraut with out the juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 - 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup of tapioca/corn starch or arrow root powder
2 cups of water
1 small can of chili peppers
a few shakes of favorite hot sauce
Add all ingredients except the, crumbles, chilis and hot sauce to a high speed blender or food processor.
Process and blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth (no lumps at all).
Transfer the mixture to a medium size pot and cook on medium heat, stirring with a whisk continually until the mixture thickens.
Once the queso gets to a pudding like texture remove it from the heat and mix in the chilis and hot sauce.
Heat the crumbles in a pan until cooked.
In a baking dish or smalls cast iron skillet, combine the queso and cooked crumbles. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with chips, rolled tortillas, or veggies. Add to burritos or enchiladas.
My favorite vegan cookbook is “Veganize It!” by Robin Robertson. I adapted her recipe for cashew “cheese” sauce and created this queso. If you omit the hot sauce and chiles, and meat you will be left with a very versatile cheddar “cheese” sauce.
When I was a kid my step mom always kept a tub of pimento cheese in our fridge.
It completely grossed me out. Not that I ever once tried it, I just somewhere along the line decide I didi’t like it and that was that.
Flash forward to becoming an adult, and it is now one of my absolute favorite things. And now I want to cry for all those lost years where I could have been and should have been eating one of my most favorite foods.
I make a lot of homemade vegan cheese. Often I make a quick coconut cheddar to whip up a batch of pimento cheese and recently posted a recipe for an easy coconut milk pimento flavored cheddar to make the most perfect batch of pimento cheese spread even. If you are feeling frisky and want to try your hand at cheese making, I have over 30 cheese recipes for you to try! You can also any pre made store bought vegan cheese you like.
The secret ingredients to a perfect pimento cheese are onion and vegan cream cheese! The onion adds a new element of flavor and the cream cheese adds more cheese goodness while lending some more creaminess to the spread.
Vegan Cream Cheese
If you like you pimento cheese a little spicy you can add a few splashes of hot sauce to the mix to add some heat as well.
So go forth and make the most delicious vegan pimento cheese. And if you have some preconceived notion that its gross, trust me and just try it. You don’t want to be like me with all those years wasted not eating the most delicious cheesy spread. You just can’t get those years back, y'all!
1 bag of cheddar shreds or one batch of our homemade Pimento Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup vegan cream cheese, homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons of vegan mayo
2-3 table spoons diced pimentos, drained
1/4 of a small onion diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon all purpose greek seasoning (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well mixed. That's it! It's so easy! Serve on crackers or as a sandwich.
This is hands down the best vegan queso I have ever had, and I have eaten a lot!
Growing up I would beg my parents to go out to eat at our local Mexican restaurant just for the white cheese dip. Nothing changed when I grew up, and I often just went to eat the chips and dip.
Seriously cheese was my struggle going vegan and missing my favorite cheese dip was extra hard.
Then one day I was cooking up a cashew cheese sauce for something else and had half a pot leftover. I walked by with a chip and randomly dipped it in and nearly lost my mind….why had it not occurred to me sooner. I dumped in a can of green chilis and some hot sauce and my world was forever changed!!
I mention using sauerkraut in the recipe and I need you to hear me out. Sauerkraut is fermented and tangy…like cheese. I am often asked if miso can be replaced or omitted and it can, with the kraut. I personally always add kraut to all of my cheese sauces for an extra tangy kick. You would NEVER EVER IN ONE MILLION GAZILLION YEARS guess it was in there. Try it! Trust me. If I have not earned your trust by now, I think we need might need to look into some couples counseling. Just saying.
This dip is sooooo good that util life got too buys I made weekly batches of it for neighbors and friends. Non vegan neighbors and friends! Everyone loves it and is always shocked it’s vegan.
It’s smooth, creamy, spicy, cheesy, perfection in a bowl.
Use it as dip, a filling for enchiladas with refried beans, in quesadillas, or on nachos!! Because we are adding tapioca starch, the longer you cook this cheese, the thicker and stretchier it will become. So if you want to use it for an enchilada or a quesadilla, just cook it a bit longer. And if you accidentally cook it for too long and need to thin it out, just whisk in more water. Easy peasy. Don’t panic.
Just remember DON’T STOP WHISKING WHILE IT COOKS. This will ensure you get a super creamy and smooth queso, Lumpy queso is weird and unappealing and nobody wants that now do they?
This queso will keep for about a week, so it’s perfect for weekend meal prep, or keep a batch in the fridge for quick and easy weeknight dinners.
I think this calls for a celebrations, so might as well whip up a batch of margaritas while you are at it, and cheers to being able to eat the best chip dip on the planet once more!
1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for one hour or microwaved for three minutes
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons of miso paste, or 2 tablespoons sauerkraut without the juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons of tapioca starch, corn starch, or arrow root powder
2 cups of water
1 small can of chili peppers
A few shakes of your favorite hot sauce
Add all ingredients, except the chilis and hot sauce, to a high speed blender or food processor.
Process and blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth (no lumps at all).
Transfer the mixture to a medium size pot and cook on medium heat, stirring with a whisk continually until the mixture thickens.
Once the queso gets to a pudding like texture, remove it from the heat, and mix in the chilis and hot sauce.
Store in the fridge for up to a week.
My favorite vegan cookbook is “Veganize It!” by Robin Robertson. I adapted her recipe for cashew “cheese” sauce and created this queso. If you omit the hot sauce and chiles, you will be left with a very versatile white “cheese” sauce.
