Block-style Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese that will simply blow you away and have you coming back for more! It slices, shreds, and melts!
SO good, this dairy free cheese is better than the real thing! And it only takes a few minutes to make.
Historically, there is very little more satisfying to me than a little chunk of cheese. I think I must be part mouse.
I am presently COMPLETELY head-over-heels with this Vegan Pepper Jack cheese. It is so creamy, so rich, so flavorful. This dairy-free cheese rivals the real thing.
You must try it! It only takes just a few ingredients, and a few minutes of your time!
Fabulous!
Related recipe: Buffalo Tofu Nuggets
Important Ingredient List:
You may already be acquainted with these ingredients, but if not, please take just a moment to read through these:
- REFINED coconut oil. Please don't miss the word refined. I missed that when I first tried to make something like this, and I used Virgin coconut Oil. BIG mistake. Refined coconut oil doesn't taste like coconut but it still turns solid at cooler temps and just has that wonderful richness.
- Next important ingredient is Tapioca Flour. There may be equitable subs but again this is unbelievably perfect so you just gotta try it. Local health food sections of your grocery store may carry this. I usually buy it online.
- Now for the most unusual vital ingredient. Kappa Carrageenan. This ingredient is what makes the cheese able to go from liquid to solid and back to melted state. It's a wonder ingredient and not widely sold: here is the Kappa Carrageenan I use.
Related recipe: Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
The Steps to Make Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese:
Seed and dice your jalapeños, add just a teaspoon of REFINED coconut oil to the pan, and sauté until soft. (Photos 1, 2)
Assemble the rest of your ingredients (Photo 3).
Rinse cashews under HOT running water for several minutes (Photo 4). Save aside sautéed Jalapeño, crushed red pepper.
Add all other ingredients to blender, adding boiling water last (Photos 5, 6).
Blend immediately until smooth, stopping once to scrape the sides of blender. (Photo 7).
Add Sautéed Jalapeño and crushed red pepper and blend or pulse quickly. Pour immediately into mold. (Photos 8, 9)
Note: As soon as the cheese begins to cool, it will start to harden. This is the reason for working quickly.
Tip: Rinsing cashews under HOT running water helps soften them for blending and also largely removes the cashew flavor.
Well, folks, I think that about explains Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese for now. I'm super thrilled for you to try this cheese and share it with your friends - vegan and non-vegan alike. I think you'll find/create a LOT of new vegan cheese lovers!!
If you like this post you might also be interested in:
- Vegan mozzarella cheese - my most popular vegan cheese recipe!
- Vegan feta cheese
- Vegan nacho cheese
- Vegan smoked Gouda cheese
- Vegan herbed cheese
- Vegan cream cheese
- Vegan charcuterie board - this Pepper Jack cheese would be amazing as part of a vegan cheese board!
If you’ve tried this Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese recipe or any other recipe on my blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!!
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Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 Jalapeños , diced/sautéed
- ½ cup Raw cashews, Rinsed under hot running water for several minutes or soaked in hot water and drained
- ¼ cup REFINED coconut oil
- ¼ cup Tapioca flour
- 1.5 tablespoon Nutritional yeast flakes
- 1.5 tablespoon Kappa carrageenan
- 1 tsp Seasoned salt
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt , If using table salt instead, use slightly less
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 cup Boiling water
- 1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
Special equipment
Instructions
- Wash, seed, and dice Jalapeño peppers. Sauté in a small frying pan with just a bit of Refined Coconut Oil until soft. Avoid browning. Set aside to add to the cheese later.
- Select a heat-safe preferably glass dish that can hold approx 3C and set aside. (This is your cheese mold.)
- Rinse Cashews under HOT water for several minutes.
- Put your water in a small pot on the stove to boil.
- Add all ingredients (except the water! & Jalapeños and Crushed Red Pepper) to the blender. Add the cashews first and then everything else on top of the cashews.
- Carefully add (so you don't burn yourself!!!) the boiling hot water into your blender. Put the blender lid on! And blend immediately until completely smooth.
- Stop blending once if need be to quickly scrape sides of blender and resume blending right after.
- Stop blending one more time and quickly add Sautéed Jalapeño and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes. Now blend/pulse JUST enough to incorporate these ingredients.
- Immediately transfer your cheese to your chosen dish/mold as it will start to solidify quickly as it cools.Place in refrigerator to chill. No need to cover yet.After 1 hour or when fully chilled, remove cheese block from dish/mold and wrap in paper towels and then tightly plastic wrap. The flavor gets better over a day or two but it’s great as soon as it’s hardened, too. Yay! You are officially a cheese-maker!
Recipe video
Nutrition
maria
hi. i thought you need to cook on the stove because it contains tapioca starch..only warm water is enough to cook the starch?
Rebecca
The water absolutely needs to be 'just' boiled. If you are working with the kappa carrageenan you will find it solidifies quite quickly. It's really amazing. However, if you use the agar powder instead, you may need to cook the blended cheese on the stove for a couple of minutes until bubbly to fully activate the agar. The tapioca flour activates well with either method.
Ken Schoeninger
Looking at nutritional profile I see same fat and sat. fat content as real cheese but only 1 g protein vs 8 g for real cheese. Any ideas for boosting the protein content?
Also, would pickled jalapenos work? Also use the liquid to replace the vinegar? Thanks.
Rebecca
Thanks for your questions. Pickled jalapeños work great and I love using the liquid in them to replace the vinegar! I think you'll love that! Also, I probably need to go in and examine the nutritional profile closer. Sometimes the automatic calculator isn't perfect. This cheese isn't something I'd recommend eating as a main part of your diet, but it is certainly a wonderful indulgence now and then!
Lynley
I thought kappa carrageenan would need to be cooked on the stove top to activate it like agar agar. I just made a batch of provolone with KC and I had to cook it for 6 minutes. Does the hot water in the blender do the job of cookIng the KC and AA enough?
Rebecca
You can also cook this recipe on the stove, however the just boiled water works like a charm in the blender and doesn't separate as sometimes the mixture can do on the stove. The Agar is harder to activate in the blender, and will turn out a softer but still delicious cheese.
Tyler
How long does it keep before going bad?
Rebecca
It keeps about 5 days. You can freeze leftovers, however, the texture changes a bit...
Mira Halaby
Hello, I tried your Vegan Mozzarella and OH MY GOD it was the best much much better than the store bought cheese, it melts just like the real one and the taste was yummy ..thnx thnx ??
Today is the pepper jack recipe???
Rebecca
Thanks so much for your comment! So glad you like it! Hope you like the pepper jack too - that one is my favorite!
Michelle
Can you make ahead and freeze this cheese?
Rebecca
Freezing the cheese changes the texture. It's still edible but it's just not the same perfection. So I freeze leftovers when necessary but I wouldn't freeze for say an event or something like that!
Sara
I just finished making this and I tasted it as I was putting it in the mold and it’s so delicious I almost cried! Thank you! Pepper jack was always the favorite cheese in my house. Having it again is like a Xmas miracle ?
Rebecca
Thanks so much for the comment! This recipe is a family favorite of ours as well! Merry Christmas!
BEE
I love this cheese, fantastic flavor and consistency.
Rebecca
Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you like it!
Carol
Hi Rebecca. Do I melt the refined coconut oil before adding or add in it's solid form?
Rebecca
Thanks for the question! You can add it in its solid form, no need to melt it! Have fun!
Jennifer
Do you have to use the carrageenan??
Rebecca
You don't have to use the carrageenan but without it the cheese won't be sliceable/grateable. It still has great taste tho, when it is thickened with Agar powder! Double the amount of carrageenan recommended with agar powder and you'll still have a great multi-purpose vegan cheese!