This cashew and coconut oil based vegan cheese is full of herbs and a little spice! Plus it’s super easy to make with just your blender and about five minutes of your time! Slice this vegan cheese and serve with crackers on a vegan cheese board, or grate and melt over pizza!
I’m so excited to be sharing with you another rendition of my blender-based, no ‘cook’ vegan cheese!! Today we’re going to go over how to make a sumptuous block-style Herbed Vegan Cheese. But first, some questions and answers….
Can I make vegan cheese?
That is a million dollar question and I’m here today to tell you YES YOU CAN! A thousand times YES! Don’t let the whole idea scare you. You are going to feel like a master chef in minutes!! All you really need is a blender, a few ingredients, and five minutes of time.
What does this vegan cheese taste like?
Obviously, it’s not quite like dairy cheese – BUT the texture, flavor, richness, and creaminess of this vegan cheese will literally knock your socks off! It satisfies a major cheese craving for me, and it even meets the expectations of my non-vegan friends! They’re like, “this stuff is great”!! Score!!!
This post focuses on how to make my newest Herbed Vegan Cheese but the process and flavors are adapted from my original Real Vegan Mozzarella and other popular favorites including Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese, and Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese.
What Ingredients do I need to make this Vegan Cheese?
The one challenge of making this cheese is that it takes a few unusual ingredients that not everyone has on hand – but please believe me – it is SO worth the effort!! Really, only #3 is harder to find. Here’s the short list:
- REFINED Coconut Oil – (Please don’t miss the word refined.) Refined coconut oil doesn’t taste like coconut but it still turns solid at cooler temps, thus adding firmness and richness. It’s available at many local grocery stores.
- Tapioca Flour – a thickener with a slightly ‘stretchy’ texture. I usually buy online but many local health food and grocery stores sell this.
- Kappa Carrageenan – This is the most unusual ingredient and somewhat difficult to obtain. A derivative of sea weed, this ingredient is vital because it 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.
Steps to make Herbed Vegan Cheese:
Soak cashew pieces in hot water for about 5 minutes. Rinse and drain.
Add cashews, refined coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes, tapioca flour, salt, onion and garlic powder, and lemon juice to blender (Photo 1).
Measure Kappa Carrageenan in one dish and herbs and crushed red pepper in a separate dish and set aside for adding in just a moment (Photo 2).
Carefully add just-boiled-water water to blender and blend until smooth (Make sure to place lid on blender firmly and start blending at a low speed, turning up to med-high until completely smooth) (Photo 3). Keep the blender going on medium speed and open just the blender lid plug and pour in the kappa carrageenan. Blend until completely smooth (usually only a minute is needed – you will probably hear a change in the blending sound as the mixture thickens.)
Without stopping the blender add herbs and crushed red pepper to blender running on low. Blend only for a second, or just until spices are mixed into the cheese.
Pour immediately into a heat safe dish (your cheese mold) and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to harden (Photo 4).
Slice, grate and enjoy!
What should I use for my vegan cheese mold?
Any heat safe dish that holds about 3 cups will work. I prefer to use glass dishes. There is no need to oil the mold as this cheese will solidify and pop out easily with the use of a butter knife or similar used around the edges.
How long does this vegan cheese last in the refrigerator?
A week in a covered container is a good rule of thumb. After that I’d think about freezing it!
Can I freeze this vegan cheese?
Sure! It does get a little softer in texture after thawing, but if you think you can’t eat it all, by all means freeze it! (Most people have trouble making it last that long tho!)
Can I use Agar Powder to replace the Kappa Carrageenan?
Yes you can substitute Agar Powder for Kappa Carrageenan, but it won’t have quite as firm a texture and is not as melty. Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder.
Adjusting the herbs and spice:
I’ve used dried herbs in this recipe because of ease of accessibility in all seasons. By all means, feel free to use fresh herbs if you like! You’ll need about three times the amount of fresh herbs as dry.
The crushed red pepper gives this herby vegan cheese a lovely bite, but if you’re a lightweight on spice, feel free to decrease the amount or leave it out altogether! It’ll still be super yummy!
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Herbed Vegan Cheese
Ingredients
Into the blender:
- 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces soaked for 5 min in hot water then rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Add next (and blend until smooth):
- 1.5 cup HOT water just boiled
Add while blending:
- 1.5 tbsp Kappa Carrageenan
Add last (just barely blend in until mixed):
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1.5 tsp dried parsley
- 1.5 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Soak cashew pieces in hot water for about 5 minutes. Rinse and drain.
- Add cashews, refined coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes, tapioca flour, salt, onion and garlic powder, and lemon juice to blender.
- Measure Kappa Carrageenan in one dish and herbs and crushed red pepper in a separate dish and set aside for adding in just a moment.
- Carefully add just-boiled-water to blender and blend until smooth (Make sure to place lid on blender firmly and start blending at a low speed, turning up to med-high until completely smooth). Keep the blender going on medium speed and open just the blender lid plug and pour in the kappa carrageenan. Blend until completely smooth (usually only a minute or less is needed - you will probably hear a change in the blending sound as the mixture thickens.)
- Without stopping the blender add herbs and crushed red pepper to blender running on low. Blend only for a second, or just until spices are mixed into the cheese.
- Pour immediately into heat safe dish (your mold) and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to harden. Slice, grate and enjoy!
Notes
What should I use for my vegan cheese mold?
Any heat safe dish that holds about 3 cups will work. I prefer to use glass dishes. There is no need to oil the mold as this cheese will solidify and pop out easily with the use of a butter knife or similar used around the edges.How long does this vegan cheese last in the refrigerator?
A week in a covered container is a good rule of thumb. After that I'd think about freezing it!Can I freeze this vegan cheese?
Sure! It does get a little softer in texture after thawing, but if you think you can’t eat it all, by all means freeze it! (Most people have trouble making it last that long tho!)Can I use Agar Powder to replace the Kappa Carrageenan?
Yes you can substitute Agar Powder for Kappa Carrageenan, but it won’t have quite as firm a texture and is not as melty. Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder.Nutrition
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