Make your own vegan cheese ball that is creamy, delightful spread on crackers or veggies, and is the perfect party snack or appetizer! This vegan cheese ball is created by blending cashews, water, and refined coconut oil, thickened with agar powder. Delightful and decadent but healthy too!
What is a vegan Cheese Ball made of?
- cashews – raw pieces
- refined coconut oil – this stuff has no coconut flavor and is perfect for vegan cheese making
- agar powder – stronger than agar flakes, agar powder thickens when heated
- nutritional yeast flakes – just a bit – we don’t want too much for this cheese ball
- water – yes! This cheese is actually fairly low fat!
- fresh chives make a great add-in
- chopped walnuts to roll it in!
What are the steps to making this vegan cheese ball?
First, soak your cashews in hot water for about 5 minutes (Photo 1). Then rinse and drain.
Add cashews, refined coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes and salt to blender (Photo 2).
Boil water and add immediately (carefully!) to blender. Blend until completely smooth (be sure the lid is on tight!!) (Photo 3).
Measure chopped fresh or dried chives (Photo 4).
Add chopped chives to blender mixture and just pulse once or twice (Photos 5 & 6).
Pour hot cheese mixture into a rounded bowl to cool (Photo 7) smooth surface and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so (Photo 8).
Using a butter knife to break the seal, flip the cheese onto a piece of saran wrap or cheesecloth (Photo 9).
Gather the ends of the plastic or cheesecloth and twist gently (Photos 10 &11). Shape the ball gently in your hands in the plastic, tuck the twisted end under and return to the bowl (Photo 12).
Allow the cheese ball to rest in the refrigerator for about 6 hours or overnight. Then gently uncover it.
Roll your cheese ball in finely chopped walnuts or another nut of your choice!
Ahh, now doesn’t that look beautiful??!!! And it tastes amazing, let me tell you! You can serve right away, or place the vegan cheese ball in a covered container to rest until you are ready to enjoy it!
Pro-cooking tip: If you’d like the ‘skin’ on you your cheese ball to harden a bit, just put your cheese ball (after you’ve rolled in the nuts) into the fridge for an hour or more. The longer it’s in the fridge uncovered, the ‘drier’ it will get. (If you’ve used cheesecloth as opposed to plastic to wrap you cheese ball in, it will already be a bit firmer.)
Alternatively, if you’d prefer a firmer cheese ball (this one has more of a ‘cream cheese’ consistency) you can add 2 tsp of Kappa Carrageenan when adding the other dry ingredients to your blender.
I just love how spreadable this vegan cheese ball is, while still holding it’s shape to look pretty at a party on a cheeseboard!
If you’d also like to add some sliceable vegan cheeses to your repertoire, check out my shreddable block cheeses: Real Vegan Mozzarella, Vegan Smoked Gouda, and Pepper Jack!
Right below the recipe card, scroll down to find 10 more amazing Holiday Recipes shared by other bloggers in our Holiday Recipe Party Roundup!!
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Vegan Cheese Ball
Creamy and spreadable while still able to hold it's shape, this vegan cheese ball is sure to be a hit at your next party or event! Don't tell anyone that it it's dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and they'll never guess!
Ingredients
Blender ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw cashew pieces soaked and rinsed
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp Agar Powder
Just before blending add:
- 1 cup water Hot - just boiled
After blending above ingredients until smooth:
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped chives or 2 tsp dried
After Chilling Cheese ball:
- 1/3 cup walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
Soak cashews in hot water for 5 minutes. Then rinse and drain.
Add cashews to blender with refined coconut oil, nutritional yeast flakes, salt and agar powder.
Boil 1 cup water, add (carefully!) to blender, make sure the blender lid is on tight and blend until completely smooth. Stop to scrape down sides of the blender if needed.
Once finished blending, add chopped chives and pulse blender once or twice to incorporate.
Pour cheese into rounded bowl and smooth surface. Place in refrigerator for an hour or so.
Use a butter knife to flip cooled cheese onto plastic wrap or piece of cheese cloth. Gather ends of wrap or cloth and twist gently to form a ball.
Tuck twisted end under cheese ball, return to bowl and refrigerate for about 6 hours or overnight.
Carefully uncover cheese ball and roll in finely chopped walnuts. Serve immediately or return uncovered to refrigerator to further dry the cheese for several hours.
Store leftover cheese ball in covered container in refrigerator for about a week.
Recipe Notes
If you'd prefer a firmer/sliceable cheese ball (this one has more of a 'cream cheese' consistency) you can add 2 tsp of Kappa Carrageenan when adding the other dry ingredients to your blender.
And Here is the Christmas Recipe Blogger Roundup!
Vegan Gingerbread Cake by The Nutriplanet
Holiday Baked Vegan Cheese with Guava Swirl by VeryVeganVal
Vegan Spinach Kale Dip by Plant and Vine
Seriously The BEST Vegan Lasagna by This Healthy Kitchen
Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Shortbread Cookies by Woman In Real Life
White Chocolate peppermint truffles by BakedbyClo
Smokey White Bean Puree (A High Protein Mashed Potato Alternative) by Healthy Helper
Orange cranberry mimosa holiday mocktail by Rhubarbarians
Vegan Brussels Sprouts Salad (with oil-free citrus vinaigrette) by Healthy Midwestern Girl
Vegan Sausage Stuffed Dates by Thyme and Love
I just made this again with less salt and added about 2 tps of lemon juice to give it a little more of a bite. Yumminess!
Awesome!! Love your addition of lemon! Thx for sharing!