Creamy, sliceable, shreddable and meltable, this Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese recipe is completely irresistible and can be created in your very own kitchen in just minutes!
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 Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese. But first, some questions and answers....
Can you 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!! This cheese is such a confidence booster and a game changer!
This cashew cheese can be used in any recipe because it is sliceable, meltable, shreddable like regular cheese. It is also fantastic as part of a vegan charcuterie board.
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!
Why would you make vegan cheese?
- it's non-dairy
- it tastes amazing
- it's cheap
- it's easy to make
- it cooperates (will slice, shred, melt)
- it is low in fat compared to dairy-cheese
- it is low in fat compared to non-dairy store-bought cheese
- it's also soy-free and gluten-free
What's in this Smoked Gouda 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 in the health food section.
- Tapioca Flour - a thickener with a slightly 'stretchy' texture. I usually buy online but many local health food 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.
- Wright's Hickory Smoke Flavor - It adds a lovely smoke flavor and can be widely obtained.
- Seasoned Salt - I use Johnny's that I buy at Costco, but you can also get it here!
Steps to Make Vegan Smoked Gouda:
Assemble all your ingredients (Photo above). Rinse Cashews under hot running water for several minutes. (Photo 1 below)
Add all the ingredients to the blender except for the water. (Photo 2)
Add boiling water to blender and blend until smooth. (Photo 3)
Pour immediately into heat safe dish (your mold) and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to harden. (Photo 4)
Slice or grate, and enjoy!
Cooking tip:
Don't skip the 'rinse your cashews under HOT tap water for several minutes' step. Not only does this soften the cashews for blending, but it removes that 'cashewy' flavor so the final cheese doesn't taste nutty.
Super excited for you guys to experience the joys of making awesome vegan cheese at home! Let me know how it goes, and if you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll try to help out!! (For a video tutorial of making this style cheese, please see the links for my vegan mozzarella cheese recipe below. )
Check out these other vegan cheese recipes:
- Vegan mozzarella cheese
- Vegan cheddar cheese
- Vegan herb cheese
- Vegan cheese ball
- Vegan feta cheese
- Vegan pepper Jack
- Best vegan cream cheese
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Vegan nacho sauce
If you’ve tried this Vegan Smoked Gouda 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!!!
Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup Raw cashew pieces, Rinsed under hot water for several minutes
- ¼ cup Refined coconut oil
- ¼ cup Tapioca flour
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 ½ Tbsp Kappa carrageenan
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 tsp Sea salt, scant
- 1 tsp Seasoned salt, I use Johnny's
- 1 ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Hickory smoke flavor, I used Wright's
- 1 ½ Cup HOT (just boiled) water
Instructions
- Select a heat-safe preferably glass dish that can hold approx 3C and set aside. (This is your cheese mold.)
- Rinse the c¼ashews under HOT water for several minutes.
- Put your water in a small pot on the stove to boil.
- Add all ingredients (except the water!) 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.
- 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 2-3 hours 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. Yeay! You are officially a cheese-maker!
Notes
Nutrition
Made this yesterday and all I can say is wow! I can't believe how tasty this is 🙂 My husband absolutely loves the smoked gouda we buy sliced at the store (vegan) and being able to make this means we won't have to buy it any longer! It's so awesome to be able to make this myself and wow all of my non-vegan friends 🙂 thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks so much!! Enjoy!
Hi there I made your cheese this morning it’s been cooling in my fridge for five hours now and it hasn’t hardened is there something I can do to fix this or do I need to make a new batch? What could be the problem?
Hmm I am not sure.. would it work as a spreadable cheese at least? It should still melt if you want to use it on pizza or something. I am not sure how to harden this batch (maybe melt it and blend in a little bit more cashews?), but if you try another batch, make sure your water is HOT, just boiling.
This cheese has always been so easy to make. The texture and taste are very similar to dairy cheese. I have found that if I didn’t follow the recipe to a T, it wouldn’t turn out correctly. If the cheese isn’t firming up, it may be that there is not the recommended amount of kappa carrageenan added into your recipe. This is the ingredient that gives it the firm texture.
I just LOVE this "cheese!" I always make a double batch and freeze it it smaller portions. For salt, I use a combination of smoked sea salt, seasoned salt, and a very bit of black salt (kala namak). Thank you!!!
I am going to use agar agar to replace kappa carrageenen. What would your recommendation Be? Any tips? I cannot locate that ingredient and I already have agar agar in my pantry. Thanks
Hi! Yes - I haven't made this cheese specifically with agar agar, but it works fine for my mozzarella cheese, it just makes the cheese not quite as firm or as melty, but it works. , Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder - so use 3 tablespoons if not tweaking the recipe amount (make sure you use Agar Powder, not Agar Flakes!). Let me know how it works out!!
Hi! your recipe looks yummy!
I was wondering what do you think if i use this cheese in a grilled sandwich?
Regards
Maria
I think that would be a great idea! And I would love to see how it comes out - feel free to take a picture and tag me on Facebook (@veganblueberry) or Instagram (@theveganblueberry) so I can see!
I have just made this and your Philly style cream cheese. I will NEVER by shop bought again!!! My goodness, Woman! You are a vegan former dairy addict’s dream come true! Thank you for what must have been a whole load of hard work and experimentation to develop these wonderful cheeses ????
Aww! You made my day! So glad you enjoyed the recipes! Thanks for commenting!
LOVE the taste and look but mine always comes out with a slightly sponge-like / airy texture. Any ideas on how to firm up / make more dense? I've tried different levels of Kappa Carrageenan and Tapioca powder to no avail.
Save out your kappa carrageenan until everything else is blended completely smooth. Then add the carrageenan and blend another 15 seconds or so, and then pour directly into your mold and chill. If this doesn't take care of the problem, then most likely your water isn't hot enough... An alternative method is to blend everything until smooth and then cook the blended mixture in a saucepan over medium heat (stirring frequently to avoid burning) until it is bubbly. This will help fully activate the carrageenan if it isn't able to activate fully in the blender. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the recipe.
How long will the cheese keep for?
It lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen, but the texture changes a little. Hope that helps!
This is a very good cheeze recipe with one question...after initial cooling and wrapping, should the cheeze be kept chillled or at room temp. for the next couple days?
Glad you like the recipe! I recommend keeping it refrigerated!
I see someone already asked about cashew substitutes. As I am someone who is allergic to almonds as well, what would you suggest as an alternative to... that alternative? ?
I have readers who have used soaked sunflower seeds. I haven't tried it myself, but they tell me it's yummy! Hope that helps!