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!!!
Recipe
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 tablespoon Nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoon Kappa carrageenan
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt, scant
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned salt, I use Johnny's
- 1 ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon 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
Jodie
Love love love this cheese!
It is our go to for vegan toasties, my vegan “egg” breakfast buns, sandwiches when traveling, or just for snacking.
As soon as one is done another is being made.
Worth finding kappa carrageenan!!
Lucy Anne
this is absolutely better than dairy gouda. which we have always loved. we can't stop eating it. I want to make several more batches because I never want to run out. I didhowever, use the agar agar method.
Delores
What can I use in the place of the Tapioca Flour that is much less carbs? I have a Keto lifestyle, and am now transitioning to vegan as well.
Thanks.
Kate
I really don't know because most thickeners are carbs (corn starch, tapioca, flour). Keto and vegan is really hard. You can definitely do low carb or lower carb and vegan (search on my site for a list of low carb vegan recipes!), but strict keto where you're at around 20 grams of net carbs + vegan is tricky. Even the cashews in most of my vegan cheese recipes add carbs. It's not just the tapioca that would be the problem.
Shirley
You might want to substitute clear jell, although I've never used it but have seen it recommended a lot
Suus
What can you use as Kappa Carrageenan suptitude?
Kate
You can use agar powder. Double the amount compared to kappa. The texture will be a bit different, not as solid, but it will still be delicious!
Kate
Agar agar powder! I haven't made this specific cheese 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 still works. Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder - so use 3 tablespoons if keeping all other ingredients the same (make sure you use Agar Powder, not Agar Flakes!). Let me know how it works out!!
Kate
Agar agar powder! I haven't made this specific cheese 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 still works. Double the amount recommended in the recipe for Kappa Carrageenan and replace with Agar Powder - so use 3 tablespoons if keeping all other ingredients the same (make sure you use Agar Powder, not Agar Flakes!). Let me know how it works out!!