Author: This vegan Cranberry Cheese Ball is creamy, flavorful, and festive, perfect for your holiday charcuterie boards. Made with simple ingredients and so easy to pull together. Even non-vegans can't stop eating it!
If you're looking for the ultimate holiday appetizer, this Cranberry Cheese Ball is it. A vegan cheese ball might sound complicated, but it's actually super simple to make with everyday ingredients, and you can prep it ahead of time (hello, stress-free entertaining!). The result? A smooth and creamy cheese ball coated in bright cranberries and fresh thyme that looks gorgeous on any table.
Why This Cranberry Cheese Ball Is the Perfect Party Appetizer
- A snack for all: This cranberry vegan cheese ball the kind of recipe that wins over everyone, vegans, vegetarians, and even the cheese lovers who swear they'd never give up dairy.
- So many serving options: Serve it with crackers, crostini, or veggies, add it to a Vegan Snack Board, and watch your guests go back for "just one more bite" until it disappears.
- Easy to make: Just blend everything together until smooth and creamy, shape, and chill. And since it's awesome for making in advance, it makes your day-of party prep easier too!
Vegan Cranberry Cheese Ball Ingredients
- Raw cashews: You can either boil the cashews for 10 minutes or soak them for about 4 hours until they are tender.
- Lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and white miso: Each of these ingredients adds a different flavor that mimics the complexity of dairy cheese.
- Refined coconut oil: Helps the cheese ball firm up in the fridge so it slices and spreads like the real thing. Be sure to use refined coconut oil to avoid any coconut flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic makes the flavor pop!
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors and helps balance the sweetness from the cranberries.
- Fresh thyme leaves: Give the cheese ball an herby, aromatic freshness.
- Dried cranberries: For sweetness, texture, and a festive pop of color.
How to Make a Vegan Cheese Ball With Cranberries and Thyme
- Process: Drain the cashews and add to a food processor along with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, coconut oil, white miso paste, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the thyme leaves and blend to combine.
- Shape and chill: Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, and scoop the cheese mixture into the bowl. Gather up the sides of the plastic wrap and twist to form a ball. Let the cheese ball firm up in the freezer for about an hour, or for a couple of hours in the fridge.
- Add the cranberries: Remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap, and press the cranberries onto the outside of the ball.
Tips for Success
- Blend well: Chunks of cashews ruin that cheese illusion! Make sure you process until the mixture is completely smooth. You really can't overdo it since perfectly smooth is what we're going for.
- Adjust the shape: If your ball is kind of a funny shape, you can lightly pat it into a rounded shape.
- Let it soften a bit before serving: Especially if your fridge runs cold, you'll want it to sit at room temperature a few minutes to soften.
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Wrap this vegan cranberry cheese ball tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the cheese ball in plastic wrap, then add a layer of foil or place it in a freezer-safe container to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
If you try this vegan cranberry cheese ball recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Cranberry Cheese Ball With Fresh Thyme
This is the BEST VEGAN CHEESE ever!! Just 9 ingredients and so easy to make. So smooth, creamy, and flavourful everyone will love it. Perfect appetizer for any party.
Servings: cheese ball
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- You can either boil or soak the cashews. To boil the cashews: add the cashews to a small pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or longer until tender.
- Drain the cashews and add to a food processor along with the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, coconut oil, white miso paste, garlic, and salt. Blend until very smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the thyme leaves to the food processor and blend to mix in.
- Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, and scoop the cheese mixture into the bowl. Gather up the sides of the plastic wrap and twist to form a ball. Let the cheese ball firm up in the freezer for about an hour, or for a couple of hours in the fridge.
- Remove the now firm cheese ball from the plastic wrap, and press the cranberries onto the outside of the ball. You can also lightly press the ball to get a rounder shape if desired. You can serve it right away, or keep the cheese ball covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve with crackers.
Notes
Substitute for cashews: cashews are my preference as they are creamy and mild in flavor, but if you need to substitute them you can use macadamia nuts, blanched almonds, or raw sunflower seeds. All of these nuts and seeds will need to be boiled for about 15 minutes to ensure they have softened. If using sunflower seeds you may want to add a touch of sweetness such as agave to help cut the bitterness.
Substitute for coconut oil: Ensure that you are using refined coconut oil which is odorless and flavorless so that your cheese doesn't taste like coconut. Coconut oil becomes solid when chilled so this is what firms up the cheese. No other oil will work for this, but if needed you can try substituting vegetable shortening. If you are oil-free you can omit the oil but note that this will be more of a creamy spread and will not firm up in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (1 cheese ball is about 8 servings) | Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
Kelly O’Connor says
This looks amazing and I’d love to try making it for New Year’s Eve but I don’t have fresh herbs in hand. Would it be better to omit or use could dried be used? Also would any other herbs work here well with cranberries?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Kelly! Dried herbs can work in a pinch, just use a smaller amount since they’re stronger, or you can simply omit the herbs and it will still be delicious 😊
Laurie says
Delicious! The best tasting cheese ball ever! And so easy to make!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Laurie! Yay!! So happy you loved it 😊 Thanks so much for the lovely feedback!
Kathie says
Requested for every family get together (and other times in between!) All your recipes are winners, but this one is so easy too! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
So happy to hear that, Kathie! That one’s a favorite in our house too 😊
Mary Preziosi says
We sort of liked this one but it doesn't really taste like much. We find it bland. I am going to experiment with adding a little more lemon and miso because the consistency is pretty much perfect and I'd love to serve it for the holiday. Thanks for posting it!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the texture, and absolutely, feel free to bump up the lemon, miso, garlic, or salt to suit your taste. This recipe is super customizable, so a touch more acidity or umami can really brighten the flavor. Hope your holiday version turns out perfect! 💛
Amber says
I love your recipes and I use this site all the time, I also bought your books so I support you in all ways and I gotta say, your website is becoming unusable. The ads are too much. I literally have trouble reading the recipes because the ads have become too bad. It's a horrible and unpleasant experience to come here now.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Amber, sorry to hear you are experiencing this. If possible would you be able to take screenshots and send them to hello@itdoesnttastelikechicken.com ? No ads should be blocking content or anything like that! We actually have less ads on our site than is standard in our industry! THanks so much!
Nozomi says
After mixing everything in the food processor, the dough was a bit coarse. I had to mix 2 tablespoons of coconut cream. The dough was soft when I got it out to a plastic wrap, so It made me nervous. One hour after refrigeration, it became solid. I’m planning to serve it for Thanksgiving dinner appetizer.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Nozomi, I just want to check, did you make sure to soften the cashews first? And are you using raw cashews (not roasted)? Both of those steps will make a big difference on how smooth the cheese gets. I hope that helps!
Bonnie Spruin says
Could you substitute avocado for the coconut oil? I don't do oil. This would be good with some homemade red lentil crackers for the holidays.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Bonnie! I just added a note for you on the recipe card. You can simply omit the coconut oil. The cheeseball won't firm up as much, it will be more of a spread, but it will still be delicious. You could put it into a dish and garnish the top with dried cranberries. Enjoy!