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
Flo says
Made this cheese this afternoon and oh myyyy! How perfect and delicious !
Gonna post it on Insta.
Thank you Sam
Hugs from France
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Hugs to you from Toronto Flo 🙂
Olwyn says
I am wondering whether aquafaba could be substituted for the coconut oil as I can't do oil? The cheese ball needs a binder to hold it together - so am just wondering what if anything could be substituted for coconut oil ?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm afraid not. The coconut oil here isn't used for a binder, it's really more to firm up the cheese as coconut oil turns solid in the fridge. Aquafaba would not work the same way. You could skip the coconut oil, but the cheese would be a softer spread and not a ball. Hope that helps!
Christina says
Could tapioca flour or agar take the place of the coconut oil? My fiance is allergic to coconut, so we've been trying to find vegan cheeses that are made without it, and this just sounds tooo good.
Sam Turnbull says
The magic of coconut oil is that it is solid at room temperature, so that's what is key with this recipe. I would say the closest thing you could try to substitute it with is vegetable shortening. Your cheese might be a tad softer, but I think it would work. Enjoy!
Adriane says
I'm really loving the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues? A few of my blog readers have complained about my blog not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox. Do you have any tips to help fix this problem?
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you Adriane!
Nope, I can't say I run into many problems at all. You can read all about my hosting, and blog design in this article if you like 🙂
Gaelle says
Would this work with almond meal (I've used it for your mozarella before)?
Sam Turnbull says
To replace the cashews? Yes, I think that would work fine, just make sure it is blended really well so it is smooth and creamy. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out!
Jennifer Johnson says
So excited to try this. Just wondering if you've tried freezing it? I'd like to make it ahead of an event. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Jennifer,
You can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for a few days, I have never tried freezing it myself, so I am not sure how it would work. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out. 🙂
Milda says
This looks interesting. Though I cook without oil (not that this is cooked). Is it possible to skip coconut oil of will it not hold together?
Sam Turnbull says
Unfortunately, the coconut oil in this recipe is really what holds it together and firms it up in the fridge. I do have a whole section of oil free recipes on my blog however. 🙂
Luke Diebold says
You're my hero! I feel sooo much better after eating your vegan cheese than when I used to eat dairy cheese. Thank you 🙂
Sam says
You're very welcome Luke! So happy you love the recipe 🙂
Beth says
I made this for Christmas eve and it sat next to the Cheese Ball Supreme my family traditionally has - with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing and pastrami. Yes, we find a way to put meat in everything in Texas. At the end of the night, mine was gone. My uber meat eating family loved it and told me it's a keeper for next year. Thanks so much! I used to love the one we had and was feeling sad I wouldn't eat any of it this year. Now I have an option that everyone else likes too!
Sam says
I love that story!!! So happy you got to have a cheese ball and eat it too! The fact that everyone else enjoyed it just makes it so much better. So very happy you loved my recipe so much 🙂
Leigh says
I am having a hard time finding White Miso Paste
Where do you find is locally? When I look online it sales by the pound - does it go bad fast?
Sam says
Hi Leigh,
I found it in my local grocery store in the Asian section. If yours doesn't carry it, any healthy food store definitely will. It is a naturally fermented product, so just keep it in the fridge and it stays fresh basically forever! One tub can last you a very long time. (That said, once I fell in love with the flavour I started using it in dressings, soups, and all over the place).
grace says
i've never had a VEGAN cheeseball, but my interest is definitely piqued! it looks like it has the perfect texture, that's for sure.
Sam says
Thank you Grace! I hope you give it a try and better yet, love it! 🙂
Walt says
I did make this, and it was wonderful. When you said the pecans turned it brown, did you add pecans to the mixture or roll the ball in pecans? I was thinking of trying the latter as a variation because the combination sounds so tasty.
Sam says
So happy you enjoyed it Walt! I did both actually, and also included some cranberries in the mixture. It set overnight which I think made the colour from probably both the pecans and the cranberries seep in more. If you just coat the ball in pecans I am sure you won't have that problem. Enjoy!
Srivani says
This is so silly easy! And super delish!!!! 🙂 All the carnies (I don't mean carnival workers, although with my family, one can never truly tell) LOVED this. And it looks super pretty too. Another hit, Sam. Merry Christmas; and I look forward to more of your great kind culinary creations in 2016. 🙂
Sam says
Aww so happy you and your fan loved it! Merry Christmas to you as well. Many exciting things to come in 2016!
Walt says
This looks very tasty. I don't have any dried cranberries or thyme leaves on hand, though (guess I could go shopping but it is Christmas Eve). What to do, what to do. . . .
Sam says
Haha! Well I hope if you didn't get to it, you do soon 🙂
Pia says
I made today and it turned out very well. The "cheese" tastes like fondue! I forgot to add the thyme, but it was great nonetheless. Thanks for sharing.
Sam says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Pia. 🙂
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
That really does look like a real cheese ball! I really don't think I ever tried a cheese ball before I went vegan, so this will be exciting 🙂
Sam says
Haha! I hadn't either! Turns out they are delicious! (Well at least this vegan one is). Haha
Leslyn says
This looks absolutely delicious. I've been trying to find a great vegan cheese ball recipe and I will give this a try. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
Sam says
You're very welcome Leslyn!
Kathy Sturr says
So pretty and festive ... and KIND! Thank you, love!
Sam says
Awww Kathy! You're so very welcome 🙂
Aliyanna says
Looks really good.....but allergic to miso. Any ideas to replace??
T says
Chickpea miso is an option if it's the soy you're allergic to.
Aliyanna says
No....unfortunately it is the culture that we are allergic to. And that is in all misos....so wondering if there were something to sub for it.
thanks for getting back to me. I really appreciate it.
A
Jordyn says
Maybe try sundried tomatoes? They have a nice umami flavor to them. It'll turn the cheeseball into a slightly different color and I'd rethink the cranberries, but maybe top with more sundried tomatoes.
Sam says
Good idea Jordyn!
Sam says
Hmm.... miso is just for flavour and that umami taste. You could just skip it entirely and see how it tastes, then add any seasonings as necessary. Perhaps some tahini might be a good sub? Let us know what you try and how it turns out 🙂
Meg says
So very excited to try this for Christmas. I am mostly vegan and my son is GF and now dairy free also for health reasons I know we are going to enjoy this thank you for making it so easy.
Sam says
You're very welcome Meg! I hope you and your son love it!
Megan says
How wonderful! I'm cooking entirely vegan Christmas meals for the first time this year. I was trying to figure out something for a "snackish" lunch in between the gargantuan breakfast and dinner I'm fixing. This will be so festive and perfect! Thank you!
Sam says
Wow! That's awesome! I am so excited by your entirely vegan Christmas. Enjoy 🙂