If one day I rubbed my tea kettle and a magic cooking genie came out (I'm picturing the genie looking like Julia Child), and she declared "I will grant you one magic cooking wish!" (did you just read that in her warbly voice? Because I totally did). I would wish for the ability to go back in time when I ate all the non-vegan things, and take extremely detailed notes about the flavours, textures, and what could possibly taste similar in the vegan cooking world.
One of the more challenging things I do for my recipes is to try and recall tastes that I last had over 4 years ago if not longer! I have done this with my nacho cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cheese ball, but also in "meatier" type recipes such as my chili, and my bolognese, and even in desserts when making peanut butter cups, and pumpkin pie. Let me tell you, replicating flavours from memory is tough stuff, and it always has me digging through my fridge and pantry tasting random things, looking for the perfect missing flavour.
There are few things more exciting when people exclaim that my recipe tastes just like the non-vegan version or EVEN BETTER! Woot! Joy.
Once again, I have attempted reaching the far corners of my taste memory and I made this Vegan Blue Cheese Dip.
This vegan blue cheese dip is tangy, creamy, a little tart, full of umami, and even has chunks of cheesy(ish) goodness throughout. Best yet, it only requires 6 ingredients and can be whipped up in under 5 minutes. Just add everything to a bowl, stir, enjoy. My kinda recipe!
Whether it tastes exactly the same as traditional blue cheese dip, I'm not sure, but I will tell you one thing, it is a mighty tasty dip! And it makes the perfect accompaniment to buffalo flavoured things- I bet you have an idea of what recipe is coming up next, you clever minx you. ;
Vegan Blue Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan mayonaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dill
- ¼ block medium or firm tofu (about 85g), crumbled
Instructions
- Add everything but the tofu to a bowl and stir well to combine. Once mixed, add in the tofu crumbles, and give it another stir to mix in. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
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Jules says
Used homemade vegan mayo (why have I been paying $5 a jar for this stuff ~ it's crazy easy to make and takes about .50 cents in ingredients ~ and tastes so much better!). This tastes weirdly like the real thing, especially w/ the crumbled tofu for texture. I fed it to my husband who didn't notice. And he's a huge bleu cheese fan! This is going to be a definite staple in my fridge! Thanks again Sam!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Amazing!
Tara W says
This is delicious! I've made it twice so far - the first time was with the crumbled tofu and last night with vegan feta. In my opinion, the vegan feta is far superior! I was shocked at how it tasted just like regular blue cheese. Also, I used fresh dill and added chives and parsley. Delicious!
Thanks for all the great recipes, Sam! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome 🙂
Megan says
Hi, I just found you on YouTube , how wonderful for me .
Do you think one could substitute cashew cream ( soaked cashew and water blended) for the vegan mayo?
Thanks for all the recipes I’m looking forward to trying them.
Mēgan (rhymes with vegan )
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Megan, and welcome! If you are looking for a lightened up version of this, I would actually recommend my vegan blue cheese dressing instead which uses tofu. 🙂
Courtney Farmer says
Made as is and y husband and I absolutely loved this with your crispy buffalo cauliflour. Thanks for sharing! This will be a new regular.
Kimberly Walls says
Love this recipe! I've made it multiple times and they family even loves them! I made both the cauliflower and tofu bites and both were delicious especially with your vegan Blue Cheese Dip. I do have a recipe suggestion for you Sam since your taste memory for foods is spot on. How about a Vegan Hot Buffalo "Chicken" Dip? It was one of my favorites at parties but since I'm mostly plant based now it would be nice to have a vegan alternative! Thanks! I miss your Youtube videos just so ya kjow!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks, Kimberly! I've added that dip to my ide list 🙂 I hope you saw the latest Youtube video 🙂
Linda says
Maybe made with jackfruit and thinned out gooey vegan mozzarella?
Cathy Bodell says
Would this work as blue cheese salad dressing if it was thinned out a little with some unsweetened original almond milk?
Sam Turnbull says
I have a blue cheese salad dressing recipe here. 🙂
Kimberly Walls says
Is there another herb you would recommend as a substitute? I loved blue cheese before I went dairy free but absolutely cannot stand the taste of dill! Would love to try this recipe though!
Sam Turnbull says
You can just skip it. Enjoy!
Kimberly Walls says
Thanks Sam. Did exactly that and it's crazy how much this tastes like blue cheese!
Rebecca Regnier says
I used tarragon and it worked great!
Joe says
servigns are what we get when we go to heaven
servings is more likely what you meant 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
I don't see that typo anywhere?
Linda says
It's on the nutritional information, at the top.
lollorosso says
I would love to try this, but I think I only have red miso. Do you think it'll still work?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm sure the flavour would be ok, but it would make your dip a funny colour.
louis says
Hello there, i'm Louis from Greece and i think i am going to love this recipe! I was wondering if i can use soy sauce or vegetable stock instead of miso paste. is it going to taste the same???
Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
It will not get the same taste. Miso has a unique umami flavour which is what really helps get the blue cheese taste here. I hope you enjoy it!
Jenn says
I was a bleu cheese junkie. Tried this tonight with the buffalo cauliflower...oh man! Soooo good! (both recipes!) I did not have tofu, so I omitted it, but didn't miss it. Also did not have any miso paste. A quick search and I found tahini suggested as a sub. Worked wonderfully. Thank you so much!.
Sam Turnbull says
yay! So happy you enjoyed them both, Jenn 😀
Marilyn says
Do you use fresh or dried dill?
Sam Turnbull says
dried 🙂
Cal says
Great tasting stuff! I used chopped garbanzo beans in place of the tofu. Works great!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So glad you liked it 🙂
Cal says
BTW I used a pastry cutter to chop the garbanzo beans. Leave no beans un-chopped. Very favorable results testing this with a bunch of guys at beer club.
Sam Turnbull says
Great idea!!
Mary says
This was delicious! I'm vegetarian so I made both this recipe and a standard blue cheese dip and asked my family (five people in all) to taste test them. Three people strongly preferred your dip, one liked both equally, and one preferred the blue cheese dip.
Your dip doesn't taste exactly like blue cheese dip, but it has a surprisingly similar sort of presence. If my blue cheese dip was like some of the lighter blue cheese dips I've had, I think they would have been even closer. I did add a squeeze of lemon, a small clove of garlic and a bit of salt and pepper to your recipe in order to try to make the two dips more similar, but then I made it a second time exactly as you've written it. It was fabulous both times.
I'm going to make it again this weekend with the buffalo cauliflower. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
Wow! Great review. Thanks for doing a side by side taste test! Great to know how the response was, and even better to know that the vegan one won!! So happy you love the recipe Mary 🙂
Joanne says
Not a comment, but a question. What brand of vegan mayo do you use? I have tried several, but haven't found one that I really love.
Sam Turnbull says
Right now I have been enjoying Hellmann's vegan mayo, but I often make my own as well (recipe will be in my cookbook). 🙂
Joanne says
Thanks!! Looking forward to your recipe! Can't wait to try with your cauliflower buffalo wings. I LOVE roaster cauliflower in all different forms!!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! I hope you saw that my Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower recipe is now available 🙂
Amy Morris says
That looks delicious! Since I'm an omni who just prefers to eat vegan most of the time, you can just feel free to send me any recipes you want to test! 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, awesome! Let me know if you like this one 🙂
Teresa says
I try to avoid tofu since I have autoimmune disease, is there a substitution?
Sam Turnbull says
It's just for texture, so you could easily skip it and still have all the flavour. 🙂
Jerri says
Makes me wonder if one could add marinated tempeh that's been cooked crumbed and cooled instead of tofu. Than added to the said recipe? I usually make my own tempeh using white or black beans. No soy for me! What type of marinate would you use?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely. The texture would be quite different as I am using a medium or firm tofu, and tempeh is much denser, but it would add some crumbles. I don't marinate the tofu in this, it's just for texture.
Delia Fey says
What kind of miso? I never know what kind to use. I have a white kind and a sweet one I think is brown.
You rock!!! Recipe invention is fun. When I have the time, I like to try and recreate dishes I have had at restaurants or other people's houses. Such a yummy and creative endeavor! Not always successful but that's the fun and challenge of trying to do it.
Sam Turnbull says
You're right, I forgot to be specific about the miso, I updated the recipe, I used white miso paste. I love re-creating restaurant dishes too! 🙂
kathy says
I ordered the miso from the link in the recipe but got miso broth instead of white miso paste...my bad, I didn't examine the link closely enough. I'm not familiar with miso. Can the paste be substituted for the broth somehow?
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's too bad. Sometimes when a product is out of stock, Amazon will flip you to a similar product, (in this case not similar enough!). I'm afraid the broth will be too mild in flavour and won't do much except make the recipe watery. You could used the broth instead of the water and miso paste in this soup recipe, however. Enjoy!
Debbie Pyle says
I love the flavor of bleu cheez. Can't wait to try this. And...I love it when I already have everything to execute a new recipe! Will let you know how it goes!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I hope you love it Debbie 🙂
Kathy says
Yum! I have this thing lately where I want blue cheese with my (vegan) pizza. Now I can have it all — thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Woo hoo!! I hope you love it 🙂