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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Cheeses

    May 19, 2019 93 Comments

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese

    8.7K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Ok, this is serious. This is my vegan sharp cheddar cheese recipe and there's a problem- I can't stop snacking on it!! Vegan sharp cheddar cheese on crackers, layered on sandwiches, smeared onto crusty bread, crumbled onto salad, grated onto soup, shoved directly into mouth. This cheese is a creamy, tangy, cheddary problem that I'm very, very happy to have.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    But there's more! (Do I sound like an infomercial yet)? It only takes 9 easy-to-find ingredients to make this vegan cheddar cheese. Just blend them up in a food processor, and then chill in the fridge to set. Done! Easy peasy vegan cheesy. (Yeah, even I rolled my eyes at that one).

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    My vegan sharp cheddar cheese is a slightly different texture than traditional cheese. It isn't as rubbery and instead, it has a crumbly yet spreadable texture all at the same time. You can freeze the cheese for an extra-firm texture, perfect for slicing or grating, or serve it cold from the fridge for the perfect snacking texture. The coconut oil is what makes this cheese firm, so the longer it sits at room temperature, the softer it will get.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    To make Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese: start by softening the cashews to make them tender enough to blend smoothly. To soften them 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. Drain and rinse before using.
    • To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or longer until tender. Drain and rinse before using.

    Add the softened cashews, along with all the remaining ingredients to a small food processor.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    Blend, stopping and scraping the sides as needed until the cheese is as smooth as possible. The smoother, the better so don't be afraid to blend for a long time.

    * If you have a large food processor, it can be difficult to smoothly blend a small amount of cheese, so I often double the recipe so it's easier to blend in my large food processor. Then I will freeze half and save it for later. The recipe is doubled in the pictures.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    Scoop the cheese mixture into a dish lined with plastic wrap, or into a small silicon baking dish, and smooth out the cheese. Cover and then chill in the fridge until completely firm. About 3 hours or overnight. Enjoy the cheese as you please! The cheese will become softer the more it warms up, so for extra-firm cheese, you could freeze it.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    This cheese is perfect for snacking or as an addition to a gorgeous vegan cheese board.

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese! Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegancheese #dairyfree

    While this cheese does melt a bit, it's not ideal for nachos or similar uses. For a very melty and stretchy cheddar style cheese, I would recommend instead making my melty stretchy gooey vegan nacho cheese.

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

    Print Recipe
    4.98 from 43 votes

    Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese

    Just 9 easy ingredients and 15 minutes to make. So easy and totally delicious. Perfect for snacking, serving on a vegan cheese board, or adding to sandwiches.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Chilling time:3 hrs
    Total Time15 mins
    Course : Snack
    Cuisine : AmericanBritishCanadian
    Servings: 6
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup raw cashews, softened (see step 1)
    • ¼ cup refined coconut oil
    • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika, (use smoked paprika for a smoky cheese)
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
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    Instructions

    • Softening the cashews makes them tender enough to blend smoothly. To soften them 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. Drain and rinse before using. To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for 4 hours or longer until tender. Drain and rinse before using. 
    • Add the softened cashews, along with all the remaining ingredients to a small food processor*. Blend, stopping and scraping the sides as needed, until the cheese is as smooth as possible.
    • Scoop the cheese mixture into a dish lined with plastic wrap, or into a small silicon baking dish, and smooth out the cheese. Cover and then chill in the fridge until completely firm, about 3 hours or overnight. Enjoy the cheese as you please! The cheese will be come softer the more it warms up, so for extra-firm cheese you could freeze it.

    Notes

    *If you have a large food processor, it can be difficult to smoothly blend a small amount of cheese. I often double the recipe so it's easier to blend smoothly in my food processor, and then I will freeze half and save it for later.
    This cheese is perfect for snacking or vegan cheese boards. While this cheese does melt a bit, it's not ideal for nachos or similar uses. For a very melty and stretchy cheddar style cheese, I would recommend instead making my melty stretchy gooey vegan nacho cheese.
    The coconut oil is mandatory for this recipe as it has the unique ability to be liquid when warm, but solid when chilled. This helps give the cheese it's amazing texture. Use refined coconut oil which is flavourless so your cheese won't have a coconut taste.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1.9mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Margie says

      March 25, 2023 at 11:34 am

      I try to not use coconut oil because it is high in saturated fat. What oil could be used instead in making these cheeses?

      Reply
    2. Audrey says

      November 25, 2022 at 9:17 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for our cheese board at Thanksgiving this year and it was a hit! Everyone thought it was delicious. Will definitely be making again!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 03, 2022 at 1:10 pm

        Yay!! So happy to hear that 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jasmine S. says

      August 22, 2022 at 1:58 pm

      Is is good for making a grilled cheese?

      Reply
    4. Annie says

      August 19, 2022 at 12:53 am

      I can't find miso in my area. Can you suggest and alternative, please?

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        August 19, 2022 at 11:15 am

        You could try sauerkraut. Enjoy!

        Reply
    5. Courtney says

      August 18, 2021 at 6:46 pm

      Listen to Sam, soak those cashews! I thought I'd be cute and not. "I have a Breville, she thought. It can handle it." But it indeed could not handle it.

      The flavor is bomb. But even with 3x the oil its still grainy. We'll still eat it because it's delicious. But if you want to serve this to people, SOAK YOUR CASHEWS!

      Reply
    6. Katherine Palacios says

      July 08, 2021 at 12:03 pm

      Hi Sam. I am always looking looking for vegan cheese recipes so I was really excited to try this. However, the vinegar flavor is overpowering to me. I only used 1tsp, not 1.5, and it still is too much. Is there anything I can do at this point to get rid of the vinegar flavor? I hate to throw away something that used an entire cup of cashews.

      LMK
      thanks

      Reply
      • Celeste says

        March 25, 2023 at 2:06 pm

        A 100%vegan diet needs saturaded fats so your body can make cholesterol. There is no animal cholesterol in the vegan diet. Your body needs some cholesterol. I got very sick years ago bc I had no cholesterol at all in my body.

        Reply
    7. Jenni Baker says

      June 28, 2021 at 1:19 am

      Hi. I’m excited to try this-just recently needing to go dairy free.

      But I’m also allergic to coconut-what can I use instead?

      Thank you!!!

      Reply
    8. Brandon says

      May 20, 2021 at 6:52 am

      5 stars
      I made this recipe exactly as it's written except that I doubled the recipe and am so pleased that I did! It was very easy to whip up in my Vitamix. I made it in the morning, stored it in the fridge, and by dinner time I took it out to try it on some crackers. A smooth, firm texture with a bit of a flavorful zing. I proceeded to use it for grilled cheese, and after leaving it out just a bit to warm up, it was easily spreadable. The recipe above is enough for 4 grilled cheeses. Since I doubled the recipe, I have my other half that I've stored in the freezer for a later date. 10/10 will be making this again!

      Reply
    9. Michelle says

      April 20, 2021 at 8:15 pm

      5 stars
      Can't find refined coconut oil?? I LOVE this cheese and make it regularly. However lately I have been unable to find refined coconut oil anywhere. Out of desperation I finally bought a bottle of liquid coconut oil, even though it isn't labeled as being refined (I assumed the process of making it liquid probably meant some refinement occurred.) Success! There's no coconut flavour, the cheese is delicious as always and interestingly enough, after using liquid coconut oil, the cheese doesn't firm up in the fridge as much as usual, which is fine by me because I spread it on crackers or bagels. So if you can't find refined coconut oil, buy the liquid kind!

      Reply
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