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4.98 from 41 votes

Quick and Easy Vegan Cheese

Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make a homemade vegan cheese recipe that is creamy and delicious! This quick & easy vegan cheese recipe is cheaper and better than store-bought!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 wheels of cheese (about 4 inches diameter)
Author: Sam Turnbull

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw cashews softened (see step 1)
  • cup refined coconut oil melted
  • 2 tablespoons green olive brine (the liquid in a jar of olives)
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • Optional add-ins: coarsely ground black pepper, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, or chopped fresh herbs (such as thyme, dill, rosemary, parsley, or basil)

Instructions

  • Soften the cashews: Add the cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews, by placing the cashews in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the cashews to soak for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using. Both of these methods will soften the cashews making them easier to blend into a creamy texture.
  • Blend the cheese: Add the softened cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will likely get warm when blending from the friction. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.
  • Form the cheese: Line two molds (I used these), or two small bowls with a square of cheesecloth. Divide the cheese among the two cheesecloth-lined molds. If you are adding fresh herbs, sprinkle them over the cheese and then use a chopstick or something similar to swirl the herbs into the cheese. I like to keep one cheese wheel plain, and the other with herbs. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the cheesecloth over the cheese.
  • Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has firmed up. Unwrap and enjoy!

Notes

Storage/ Make Ahead/ Freeze: The cheese can be kept wrapped in the fridge for up to a week or it can be frozen. 
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.
Substitute for coconut oil: 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.
Refined coconut oil: ensure you are using refined coconut oil which has no taste or smell of coconut. Unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut taste which won't be appetizing for this recipe.
Substitute for green olive brine: Sauerkraut, lemon juice, white miso paste, apple cider vinegar, caper brine will all work. They will all provide different tastes but will still be nice.
Substitute for cheesecloth: you could use a clean dishcloth, wax wrap, plastic wrap, or anything like that. The cheesecloth does help dry it out slightly and give the finished cheese a nice texture on the outside, but otherwise, other wraps will work just fine.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 wheel of cheese (recipe makes 2) | Calories: 1031kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 93g | Saturated Fat: 41g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Sodium: 1324mg | Potassium: 864mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 9mg

Find it online:

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/quick-easy-vegan-cheese/