With a season of cheese platters ahead, you need to be prepared. So today I’ve got the Homemade Vegan Cheez Recipe from The PlantPure Kitchen: 130 Mouthwatering, Whole Food Recipes and Tips for a Plant-Based Life by Kim Campbell.
This pimiento-style dairy-free cheese alternative can be sliced and diced for serving with toothpicks or fresh sourdough bread. And when surprised guests ask for the recipe, you can tell them it’s in The PlantPure Kitchen by Kim Campbell (yes, of THAT Campbell family), along with these entertainment-worthy recipes:
Beer Bread- Blue Cheez Dressing
- Spicy Buffalo Pasta Salad
- Asparagus Roll-Ups
- Deviled Mushrooms
- Spicy Nacho Sauce
- Creamy White Bean Soup
- Malai Kofta (Veggie Balls and Curry Sauce)
- Pad Thai
- Sweet Potato Moussaka
- Scalloped Corn
- Mustard-Glazed Potatoes and Kale
- Breaded Onion Rings
- Holiday Stuffing
- Baked Holiday Sweet Potato Casserole
- Raspberry Jam Bars
- Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
- Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
Special Diet Notes: Homemade Vegan Cheez
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.
Homemade Vegan Cheez
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
I wanted to experiment with making my own plant-based cheese, so I searched the web and YouTube for ideas on how to make an oil-free cheese. I didn’t have much luck, but I did learn about agar! Agar is a type of seaweed that comes in a powdered form and becomes gelatinous when dissolved in water and cooked, so it’s a great substitute for gelatin. It’s expensive, but a little goes a long way. You can find it at most natural food stores. Agar flakes also work, but you will need more, since 1 teaspoon agar powder equals 2 teaspoons agar flakes.
Author: Kim Campbell
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage, divided
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons white miso (a soy-free version, if needed)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 8 teaspoons agar powder
- ½ cup chopped pimiento (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried chives (optional)
Instructions
- Optionally line two ramekins, custard cups, or other small ceramic or glass bowls with parchment paper. It makes removal of the cheese easier later.
- Put 1 cup milk beverage, the cashews, lemon juice, tahini, white miso, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Put the remaining 1 cup milk and agar in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the agar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- When the milk beverage and agar mixture has thickened, add the creamy mixture from your blender. Stir continuously as the mixture thickens.
- Stir in the pimiento and chives (if using).
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared ramekins.
- Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cheese is firm, 3 to 4 hours.
- Lift the parchment paper or use a knife to lift the cheese from the ramekin. Grate or slice the cheese to serve.
Notes
Kim’s Hint: You can add many flavorings to make this cheese unique. I have added minced jalapeño, 2 cooked carrots (blended with the cashews), vegan bacon bits, a touch of liquid smoke, and even chopped black or green olives.
This recipe is reprinted with permissions from The PlantPure Kitchen by Kim Campbell. The photo is by Colin Campbell.
This recipe is reprinted with permissions from The PlantPure Kitchen by Kim Campbell. The photo is by Colin Campbell.
More Homemade Cheese Alternative Recipes
Almond Feta (vegan, gluten-free & soy-free)
Easy Cheesy Sauce (vegan, gluten-free & soy-free)
Meltable Muenster (vegan, gluten-free & allergy-friendly)
17 Comments
So maybe I did the agar conversion wrong. You wrote 1 teaspoon of powder equals 2 Tbsp of flakes. 8 tsp powder=16 Tbsp flakes. When I added it to 1 cup of milk it was so thick I couldn’t stir it to dissolve so added it to the blender to make it creamy. It’s setting in the fridge now and seem ok but I just wanted to clarify.
Yikes! Thanks for pointing this out Karen and sorry for your troubles. It looks like a possible typo in her book. It should be 2 TEASPOONS (although many resources sat 1 teaspoon powder = 3 teaspoons flakes).
My son is allergic to cashews and almonds. What other nuts would you substitute?
Macadamia nuts are a good option for dairy-free cheeses for both flavor and creaminess. Other nuts will work, but might have a more pronounced flavor.
The flavor is great! I added finely diced jalapenos. Mine didn’t get very firm though. The agar powder and milk was so thick before I added the other ingredients that I could barely stir it, so I believe I cooked it long enough. Any ideas? Soooo delicious as a spread though, it definitely won’t go to waste! 🙂
You didn’t soak the cashews, correct? You want the cashews to be raw so they can soak up the liquid. For firmer, I would try increasing the cashews. They absorb the moisture as they sit, and can help in firming the cheez more.
Love this! I’ve never made this before but it looks delicious and like such a great idea. Definitely saving!
Wow I’d love to make my own dairy free cheese! This looks so yummy!
It’s SO easy.
OK, this is completely brilliant and so creative! Looks so much better than vegan cheeses I’ve tried.
I think diving into this the world of vegan cheese making could be a lot of fun. The ultimate in kitchen experimentation. But I trust you and your reviews of recipes, so I think I will just start with these great looking vegan cheese recipes.
I would have never known this was vegan cheese without the title!
Right? It looks SO impressive and real!
These look awesome! What a great dairy-free option!
I love the addition of the pimento in here! I love using nutritional yeast too, esp on my popcorn, to give that cheesy taste!
This homemade vegan cheez looks so easy and delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Woah, the texture of that looks fantastic! I haven’t really ventured into vegan cheeses but this looks doable! Can’t wait to try it.