This vegan cheddar cheese alternative recipe is a sampling from the cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner. This vegan cheddar is a good cheese to have on hand at all times because of its versatility. It’s great for adding to tacos and sandwiches, serving with crackers, and making cheese sauces (perhaps some vegan nachos for the big game?).
Rich and full flavored, this vegan cheddar continues to age and improve in the refrigerator for weeks or even months. What distinguishes it from store-bought vegan cheddar equivalents is that the sharpness is not feigned by adding acidic ingredients; it’s the result of an actual aging process. I often make this several weeks before I want to serve it because it just keeps getting better—deeper, sharper, and more complex in flavor.
You will note the recommendation for storage for up to 4 months. The only reason Miyoko has never aged this vegan cheddar for more than four months is because she hasn’t been able to keep it around longer than that! Although it continues to thicken as it ages, the texture remains more like Cheddar cheese left out on a hot day. (In other words, it’s not quite as firm as dairy-based Cheddar.)
Note that this recipe is a two-in-one. You will need to prepare the Rejuvelac in advance. The Rejuvelac is used in many of the recipes in Artisan Vegan Cheese, so it is a good recipe to master, even beyond this vegan cheddar.
Since Miyoko does use some ingredients that can be more difficult to find, I’ve included links to purchase them online within the recipe. Locally, you can look for the ingredients at natural food stores, but it isn’t likely that they will be stocked at conventional grocers.
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 3 to 8 hours and drained
- ⅔ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ cup rejuvelac (see recipe below)
- ½ cup canola oil (optional; see note below)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons medium brown miso (use a chickpea or brown rice miso for soy-free)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon carrageenan powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- Put the cashews, nutritional yeast, rejuvelac, optional oil, 1 tablespoon of the miso, and the salt in a blender.
- Process until smooth and creamy, occasionally stopping to scrape down the blender jar and move the mixture toward the blades.
- Taste and add more miso if desired.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean glass bowl or container, cover, and let rest at room temperature for 24 to 72 hours, depending on how sharp a flavor you want and the ambient temperature (fermentation will proceed more quickly at warmer temperatures).
- Transfer the cheese to a heavy medium saucepan and stir in the carrageenan and xanthan gum with a wooden spoon.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring almost constantly. The mixture will be very thick, grainy, and difficult to stir at first.
- Keep cooking and stirring until it is smooth and glossy and starts to pull away from the sides
- of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a glass or metal mold and smooth the top.
- Let cool completely at room temperature.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, until firm.
Crock-Style Cheddar: For a softer, spreadable “crock-style” cheese, omit the carrageenan and xanthan gum. After step 2, cover and refrigerate. The cheese will thicken as it chills, but it won’t be firm enough for slicing.
Oil Note: The optional oil will improve the cheese’s ability to melt and give it a smoother mouthfeel. However, I generally don’t use the oil. Omitting the oil won’t affect the flavor of the cheese, and it will still soften if heated. If you wish to heat the cheese, be aware that a skin will form on top, so it is best to spread the warm cheese with a knife.
Carrageenan Substitute: Miyoko originally gave a substitute of 2 tablespoons agar powder as an option, but you have to dissolve it in ⅔ cup water like she does in this recipe before you use it. This does add more liquid to the recipe though, which will make it softer. If you aren't vegan, gelatin is an easier substitute.
- 1 cup whole grains (such as brown rice, Kamut berries, millet, oat groats, quinoa, rye berries, wheat berries, or a combination)
- 6 cups filtered water
- Put the grains in a 1-quart glass jar and add water to cover. Place a double layer of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and secure it with a rubber band. Let the grains soak for 8 to 12 hours.
- Drain, then add just enough water to moisten the grains but not so much that they are immersed in water. Put the jar in a warm place out of direct sunlight for 1 to 3 days and rinse the grains once or twice a day, each time draining well and then adding just enough fresh water to moisten them.
- Continue this process until the grains have begun to sprout (they will have little tails emerging).
- Divide the sprouted grains equally between two 1-quart glass jars. Pour 3 cups of the filtered water into each jar. Cover each jar with fresh cheesecloth and secure it with rubber bands. Put the jars in a warm place out of direct sunlight for 1 to 3 days. The water will turn cloudy and white, and the liquid will have a slightly tart flavor, somewhat like lemon juice.
- Strain the liquid into clean glass jars and discard the grains.
96 Comments
I have made this twice now. Once using the recommended oil which seeped out of the cheese in an unpleasant way. The second time I tried it without adding oil and I found the Cashews had enough oil without it oozing out everywhere.
I was browsing the comments and noticed a question about using gelatin instead. I’m vegan myself so gelatin wouldn’t work but what about a fruit pectin? I know that can be used in place of gelatin for several vegan alternations as well as canning. Any thoughts on that?
It might work, but I’ve never seen pectin as an ingredient in any vegan cheeses, so I imagine there might be some preparation or texture issues.
This same thing is happening to me! What do I do? What did I mess up??
What thing is that? I can’t tell what you are commenting on Rachel.
I use quinoa for the rejuvelac. It works quickly and makes a nice, sharp cheese. Also, if you omit the thickeners, you get a nice cheese spread. My hub loves it on homemade gluten-free bagels. This also works wonders in a WF Mac and Cheese by making the cheese into a sauce with plant based milk, salt or salt substitute, nutritional yeast, and a bit of miso.
Scratch that, no miso, add cashews. Don’t know what I was thinking. 3 cups water, 3/4 cups cashews and blend well. Heat in saucepan. When hot, add 1 cup sharp cheddar (above), 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast, and a dash of salt and cook on low until thick.
Thank you for your detailed feedback on this recipe Lisa!
can I use any other nut? i am not keen on cashews in vegan cheeses, i tried the basic agar version before and detest the taste. brazils maybe?
Hi Judy, I can’t guarantee how it will taste, but Brazil nuts, almonds, or macadamia should functionally work.
I just read that I was supposed to dissolve the the Agar in water first?!?!? And that that is explained in “Miyoko’s comments”. Where are these comments? I can’t find them in this thread. Also, I now have a 2 week old container full of grainy paste. Should I just toss it? Is it salvageable? Also, could you amend the recipe to include those instructions? I feel like I have wasted so much time and so many ingredients because this was not explained in the recipe.
Unfortunately, for some reason, Miyoko deleted her comments. I have no idea why or when that happened! She has directions for dissolving the agar in another recipe, so I’ve added this with a precaution. I’ve used agar for cheese recipe development, but never as a carrageenan substitute, so I have to defer to her method. When I researched, this seems to be the best option if you need to use agar.
In terms of the cheese, you should be able to melt it back down, and at the least, use it for a cheese sauce.
my cheddar has been in fridge 2 weeks and still seems like a paste. What have I done wrong?
After you mix everything in the blender, you say to cover the mixture and let it sit out to ferment for 24-72 hours. Should it be covered with a solid lid, or just covered with cheesecloth? I’m really excited to make this! I’m in the middle of fermenting the rejuvelac right now!
I would cover it with a cheesecloth or clean tea towel.
Thanks, Alisa! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!