Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (2024)

4.98 from 37 votes

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Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make (plus chilling time) and you can have a homemade vegan cheese recipe that is creamy, spreadable, and delicious! This quick & easy vegan cheese recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients, is more affordable than store-bought cheese, and tastes so much better! Ready to experiment with making your own vegan cheese? Let's go!

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (1)

Over the years I have posted a ton of delicious vegan cheese recipes. Some of the cheese are more complicated than others, and some are made using ingredients that are a little more difficult to source. So I decided it was time to go back to the basics and make the most perfect, super simple cheese recipe! Made from just cashews, coconut oil, salt, garlic, and my secret ingredient: olive brine (which makes it taste tangy and like it has been aged). You won't believe how amazing this tastes!

Plus, if you are feeling a little creative you can stir in freshly chopped herbs, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, coarsely ground black pepper, or any other fun add-ins you can think of. In these pics I added fresh thyme leaves, lemon zest, and black pepper. These cheeses are freezer-friendly so I love to make 2 or more blocks at once and store them for later so that I have a delicious round of cheese anytime I desire.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (2)

Common questions about vegan cheese:

What is vegan cheese?

Traditional cheese is made from animal milk whereas vegan cheese is made from various nuts, seeds, soy, tapioca, oils, or other ingredients. In this recipe, the base of the cheese is made from raw cashews. See the recipe notes for other variations.

What is vegan cheese made of?

Raw cashews, refined coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. You can also optionally add in chopped fresh herbs, lemon zest, coarsely ground black pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes to jazz it up a little! Raw cashews are the base of the cheese which will make it smooth and creamy. Refined coconut oil will add richness and also make the cheese firm up in the fridge. Olive brine adds an aged tang to the cheese, and garlic and salt are flavor enhancers.

How to use this vegan cheese?

This quick & easy vegan cheese is best enjoyed as a snack. Serve with crackers or bread, spread the cheese on top, and enjoy! It's also fantastic dolloped onto a fresh bowl of pasta, crumbled over roasted vegetables, spread onto toast and topped with jams or fresh fruit, add to a salad, or amp up your vegan cheeseboard.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (3)

How to Make Vegan Cheese:

To start you will need to first soften your cashews so that they will be easier to blend until a smooth and creamy cheese.

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.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (4)

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.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (5)

Form the cheese: Line two molds (I usedthese), or two small bowls with a square ofcheesecloth.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.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (6)

I like to keep one cheese wheel of quick & easy vegan cheese plain with no add-ins, and the other wheel with added herbs. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the cheesecloth over the cheese.

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Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has firmed up. Unwrap and enjoy!

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This cheese is...

  • creamy
  • tangy
  • spreadable and melty
  • 5 ingredients
  • 15 minutes to make
  • freezer-friendly

More delicious homemade vegan cheese recipes:

Easy Vegan Blue Cheese
Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese
Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Cranberry Thyme Vegan Cheese Ball
Vegan Parmesan
Vegan Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

If you try this quick & easy vegan cheese recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.

Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (9)

4.98 from 37 votes

(click stars to vote)

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: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 2 wheels of cheese (about 4 inches diameter)

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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)

US Customary - Metric

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.

    Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (10)

  • 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.

    Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (11)

  • Form the cheese: Line two molds (I usedthese), 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.

    Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (12)

  • Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has firmed up. Unwrap and enjoy!

    Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (13)

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

Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Insta and let the world see just how amazing plant-based creations can be!

Author: Sam Turnbull

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Course: Appetizer, Snack

More cheesy vegan recipes you might enjoy...

Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients of vegan cheese? ›

What Ingredients Are in Vegan Cheese? Vegan cheeses are 100% animal-free and made using vegetable proteins. Usually, they're made from soy; nuts, such as cashews and macadamias; and vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. You can also find cheeses that derive from agar, tapioca, peas and arrowroot.

How do they make vegan cheese? ›

Vegan cheese is made using a similar process, but it starts with plant-based milk, like soy or nut milk. A bacterial culture is added to separate the proteins in the milk, and it's often supplemented with oils, emulsifiers, and thickeners, like tapioca, pea flour, arrowroot, or agar, to achieve a cheese-like texture.

What are three dominant ingredients in vegan cheese? ›

Ingredients Used in Vegan Cheese
  • Nutritional Yeast: It is a deactivated yeast rich in B vitamins and has a slightly cheesy flavor. ...
  • Agar Agar: This is a gelling agent made from seaweed. ...
  • Tapioca Starch: Tapioca starch is a starchy flour made from cassava root. ...
  • Coconut Oil: This is a plant-based oil high in saturated fats.
Mar 30, 2023

What is the best non-dairy cheese? ›

Violife. Violife is the kingpin of vegan cheeses — and for good reason. The brand manufactures numerous vegan cheese products including mozzarella, cheddar, and Mexican-style shreds, vegan cream cheese alternatives, mature cheddar cheese slices, cheese alternative dips, feta, and shaved parmesan.

What's the best vegan cheese for melting? ›

Violife Epic Mature Cheddar Flavour Vegan Cheese

With a whopping 10 out of 10, the Violife Epic Mature Cheddar Flavour is one of the best rated vegan cheeses when melting is considered. If you're looking for a stronger tasting cheddar to melt, this is for you.

Is vegan cheese worth it? ›

In terms of health, vegan cheese is generally considered better for you than dairy cheese as it's lower in saturated fat and often has added vitamin B12, which contributes to a healthy nervous system.

Why is vegan cheese so expensive? ›

The production of vegan cheese can be costlier than that of traditional dairy cheese due to the higher prices of plant-based ingredients and the additional processing steps involved.

What milk is vegan? ›

Vegan milk is any milk that is made from plant-only sources — an alternative that is just as suitable for all the same purposes of regular milk. The majority are sourced from beans and nuts including soy, almond, and macadamia, but can also be sourced from oats, coconuts, and even rice.

Is mayonnaise vegan? ›

Is mayo vegan? Due to the presence of egg yolk, mayo typically isn't vegan friendly. This means that a lot of commonly-found mayo is not suitable for those on a plant-based diet. However, as more people are experimenting with plant-based diets, several brands have launched a vegan mayo to reflect the growing market.

What is Daiya cheese made of? ›

Daiya's original products are cheese analogues made from coconut oil and tapioca flour that are known for their cheese-like consistency and melting properties. They contain no animal products or soy, lactose, wheat, barley, gluten, or nuts.

What is another name for vegan cheese? ›

Chease. Chease is a common term used, it's even used as some brands name, such as Tyne Chease which are based in the United Kingdom.

Why are cashews used in vegan cheese? ›

Nuts were a game-changer for vegan cheese because they provide a lot of fat: 100 grams of cashews have 44 grams of fat, versus 6.4 grams of fat in the same amount of soybeans. This allows for richer flavor and texture that gets closer to imitating animal milk dairy.

Is peanut butter vegan? ›

The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.

Is vegan cheese healthy? ›

Vegan cheese has 'little nutritional value' and eating too much may raise risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, expert says.”

What are the ingredients in fake cheese? ›

Components of typical imitation cheese include water, vegetable fat, rennet casein, emulsifying salt, sodium chloride, and a preservative (O'Riordan, Duggan, O'Sullivan, & Noronha, 2011). Starch can be used for full or partial replacement of rennet casein.

Is vegan cheese anti-inflammatory? ›

Taste and Nutrition. Containing oilseed and plant milk, vegan cheeses are rich in minerals (magnesium) and antioxidants, and they possess anti-inflammatory properties, all of which protect against damage caused by free radicals.

What cheese is vegan but real? ›

Real Vegan Cheese (RVC) is a grassroots, non-profit research project working to produce real cheese using cellular agriculture. We add the genes for cheese proteins to yeast and other microflora, and turn them into little protein factories, then make real cheese by adding plant-based fats and sugars.

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