Have you tried making vegan cheese yet? If you haven’t, you must try this block style vegan cheese. It’s so-darn-good!! I have Somer McCowan to thank for the inspiration, as this recipe is adapted from her genius
Smoked Coconut Gouda Cheese (Part Doux).
The flavor combo of this cheese is adapted from my Great Smoky Mountain Cheese recipe in Vegan Diner. That cheese, although very delicious, was before I knew about the magic of carrageenan and lactic acid. Now it’s a staple that’s always in my pantry.
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make delicious, sliceable, meltable, grate-able cheese at home, I’m totally hooked! You aren’t going to need to go to the store and buy vegan shreds or slices, at least not on the regular. This is the cheese equivalent of making vegan sausages at home. It’s nice to know you can always go to the store and buy them, but you can also make it super-easily yourself.
There are only a couple of specialty ingredients you’ll need for this cheese, and they’re easy to order from Amazon. Here’s a vegan lactic acid powder and a Kappa Carrageenan from Amazon that are both great brands. The ingredients will last a very long time!
Let me know if you make this cheese! You can tag me on Instagram @julieskitchenette.
xoxo Julie
Quick Homemade Smoky Vegan Cheese
- Yield: 1 Block 1x
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This recipe is adapted with permission from Somer McCowan’s awesome Smoked Coconut Gouda (Part Deux). This cheese is great out of hand, or slice and shred it wherever you crave melted cheese! And don’t miss the beer cheddar variation at the bottom!
Ingredients
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon lactic acid
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons kappa carrageenan
Instructions
In the jar of a strong blender, combine the water, cashews, nutritional yeast flakes, coconut oil, liquid smoke, salt, smoked paprika, granulated onion, and lactic acid, and blend until super smooth and there aren’t any bits of nuts. Add the tapioca and carrageenan, and blend for 5 to 10 seconds until smooth.
Pour the cashew mixture into a large saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking continually. Continue cooking, whisking continuously, for about 7-9 minutes until the mixture has thickened nicely and is very glossy.
Pour the cheese into a smallish container that can contain a minimum of 2 cups volume. I like small loaf pans or glass bowls.
If properly cooked, the cheese will start to set right away. Allow the cheese to set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate the cheese to finish setting for 3 to 4 hours.
If the cheese doesn’t set up properly that means you haven’t cooked it long enough, if this happens to you, throw it back into the saucepan and cook for a few minutes more! It’ll re-melt and then you can pour it back into the mold for it to solidify.
Remove the cheese from the mold and serve.
Notes
Variation:
Beer Cheddar: Substitute 1 cup dark beer (GF or regular) for 1 cup water. Increase nutritional yeast flakes to 1/4 cup, reduce liquid smoke to 1 teaspoon, reduce smoked paprika to 1 teaspoon, increase lactic acid to 1 1/4 teaspoons and add 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic.
- Category: Vegan Cheese
Keywords: vegan cheese, quick vegan cheese, smoky vegan cheese, homemade
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★★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe! It is so easy and quick to prepare! I just love it!
★★★★★