Vegan cashew cheese that is sliceable and perfect for a vegan cheese board! Full flavored, authentic looking and quick and easy to make too!
Hard, sliceable cashew cheese. It’s here! And I couldn’t be more excited!
We have guests coming next week and I have a full on cheese board planned, with this as the main event!
I have to admit it took me a fair few goes to get this one right. If you follow us on instagram then you might have seen in our instastories where I was proudly showing off each new attempt.
From the start though I was delighted with this.
To think it can be so easy to make a super impressive block of vegan cheese!
And it is simply fabulous! You can slice it into perfect slices and put them on crackers or bread or wherever you would eat a slice of cheese.
And you can mash it up too. It’s sliceable and hard enough to cut perfect slices, but you can also still smash it on a cracker if you want to.
If you love making your own homemade vegan cheese then also check out our vegan brie, vegan camembert and vegan blue cheese.
How To Make Cashew Cheese
I started off with just a basic recipe and then quickly saw that I needed to add more cashews to make it really rich and lots more spices to make that cheese flavor really stand out.
Some recipes recommend you cook it all up with the agar agar powder (which is what makes it set) on the stove and then pour it out into your dish to set, but this doesn’t work at all when you use more cashews to make a thicker/more robust cheese, because then it’s too thick to stir up properly with the agar agar.
And since the agar agar needs to boil for at least a minute for that agar powder to set up properly I found it a much better plan to do it separately.
So basically, you make up a batch of cashew cheese sauce in the blender, but you spice it up more strongly than you would usually, to the point that if you taste it, you’ll be thinking: this is too strong!
But then you boil up a cup of water with agar agar powder on the stove, let that boil for a minute and then pour that mix into your cashew cheese sauce (conveniently still in the blender) blend it up again and then pour it all out into your dish to set.
The water and agar powder dilute the spiciness of the cheese and while setting it also dilutes it a bit so you have to start off strong to end up with perfectly spiced cashew cheese.
A Vegan Cheese Board
It’s perfect for a vegan cheese board with some red grapes, jams, maybe some mixed salted nuts and a selection of crackers (and maybe some wine too).
And let me just say, a slice of this on a cracker with some mixed fruit jam on top – but any jam would be awesome – was like the best thing ever. Jaye and I were in heaven. And we can’t wait to show it off to our guests next week.
Ingredient Notes
The Cashews:
This recipe is quick and easy and one of the things that makes it so quick is that you don’t need to soak the cashews first. You can just go right in and blend them up.
The reason it’s possible to do this is because you’re making a sauce to start off with, it’s not a super thick cheese right off the bat so it’s more easily blendable (I do have a vitamix though so that helps!).
Provided your blender is strong enough I don’t really see any reason to soak them first in this recipe but I am not an expert on your blender. If you know your blender will have trouble with this, then you can soak them briefly in boiling water. Just place the nuts into a bowl, pour boiling water over the top and then leave them to soak for 15 minutes, then drain and use as normal.
The Agar Agar:
The crucial ingredient in this recipe is the agar agar powder. It is what makes the cheese set.
You get two types of agar agar, you get the powder version and the flakes. Use agar agar powder. The agar agar powder is much stronger than the flakes and is what we used in this recipe.
If you have no other option but to use flakes, then you will have to use 3 times as much of it.
Cashew Cheese Q&A
Can you grate it? This cheese can also be grated, the firmer it is the easier it will grate, and the longer it’s in the fridge the firmer it gets, so if it’s not ideally firm for grating on the first day it will likely be grate-able by the second day.
Does it melt? I put a slice on a cracker and put it in the microwave for 15-seconds to see if it melted and it did! So it does melt.
Can you put it on pizza? We tried it on pizza. And it was very tasty and it melted! But let me be clear, when I say ‘melted’ I do NOT mean that it spreads like dairy cheese. No it definitely doesn’t. It softens though and gets melty.
We tried it grated on pizza and sliced, and either way was fantastic. We put it on the pizza before going in the oven, so it melted along with everything else, and it was really good.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it stored in the fridge (covered) where it will last up to a week.
It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge.
More Delicious Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Since this recipe was published, we’ve made another firm sliceable cheese, a delicious vegan cheddar cheese, so you definitely want to check that out.
- We also have a totally divine vegan cream cheese that is everything you want spread on your breads and bagels! Also check out our vegan cottage cheese and vegan feta.
- Our cashew cheese sauce is perfect drizzled over pizza or baked potatoes and our vegan parmesan cheese is wonderful sprinkled over anything and everything.
- Our vegan mozzarella is divine on some pizza and our vegan nacho cheese is divine on… you guessed it, some vegan nachos!
- And then there’s our vegan ricotta which is incredible just as is, but can also be baked into a vegan lasagna recipe or some vegan stuffed shells!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Hard Sliceable Cashew Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ⅓ cup Water (80ml)
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Tahini (60g)
- ½ Medium Raw Carrot (~30g) peeled and sliced
- 2 ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder or flakes
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1 Tbsp Agar Agar Powder must be powder and not flakes*
Instructions
- Add the cashews, ⅓ cup water, lemon juice, coconut oil, tahini, carrot, salt, paprika, cayenne, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast and garlic powder to the blender and blend until very smooth. Leave the mix in the blender and set aside.
- Add 1 cup of water and the agar agar powder to a saucepan and heat, stirring regularly until boiling. Boil it for 1 minute (time it), stirring regularly and after 1 minute remove it from the heat and pour it into the blender on top of the cheese mix.
- Blend until smooth.
- Moving quickly, as it will start setting up very fast, pour the mix out into a round dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Refrigerate until set. To remove from the bowl, turn upside down onto a plate.
Video
Notes
- It is crucial for the success of this recipe that you use agar agar powder and not flakes. Flakes are much less powerful and if you DO use flakes you will need to use 3 times as much (3 tablespoons).
- This might seem like a lot of salt, but it works perfectly in this recipe.
- I used a regular round bowl, it was 5 inches round and 2 inches deep. I chose it because it was quite straight up the sides so created a nicer shape for the cheese. But you can really use any bowl or ramekin, and if your bowls are smaller, then just use 2 bowls for 2 smaller blocks of cheese.
- This cheese can be grated but it tends to get firmer the longer it’s in the fridge. So it’s better for grating on the second day than on the day it’s made.
- It does also melt. We put a slice on a cracker and put it in the microwave for 15 seconds and it melted. So yes it does melt!
- We have also tried it on pizza. We tried it grated onto a pizza and sliced. Either way was great. We put it on with all our other toppings before going into the oven and it got nice and soft and melty along with the other toppings. It doesn’t spread or anything, but it’s very good.
- This recipe makes one 21 ounce (600g) round of vegan cheese.
- Serving size is 4 slices which is approximately 1 ounce.
Jane Wilson says
Hi Alison
I have just made this and can’t wait for it to set!!
One of the perks of cooking is you get to scrape the bowl….. it tastes fab 🙂
Just hope my other half will try it, he’s not really into alternative foods 😉
Jane
Zena Sike says
Hey there, it sounds amazing, I cant find agar agar powder, I researched and apparently cornstarch might do and I can buy vege- gel from Sainsbury, would any of those do? thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Zena, cornstarch would not work as a sub for agar agar in this case. I’ve never used vege-gel so I can’t comment on that. We do have other cheese recipes like our vegan cream cheese that don’t require any agar. 🙂
Elaine says
I’ve put aside this recipe to make it today (since I’ve tried and loved the other recipe for a softer cheese and loved it)!
I was wondering if I could use less tahini since I’m not a huge fan of spicy food ?
It might be less strong for the taste, but I was wondering if it would still be sliceable ?
That’s what I’m looking for ! I still miss having a grilled cheese with slices of apple or a handful of grapes on the side 🙂
After reading all the comments, since I have only agar agar flakes, I might use more than 3X … I really want to be able to slice or grate it !
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes !
Alison Andrews says
You can use less tahini if you like, however, it is not strong tasting at all in this recipe!
Deb says
I made this recipe for my wife, followed it to the letter and it was amazing!
I can’t wait to try your other recipes for vegan cheeses.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Deb!
Melissa says
Hi this was tasty but the tablespoon of Dijon was WAY too strong. I’ve noticed others posted the same thing in the comments. I would definitely suggest less Dijon and maybe a little extra nutritional yeast.
Marvie g says
I made this recipe and it came out exactly like yours. It sliced perfectly but I believe it will have to stay in the fridge a little longer for it to be able to grate. Its an acquired taste but delicious all the same.
Roberto says
Hi, is goma guar like agar agar? I used goma guar and became so solid as soon as I put it in heat. Thanks. Greetings from Costa Rica
Alison Andrews says
I don’t think it’s the same, but glad it worked!
KSG says
Hi!
Really want to try this but don’t have coconut oil. Can I use any other oil like say olive oil or sunflower oil?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, you can, or you can leave it out altogether.
Jennifer Riemer says
The flavor and texture of this are great! If I do anything differently next time, I’ll make a half recipe. It makes quite a bit. Thanks for sharing!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Jennifer!
NJ says
Is the carrot just for colour?
I don’t know if the dijon we have over here is stronger but I found 1tbsp to be too much. I’m going to try again with half. Its delicious but it does have a strong dijon flavour
Alison Andrews says
Yes mostly for color! Also a little for texture. You can definitely experiment with the recipe to make it suit you best. 🙂
Bixis Colina says
I made it today. I think I need to add more agar agar to get it firm, but the taste is awesome ! Thanks.
Poppi Z says
My grandson and I just made this recipe. We used Facetime and he read and called out the steps and I followed his lead and made it in my kitchen. I did not have coconut oil at home so we decided to substitute sunflower oil. It’s in the fridge now but I tasted the spatula after I poured everything into the bowl. It was delicious. I’m going to cut it in half and send half to my grandson (he is a mile away). I’ve never used agar agar before; now I know why you say you have to move quickly. It sets up rapidly. He and I are discussing different flavorings to add next time. Thanks for making this recipe public.
Alison Andrews says
That’s awesome and some creative cooking there! Hope you’ll love the final result! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Marlene says
Can olive oil be subbed for the coconut oil
Alison Andrews says
Yes, or you can leave it out.
Tamsin MacArthur says
I’ve just made this using agar flakes (three times the amount, as you said). I was wondering how long it generally takes for the cheese to set in the fridge?
Thanks! 🙂
Alison Andrews says
It takes an hour or two, but you’ll know when it’s set as it should be firm!
Susanne says
I’m glad you said that it takes up to two hours. I was confused when the recipe said to hurry because it sets up quickly! Mine wasn’t setting at all “quickly” so I thought I did something wrong and put it all back in the blender and just added another tablespoon of agar powder (hope its not ruined). Its in the fridge now and still not setting even though I added agar (its been about 25 minutes) so I hope this still works. I followed the recipe exactly except i had a little less carrot (-10g) and added 1T sauerkraut
Alison Andrews says
Hi Susanne, adding extra agar powder (that hasn’t been boiled to activate it) won’t work at all to make it more firm. If there was no sign of it setting early on then I’m afraid that’s not a good sign. Will likely still be a tasty soft cheese though. Check your agar agar, it needs to be the powder form, if it’s flakes then you will need up to 3 times as much. It also needs to be a pure agar agar powder and not watered down with other ingredients.
Abi says
Would it be possible to use xantham gum in place of the agar?
Alison Andrews says
No, it won’t firm up the way it does with the agar.
Elena says
Hi, this looks delicious. I was all ready to make this beautiful looking “cheese” and I don’t have enough lemons or lemon juice!!! What could I replace it with?
PLEASE and THANK YOU
Alison Andrews says
Hi Elena, just use as much as you have and replace the rest with water. All the best! 🙂
Karen Macdonald says
Mine is more like a cream cheese . Bit salty so will add less salt next time . Would like to get it to the stage where you can grate it . Maybe next time third time lucky x but this is the best vegan cheese I’ve tasted and full of natural ingredients. Thank you .
P.s.Do you think I should add a touch more agar agar to get it firmer ?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Karen, so glad you love the taste! If it’s like cream cheese consistency, then it could be that your agar just isn’t as powerful (some brands are not the pure agar so it’s mixed with other ingredients) so definitely experiment with using more until you get to the right consistency. 🙂