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.
Kiki says
Seriously! This is so delicious! The recipe was perfect as written. Thank you for this lovely recipe. I’m looking forward to experimenting with fresh herbs and spices. Our chives should be coming up in the garden soon!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that! Yes, definitely experiment away, it would be divine with different herbs and spices! Thanks so much for posting and the awesome review. 🙂
Debi says
I’m new to veganism (I’ve been vegetarian for a couple years), so I’m looking for ways to replace those “beloved” items like cheese! I made this today, and it worked! First try! I’m so excited! Thank you for posting it and explaining each step so well. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! So glad to hear it worked out great, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Rhiannon says
I LOVED this cheese and added it to a cheese and fruit tray and it went over amazing with my non-vegan guests! SO TASTY! Could I freeze this for future occasions?
Alison Andrews says
Hi! So glad you enjoyed it. Yes you can freeze it. 🙂
Mandy says
I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but the reviews are making me excited. Do you think I might have the same success with this recipe by substituting walnuts for the cashews?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mandy, honestly I have no idea. I think it would be very different! Cashews are quite unique when it comes to making vegan cheeses and creamy things, so I think it would come out as something very different, but maybe still good. It would be an experiment for sure! If you read the other comments, someone made it with hazelnut flour, so…. there are definitely other possibilities to try. 🙂
peg says
What would you suggest as a good replacement for nutritional yeast? I can not have it. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Peg, I think you could leave it out without too much of an impact.
Amber Kardes says
A liittle pink himalayan salt, or bragg’s animo acids.
Stely says
Hello! Can I omit the tahini or it is compulsory to use it?
Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
You can omit it.
Maro says
This cheese is delicious! I used sunflower oil instead of coconut oil because I didn’t have coconut oil, and I used 4 tablespoons of lemon juice instead of 5 because my lemon wasn’t very juicy. I love how the ingredients blend together to create a cheesy taste. The only thing that I might recommend doing differently next time is using less Dijon mustard. (Maybe 2 teaspoons instead of a whole tablespoon?) I found it had a rather strong mustardy taste. This wasn’t a problem for me, though, because I’m the kind of person who will eat mustard straight out of the bottle (by the spoonful), but not everyone is as crazy about mustard as I am.
Geraldine says
Hi Alison
I am so excited about this cheese, just made it and it started to set on the sides.
I licked the bowl and it was nice. Now have to play the waiting game. Every
ingredient seem to mellow together. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
??
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Geraldine! If it started setting on the sides already then I think you have a winner! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review. 🙂
Abby says
Would it be okay to soak the cashews first? I’m not sure my little food processor can handle non soaked. Thanks!!
Alison Andrews says
Yes definitely! Soaking them will never be ‘wrong’, and you know your blender best. 🙂
billie oakes says
Hello just wondering if you could use ‘vegan gel’ instead of agar agar. I have some in the house so thought to use it up before buying agar agar if not needed. thanks 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Billie, I’m really not sure since I have never used that.
Shanny says
I made this cheese yesterday and it’s amazing how close it is to dairy cheese! The colour, the texture. However, I did find that the Dijon was overpowering for my taste. Next time, I will add a bit at a time, tasting as I go. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!
Dana says
Hey, thanks for the recipe, I’m a new mom, foodie as well and a cheese and dairy products addict, my LO is allergic to milk protein, hence since I’m breastfeeding her, I need to cut all dairy off, google led.me to your website, tried Vegan cheese from the store but were very expensive. Wasn’t very easy to get all the ingredients here in Dubai, however I managed?
Now done making the recipe and hopefully I’ll make it again and again, thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world, me and my baby are so thankful to you, god bless ❤?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Dana! So happy you were able to get everything you need and like the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Dana says
Just finished an amazing breakfast with eggs and cheese, can’t wait to try your cheddar and mozzarella recipes ????
Nadia says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I just finished making mine and I can’t wait to try it tomorrow! I don’t recall seeing (if it’s there, I read right passed it?) but what’s the shelf life?
Alison Andrews says
Up to a week in the fridge! 🙂
Nadia says
Ok great. Thanks
Malika says
I just made this, and super excited to try! It’s currently setting in the fridge. Any idea how long it needs to set for? I keep checking every 10minutes because I really want to try a slice haha.
Also, I seem to have yielded way more than you have, I’m hoping I got the measurements all ok.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Malika, it starts setting very fast, but to be entirely set it takes a couple of hours. You should see it start setting very fast though, if you’re not seeing that, then there is a chance something went wrong. Hope it turns out great! 🙂
Patti says
My hubby and I are oil free vegans. Would this recipe work without any coconut oil added?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, it should be fine. 🙂
Neha says
Can we replace coconut oil with another oil
Alison Andrews says
I think you can leave it out.