Smoky red pepper vegan cheddar cheese. Firm and sliceable and totally delicious on crackers or sandwiches or grated on pizza.
This vegan cheddar cheese has a delicious smoky red pepper flavor and is truly divine.
It’s perfect for a vegan cheese board and you’ll absolutely impress all your guests if you bring this out at your next dinner party!
It’s also wonderful for any special occasions. Cheese and wine anyone?
This recipe is based on our sliceable cashew cheese recipe. That recipe is amazing, and if you’re going to make a cheese board, why not go all out and make both kinds of cheese? I recommend it.
I knew that I could intensity the flavors even more, make it a bit sharper and tangier for a cheddar flavored cheese. And that is exactly what we have here.
How to make vegan cheddar cheese
It’s so easy to make this. The majority of the ingredients are simply blended up in a blender as you see above.
Then you boil some water and agar agar on the stove, and once boiled you add that to the already blended ingredients in the blender and blend it in and then, working quickly because it starts to set super quickly, you pour it all out into a bowl, smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
This is probably the easiest sliceable vegan cheese you’ll ever make. Unless you’ve made our other cashew cheese, then you already know how easy it is.
You don’t even need to soak your cashews first.
Really, the only tricky part to this recipe, is once you’ve boiled the agar agar powder and water together, and poured that into the blender to blend, you have to be really fast or you’ll have hard set cheese sitting in your blender jug.
You have to pour it in, blend it with the other (previously blended) ingredients really quickly and then pour it out into your prepared dish, all really quickly! Have I said the word ‘quickly’ enough? I’m not sure that I have. I really mean you have to do it quickly! Hahaha! 
Agar Agar Powder
The crucial ingredient in making this vegan cheddar cheese set is the agar agar powder.
You get agar agar powder and agar agar flakes. Use the powder. The powder is much stronger than the flakes, and the flakes would require you to use a lot more (up to 3 times as much).
This recipe was made with the powder and not the flakes so definitely use that.
Cashews make up the base of this cheese recipe and to that we add all kinds of delicious things that create that sharp cheddar flavor.
Red pepper provides color and flavor and smoked paprika creates a mildly smoky flavor that works great here.
Ingredient Substitutions
I always get asked about ingredient substitutions so let me just say, the best results are going to come from following the recipe. We test everything thoroughly so that we come up with something really good.
However, if you want to leave something out that is there for flavoring, it is still most likely going to come out fine.
As mentioned above, don’t try and leave out the agar agar powder, it won’t work without that. Or the cashews, but aside from those crucial ingredients, if you want to swap the red pepper for a yellow pepper or you want to leave out the cayenne pepper because you don’t like it, this is all likely fine.
Provided it is in a small quantity and it is not a crucial ingredient, you likely can substitute it for something similar or possibly even leave it out altogether.
Can you grate it? Yes you can. It is firm enough to grate. It tends to get firmer the longer it’s in the fridge, so if it’s not ideal for grating when it’s just set, it will be the next day.
Does it melt? Yes it does. It is not the kind of melty cheese that is going to spread over pizza, but it does melt a bit and soften when heated. So you can absolutely grate some and use it on a pizza. It won’t spread, but it will still be delicious.
Can I mash it? Yes, it’s soft enough to mash over your cracker if you like it mashed. It’s soft enough to mash while still also being firm enough to grate. It’s good stuff.
How long does it keep? About a week in the fridge.
Can I freeze it? Yes you can.
You will love this vegan cheddar cheese!
- It’s firm and sliceable
- Rich cheddar flavor
- Quick and easy
- Delicious sliced on crackers or sandwiches or grated on pizzas
Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week.
More vegan cheese recipes
If you love making your own vegan cheese, then you’ll also love these recipes:
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
Leave a comment below and let us know what you think of this recipe and please do rate it too. Thank you.
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Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: ~21oz (600g) Block of Cheese
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Smoky red pepper vegan cheddar cheese. Firm and sliceable and totally delicious on crackers or sandwiches or grated on pizza.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (150g) Raw Cashews
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Water
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1/4 cup (60g) Tahini
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce*
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Medium Red Pepper (deseeded and chopped, about 3/4 cup)
- 2 and 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 cup (15g) Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 cup (240ml) Water
- 1 Tbsp Agar Agar Powder (not flakes)
Instructions
- Add the cashews, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, coconut oil, tahini, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, red pepper, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender jug. Blend until smooth. Set aside, but do not remove from the blender.
- Add the 1 cup of water and agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling let it boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and pour it into the blender on top of the cheese mix.
- Blend until smooth.
- Working quickly, as it will start to set very fast, pour it out into a round dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
- To remove from the bowl, turn it upside down onto a plate.
Notes
*If you want this cheese to be gluten-free then use a gluten-free soy sauce or switch it for Tamari.
*The bowl I used was 5 inches round and 2 inches deep, chosen because it goes quite straight up the sides so creates a nice shape for the cheese. You can use any round bowl or ramekin, and if your bowls are smaller, then just use 2 bowls for 2 smaller rounds of cheese.
- Category: Savory, Side, Gluten-Free
- Method: Blender and Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Slices (1oz)
- Calories: 76
- Sugar: 0.9g
- Sodium: 346mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Carbohydrates: 4.2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2.2g
Keywords: vegan cheddar cheese
Could you explain why certain ingredients were used? Like which ones are only for flavor, and which are necessary for it to look and feel like cheese? It would be nice to have a basic idea of the “method” so I could swap things in and out and not have to measure so many things precisely.
Hi Kyle, this is covered in the post. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe. The previous ones I have tried my husband hates because they are bland without real flavor. Can I use liquid aminos instead of the soy sauce?
★★★★★
That should be fine! Hope you love the recipe! 🙂
Hi Alison,
I’ve tried your recipe and the taste is finger licking good! However, it did not set properly – it is far from sliceable and grateable. I used the exact amount as in the recipe. Maybe I did not boil the agar agar powder long enough?
Thank you for the recipe and your help 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Nikolai, so glad the taste was great! So there are a couple of things that could cause this to happen, I have heard from some people that their agar agar was not pure, that it was mixed with other stuff. So if you check the agar agar that you have, it should be pure agar agar powder, it shouldn’t have any other ingredients mixed in with it, that would dilute the power of it. Also it should be powder and not flakes, if it’s flakes you have to use up to 3 times as much. And then when the water is boiling it should be thick and gelatinous, that’s how you know the agar is done properly and will set up right. It can be a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. 🙂
I used arrowroot in place of agar agar and the cheese didn’t set. Great flavor! Thought arrowroot was interchangeable any suggestions?
My husband left to get a haircut. I made this cheese while he was gone and had grill cheese sandwiches made by the time he got home. I didn’t have the bell pepper so made it without. We don’t use oil, so I left that out. I did add about a half of a teaspoon of turmeric for a little more color. Next time I’ll add the red bell pepper. This recipe is a game changer. Love it!
★★★★★
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing and the awesome review! 🙂
Thank you so much for an outstanding recipe for vegan cheese. Every cheese I have made has not turned out well. I was so excited to try this recipe after reading the reviews and it did not disappoint. I made it exactly the way you cited in the recipe with the exception of the salt. I only added 1/2 t Himalayan salt. It is delicious. This is the one thing my husband misses most on our new diet. God Bless!
So happy to hear you loved it Cynthia! 🙂
Hey, I want to make this but cannot find Agar Agar powder. I was debating on using pectin instead and was wondering the measurements in comparison to the powder. I was looking it up and it said 3TBSP. What would you suggest?
Hi Christina, I have never used pectin, so can’t advise on that. It might be a safer bet to order agar agar powder online. 🙂
Is there an alternative to non-stick spray? I just made your other cashew cheese. I used about a teaspoon of olive oil spread very thin on the bowl. I’m hoping it works!
To Carol: You can use olive oil instead of non-stick spray. There is actually an olive oil spray by Pompeian that is just olive oil (no extra fluff added). Here’s link on Amazon but you can find it at local grocery stores as well. Although, Amazon is much cheaper.
★★★★★
Hi! Does cashew need to be presoaked?
Thank you!
We didn’t soak them first. If you think your blender may have trouble with it though, then you can soak them for 15 minutes in hot water.
Severe soy allergy here. Would I have to replace the soy sauce with something if I don’t use it? We don’t like coconut aminos which is the only soy sauce alternative I can have.
Hi Meg, you can just leave it out in that case. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. What are those gorgeous seed crackers in your pictures?
Hi Cindy, they are some gluten free seed crackers we get at a local store. 🙂
That’s the answer to the question I was going to ask, thanks for asking Cindy. I hope to make this today. Looks great. Diana
I made this today. I used sunflower seeds instead of cashews. Turned out great! I used 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds. Thank you for the great recipe.
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Thanks for sharing Cindy, so glad to hear it worked well with sunflower seeds!
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that sunflower seeds work just as well! My daughter is vegan and she is allergic to cashews.
I love your site for recipes! Thank you!
Awesome Kim! Yes I was super pleased to hear it works well with sunflower seeds too! So happy you like the blog. 🙂
Can I omit the oil? If not what can I use as a replacement? Thanks
Yes you can omit it. 🙂
I am just starting to experiment with going vegan and this is the second cheddar cheese recipe I have tried. The first one tasted terrible so when I blended the ingredients for this one in my blender, I decided to taste the “cheese” before I added the agar. It was fabulous! Kind of like nacho cheese with a complex smoky and slightly spicy flavor. In fact, I got out some chips and started eating it right out of the blender. I am not sure the finished product tasted like cheddar and I am still learning about the consistency of vegan cheese but the flavor of this one is delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the awesome review Christine. 🙂
I just made the cheese. I’m was so excited doing it. Can’t wait to taste fully. Licked the blender clean.🤗. However, you didn’t mention how long it should stay to set in the fridge and can I put it in the freezer to set also? For how long? Thanks so much for this recipe.
It takes a few hours to set properly, you want it totally firm all the way through, but you should see signs of it starting to set almost right away along the sides. I haven’t tried putting it in the freezer to speed it up but it’s probably fine to do that.
I used the recipe as it is, but the cheese did not get firm. Any idea what could be the reason? Is there a critical point of how much the agar agar needs to be heated for example?
Hi! Sorry to hear it didn’t work out. The agar agar does need to boil for a bit as per the recipe to ‘activate it’ properly. But you shouldn’t have to boil it for longer than stated in the recipe. It’s important that you do use the agar agar powder and not the flakes, as discussed in the post, because the flakes are not as strong.