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
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
It’s so easy to make this. The majority of the ingredients are simply blended up in a blender as you can see below.
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.
Ingredient Notes
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 (around 3 times as much).
This recipe was made with the powder and not the flakes so definitely use that. However, if all you can get is agar agar flakes, then use 3 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon.
Raw Cashews:
Raw 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.
We don’t find it necessary to soak the cashews first. However, if you DO prefer to soak them, then you may have a softer cheese as a result.
Red Bell Pepper:
Red bell pepper provides color and flavor and just works really great in this recipe.
Smoked Paprika:
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 bell pepper for a yellow bell 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.
Vegan Cheddar Cheese FAQ
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.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The texture may change slightly after thawing. Thaw it in the fridge.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ⅓ cup Water (80ml)
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Tahini (60g)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce or sub Tamari for gluten-free
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper deseeded and chopped, about ¾ cup
- 2 and ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 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, 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 cold water and agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling let it boil for 1 minute. You will notice it getting thick and gelatinous.
- 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
- It’s really important to use agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you do use flakes you will need to use 3 times as much.
- 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.
- This cheese can be grated, melted or smashed up on a cracker.
- This recipe makes a 21 ounce (600g) round of vegan cheese.
- Serving size is 4 slices which is approximately 1 ounce.
- Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
Linda says
I don’t have a blender. Can I use a food processor for this?
Alison Andrews says
It depends on your food processor but it might end up not as smooth as you would get with a blender, but should still work!
Rachel Pollard says
Hi Alison, do you think you could sub olive oil for the coconut oil?
Thank you 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Yes I think so, or you could leave it out.
Jessica says
Hello! I’m very interested in trying your recipe but I can’t eat tomato paste … so can I just not put it in or can I replace it with something else? Thank you
Alison Andrews says
You can leave it out. 🙂
Rosanne says
Can you use Kappa carrageenan instead of agar agar powder?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Roseanne, I haven’t used that so I’m not sure. I think it probably will work, but I think the method would be different.
Dana says
This recipe is awesome! I’ve made it once with kappa carrageenan /tapioca starch and it created a really lovely spread , the second time I used the agar agar for a sliceable cheese. Fantastic!!!
Sandy says
I love this recipe! It is so delicious and easy to make. I used ramekins to make this recipe. Last week I tried a rectangular baking pan.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sandy, so happy to hear that! I saw your pic, they looked great in the small ramekins! 🙂
N says
what kind of pepper is red pepper? red bell pepper?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, red bell pepper. 🙂
Heather Taz says
Soooooo good!! I absolutely love this cheddar cheese, delicious. Before I added the agar/water mix to the cheese sauce, I took a swipe test and thought of nacho cheese sauce especially with that smoky little cayenne kick. I cannot wait to try more recipes.
Great work on this Cheddar Cheese.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Heather! Thanks so much! 🙂
Donna Shields says
Fabulous flavor but 2 questions:
I used 3 Tbsp of agar agar flakes and while it’s sliceable, it’s certainly too soft to be grateable. Also, I didn’t get that wonderful series of holes that you have which looks so authentic. Any suggestions on what might have gone wrong and how to remedy?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Donna, it might just need another day in the fridge before it will firm up enough for grating. We discuss this in the post, that it’s usually not firm enough on the first day to grate but an extra day in the fridge does the trick. I’m not sure about the little holes, I don’t know why I have them and you don’t!
Charity says
Hi, I made this and it was brilliant, better than any vegan cheese I’ve bought. I was just wondering if its freezable though?
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Yes it is freezable! 🙂
RaeAnn says
How important is coconut oil? Can it be omitted? If not can something else be substituted?
Alison Andrews says
You can omit it.
Elaine says
I’ve been searching for recipes to replace dairy cheese for quite a long time now and I’ve tried a few so far I like, but this one it amazingly good ! I’ll try the others since you have so many 🙂 Even my «fussy» husband who loves dairy cheese said : Yum, it’s good ! For him to say that I almost passed out LOL
TY so much for sharing those yummy recipes ! I’m now a big fan !
Alison Andrews says
Yay! Thanks so much Elaine!
Lois Gore says
Greetings Alison,
Can I substitute blanched, soaked almonds for the cashews?
Best,
Lois
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lois, yes I think so, it will affect the texture though but I reckon it will still work well.
Lois says
Yay!!! Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you for responding.
JM Budac says
Can’t wait to make my own vegan cheese! One question, Can I omit the Dijon Mustard from all vegan cheese recipe (which requires it)?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, yes you can omit the mustard! 🙂
JP says
AMAZING! I’ve been missing a good grill-cheese since going vegan but been unhappy with all the commercial vegan cheeses I’ve tried. You have saved me with this recipe! It tastes so good and softened just enough in my grill-cheese. Delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!
M says
I remember when I decieded to go vegan and thought of all the food I really enjoyed that I thought I’d give up, specially those cheddar-and-chipotle sauce chicken tacos that were my top favorite meal since I was a little kid. Thanks to this recipe and modern chicken substitutes I can make it again, and I swear it tastes even better!
Everone that has tried it has asked me for the recipe (or at least what it’s made of!). I’ve even had a vegan food hater admit it’s better than supermarket cheddar and way closer to real, cave aged one. The texture is lovely and makes a wonderful cheese sauce when you add something like vegan cooking cream instead of agar.
Thank you!! ❤️
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing.