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    Home » Vegan Cheese

    Vegan Cheese Ball

    Published: Dec 4, 2020 Updated: Dec 4, 2020 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Cheese Ball

    This vegan cheese ball is seriously delicious. It’s creamy, super cheesy and packed with flavor. Perfect as an appetizer!

    Vegan cheese ball on a wooden board with crackers.

    This vegan cheese ball is so tasty and looks gorgeous too. It’s the perfect appetizer to serve at a dinner party or holiday get-together and it’s 100% approved by both vegans and non-vegans alike.

    In fact if you want to make an example of how delicious vegan food can be to someone who is sceptical, you may want to consider leading with something like this.

    It’s the kind of recipe that causes people to make a bit of a fuss. They’ll exclaim about how delicious it is while enthusiastically spreading another serving on a cracker and demanding that you give them the recipe right this minute! You may even become a bit of a legend. No really.

    All this, and it’s so easy to make too. What’s not to love? And if you love putting together a good vegan cheese board then also check out our sliceable cashew cheese and our vegan cheddar cheese as well as our vegan camembert, vegan brie, vegan blue cheese and vegan pâté.

    Cheese ball on a wooden board with crackers and fresh basil.

    How To Make A Vegan Cheese Ball

    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.

    • Place raw cashews into a bowl and pour over boiling hot water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for an hour.
    • Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with lemon juice, coconut oil, miso paste, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, crushed garlic and water and blend until smooth.
    • Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in fresh chopped basil and chives.
    Step by step process photo collage of making a vegan cheese ball.
    • Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the mixture into the bowl. Twist the plastic wrap to seal it, creating a ball shape.
    • Place the bowl with your cheese ball into the freezer for 1 hour to set.
    • While the cheese is setting, crush roasted and salted almonds and place them into a wide bowl.
    • Add chopped chives and mix with the crushed almonds.
    • After 1 hour remove the cheese ball from the freezer and gently remove the plastic wrap.
    • Gently roll the cheese ball in the crushed almonds and chives, making sure the ball is evenly coated.
    • Return the cheese ball to the small bowl that it set in and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you’re ready to serve.
    Step by step process photo collage of a vegan cheese ball being prepared.

    Recipe Tips

    Soak the cashews: The reason you must soak the cashews for this recipe is because the cheese is very thick. We can’t add much water because we need a thick consistency so that it will set. Soaking the cashews makes it much easier to blend.

    Fresh lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.

    Coconut oil: You can use either virgin coconut oil or refined coconut oil (odorless). Don’t substitute a different oil, it must either be coconut oil or, if you have an allergy or avoid oils, then omit it entirely.

    White miso paste: If you don’t have miso paste on hand then you can substitute this for tomato paste, tahini or soy sauce. Soy sauce provides similar umami flavors to miso paste.

    Nutritional Yeast: This adds to the cheesy flavor but if you’re allergic or can’t get hold of it, then simply leave it out.

    Vegan cheese ball with crackers and fresh basil on a wooden board.

    Recipe Q&A

    What can I use instead of cashews?

    If you’re allergic to cashews then you could try this recipe with slivered or blanched almonds. Soak them first just the same way you would the cashews. The texture will be different but it would still be delicious.

    Can I make this oil-free?

    Sure. If you prefer not to use oil you can omit it. The cheese may be slightly softer though.

    How to serve a vegan cheese ball?

    This is amazing to serve as an appetizer with crackers, melba toast or breads. It’s also great with raw veggies or tortilla chips.

    Cheese ball with crackers and basil on a wooden board.

    Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing

    This is a great recipe to make up ahead of time. Just make it and then keep it stored in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to serve.

    Leftover cheese will keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to a week. It is also freezer friendly for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge.

    Small slice of vegan cheese on a knife.

    More Delicious Vegan Cheese

    1. Vegan Cream Cheese
    2. Vegan Mozzarella
    3. Vegan Feta
    4. Vegan Ricotta
    5. Vegan Queso
    6. Vegan Nacho Cheese
    7. Vegan Parmesan
    8. Vegan Cottage Cheese
    Stack of seed crackers spread with vegan cheese.
    Vegan cheese ball

    Vegan Cheese Ball

    This vegan cheese ball is seriously delicious. It’s creamy, super cheesy and packed with flavor. The perfect appetizer for parties!
    4.97 from 30 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Gluten-Free, Savory
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 166kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g) Soaked in hot water for 1 hour
    • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
    • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
    • ½ Tbsp White Miso Paste
    • ¼ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Paprika
    • ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
    • 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
    • 1 Clove Garlic Crushed
    • 1 Tbsp Water
    • 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil Chopped
    • 2 Tbsp Fresh Chives Divided
    • ¼ cup Crushed Roasted Salted Almonds
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place the raw cashews into a bowl and pour over boiling hot water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for an hour.  
    • Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with lemon juice, coconut oil, miso paste, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, crushed garlic and water and blend until smooth. 
    • Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in fresh chopped basil and 1 Tbsp of chopped chives. 
    • Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the mixture into the bowl. Twist the plastic wrap to seal it, creating a ball shape. 
    • Place the bowl with your cheese ball into the freezer for 1 hour to set. 
    • While the cheese is setting, crush roasted and salted almonds and place them into a wide bowl. 
    • Add the remaining 1 Tbsp chopped chives and mix in with the crushed almonds. 
    • After 1 hour remove the cheese ball from the freezer and gently remove the plastic wrap. 
    • Gently roll the cheese ball in the crushed almonds and chives, making sure the ball is evenly coated. 
    • Return the cheese ball to the small bowl that it set in and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you’re ready to serve. 
    • Serve with crackers, breads, veggies or tortilla chips. 

    Notes

    1. Soak the cashews: The reason you must soak the cashews for this recipe is because the cheese is very thick. There isn’t much water added because a thick consistency is needed so that it will set. Soaking the cashews makes it much easier to blend. 
    2. If you’re allergic to cashews then you could try this recipe with slivered or blanched almonds. Soak them first just the same way you would the cashews. The texture will be different but it would still be delicious.
    3. Coconut oil: You can use either virgin coconut oil or refined coconut oil (odorless). Don’t substitute a different oil, it must either be coconut oil or, if you have an allergy or avoid oils, then omit it entirely. 
    4. White miso paste: If you don’t have miso paste on hand then you can substitute this for tomato paste or tahini or soy sauce. 
    5. Nutritional Yeast: This adds to the cheesy flavor but if you’re allergic or can’t get hold of it, then simply leave it out. 
    6. Make Ahead: This is a great recipe to make up ahead of time. Just make it and then keep it stored in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to serve. 
    7. Storing and Freezing: Leftover cheese will keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to a week. It is also freezer friendly for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge. 
    8. Prep time: This is for hands on time only and doesn’t include time spent soaking the cashews (1 hour) and chilling in the freezer (1 hour) and fridge (30 minutes).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.5g | Protein: 4.8g | Fat: 13.9g | Saturated Fat: 4.4g | Sodium: 182mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 1.5g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susie says

      June 17, 2023 at 3:54 am

      Absolutely wonderful! I’ve been making it for all of my potlucks and serving it with a sourdough baguette. I add a dash of Liquid Smoke & 1 tsp. sun dried tomatoes for a little more umph.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 05, 2023 at 2:23 pm

        That sounds delicious Susie! Thanks for sharing and for your great review!

        Reply
    2. Jenn says

      April 22, 2023 at 6:00 am

      The best vegan cheeseball! Will be adding to my favourite apps list. Non vegans devoured it 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 13, 2023 at 10:01 am

        So happy to hear you enjoyed it Jenn! Thanks for your great review!

        Reply
    3. Kaye says

      March 11, 2023 at 7:16 pm

      love it, has really nice flavour.will for sure make again.Thanks for great recipe5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 13, 2023 at 10:01 am

        Thanks so much for your review Kaye! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    4. Sue says

      December 27, 2022 at 3:13 pm

      This was the centerpiece for my Christmas vegan charcuterie. Intense cheesy flavor, beautiful presentation. A big hit!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 29, 2022 at 9:37 am

        Awesome! So happy to hear that Sue!

        Reply
    5. Maria says

      December 24, 2022 at 3:17 am

      Really good recipe! So easy, very flavorful, and impressive looking. Will definitely make this again. *** I substituted scallions for the chives and it was delicious.
      Thank you.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 29, 2022 at 9:32 am

        Awesome, thanks so much for the great review Maria!

        Reply
    6. Shawn says

      December 19, 2022 at 12:45 pm

      Is it possible to sub out the coconut oil with something else? thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 20, 2022 at 10:47 am

        You can leave it out. 🙂

        Reply
    7. Sara says

      December 18, 2022 at 7:48 pm

      I tried this in the blender and there just wasn’t enough liquid for it to blend. I was afraid of adding adding too much liquid, so I put it in the food processor. That worked perfectly.4 stars

      Reply
    8. Maraika says

      December 17, 2022 at 4:20 am

      Easy recipe to make. Very tasty and looked very festive. Definitely will make this again and again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 20, 2022 at 11:02 am

        Awesome! Thanks for the great review Maraika!

        Reply
    9. Jessica says

      November 25, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      I made this to take to my non-vegan family’s Thanksgiving. They loved it and could not believe it was made from cashews! It was devoured within no time at all. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 29, 2022 at 10:41 am

        Awesome! Thanks for sharing Jessica!

        Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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