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    Home » Vegan Cheese » Vegan Cheese Ball

    Vegan Cheese Ball

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

    Jump to Recipe Print 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!
    5 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Gluten-Free, Savory
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 25 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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    4.9K shares

    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. Denise says

      April 09, 2022 at 4:23 am

      A favourite!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 11, 2022 at 9:41 am

        Awesome! Thanks Denise!

        Reply
    2. April H says

      January 08, 2022 at 10:13 pm

      Holy Moly this is so good. I followed the recipe exactly as written (minus the 1/2 hour too early I took it out of the freezer because I was dying to taste it. 😁) I just started Vegan a couple days after Christmas! This recipe will definitely help me to get my “cheesy” fix satisfied. Thank you so much! I am really looking forward to trying your other recipes!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 11, 2022 at 11:44 am

        Awesome! So happy you enjoyed it April! Thanks for the wonderful comment and review.

        Reply
    3. Joanne Murphy says

      December 31, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      Wow! Made this for my annual NYE Cheese Ball and it is amazing! Only tweak was I used smoked paprika and 1/4 tsp Harissa (an Indonesian hot pepper seasoning) and about 3 T sautéed red pepper. Scrumptious! Thanks again for this great recipe!!!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Sherrie says

      December 27, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      So pleased to have found your website. Made a totally vegetarian buffet for my son for Christmas, including your cheese ball, bbq sauce and pulled jackfruit, caramel cheesecake. Everything worked out perfectly and he was so chuffed not to be offered just cheese and bread. Love how you answer people’s questions and give very helpful tips. Only been vegan for 4 months and really enjoying the variety. Will defo be a regular visitor, it’s really annoying when you’ve spent a lot of money on the ingredients and it doesn’t work out, which you obviously appreciate and your step by step approach is fab.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 30, 2021 at 10:01 am

        Thanks so much for the lovely comment and review Sherrie! That sounds like an amazingly delicious Christmas spread.

        Reply
    5. Geri says

      October 06, 2021 at 6:04 pm

      I made this recipe for my omni sister and we were both blown away by it. Between the two of us, we devoured it in one sitting. It’s definitely a keeper!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 07, 2021 at 10:12 am

        Fantastic! Thanks so much Geri!

        Reply
    6. Elizabeth M W Smith says

      July 02, 2021 at 2:51 pm

      This is the first thing I brought to our thirsty thursday sip and chat and it was delicious, economical, easy to make and DEVOURED !!! Thank you so much5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 02, 2021 at 2:56 pm

        Perfect! Thanks so much for the great review! 🙂

        Reply
      • Kevin says

        October 19, 2021 at 11:54 pm

        I would make this and my gf is vegan.. but I am allergic to cashews… any alternatives?

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          October 20, 2021 at 10:49 am

          Hi Kevin, this is answered in the Q&A section, slivered or blanched almonds would work as a sub.

          Reply
    7. Shurl says

      April 23, 2021 at 3:47 pm

      what brand/model of food processor do you use/ recommend? i have a small food chopper, will that work?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 24, 2021 at 10:26 am

        Hi Shurl, we used our Vitamix blender for this. We have the 5200 model and love it. I think this would work in a food processor but it likely wouldn’t come out as smooth.

        Reply
    8. Audrey says

      March 15, 2021 at 1:05 pm

      Loved this!! I left out the oil and water, added 1/2 t. Onion powder and replaced the nutritional yeast with 1/2 t. Poultry seasoning (gives a cheesy flavor without the yeasty flavor). It was a hit with my vegan and non vegan family members! Even my 9 month old loved it!5 stars

      Reply
      • Deborah Holoboff says

        April 16, 2021 at 10:40 pm

        All my guests loved it. I made 4 small balls as everyone needed their own cheese ball. Nobody knew it was vegan and all my guests gobbled up their cheese ball. It worked out just as planned. Thanks for a great recipe.5 stars

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          April 17, 2021 at 11:04 am

          That’s wonderful Deborah! Thanks for the great review!

          Reply
    9. Sue says

      February 09, 2021 at 8:55 pm

      Absolutely delicious. I made two small cheese balls, so I could give one away.
      Great for parties. Everyone loved it.
      Thank you for all your hard work and wonderful recipes5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 10, 2021 at 10:26 am

        Thanks Sue!

        Reply
    10. Deb says

      January 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm

      Looks terrific. My question is why do you sometimes soak the cashews and sometimes not? I have a Blendtec which is actually a more powerful motor than Vitamix. Would this cheese be firmer without the soaking? Just curious. Enjoying your site beyond words!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2021 at 11:02 am

        Thanks Deb, so glad you enjoy the site! We do explain in the post why the cashews need to be soaked in this recipe. In this case, there is very little water used in the recipe so without soaking it can be very hard to get it blended (we use a Vitamix). You can certainly try it without soaking and yes it would result in a firmer cheese, but it may just be that you would be forced to add more liquid than the recipe calls for, in order to get it to blend. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Ashlee says

      December 08, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      Can this be frozen in advance and not change the texture? I would like to make this for our Christmas meal, but make it ahead.
      Thanks, it looks divine!
      -Ashlee

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 09, 2020 at 9:44 am

        You certainly can freeze it ahead of time like you have in mind but there can be some small changes in texture, with the fresh herbs etc. This is why I prefer making it only a day or two ahead of time and keeping it in the fridge.

        Reply
    12. Anna says

      December 06, 2020 at 4:32 pm

      Whoa! This looks scrumptious! I’ll be trying this cheese recipe out soonest5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 07, 2020 at 11:54 am

        Thanks Anna!

        Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

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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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