Making your own vegan cheese is both fun and rewarding. This basic melty cheese recipe comes from Joe Yonan’s Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking. With a few variations, you can make it taste like familiar classics, including sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and smoked gouda.

This plant-based cheese has the texture of Muenster but works well as a stand-in for cheddar, Swiss, and everything in between. Its key ingredients include cashews, fermented tofu, tapioca flour, sauerkraut, agar-agar, coconut oil, and non-dairy yogurt.

Fermented ingredients like sauerkraut and tofu give the cheese its depth of flavor when aging. To create variations, add nutritional yeast for sharp cheddar, jalapeño for pepper jack, or liquid smoke for smoked gouda. These small tweaks result in unique, delicious flavors.

Enjoy the cheese in grilled sandwiches, salads, wraps, or pitas. It’s also perfect for making vegan mac and cheese. This versatile cashew and tofu cheese is easy to use and will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.

Basic melty cheese

This basic melty cheese works well in enchiladas, hot pasta, and sandwiches. It's also incredibly versatile and can be refrigerated for up to 6 weeks.

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Servings pound

Ingredients

1 cup (120g) raw cashews
⅔ cup (160ml) sauerkraut juice (drained from a jar of raw fermented sauerkraut with active probiotics; see Notes)
2 tablespoons plain nondairy yogurt
1 cube plain Chinese fermented bean curd or tofu or use 2 cubes for a stronger cheese (see Notes)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup (80ml) refined coconut oil melted
⅓ cup (120ml) plus 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon agar-agar powder
¼ cup (35g) tapioca starch dissolved in ¼ cup (60ml) water

Instructions

Line a small bowl with compostable plastic wrap or have on hand a 1 to 2 silicone baking molds that total 4 cups (1L) in capacity.
Wash and dry a 1-quart (1L) mason jar, rinse it in boiling water, and let dry and cool to room temperature.
In a high-powered blender, combine the cashews, sauerkraut juice, yogurt, fermented tofu, and sea salt. Process on high speed until smooth and creamy, 1 or 2 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the mason jar, cover with a lid, and place in a warm window or other location with a temperature of 70°F (21°C) or higher. Let it sit for 24 to 72 hours to ferment, until it has achieved a sharpness to your liking. (The cooler the location, the longer it will take.)
Whisk the melted coconut oil into the fermented cheese mixture until it is fully incorporated.
In a small pot, whisk together the water and agar-agar. Cover, bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until completely dissolved and the mixture drips off your whisk like molten glass. This could take 2 to 3 minutes or longer. The agar-agar must reach about 205°F (96°C) to activate its gelling properties, so be patient.
Add the cheese mixture all at once into the agar-agar and use a whisk to mix well. Whisk the tapioca starch mixture into the pot. Continue to cook, stirring with the whisk, until it becomes as thick as cooked polenta, stretchy, and shiny.
Pour the mixture into the lined bowl or mold and refrigerate overnight to firm up. It can be used immediately, or you can let it firm up through an aging process; just wrap in wax paper or parchment and leave in the fridge for a couple of weeks until the desired hardness is achieved. (You can refrigerate it for another month after that.)

VARIATIONS

Sharp Cheddar

Add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon miso to the mixture in the blender. The rest of the recipe is the same.

Pepper Jack

When you add the fermented cheese to the agar-agar, add ½ cup chopped brined jalapeños. The rest of the recipe is the same.

Smoked Gouda

When you add the fermented cheese to the agar-agar, stir in 1 teaspoon liquid smoke. The rest of the recipe is the same.

COOK’S NOTES

Make sure the sauerkraut is raw, actually fermented, and not pasteurized; its label should indicate that it contains live active cultures or probiotics, which you need to create the right flavor during this cheese’s aging.
Chinese fermented bean curd or tofu is a creamy, delicious product sold in cubes in jars: It is tofu that has been marinated in brine for months, achieving a smooth, spreadable, cheese-like texture and You can buy this in Asian grocery stores or online. Buy the plain one, not the spicy.