MAKE YOUR OWN VEGAN CHEESE!

I make vegan cheese; cheese that I shred for the top of casseroles and cheese that I can make grilled cheese sandwiches with. Granted, it isn’t the same taste as dairy cheddar and it actually melts even runnier than dairy cheese, but it is still delicious and works very well in a number of applications.

I purchased the Non-Dairy Evolution cookbook from The Gentle Chef (Skye Michael Conroy) and adapted a couple of his recipes to 1) see if I could simplify them at all and 2) to adapt to a taste I was looking for. They are quick and super easy to make and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to dairy based cheese.

Here, I will share my adapted recipe for Skye’s Muenster Cheese. In his original recipe, he uses 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar and a natural unsweetened soy milk but I use unsweetened cashew milk with the same outcome. I used smoked paprika and smoked salt to achieve the smoky taste instead of plain. I have thought about using ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke but to date I just make it this way.

Ingredients:

1 tsp smoked paprika (to color the exterior)

3 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

⅔ cup organic refined coconut oil (important that is the refined coconut oil)

1 and ⅓ cups Earth’s Own unsweetened cashew milk

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 T nutritional yeast flakes

1 T kappa carrageenan (I found it on Amazon.ca)

1 and ¼ tsp fine smoked salt

¼ tsp dry ground mustard

⅛ tsp onion powder

Preparation

Lightly grease or spray container you are going to use as a mold. I use a small glass bowl. Dust the inside of the mold with the smoked paprika (like when you flour a cake pan)

Measure and put aside but have ready to add the vinegar

Melt enough coconut oil to measure exactly 2/3 cup of oil put aside

In a medium saucepan to the cashew milk add the smoked salt, tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, mustard and onion powder. Whisk them all together until smooth, then add the kappa cargeenan and whisk it in until smooth. Add the coconut oil. Place over a medium high heat stirring with a wooden spoon until thickened and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and immediately add the vinegar to the mixture. At this point I use a hand blender and blend mixture until smooth. (The vinegar can cause the mixture to curdle but if you use a hand blender this is rectified.) Pour into your prepared mold and refrigerate for an hour or two. Store it wrapped in paper towel in a sealed container in your fridge. Mine last about 10 days to 2 weeks (if it isn’t devoured before then).

Susan Hollingshead

Susan is our resident vegan. She’s been a vegetarian for 20 years, and a vegan for 3. She has researched both lifestyles extensively and is constantly exploring new recipes, add her own twist. She is a long time Spud customer, and now our very own resident vegan blogger!