Vegan Mac And Cheese
Jenifer Griffard
Over the years I have posted a ton of delicious vegan cheese recipes. Some of the cheese are more complicated than others, and some are made using ingredients that are a little more difficult to source. So I decided it was time to go back to the basics and make the most perfect, super simple cheese recipe! Made from just cashews, coconut oil, salt, garlic, and my secret ingredient: olive brine (which makes it taste tangy and like it has been aged). You won't believe how amazing this tastes!
Plus, if you are feeling a little creative you can stir in freshly chopped herbs, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, coarsely ground black pepper, or any other fun add-ins you can think of. In these pics I added fresh thyme leaves, lemon zest, and black pepper. These cheeses are freezer-friendly so I love to make 2 or more blocks at once and store them for later so that I have a delicious round of cheese anytime I desire.
Traditional cheese is made from animal milk whereas vegan cheese is made from various nuts, seeds, soy, tapioca, oils, or other ingredients. In this recipe, the base of the cheese is made from raw cashews. See the recipe notes for other variations.
Raw cashews, refined coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. You can also optionally add in chopped fresh herbs, lemon zest, coarsely ground black pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes to jazz it up a little! Raw cashews are the base of the cheese which will make it smooth and creamy. Refined coconut oil will add richness and also make the cheese firm up in the fridge. Olive brine adds an aged tang to the cheese, and garlic and salt are flavor enhancers.
This quick & easy vegan cheese is best enjoyed as a snack. Serve with crackers or bread, spread the cheese on top, and enjoy! It's also fantastic dolloped onto a fresh bowl of pasta, crumbled over roasted vegetables, spread onto toast and topped with jams or fresh fruit, add to a salad, or amp up your vegan cheeseboard.
Soften the cashews: Add the cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews, by placing the cashews in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the cashews to soak for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using.
Blend the cheese: Add the softened cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will likely get warm when blending from the friction. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.
Form the cheese: Line two molds (I used these), or two small bowls with a square of cheesecloth. Divide the cheese among the two cheesecloth-lined molds. If you are adding fresh herbs, sprinkle them over the cheese and then use a chopstick or something similar to swirl the herbs into the cheese.
I like to keep one cheese wheel of quick & easy vegan cheese plain with no add-ins, and the other wheel with added herbs. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the cheesecloth over the cheese.
I just caught someone on Pinterest trying to pass off this recipe as her own :-(. She even used the same picture! So every comment asking for the full recipe I replied with the link here! So there, cheater!
Well, I tried this. It's good. It's cheese-adjacent, I would say. The flavor is great (and super adjustable). The texture is super soft. Totally usable, and doable... but soft. Glad to add this to the roster!
I am currently doing an all nut, seed, fruit and vegetable detox cleanse with my dairy loving, carnivore husband...and we have been very limited to salads and smoothies. We are usually omnivore foodies, and he was losing his mind a bit. Sam, you are an absolute genius, and THIS HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. I actually made mine in a blender (I also made the Bleu cheese and sharp cheddar) because I was so excited to start immediately. It was a lot of work, but it can be done...lots of scraping. My husband bought a food processor today because he loved the cheese so much!
I substituted Tahini with kelp flakes instead of miso paste for the "umami". We don't eat soy, and legumes in general aren't allowed on this detox so it makes finding delicious recipes a bit difficult. These cheeses turned out so amazing!!
I left one plain as you suggested and put red pepper flakes, cracked pepper, and lemon zest on the other.
Coffee filters instead of cheesecloth, worked pretty well, too.
I'm planning on making these quite often!! Thinking of adding some cherries to make a holiday gourmandaise kirsch.
There is no need to boil the cashews. simply soak them over night,
or four hours, etc. if you soak instead of boil, then the cashews are
uncooked ( if you get the good cashews that are cold processed, such as Divine Organics) . You could put them in warm water to soak, and it would speed up the soaking....
I like this cheese. Very easy to make. Delicious spread. I added some red pepper flakes and fresh flat leaf parsley. Will definitely make again with other hen combinations. Maybe add some diced green olives to some of it
I used to enjoy cream cheese cubes marinated in olive oil with sundried tomatoes, cracked peppercorns, lemon zest, minced garlic and fresh rosemary. I cubed half of this up and mixed it up with the marinade and it is amazing. Thanks for bringing back this option for me!!!
I made this last night and served it today to my non-vegan friends and they loved it. I put in extra garlic and a bit of onion powder for seasoning and it was amazing. Will definitely be a staple for me now
Explore our delicious dairy-free cheese alternatives! We offer a wide variety of vegan cheeses. Our plant-based, lactose-free, and gluten-free options include wedges, dips, and cheesecakes, perfect for vegetarians and those with dietary restrictions. Order your favorite non-dairy cheese today!
I wanted to update this post because it has been such a popular recipe and add an oil-free alternative. I know many, many people have enjoyed the creamy richness of this oil-version of this cheese. However, many of you readers have asked for an oil-free version which I personally have come to prefer. I think it still offers a wonderful taste and texture while sparing the extra calories.
2. Add nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor: Nutritional yeast is a popular ingredient in vegan cheese alternatives because it has a nutty and cheesy flavor. It also contains protein, fiber, and B vitamins including B12.
3. Experiment with other seasonings: While the basic recipe for this sauce is quite simple, you can experiment with other seasonings to give it your own personal touch. I have several ideas listed in the recipe cards.
1. Pour it over pasta: This sauce makes a great alternative to traditional cheese sauces for pasta dishes. Simply cook your pasta of choice and then pour the sauce over it for a creamy and satisfying meal.
OH what a bloody challenge it's been to make this grateable vegan cheese for y'all. You WOULD NOT BELIEVE the lengths I've gone to to figure this bad boy out. It's obvs a bit of a vegan holy grail; grateable vegan cheese which ACTUALLY melts and has a delicious cheesy vibe and sharp tang. But guess what, I'VE CRACKED IT!
Firm and Grateable: This one was tricky. I used a bunch of different things in recipe trials (such as agar agar, guar gum, xanthan gum) to help make sure the cheese sets firm and grateable. But almost always, they meant that the cheese wouldn't melt properly. Finally I tried an ingredient called "kappa carrageenan" which is a thickening agent made from red seaweed. It worked beautifully. It sets up nicely when cool but melts and stretches when heated - just like dairy cheese. I buy kappa carrageenan online. It's useful for loads of stuff, so it's worth having for other vegan cooking!
Melty and Stretchy: As above, this was a tricky one to balance with the whole firm and grateable vibe. The solution was a mix of tapioca starch and psyllium husk powder. Tapioca starch helps make the cheese super stretchy like mozzarella when melted, while the psyllium husk powder adds fibre to the recipe - making the cheese deliciously stringy! I find all of these ingredients either at health food stores or my local Asian supermarket.
Creamy and Tangy: The creaminess comes from a blend of soaked cashews and coconut oil. The tang comes from rice vinegar and vegan lactic acid powder. If you can't get hold of lactic acid powder, don't worry - I get that this is a specialist ingredient. Use double the rice vinegar instead.
Four steps away from melty, grated shredded goodness! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? You'd BETTER believe it! Here goes nothing! Full recipe at the bottom of the page, but here's a lil breakdown of the four main steps!
Sounds harder than it is. You just need to soak some cashews until soft and blend em up! I like to add my psyllium husks at this stage as they can be tricky to blend until smooth. Add them now and you're guaranteed a super duper smooth cheese.
By flavour bringers, I mean all the ingredients that bring the FLAVA! I'm talking nutritional yeast, miso paste, rice vinegar, salt etc etc. Give these a really good blend in with the cashew milk. You'll notice a change in the colour because of the nooch, but don't worry. It won't be this yellow when you're done!
Final ingredient is the carrageenan along with some boiling water. This is going to start the thickening process super quickly, but it's not enough to take it all the way there (that's step 4). For now, blend everything together one last time.
OK last step is the most crucial. Now everything is blended together we need to work quickly and thicken the mixture up. Transfer it to a saucepan and whisk while you heat. It'll become stringy and stretchy and will start to set. Pour the mixture into a tub and leave it to cool. Once cooled, chill in the fridge until set.
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