quick set cheese

Sliceable Vegan Beer Cheddar

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I love vegan cheese. All kinds of vegan cheese.

I also love beer. All kinds of beer.

In the summer months when I am too hot and lazy to cook, I could live off of vegan cheese and crackers, and maybe some raw veggies and fruit for good measure. Ya know, just so I don’t feel guilty and all that.

In the past I have made a beer cheese dip, and a beer cheese and potato soup so that I could combine my two of my favorite things. But its far too hot right now in Florida for soup.

So that got me thinking, why not just make a sliceable vegan beer cheese so I could eat it as a summer meal or snack, with a nice cold beer. Like, seriously, what took me so long for this one.

So I did just that. I made an easy quick set, agar cheddar, with cashews and my favorite light lager, Yuengling Flight. And don’t judge my love of light beer, at 95 calories, I’ll take it. It’s crisp and delicious, AND it’s still swimsuit season, so gotta watch it. I eat a TON so can’t be drinking all my calories.

This vegan beer cheese is good on cracker, nachos, in beer cheese soup if its not summer and as hot as the surface of the sun where you live, it would make a tasty quesadilla, grilled cheese, and would probably be good on pizza, too.

Agar firms up starting at room temp and will firm up more once cold. It also melts back down once it gets warm as does coconut oil, and that’s why we use it. I am often asked if another oil will work in these cheese recipes, and they will not. You need an oil that solidifies once cold to help the cheese set up nice an firm. Agar on its own has a more gelatinous texture. So it needs a little help from its coconutty friends. If you use filtered or refined coconut oil, there will be NO coconut flavor. So make sure you do that.

Also if you can not eat cashews or want to save a few bucks, sunflower seeds will work in this recipe as well. Same measurements, same instructions!

So if you love cheese and beer, then just go ahead and make yourself a batch of this magic! And just go ahead and drink the leftover beer while you wait for the cheese to set up. No judgments here!!

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons dry cashews (or sunflower seeds)

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup lager beer

  • 3/4 cups unsweetened plant milk

  • 2 tablespoons agar powder

  • 1/4 cup triple filtered coconut oil

  • 2 tablespoons sauerkraut

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INSRUCTIONS:

  1. In a food processor add the cashews and pulse until broken down. Next add the nutritional yeast, salt, garlic, paprika, sauerkraut, oil, and turmeric. Blend until the ingredients are combined. DO NOT OVER PULSE. You don’t want to end up with cashew butter.

  2. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine beer, milk, agar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. You want the mixture to thicken to a thin pudding like consistency. Because of the beer, the mixture is going to pretty foamy and bubbly. Thats ok. As long as it simmers for about 5 minutes it will be fine. Just keep stirring with rubber spatula.

  3. Add the liquid mixture to the nut mixture in the food processor and blend. Mix for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and smooth.

  4. Pour the cheese mixture into 2 - 3 ramekins or small bowls, and let cool uncovered in the refrigerator for serval hours to firm up.

  5. Store in an air tight container for up to one week in the refrigerator.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

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Vegan Smoky Sunflower Cheddar

Vegan Smoky Sunflower Cheddar

Hard vegan cheeses are easier than most people think. Agar is vegan gelatin that you can easily find online or in your local asian food market that helps the cheese to solidify. You can find it in powdered or flake form.

Because so many people have allergies to tree nuts and coconut, I wanted to include a seed cheese option. You can easily swap out sunflower seeds in most nut cheese recipes with great success! You can just exchange equal amount of seed for nuts and follow the recipe as written!

I love this recipe because you can slice and even shred this cheese. If you are not a fan of smokey cheeses, just eliminate the liquid smoke and you will still be left with a tasty cheddar, perfect for sandwiches, cheese plates, tacos, and more.

Also this recipe uses triple filtered coconut oil. I buy mine at Trader Joe's. Triple filtered coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor like regular coconut oil, so if you choose to use regular, you may find the cheese will have a hint of coconut flavor to it. It may also be labeled as refined coconut oil. They are the same thing!

So if you are allergic to nuts, or have not been a fan of coconut milk cheese, I hope you will enjoy this option!

This cheese is also perfect for sending in school lunch boxes to avoid any allergy issues with you kids friends! I always worry about our kid’s friends with nut allergies when they visit our house, and am so glad I have an option to serve them and still keep it vegan!

Sunflower seeds are also relatively inexpensive! This cheese will cost you easily less than half of what you would pay for vegan cheese in the store. I use small snack size bowls to mold this cheese and can yield three wheels of cheese for around $4-5! If that is not a reason to start making your own cheese, I don’t know what is!!

So let me know what you think of this inexpensive, allergy friendly vegan cheese! I hope you love it and it becomes a staple in your house like it has ours!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cups raw sunflower seeds

  • 1 and 1/2 cups plant milk (we used almond milk)

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1/4 cup sauerkraut without the liquid

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons tapioca starch

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

  • 2 tablespoons agar powder

  • 1/4 cup refined or filtered coconut oil

  • Juice from 1/2 lemon

Vegan Smoky Sunflower Cheddar

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Soak sunflower seeds in hot water for a few hours, or cover in water in microwave safe container and microwave on high for 3 minutes

  2. Drain seeds and them add along with coconut oil, sauerkraut, nutritional yeast, starch, and seasoning to a food processor or blender. Blend for about a minute .

  3. Add the milk and agar powder to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously unit the mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Once thickened allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes, but keep whisking.

  4. Add the milk and agar mixture to the food processor or blender and mix on high for several minute, unit the mixture becomes creamy smooth.

  5. Transfer the mixture to several small bowls or cheese molds. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for serval hours to allow the cheese to firm up.

  6. Store firm cheese in an air tight container in the fridge for about a week.

Vegan Smoky Sunflower Cheddar

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Pimento Cheddar Cheese with Coconut Milk

Vegan Coconut Cheddar Cheese with Coconut Milk

I love experimenting with different vegan cheese flavors and bases. I really love using coconut milk because it’s easy and affordable.

I am often asked if these cheeses have a strong coconut flavor and the answer is, not really. I always used refined coconut oil which has little to no coconut flavor at all, and all of the spices and other ingredients in the cheese mask the flavor of the milk very well.

I love to make homemade pimento cheese and often do! I have always just made a vegan cheddar using coconut milk to make it, or in a pinch have bought some vegan cheddar shreds. BUT, how much more delicious is my pimento cheese spread now going to be when I use this vegan pimento cheddar to make the spread!! Double pimento and double delicious.

We added jarred red peppers to our recipe and can be used interchangeably with pimentos if you do not have any on hand. I normally have one or the other and just use what I have.

This is a quick set cheese and is so simple to make, there is no reason to keep overpaying for store bought vegan cheese! You can have delicious vegan cheese, start to finish in about 2 hours, and for a quarter of the grocery store price!

Vegan Pimento Cheddar Cheese with Coconut Milk

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk

  • 2 tablespoons agar powder

  • 2 teaspoons light miso paste

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1/4 cup diced red jarred red peppers or pimentos

  • 1/4 cup refined coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. If using a jarred red pepper, remove a piece from the jar and pat it with a paper towel to remove some of the liquid. Next coarsely chop the pepper. If using pimentos, line a bowl with paper towels and put the 1/4 cup pimentos in the bowl to try and draw out some of their liquid.

  2. In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, and agar and peppers/ pimentos.

  3. Pulse a few times to mix it all up.

  4. Add the milk, and agar to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding. This only takes a few minutes.

  5. Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute.

  6. Drop the peppers/ pimentos int the mix and process for a minute until they are all chopped up and incorporated. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.

  7. Transfer to the mixture to several small bowls or cheese molds. I can fill three small bowls with this recipe.

  8. Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for a few hours.

  9. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or so.

  10. This cheese will shred and make a pretty tasty pimento cheese spread!

Vegan Pimento Cheddar Cheese with Coconut Milk

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Pimento Cheddar Cheese with Coconut Milk

Smoky Coconut Milk Gouda

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I make a lot of vegan cheeses with cashews, but it is always nice to have an alternative for those with nut allergies.

There are a lot of recipes out there for coconut milk gouda, and after experimenting with different ones, I finally settled on using coconut milk and adding the coconut oil to help firm up the cheese a bit more! Always look for filtered coconut oil because it does not have strong coconut flavor like regular coconut oil.

People always ask me if coconut milk cheeses taste like coconut and I don’t think they do. All of the other ingredients in the cheese help mask coconut taste.

This cheese is super quick to make and perfect for a beginner. Agar agar makes a quick set cheese, meaning you will have a firm cheese that will slice and shred, start to finish, in just a few hours.

You can easily find agar agar powder on line at Amazon or at your local Asian food market.

You can also omit the liquid smoke and add some dill, or garlic to change up the flavor. You could also add a teaspoon of turmeric, and smoked paprika for a cheddar flavored cheese!

So don’t be intimidated by vegan cheese making, y’all!! It can be quick and really easy! It is also far more affordable and taste better than most store bough versions! So what are you waiting for! Lets make some vegan cheese!!!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream

  • 2 tablespoon of lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons miso paste

  • 1 teaspoons of salt

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1/4 melted cup triple refined coconut oil

  • 2 tablespoons agar powder

  • 3 tablespoons arrow root or tapioca starch

  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, agar, and liquid smoke.

  2. Pulse a few times to mix it all up.

  3. Now add the milk, agar, and liquid smoke to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding.

  4. Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.

  5. Transfer to the mixture to a few ramekins or small bowls. You should be able to fill 2 or 3 small bowls.

  6. Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for several hours.

  7. Once the cheese is set, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.

 

Smoky Cashew Cheddar

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Hard vegan cheeses are easier than most people think.

Agar is vegan gelatin that you can easily find online or in your local asian food market that helps the cheese to solidify. You can find it in powdered or flake form.  

I love this recipe because you can slice and even shred this cheese. If you are not a fan of smokey cheeses, just eliminate the liquid smoke and you will still be left with a tasty cheddar, perfect for sandwiches, cheese plates, tacos, and more.

 Also this recipe uses triple filtered coconut oil. I buy mine at Trader Joe's. Triple filtered coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor like regular coconut oil, so if you choose to use regular, you may find the cheese will have a hint of coconut flavor to it.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons dry cashews

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon onion powser

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 1 teapspoon liquid smoke

  • 1 and 3/4 cups almond or coconut milk

  • 8 teaspoons of agar powder

  • 1/4 cup triple filtered coconut oil

  • 2 teaspoons light miso paste

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a food processor, combine cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Pulse until the nuts are well ground. DO NOT OVER PULSE. You don’t want to end up with cashew butter.

  2. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine milk, agar, and oil, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. You want the mixture to thicken to a thin pudding like consistency.

  3. Add the liquid mixture to the nut mixture in the food processor, along with the miso, liquid smoke, and vinegar.

  4. Mix for a few minutes until all of the ingredients are well incorporated, and smooth.

  5. Pour the cheese mixture into 2 - 3 ramekins or small bowls, and let cool uncovered in the refrigerator for serval hours to firm up.

  6. Store in an air tight container for up to one week in the refrigerator.