Before I went vegan, I was obsessed with cheese. One of my favorite things was to stop by a well-stocked cheese case in a grocery store and read all of the names of the cheeses and wonder what each one tasted like. I used to consume whole wheels of brie in one sitting, savoring its oily gooeyness, or repeatedly slice into marbled hard cheeses, admiring the different patterns revealed in each slice before relishing each bite. However, once I went vegan, that obsession went away and, after sampling a slice of commercially prepared vegan cheese and hating it, the need for the taste went away altogether.
A few years later, I fell in love with grilled cheese made with Tofutti slices, and teared up when I tasted melted Daiya for the first time during a trip to Seattle at Pizza Pi. Commercially prepared vegan cheese has come a long way over the past few years, and I now consume and savor it with the same level of obsession I used to have with dairy-based cheese.
Even though I can easily buy Daiya or Tofutti the shelf, I still like to experiment with making vegan cheese at home. After seeing several intriguing methods for making nut-based fermented cheese floating around out there, I decided to develop a similar version using coconut vinegar and coconut cream, a combination I use often and love. Once combined, the vinegar and fat play perfectly off one another, and the level of richness and acidity can be easily manipulated by tweaking the ratios.
I made several test batches of this cheese and think that placing it into a dehydrator for 6 hours produces superior results, but it can also be placed in a dark spot at room temperature for 12 hours to develop. The dehydrated version will offer a more intense and complex depth of flavor with a slightly darker color, while the room temperature version will yield a mild flavor and a brilliantly white color. If the concept of fermenting/culturing isn’t your thing, you can skip it, and simply place the mixture into the refrigerator for the flavors to mingle for 12 hours before adding any additional flavorings (suggestions below).
CULTURED CASHEW CHEESE
- Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tsp coconut vinegar*
- couple pinches of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 2 probiotic capsules (open the capsule, and add the powder only to the mix)
- 1–2 TB unsweetened canned coconut milk (skim the heavy part off the top of the can)
Instructions
- Rinse the soaked cashews in cold water, then transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the water and puree until very smooth. It’s ready when you can rub the mixture between your thumb and index finger and not feel any grit.(I have an older blender, so I puree for a full minute, then allow it to cool/rest for a bit, then repeat about 5 times to obtain the right smoothness.)
- Add in the coconut vinegar, salt and sugar and puree again. Stir in the probiotic powder. Do not add in the coconut milk yet.
If using a dehydrator
- Scrape the mixture into a nut milk bag. Place into a dehydrator, flattening it out as needed if you have a layered tray dehydrator. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6 hours. Final result: intense flavor, slightly darker color.
If you don’t have a dehydrator
- Transfer the mixture into a sanitized glass jar. Cover with a tea towel and secure with a rubber band. Place in a dark spot (I put mine in my kitchen cabinet) for 12 hours. Final result: mild and tangy flavor, bright white color.
- If you don’t want to dehydrate or leave at room temperature: Transfer the mixture to a container and place into the refrigerator for 12 hours. Final result: mild and subtle flavor, white color.
- Next, scrape the mixture into a clean container and add in the coconut milk and stir. Add any additional flavorings to taste** (or leave it plain), then cover and place in the refrigerator for an additional 12 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
The cheese will last a couple of days in the refrigerator. Use it on bagels, crackers, crusty bread or with fruit and vegetables, or as a vegan goat cheese substitute.
Notes
* I think coconut vinegar is the best vinegar to use for vegan cheeses, and strongly recommend using it over apple cider vinegar, as I’ve received mixed reviews on using it in cheese applications like this.
** Herbs, dried or fresh, such as dill, tarragon or chives; olives, crushed nuts, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, tahini, sun dried tomatoes or mellow miso. Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
Deborah Leader says
Any other vinegar besides coconut or apple cider work? What about white wine or champagne vinegar.
★★★★★
erinwyso says
Hi Deborah, I haven’t tried with either of those yet, but if you do with good results, I’d love to know!
Avocadess says
Oh, I see! You add the coconut milk AFTER dehydrating. (I won't use canned but will blended shredded coconut with water and strain. I hope that is all right!) Very interesting. Can't wait to try this!
Avocadess says
When are you supposed to add the coconut milk?
moniquinha says
I live in Brazil and it is quite impossible to find vegetarian probiotics here, unfortunately (as much as coconut vinegar…). My husband is in NY and I asked him to buy some for me at Whole Foods. I'm just worried because you said it stands at the fridge. Do you think it will run bad during his travel back here? Or is there any other substitute for it? Hope you can help me on that!
erinwyso says
Moniquinha, no worries on the probiotics being out of the fridge for a few days. They won't go bad or spoil — it's just best practice to keep them cold to preserve their integrity. If you can't find coconut vinegar, some apple cider vinegar is a good second choice. I hope you enjoy!
Anonymous says
Where do you find coconut vinegar in Boston?
erinwyso says
You can get it at any Whole Foods in the vinegar/oil section, and it's also sold at most asian markets.
Anonymous says
I hadn't thought about fermenting vegan cheese before, interesting! One question, just to be clear, do we want to add the coconut cream (scraped from on top of the milk) OR the milk itself?
erinwyso says
You'll want to skim the heavy part off the top of the can. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn says
Aren't probiotics living things, and therefore not vegan? Just checking.
erinwyso says
Jenn, probiotics contain live, non-sentient bacteria and yeast, which are found rampant throughout our bodies. Everytime you bathe, or take an antibiotic, you are annihilating thousands or millions of them.
Vegan probiotics are derived from non-animal sources and are therefore vegan.
Probiotics are also naturally present in any kind of fermented food, like miso, tempeh, soy yogurt — which are all vegan. The only way probiotics would not be vegan is if they contained a dairy strain or the capsule was gelatin based.
Hope this helps!
Lan | MoreStomach says
the addition of the probiotic powder is really interesting!
Caitlin says
this just looks absolutely mouth watering delicious. i used to be able to eat an entire block of cheese in one sitting,too. crackers/baguette and cheese were my all time favorite meal/snack. i need to try this!
Anders... says
Do you think it could be frozen? Seems more practical to do larger batches but I wouldn't be able to eat it within a couple of days.
erinwyso says
I'm not sure, I've never tried freezing it. I've demolished each batch I've made within a couple of days. : )
Anonymous says
I've found several vegan cheese recipes that use probiotic capsules for fermentation purposes, but I've been unsuccessful in finding them at the store. Where do you find probiotic capsules, and are they in a vegan form?
erinwyso says
They are typically found in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods or other health food stores. Vegan probiotics are typically clearly marked to avoid any confusion.
Kathryn Tate says
amazon.com has a long list of them!!