🧀🧀EASY 'AF' VEGAN CHEESE SPREAD 🧀🧀
Have you ever had 'vegan-cheese'? It's gunna rock your world!
This homemade version is 10x better than anything I've ever bought in store- try it out! 😉
I make vegan cheese like it's nobody's business. I used to eat cheese on everything and so I have a soft-spot for the taste, texture and overall flavor it brought to my meals before I changed up my diet to be plant-based/vegan.
My Italian chef poppa has been visiting and he LOVES cheese... I mean he has been trying to temp me and tease me the whole time he's been here so I decided to whip up my quickest (but so yummy) recipe so he could see not only how easy it can be but also how delicious!
My friend @deliciousplants happens to be hosting THE VEGAN CHEESE CHALLENGE this week so what a perfect time to drop this recipe!
Let me show you what we're workin' with!
What you need:
- 1/2 cup soaked almonds (see instructions)
- 1/2 lemon (juice only)
- 1-3 cloves garlic depending on your tastebuds (I use 3-5 because I LOVE garlic!)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs filtered water
- 1 tsp sea salt
What to do:
- Soak almonds at least overnight before you want to make your cheese in filtered water.
- In the morning or after about 8-12 hours (ideal for almonds), drain the almonds and now you can either repeat this process or use them now if you're in a hurry! The more you let them soak, the cheesier taste you'll get!)
- If you're soaking again, repeat the last step, let them soak for another 8-12 hours, drain and now you're ready to go.
- Take the soaked almonds, lemon, garlic, oil, water, salt and blend together until smooth.
- Keep adding in water as needed until you get a nice, creamy spread!
TIPS:
- Add more lemon juice if you want a more intense flavor!
- Add nutritional yeast for more cheesy-ness!
- Add any seasoning you want: herbs, dried tomato, chillies, dried onion etc! Have fun with it!
- Once your mixture is smooth, it's best to have it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before eating but you know me and I just eat mine straight up, right away because I am the worst at waiting! 😉
- Store in airtight container in the fridge!
That is really it! Can you believe it?!
So easy I can't even complain about it and so delicious it pulls me into the kitchen anytime I'm craving something 'cheesy'... of course, I always have a little bit on hand for emergencies! 😉 I have found that this will last for about a week but I always check it with the smell test to be sure!
Hope you enjoy it! It goes great on bread, crackers, potatoes, salad... hmmmm... I don't know anything it's not good on. Just flop it on anything you're eating! 😉
I truly believe we can heal ourselves through food and it is my mission in life to create and inspire delicious, mouth watering creations that are beneficial and packed full of plant based goodies to fuel our bodies, minds and lives!
Just a friendly reminder to all that I am hosting a very vegan contest click here to see the post explaining how to get involved! Anyone can enter and anyone can win as long as you follow the rules! 💖
Until next time!
Sending you love through food,
XO,
This is awesome! TBH, when I saw the title, I first scrolled past because most vegan cheese recipes I've seen involve cashews to which my DAD is highly allergic. So, even when I opened the post to read it, I was kind of getting myself ready to be disappointed. When I saw almonds and not cashews? We'll, I almost woke the sleeping baby next to me in excitement! We can do this! I am so doing this to surprise my daughter. Thanks so much for sharing!
Awwww I am so happy to see this message @crowbarmama! Cashews are like out of my budget expensive here... well so are almonds but I bring them in with me when I do my visa runs or if I travel anywhere else... I know the pain of the cashew crises even if it's a different reason- I'll share more recipes with you- I am completing a vegan cheese certification in March so I will for sure let you know what I learn there <3
It's super easy but to me, the soaking is essential and I like to give it some time in the fridge even though I am the world's most impatient person ever ;) Let me know how it goes, so happy I could share! My dad told me to skip this one because my photos weren't up to par haha happy I did anyway <3
Looks really good! Do you think it would work with cashews too? I'm allergic to almonds :/ I've heard about cashew cheese so I know it's a thing I'm just not sure if I should use another recipe or if this one would work. What do you think? :)
Yes of course! Many cheeses I make actually start with cashew because they get soft and can be easily molded. For sure just switch it out in this recipe but I will try to get some more recipes of cheese up to share with you- I am obsessed and have made just about every kind I can think of. Cashews work perfectly! Let me know if you take it on, it's so easy! You won't need to soak the cashews as long but still soak them to have them soften and remove anything nasty that isn't easily digested on the outside! Good luck! Keep me posted <3
Cool thank you! I'll try as soon as I have some spare time, maybe this weekend :) looking forwards to those other recipes!
Looks like it's really good to me, I'm just liable to try it. I've eased up on dairy cheese a lot over the last several years, so an alternative is pretty attractive.
And you gotta know that I like quick AND easy.
Thank you.
I thought I could never give up cheese @bigtom13 but I just decided I needed to learn how to re-do cheese and this is only one of many recipes I have! It's so easy there is no harm at all in trying it :) It's not as identical to cheese as some of my other recipes but it is insanely delicious on everything! I hope the ease of it makes you give it a try! Dairy used to really give me serious problems and now I just want to show the alternative side <3
I have never seen this recipe.I think that It is so delicious & nutritional.
We should take this for preventint undrnutrition.
Thanks.
@resteem & follow done.
The best part about it is that it's really easy. The only part that takes any real effort is remembering to soak the almonds beforehand :) I love this and I love eating it after it's been in the fridge a couple of days, really sets the flavors :) Hope you give it a try 💖
This looks sooo good. I really need to try this :)
I LOVE this stuff.. i even make Pizza with it,, which works surprisingly well! I also add Loads of herbs and lemon and garlic like you.. which may not be strictly a cheese taste,, but works so well.. and FULL of probiotics and even some B12.. which is always good for the Vegans!
hope are you are well ms Heart!
Oh yes, pizza and this are perfect together, especially the hearty herby ones you are talking about mouth watering! MMM well @eco-alex, I know your kitchen is always full of goodies that make me hungry, not surprised to hear that this is one of your go-tos :) I am doing great- hope the same to you my friend <3
Okay...okay...okay...dad is leaving tonight, i am not sure i can wait extra one week to come. Hahaha. Simple yet classy.
Thanks for sharing - Can't wait to try this as the one thing I miss the most after going plant-based is cheese - Almonds are soaking - stay tuned:)
Having been eating a totally plant-based diet for the last three months, I am ecstatic to have the taste of cheese back in my diet!!!!! It tasted great before I even put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld and cool. I did add a tsp of nutritional yeast as well as all of the listed ingredients and I had to add a bit more water for it to blend sufficiently. I would imagine that this would be great in pasta dishes as well!!! Thanks so much @heart-to-heart for this vegan life hack!!!
Awww this makes me so happy to see @popsoz! I love that you actually went for it! So many people say they want to try it but don't ever commit- I LOVE that you did and am so happy to hear you enjoyed it :) I have been eating it non stop for the last week. I need more almonds ;)
Put it in and on everything, you can't go wrong I swear! I have some other hacks for pasta. I make a mean cheesy cream sauce that I would love to share with you! :)
Please share the "mean cheesy cream sauce" if you don't mind:) And to think all my non-vegan friends say, "how could you do that? I could never eat salads for every meal"
Actually, I had this one recipe that I shared not very long ago to hold you off here =D
Thanks! Good luck with your fast. Maybe you can share some recipes and photos of empty plates:)
I actually rarely eat salad as a meal. It goes on the side of my delicious plate full of goodies ;) Of course cheese is a regular addition to it as well! I am just about to start a fast so I cannot be torturing myself while starving sharing that but I'll make a note to make it after I am back to eating and then I'll let you know so you will have it for your collection <3
Thanks!
Yayyyy I can't wait!
Wo this seems so easy! Can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing! :D
It's too easy not to try :)
Ohh yes!!! I made a very similar recipe about a year ago and I really liked it!!! Good job :)
There are so many ways to make 'cheese' without dairy! I know I committed to finding it because I just loved cheese back in the day ;)