Best Vegan Cheese Recipe (Sliceable)
This Vegan Cheese Recipe has been a long time coming. Though I have a number of great dairy-free cheese recipes already, all of them have been sauces. That’s where this one is different. It’s actually sliceable for serving on crackers, sandwiches, and charcuterie boards.
When I say that there are a number of vegan cheese sauce recipes on this website already, it’s the truth. We have everything from Cheddar Sauce to Sweet Potato Cheese. If what you really want is Ricotta or Nacho Cheese, you’ll find it here as well. Most recently, I’ve even added Easy Cream Cheese.
The biggest challenge has been coming up with cheese that is actually firm instead of being a sauce. So many followers have asked for a solid cheese and the closest I was able to come to until now was my stretchy Mozzarella which can be frozen and sliced or grated. However, as soon as it defrosts, it turns back into its original form.
One thing I’ve learned during the process of coming up with this new sliceable version is that ALL of my previous vegan cheese recipes can now be made sliceable. How cool is that? The secret ingredient that can be added to each of them to firm them up is agar.
Ingredients needed
- potatoes
- onions
- carrots
- cashews (and or white beans)
- nutritional yeast flakes
- lemon juice
- spices
- Agar powder (to solidify)
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
What is agar-agar?
Yes, I know it’s the same word twice, but that is the correct way to say it, though in actuality, I personally only say it once. I understand that single pronunciation is common in culinary circles as well.
Agar is a plant-based vegan gelatin that is made from seaweed. It is white, translucent, and tasteless, and it comes in flakes, powder, bars, and strands. Agar powder is probably the most common and best for recipes, in my opinion. It is a perfect vegan gelling agent for basically any recipe.
Twenty years ago, when I taught science classes to homeschoolers, we used agar in Petri dishes when we were growing bacteria. It was easy to use and pretty neat. Little did I know that decades later I would be making dairy-free cheese with it.
How to make vegan cheese
The first step to creating this sliceable cheese was easy because I already had so many vegan cheese options to choose from. At first, I used my Sweet Potato Cheese because it is already the perfect bright orangy color. However, I decided that my Basic Cheese Sauce was a better taste fit, and deepening the color was as easy as adding a little turmeric.
Begin by dicing up the potatoes, carrots, and onion.
In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in a pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
When veggies are tender, drain them and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
I have a Vitamix blender and so don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes before adding them to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy.
Once blended to a nice and smooth consistency, set the cheese sauce to the side while you prepare the thickener.
By the way, at this point, this dairy-free cheese sauce could be used in nacho cheese dip, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. This recipe makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Adding the agar thickener
In a small to medium saucepan, add 1 cup water plus 2.5 tablespoons agar POWDER and bring it to a boil. It is important not to leave it at this point because it will thicken pretty quickly.
NOTE: I found that agar powder works better than the agar flakes for getting this cheese nice and firm. If you only have agar flakes on hand, you’ll need to triple the amount (7.5 tablespoons).
Turn down the heat to low and whisk continually until the mixture thickens to a molasses-like consistency.
Next, quickly pour it into the blender with the prepared cheese sauce and blend for approximately 30 seconds to mix it well.
Now, it’s time to pour the cheese into containers that are the shape that you would like your hard cheese in. Personally, I use mini loaf pans and round souffle dishes. Another good option would be mini loaf nonstick silicone molds.
Smooth out the top of each one with a spoon or spatula so that when they are flipped out onto a plate, the bottom will be flat.
Place the molds into the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours or longer. As it chills, the harder the cheese becomes, so the longer the better. Carefully turn out the cheese blocks onto a plate or serving platter with crackers.
You may need to use a knife to run along the edges of your dish or mold to make the cheese release. Then turn it upside down onto a plate.
We love to serve these with an oil-free cracker called Mary’s Gone Crackers. If you’re entertaining, this vegan cheese recipe makes the perfect addition to a Charcuterie Board along with some hummus, veggies, and even fruit. It even makes an awesome Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Substitutions and variations
One of the best things about this vegan cheese is that it can be made with either cashews or white beans for those avoiding nuts. Better yet, do a combination of both to reduce the fat but maintain the creamy rich texture.
- 1st Version: Originally, I made it with 1/2 cup of raw cashews.
- 2nd Version: Now, I sometimes sub out white beans–like navy beans or cannellini–to lower the fat content even more. For those avoiding nuts completely, this is a terrific nut-free cheese sauce.
- 3rd Version: Nowadays, I mostly make with a combination of the two–1/4 cup cashews + 1/4 cup white beans. It has a warm creamy texture with less fat. This easy vegan cheese sauce has so many options!
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Best Vegan Cheese Recipe (Sliceable)
Ingredients
- 1 cup potatoes peeled & diced
- 1/4 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (or 1/2 c white beans)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
- 1 cup water
- 2.5 tablespoons agar-agar POWDER OR flakes 7.5 TBS
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender–approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- I have a Vitamix blender so I don't take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn't jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy.
- Once blended to a nice and smooth consistency, set the cheese sauce to the side while you prepare the thickener. By the way, at this point, this dairy-free cheese sauce could be used in nacho cheese dip, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. This recipe makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- In a small or medium saucepan, add 1 cup water plus 2.5 tablespoons agar powder and bring it to a boil. It is important not to leave it at this point because it will thicken pretty quickly. I have found that agar POWDER works better than agar flakes for firming up this cheese recipe. If you only have agar flakes on hand, you'll need to triple the amount (7.5 tablespoons).
- Turn down the heat to low and whisk continually until the mixture thickens to a molasses-like consistency.
- Next, quickly pour it into the blender with the prepared cheese sauce and blend for approximately 30 seconds to mix it well.
- Now, it’s time to pour the cheese into containers that are the shape that you would like your hard cheese in. Personally, I use mini loaf pans and round souffle dishes. Another good option would be mini loaf nonstick silicone molds.
- Smooth out the top of each one with a spoon or spatula so that when they are flipped out onto a plate, the bottom will be flat.
- Place the molds into the refrigerator for a at least couple of hours or longer. As it chills, the harder the cheese becomes, so the longer the better. Carefully turn out the cheese blocks onto a plate or serving platter with crackers.
- You may need to use a knife to run along the edges of your dish or mold to make the cheese release. Then turn it upside down onto a plate.
- We love to serve these with an oil-free cracker called Mary’s Gone Crackers. If you’re entertaining, this vegan cheese recipe makes the perfect addition to a Charcuterie Board along with some hummus, veggies, and even fruit.
Video
Notes
- 1st Version: Originally, I made it with 1/2 cup of raw cashews.
- 2nd Version: Now, I sometimes sub out white beans–like navy beans or cannellini–to lower the fat content even more. For those avoiding nuts completely, this is a terrific nut-free cheese sauce.
- 3rd Version: Nowadays, I mostly make with a combination of the two–1/4 cup cashews + 1/4 cup white beans. It has a warm creamy texture with less fat. This easy vegan cheese sauce has so many options!
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
I cook for my sister who is bravely battling the recurrence of breast cancer. So, that is why I’m trying to get every bit of nutrition for her.
Do you think it would be ok to steam the carrots, potatoes, and onions and then use the water that was used to steam them? I was hoping not to lose any nutrients in the water.
Your recipe looks wonderful. I can’t wait to try to make cheese with white beans..
Thank you
Hi Deborah- Steaming instead of boiling the vegetables should be fine. Just be sure to get them nice and soft. I hope you and your sister enjoy the recipe.
Hi Terri,
First, thanks for answering my other question so quickly.
Could I please double check that you meant 1 tsp of turmeric? Perhaps, it was my turmeric, but it overpowered the flavor and almost had an after taste. I’m used to using just a pinch of turmeric in my cooking.
I did leave the skins on the potatoes, which I thought would be ok, since your pic showed that as well. I used a yellow potato that had a thin skin.
I am grateful for your website and don’t mean to complain.
Deborah- Maybe try reducing the turmeric down to 1/2 teaspoon. I mostly use it in this cheese for the color factor. Using less should still give it a nice orangy color. 🙂
Can this cheese be frozen? How well does it melt as a topping?
Hi Elaine- It freezes well. I haven’t tried melting it as a topping yet but think it should do just fine.
Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for the link for purchasing the agar-agar.
while this recipe is delicious and wont go wasted, mine did not turn out sliceable, more like a thick sauce. any suggestions for future? I made it in my Vitamix 7500. Out of habit, I always soak my raw cashews to remove any growth inhibitors etc? Used agar agar powder and everything in amounts stipulated
in recipe.
Thanks
Terri
Hi Terri- It sounds like it needed a little more agar powder to firm it up more. If you do another batch, try adding a little more. I’m glad you’re still going to be able to use it.
I don’t have any Agar but I do have Kappa Carageenan. Could I replace the Agar with the Carageenan?
Hi Lynne- I haven’t used Kappa Carageenan before but just now looked it up. I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. I would love to hear how it does if you try it as a substitute.
Hi Terri, I love your cheese recipes! Would you use the same quantities and directions for making your mozzarella cheese sliceable?
Hi Debbie- Thank you so much! For the mozzarella cheese recipe, I think using just over a tablespoon agar and 3/4 cup water should do the trick. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Just made this recipe and love it! Perfect for sandwiches and crackers. I used cassoulet beans that I’d cooked a couple of days ago and added about a teaspoon of sriracha sauce as I couldn’t find my cayenne pepper. Think next time I’ll add some diced jalapeños. Thank you for such a versatile recipe
Hi Caroline- I love that you added sriracha sauce. What a great idea to kick it up a notch! I’m glad that you enjoyed it and plan to make it again.
I am making this soon. Can it be frozen? Can you make a full batch of the sauce, and then keep half a quart as sauce, and add half the amount of agar agar & water to the other half?
Hi Bonnie- I think keeping half of the batch as sauce and then adding 1/2 of the required agar to the rest to make a block is an excellent idea. I often freeze the sauce but haven’t tried the block yet. It should be just fine though. Hope you enjoy it both ways!
OMG, I love that you’ve already used this ingredient for your homeschool teaching back in the day! So funny hoss things like that come back around. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Love you!!!
Hi Lexi- Ha! This is the only ingredient I can think of that we used as a science project, lol. Hope you love the recipe, and thanks so much for following!
How firm is this? Is it the “consistency” of Velveeta??? I am hoping for the firmness of real cheddar….
Hi Kathy- This is more like Velveeta in firmness. Super delicious!
Terri I was reading through your awesome list of 63 meals when I came upon your cheese sauce recipe. I’ve made it several times using beans and it is delicious. I began to wonder if vegan cheese sauce could be made sliceable by adding agar, so I searched the web and voila, among others you have already worked it out for me! I’m going to make a full batch today and reserve half to add agar too. Of course I’ll adjust the amount accordingly.
Thanks for the recipe and tips Terri. You do such a great job with your website.
Hi Frank- I am so happy that you are searching and finding all of the recipes on my site. That’s exactly what I love hearing! We are constantly trying to crank out new articles and recipes that will be helpful for the plant-based community. Thank you for letting me know that it’s working for you!
What could I replace nutritional yeast with?
Hi Ruth- That’s a hard one because nutritional yeast is such a key ingredient in this recipe. I’ve heard other people say you can substitute miso or dried mushrooms for nutritional yeast, but I’m not sure how that would do for a cheese.
Hi Terri. I’ve made your cheese sauce multiple times and love it. I’m going to make this next. I do have a quick question. The serving size says 1. Is that 1 oz?
Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes!
Hi Annie- That’s a good question. In its sauce form, it make about a quart, and there are 32 oz in a quart. It makes 10 servings, so that would be just over 3 ounces per serving. I’ll add that info to the recipe card.
Oooh, I’ve got to make this! Especially since beans can be used in place of cashews if desired 🙂
Thanks, Terri!
Hey there Cyd! I hope you’ll like it. I tend to use 1/2 beans and 1/2 cashews to get the creamy texture. Can’t wait to hear what you think about it!
Nice recipe … the problem I see with none dairy cheeses is the fat content. Your vegitable additions really help in that area.
I did a little a little change and cooked the cashews with the veges.
Thanks for the work.
rick