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!

More vegan cheese recipes

• Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
• Cashew Vegan Mozzarella
• Nacho Cheese
• Vegan Ricotta
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

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Continue to Content

Best Vegan Cheese Recipe (Sliceable)

Yield: 1 quart

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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.

Print

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy. 
4. 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.
5. 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).
6. Turn down the heat to low and whisk continually until the mixture thickens to a molasses-like consistency.
7. Next, quickly pour it into the blender with the prepared cheese sauce and blend for approximately 30 seconds to mix it well.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
    

Notes

Substitutions and variations

NOTE: 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).

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!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Raw Whole Cashews, 3 lbs, 100% Natural,
• 
  Pure Natural Non-fortified Nutritional Yeast Flakes (8 oz.)
• 
  Organic Turmeric Root Powder

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57Total Fat: 2.3gTrans Fat: 0gSodium: 258mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

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.

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