Recipes For Our Favorite Vegan Cheeses
Nothing finishes a Mexican dish quite like cheese, but vegan alternatives can be hard to come by. Here are our Founder Jocelyn’s tested and trusted three favorite options for making plant-based cheese at home:
Cashew Crema
The perfect plant-based alternative to classic Mexican crema. Creamy, luscious, and dairy-free.
Creamy Queso
Plant-based queso that's as satisfying as the real thing! Use it in burritos, as a dip, or atop some warm nachos for your next snack.
Queso Fresco
Use cashews and almonds as the base of your cheese, which will serve as the perfect punch of creamy, acidic and salty flavors. It's best to make it the day before you plan to use it, so it has time to release more flavor.
YIELD: 4-6 SERVINGS
Ingredients
¾ cup (110 g) raw cashew pieces, soaked and drained (see Notes)
¾ cup (107 g) raw peeled almonds,
soaked and drained
1¼ cups (300 ml) water
1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) lemon juice
1 tbsp (2 g) flaky agar or ¾ tsp
fine agar
Salt, to taste (it should be slightly salty)
2 acidophilus probiotic capsules
Cheesecloth
Instructions
Add the cashews, almonds, water, lemon juice, agar flakes and salt to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth. Taste for salt and add more as needed. Add the mixture to a medium pot over medium heat. Use a whisk or silicone spatula to stir the mixture until it thickens and the agar fully dissolves. It should be a cream cheese texture. Turn off the heat, add the probiotic powder and discard the capsules.
Continue stirring the mixture until it slightly cools. Add the mixture to a bowl lined with cheesecloth, and wrap the cheese with the cloth. Allow the mixture to sit out for 12 to 15 hours, and then put it in the fridge overnight. Remove the cheesecloth and serve.
Notes from Chef Jocelyn:
The cashews and almonds should be soaked separately for 2 to 3 hours if you don't have a high-power blender, and for at least 30 minutes in warm water if you do have one. If you can't find peeled almonds, you can use whole almonds with the skin on and peel the skin off of the almonds after soaking them.
Agar is a plant-based gelatin that will help hold all the ingredients into a cheese round.
Probiotic capsules help to create some fermentation so the cheese has a noticeable tang. Probiotics can typically be purchased at your local health food store in the refrigerated section.
