How to make vegan cheese at home with under 10 ingredients and just 10 minutes of your time (not including chill time). This dairy-free cheese is tangy, cheesy, and versatile – use it in slices, shredded, or melted into or over dishes. Plus, it’s nut-free (no cashews) and soy-free!
We’re slap-bang in the middle of ‘Veganuary’ where, as of this year, more than half a million people have pledged to go Vegan for the month of January (Yay!). Do you know one of the biggest struggles for many, though? – giving up cheese!
That ooey, gooey, melty, tangy food is so good that people can’t imagine a life without it – but you don’t have to. I’ve already shared a (very popular!) Vegan Cheese Sauce, several other cheese alternatives (listed at the bottom of this post), and recently my take on Vegan Fondue. Now, it’s the turn of this hard-style, sliceable dairy-free cheese.
Tangy, Sliceable, Homemade Vegan Cheese
Honestly, I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best vegan cheese I tried so far. The recipe is actually based on my cheese sauce recipe – which has been loved by thousands of dairy and non-dairy eaters alike since I first posted it way-back-when in 2016 on Instagram!
By swapping just a couple of ingredients and a step you can turn the gooey sauce into a hard plant-based cheese worthy of slicing, shredding, or melting on your favorite dishes or adding to fancy cheese boards. The results are a versatile cheese substitute that is entirely addictive and 100% nut-free (without cashews) and something I’ve loved for years (but somehow never posted-oops!).
Best of all, this vegan cheese recipe is nut-free and super EASY. There’s no blender required or any fancy kitchen equipment, just a saucepan, and a few bowls! Plus, homemade options are far cheaper than going for anything store-bought and nearly always taste better!
What Is Vegan Cheese?
It’s a dairy-free, cheese substitute for those wanting to experience the taste and texture of cheese without dairy products.
I always like to tell new Vegans that trying to find ‘exact’ replicates for dairy cheese varieties can be difficult. In a way, vegan cheese is practically an entirely new food group – so I like to enjoy it for what it is (cruelty-free, and absolutely delicious when done right!) and haven’t looked back.
You may never find a vegan cheddar that is exactly like the dairy one you’re used to – but you’ll often find something ‘close enough’ that stands on its’ own merits. And if you ask any vegans that have been around for a while – believe us, your taste buds change, and soon you’ll be craving dairy-free cheese substitutes for their flavor and texture!
This recipe is a type of ‘generic’ cheese, most likened to a mild cheddar. It’s slightly tangy, ever so slightly smoky, with a cheesy flavor, and wonderful texture for slicing, grating, and melting! It’s also an excellent base for customizing and flavoring (check FAQ section for examples).
The Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut Milk: use a can of unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, not boxed or ‘lite’ versions. Shake the can well and use everything (the creamy part and water). This doesn’t really add much of a coconut flavor, however, you could also try with another plant-based milk combined with 4 tbsp of refined coconut oil (which doesn’t have any coconut taste at all). Note that the coconut fat content will allow the cheese to melt better.
- Nutritional Yeast: This will help to add a cheesy flavor and shouldn’t be omitted.
- Sauerkraut Juice: Will add the familiar flavor and tang of dairy cheese. Alternatively, use other pickling brine, olive brine (then reduce the salt), or water combined with 2 tsp lemon juice/ apple cider vinegar – though I’ve found sauerkraut juice is the best flavor, in my opinion!
- Tapioca Flour: Will provide a little stretch to the cheese when melting it (i.e. on pizza, toast, etc.). Alternatively, use arrowroot flour. For best ‘melting’ results, use ‘Kappa Carrageenan’.
- Agar Powder: It’s important to use 100% pure agar powder and not something with less strength – like brands that contain mainly maltodextrin (I use the NOW Foods brand). If you use agar flakes, you’ll need 3x as much (6 tbsp). Alternatively, you could use Kappa Carrageenan, though then you’ll need just 1 1/2 tbsp and won’t need to cook it for 5 minutes – just heat with the other ingredients and simmer for 1-minute maximum.
- Spices: I use onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Optionally, you can also add a pinch of turmeric powder for a more yellowish color (see recipe notes).
For the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information, read the recipe card below.
How To Make Firm Vegan Cheese?
Step 1: Create a cheese sauce
- Grease the inside of a medium bowl/dish (mine measures 5.5 x 3-inches/ 14 x 7.5 cm) with a neutral oil and set aside.
- Add all the ingredients except the sauerkraut juice and tapioca flour to a saucepan and stir well with a whisk.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it begins to simmer, set your timer to 5 minutes and allow it to cook (without ever boiling!), stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken as it cooks.
Step 2: Add the extra ingredients and thicken
- In a small bowl, mix the lukewarm sauerkraut juice and tapioca flour. Add the mixture to the saucepan and stir with a whisk.
It’s important that the juice isn’t cold or else it will make the cheese sauce set quickly due to the agar agar.
- Continue to simmer for a further minute as the dairy-free cheese thickens further, stirring frequently. Then immediately pour the sauce into the prepared bowl/dish (it begins to harden quickly – so be fast!) and press down lightly with a spatula to smooth it down.
Step 3: Chill the vegan cheese until set
- Allow it to cool at room temperature until the bowl is just slightly warm, not hot, and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least three hours (or overnight) until the cheese is fully set. You can now enjoy it!
Serving Suggestions
Now, I know that no-one needs anyone to tell them how to enjoy their cheese; but a few suggestions for this vegan cheese recipe certainly couldn’t hurt.
- Slice and serve as part of a cheese board or platter along with fruits, veggies, and Homemade Bread and crackers.
- Use this dairy-free cheese within sandwiches or toasties – like this Vegan Grilled Cheese or Vegan Kebab Sandwich. Or even melted over this Gluten-Free Naan.
- Sprinkled over pasta dishes – like this Lentil Bolognese.
- Within Mexican-Inspired dishes – like these Vegan Enchiladas, or Quesadillas.
- Sprinkled liberally over fries – like these Loaded Nacho Fries or Chili Cheese Fries.
- Over pizza – like this Mexican Pizza, Vegan Calzone, or Sweet Potato Pizza.
- With Burgers and Hotdogs – like this Black Bean Burger.
- As part of a salad bowl – like this Brown Rice Salad or Mexican Avocado Salad.
- And lastly, this plant-based cheese can be used in place of, or combined with, most recipes where I’ve used my cheese sauce on this blog, including; Stuffed Zucchini Boats or Stuffed Eggplant, Breakfast Burritos, and tons more!
FAQs
How to store homemade vegan cheese?
Once set, the leftovers can be kept, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it, in an airtight freezer-safe container, for up to 3 months.
Can I flavor the dairy-free cheese?
Yes, you can definitely experiment with different flavors (another reason this is the best vegan cheese ever). With this hard cheese substitute, I like to experiment with adding different herbs, spices, and seasonings.
For instance; garlic and herb, Italian herbs, add extra paprika and a dash of liquid smoke for smokier results, a dash of cayenne/chili powder and some red pepper flakes for heat, truffle or miso paste for extra umami, etc.
Does vegan cheese melt?
This really depends on what cheese substitute you’re using. However, yes, it’s entirely possible to make your dairy-free cheese melt – which this recipe does.
Within this recipe, the coconut fats are one element that helps the cheese to melt; meanwhile, the tapioca starch allows the cheese to become stretchy as it melts. While this cheese doesn’t melt as much as dairy versions, there is still some melt and ‘spread’, which I love. See the before and after photo:
Recipe Notes & Variations
- You can shred/grate it straight from the fridge or freeze it for 5-10 minutes beforehand. It works either way, as the coconut cheese is quite firm, but the freeze time can make it a little easier. This is because I’ve included ingredients to make this cheese able to melt – so it isn’t quite as solid as it would be, otherwise.
- For a stronger ‘cheesy’ flavor, feel free to slightly increase the amount of nutritional yeast used.
- Be careful to measure out the agar and tapioca starch accurately. Even the slightest increase/decrease can change the texture and results of the plant-based cheese quite drastically.
- Note that some agar agar brands will differ in strength and consistency – so you may have slightly different results from my own. Just make sure to use one that is 100% agar.
Other Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Veggie Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Fondue
- Dairy-Free Cottage Cheese
- Vegan Parmesan
- Vegan Ricotta Cheese
- Vegan Cheddar Cheese
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
If you give this nut-free vegan cheese recipe a try, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.
Vegan Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 (13.5 oz) can (360 g) coconut milk unsweetened (see notes)
- 4 tbsp (26 g) nutritional yeast (see notes)
- 2 tbsp (15 g) agar powder 100% pure (see notes)
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup (80 g) sauerkraut juice lukewarm
- 1 1/2 tbsp tapioca flour (see notes)
Instructions
- Watch the video in the post for easy visual instructions.Grease the inside of a small/medium bowl or container of choice (mine measures 5.5 x 3 inches / 14 x 7.5 cm) with a neutral oil and set aside.
- Add all ingredients except the sauerkraut juice and tapioca flour to a saucepan and stir with a whisk.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it simmers, set your timer to 5 minutes. Let it simmer over low heat (do not let it boil) and stir occasionally as it will thicken the longer it cooks.
- In a small bowl, mix the sauerkraut juice with tapioca flour. It's important that the juice is not cold (otherwise, it will make the cheese sauce set partially). Add the mixture to the saucepan after 5 minutes and stir with a whisk.
- Continue to simmer for 1 minute, it will thicken even more, so I recommend stirring frequently. Then immediately pour the cheese sauce into the prepared bowl (it hardens fast, so try to be quick) and press it down slightly with a spatula.
- Let it cool until the bowl is just slightly warm, not hot, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight) until set. Enjoy with these crackers!
Notes
Video Of The Recipe
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze.
- Coconut milk: Do not use boxed or lite coconut milk, the result won't be good. You need full-fat coconut milk. Shake the can and use everything (the creamy part and the water, if separated).
- If you are afraid of any coconut flavor (I didn't notice any), you could experiment with a different plant-based milk and add 4 tablespoons of refined coconut oil. The refined coconut oil doesn't have any coconut flavor at all. In that case, reduce the amount of plant-based milk by 4 tablespoons.
- Agar agar: It's important to use 100% pure agar powder (I use the NOW Foods brand). If you have agar flakes, you will need to use 3-times as much (6 tablespoons).
- Note: You could experiment with Kappa Carrageenan instead of agar agar. The difference will be that you need to use less (just 1 1/2 tablespoon instead of 2), plus you don't have to cook it for 5 minutes. Just heat it with all other ingredients and simmer for max. 1 minute.
- Sauerkraut juice: It adds flavor and tang, similar to dairy-cheese. Alternatively, use other pickling brine, olive brine (then reduce the salt), or water combined with 2 tsp lemon juice/ apple cider vinegar - though I've found sauerkraut juice is the best flavor, in my opinion!
- Tapioca flour: You can use arrowroot flour instead. It will add a little stretch to the vegan cheese if you melt it (on pizza or toast).
- The vegan cheese melts just slightly. If you want it to melt, even more, choose Kappa Carrageenan, as it does yield a better result. Also, if you choose a brand of coconut milk with more fat, it will melt better.
- Color of the cheese: I use a brand of nutritional yeast (with the addition of B-vitamins which color the Nooch yellowish). However, if your nutritional yeast isn't yellow, you can add a pinch of turmeric powder.
- Nutrition facts are for 1 piece (about 60 grams) if you cut the cheese into 8 pieces.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Kat Smith
Oh my goodness Ela, you are a kitchen genius. The flavor for this cheese is cracking. I substituted the coconut milk for almond and a vegan butter, and used olive brine and lemon juice. It is delicious. I’ve already eaten half if it. No idea if it melts because I’ve been too busy eating it in delicious cubes.
Ela
That’s really amazing, Kat! I am so glad you liked it. Thanks for your great feedback, I appreciate it. 🙂
Margaret
My mix split while simmering. What do you think I did wrong? Taste is great though.
Ela
Did you use a non-stick pan? If yes, that probably was the reason (happened to me as well once). 🙂
Rose
Awesome recipe and in my opinion, better than shop bought vegan cheeses. I made this cheese yesterday and this morning melted it over avocado and your gluten free buns.
Thank you Michaela, I am so grateful to you for your recipes.
Ela
That makes me so happy, Rose! Thanks for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Florina
Welchen Agar Agar empfehlen Sie mir in Deutschland zu kaufen?
Falls Sie mir ein Brand sagen können wäre super!
Dankeschön für die Rezepte ????
Lg aus Nürnberg ????????♀️
Ela
Hallo Florina, ich habe bei meinem deutschen Blogbeitrag (veganer Käse) das Agar Agar von Rapunzel in den Zutaten verlinkt, weil es zu 100% aus Agar Agar besteht. 🙂
LG, Ela
Ariana
Can I use rice ir chickpeas or buckwheat flour instead tapioca?
Thanks
Ela
Hi, no that won’t work. You can use arrowroot flour or potato starch. 🙂
Luz
Hola! Aquí una seguidora de tus recetas desde Valparaíso – chile.
Mí consulta es si se puede utilizar otra leche que no sea de coco? Gracias!!
Ela
Hi Luz, yes, you can. Please check the recipe notes for a substitute. 🙂
Airike M
Made it with pickle juice. As good as sauerkraut!
Ela
Awesome! 🙂
Lauren
Hi Ela I’m excited about trying this recipe! I’ve got some questions first please before I order the ingredients I don’t have.
If I order arrowroot flour instead of tapioca flour, will that make it suitable for melting over tacos and nachos?
I don’t have agar powder and can’t eat carrageenan, is there another alternative I might already have? (if not will just order agar!)
Thanks 🙂
Ela
Hi Lauren, no worries, I am here to help. 🙂 I think the arrowroot flour will work quite similarly to tapioca flour.
I don’t know of any other alternative to agar agar (except kappa c.). So I would recommend ordering the agar powder. 🙂
Anita
Hi Ella
I have been meaning to write to u to say thank u as i have finally found a guru to guide me on vegan and gluten recipes which is a success! Havr tried so manybof your recipes and my daughter who is intolerant to gluren and dairy actually gives a thumbs up. She is a 14 year old now so not easy to please her taste buds. She had a tough journey switching to non dairy and gluten free so its not been easy. But thanks to u she is enjoying her bread amongst so many other recipes from u. Thanl you so much for so kindly sharing all uour recipes! GGod bless u
Ela
Aww, that makes me so happy, Anita! Thanks so much for letting me know. All the best to you and your daughter. 🙂
Best wishes,
Ela
Annie
I made the recipe just as written, including the agar and the sauerkraut juice. It came out absolutely deIicious and was very easy and fast to make, too. I like sauerkraut a lot so was not concerned that it may have a bit of the taste, but for those that don’t like sauerkraut, there is no flavor at all of sauerkraut, just a certain, hard to describe extra taste dimension that is a wonderful. The cheese reminds me a bit of a vegetarian pâté I used to love, but can no longer find. Besides using this for cheese on sandwiches, etc., I am going to experiment a bit with it and see if I can also turn it into a more pasty consistency to get a pâté and pulse in some mushrooms or something. My wheels are spinning for the possibilities of this very delicious cheese! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Ela
Hi Annie, I am so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for your thorough feedback. 🙂
For a more pasty consistency, you can simply reduce the amount of agar powder. Enjoy!
Haviva P
Had to try making this as it looked so easy! I did not have any sauerkraut liquid so used olive brine. I also didnt have any agar so used Kappa carrageenan. Directions were really easy to follow, and it was super quick to make and started firming up right away. My kids made fun of me while I was making it as it did not look like cheese when it was in the liquid state.. However, once it firmed up, there were a lot of ooohs and ahhhs! We grated it on top of spaghetti and they immediately asked for more. They have also been enjoying it sliced on top of crackers. They took back their initial skepticism and agreed that its awesome. Vegan cheeze can be so pricey in the stores, this is a really affordable, quick, easy option, with no preservatives and healthy. It was a win here!
Ela
That’s awesome! I am glad it turned out delicious with olive brine and Kappa Carrageenan. Also, so good to hear that your kids liked it too!
Thanks for your helpful feedback. 🙂
Jim Forward
My understanding is that nutritional yeast is MSG which I avoid.
I have really enjoyed most of your other recipes though Ela – thank you!
Ela
Hi Jim, that’s not exactly correct. If you choose a brand “with no fortification and no synthetic additives, you can rest assured that it doesn’t contain any MSG.“. That’s what I read on this website. So, it depends on the brand and how it was processed, if it’s fortified or non-fortified, some brands are better than others. I have linked to a brand in the ingredients, that seems to be safe. 🙂
Also, “the glutamate found in nutritional yeast is “bound” to other amino acids or proteins meaning your body can control how much is absorbed and the rest can be passed off as waste.”
But I don’t want to discuss this topic here in detail, because there are other articles that you can read, for example, this one.
I am so glad you like my recipes. 🙂
Yasmine
I,ve become allergic to cows milk recently and cheese is one of the things I miss the most and so difficult to reproduce. I’m not saying this vegan cheese is the real deal but it is delicious and it melts lovely on spaghetti, toast and can even be eaten with tortilla chips if you put it in a bowl with a candle below.
Ela
Thanks for your feedback, Yasmine! I am glad you liked it. 🙂
Lorena
Loved the recipe! So simple, delicious, and easy. My hubby is allergic to cashews, so this is a godsend! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Ela
I am so glad you loved it, Lorena! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Steph
Not my taste. This is not cheese and I had to throw it away. My wife spit it out. This was my fifth attempt to make cheese with agar agar, and from now on, I think I’ll leave cheese making to the experts. ????
Ela
Sorry to read you didn’t like it! Maybe you will like the version with Kappa Carrageenan better. 🙂
Airike
I love it. It doesn’t taste anything like cheese. More like a solid patè. But it’s really delishious and different. And so easy to make.
Ela
I am glad you love it, Airike. 🙂
Natalie
Hi, Can I to use psyllium by agar in same amount. Thanks
Ela
Hi Natalie, I don’t think that would work well or taste good. The cheese would be quite soft and the flavor of the psyllium would be quite strong.
Gretchen
You nailed it, Ela! I had already given up on homemade vegan cheese but this one is amazing! I used white miso and white wine vinegar instead of the brine and it turned out great.
Thank you!
Ela
Yay, that’s fantastic, Gretchen! So glad to hear it turned out delicious with white miso and white wine vinegar.
Thanks, for sharing. 🙂
Amanda Hood
How much miso and white wine vinegar to use? Thanks
Gretchen
Hi Amanda 🙂
20g Miso, 15g white wine vinegar and 55g water. I used the kitchen scale to “reproduce” the amount of brine Ela used in her recipe.
Gretchen
And apparently I am really bad at maths. It was 45g water. Sorry!
Ela
Thanks for sharing, Gretchen! 🙂
Nancy Herrmann
what did you use in place for the white miso and how much and also the white wine vinegar was that just to replacement for the sauerkraut juice? And the same amount thanks
Janice Stoddard
Hi Ela, I was just getting ready to make this delicious looking vegan cheese. I noticed in the picture you have psyllium husk but not in the recioe. Just curious if you used it?
Ela
Hi Janice! Oh no, that’s a mistake! The picture should say “agar powder” but instead I wrote psyllium… I will fix that. Agar is correct. 😉
Thanks for catching my mistake, Janice! 🙂
Ivana
Dobrý den milá Elo,moc děkuji za další Váš úžasný recept.Jsem vegan čtyři roky a po takovém sýru jsem toužila. Když jsem našla Váš recept,musela jsem ho hned vyzkoušet. Je vynikající. A přitom je potřeba jen pár ingrediencí. Zrovna jsem doma měla kysané zelí,tak jsem z něj použila šťávu. Sýr nádherně ztuhnul,nechá se strouhat,prostě TOP.Budu ho dělat často. Moc děkuji za to,že jste,Elo .Posílám srdce 🙂 Ivana
Ela
Ahoj milá Ivano! Jsem velmi ráda, že jste vyzkoušela můj recept a že sýr dopadl tak dobře. Děkuji za Váš podrobný a užitečný komentář. Jsem ráda, že jsem Vám tímto receptem udělala radost. Posílám Vám moc pozdravů. Ela 🙂