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The same classic American cheese taste you grew up with: mild, firm, and satisfying. These creamy golden-hued vegan American cheese slices are perfect sliced on sandwiches and crackers. Recipe and photo from Vegan Cheese: Simple, Delicious Plant-Based Recipes by Jules Aron, ©2017 by Countryman Press, reprinted by permission.
Makes: An approximately 1-pound block
Prep and cook time: under 30 minutes
Wait time: 2 to 4 hours
Cheese
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, drained, and rinsed
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water, filtered
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Agar Gel
- ½ cup cold water, filtered
- 4 teaspoons agar powder
Place all the cheese ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Leave the cheese mixture in the blender.
To make the agar gel, whisk the cold water and the agar together in a saucepan. Let it soak for 5minutes then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, whisking often, for 5 to 8 minutes, to activate the agar.
Once the agar mixture is ready, quickly transfer it to the cheese mixture in the blender and process until it becomes hom*ogenous. Pour the mixture into a container and cover. Refrigerate until firm and set, at least 2 to 4 hours.
Wrap the cheese in waxed paper and store in a sealed container. Will keep, refrigerated, for 1 to 2 weeks.
Tip: Soaking the cashews in water for 4 to 8 hours makes the puree creamier and easier to process.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Gerry Buck says
I have been looking for something like this for a long time.
jcpetke says
RAW – Beet Ravioli Pods & Shaved Asparagus Noods Ingredients: Cashew-meoutside ‘cream’ cheese filling – • 2C raw cashews (SOAKED OVERNIGHT IN WATER! ) • 1/2C water (or extra broth/stock)• 1 lemon (zested & juiced)• 1T nutritional yeast • 1T onion powder • 1 1/2T chives (sliced VERY thin) • 1⁄4C parsley (chopped fine)• 2 shallots (peeled & minced)• Salt/Pepper (to taste) Beet Ravioli • 1⁄4C EVOO • 1 garlic clove (minced)• 1 lemon (juiced & zested)• Salt/Pepper (to taste)• 1 large RED beet (peeled and sliced into VERY thin 1/8” rounds – use a mandolin) • 1 large GOLDEN beet Asparagus Noods• 1# asparagus (shredded with a veggie peeler into thin ribbons)• 1T sesame oil• 1T EVOO• 1 lemon (juiced)• 1T rice vinegar• 1T sesame seeds Directions: Prep cashew cream cheese by blending the soaked (strained) cashews with water (if you didn’t get a chance to soak these babies. boil some water and soak them in there for 10 minutes) and lemon juice and zest in high-speed blender, until smooth. Pause a few times to scrape sides of blender and fold ingredients to ensure a creamy texture.
Julio says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Can you substitute the Agar powder with other thickening like Psyllium Husk or Chia seeds? Thank you.
Nava says
Hi Julio — since this is a contributed recipe, I can't say for sure. I worry that psyllium or chia would change the flavor/color too much. I was going to try this with agar flakes instead of the agar powder myself!
Heather says
Bookmarked this page, I really want to try this cheese! Mmm, looks so good.
EmD says
How much agar should I use?
Nava says
The recipe calls for 4 teaspoons of agar powder; I'm not sure how that would translate to agar flakes, which I'd like to try. I'm going to hazard a guess and say 2 1/2 tablespoons of agar flakes, since they're not as dense as powder. But don't hold me to that — I still need to try this that way (it's a contributed recipe)!
