Cooking Class: Vegan Cheese – Ooey Gooey & Dairy Free

Sam Turnbull, Vegan Blogger & Cookbook Author

Missing that creamy texture and the rich flavors found in cheese? Well, look no further! Sam’s vegan sunflower cheese recipe will satisfy those cravings. This nut-free cheese is quick and easy to make with just nine ingredients. Serve this crave-worthy vegan cheese with crackers or bread, spread it on a sandwich, add it to a salad, or use it anywhere you like! You don’t have to be a vegan to fall in love with this recipe. As an added bonus, it’s school safe!

Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese

Servings: 2 wheels of cheese (about 4 inches diameter)

This nut-free vegan cheese is quick and easy to make with just 9 ingredients. Serve this vegan cheese with crackers or bread, spread on a sandwich, add to a salad, or use it anywhere you like! School safe!

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds, softened (see step 1)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
• 4 teaspoons white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

To soften the sunflower seeds:

1. You will first need to soften the sunflower seeds. Softening them will make them easier to blend and will result in a smoother cheese. You can either boil or soak the seeds. To boil:put the sunflower seeds in a medium-sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 10 – 15 minutes until the sunflower seeds have softened. Drain and rinse before using. Or to soak: place the sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover the seeds with water. Soak overnight until tender. Drain and rinse before using.

To make the sunflower seed cheese:

2. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until the mixture is as smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
3. Prepare your mold(s) by lining them with plastic wrap or parchment paper, or you can use a silicone mold. You can use any mold or dish you like. Once the cheese is blended, scoop the cheese mixture into a mold of choice and smooth the top. Cover and chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to let the cheese firm up. The cheese will be firmer fresh out of the fridge but will soften as it sits out. Serve this vegan cheese with crackers or bread, spread on a sandwich, add to a salad, or use it anywhere you like!

Notes: The vegan cheese will keep well in an air-tight container in the fridge for about a week or this sunflower seed cheese also freezes well. Just wrap tightly then store in an air-tight container and freeze

Vegan Truffle Mac & Cheese

Servings: 4

10 ingredients, 20 minutes to make. This dairy-free pasta tastes super fancy but is actually super easy to make. Perfect for a fancy dinner, but easy enough to make on even your busiest days!

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon truffle olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups short pasta such as shells or macaroni (gluten-free if preferred)

Instructions

If you have a high powdered blender such as a Vitamix, Blendtec, or Breville you can skip to step 2.

1. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you might want to boil the cashews first to ensure they are tender enough to blend into a smooth sauce. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. You can now proceed to make the cheese sauce.
2. Make the cheese sauce by adding 2 cups of water along with the cashews, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, miso paste, truffle oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper to your blender until it is completely smooth. At this stage, the sauce will be quite watery. Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta according to package directions.
4. Drain the pasta and quickly rinse the pot to remove any leftover starch from the pasta water. Return the empty pot to the heat and pour in the cheese sauce. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked hot pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Notes:

Cashews – you can sub blanched almonds or macadamia nuts or sunflower seeds.

Cornstarch – you can sub equal amounts tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch.

Truffle oil– truffle oil may vary in strength, so you are welcome to start with less and add more to taste once the sauce is cooked and thickened. If you want to skip the truffle oil you can enjoy a simple creamy pasta.

Miso paste – adds an aged, fermented flavor which really makes this taste cheesy.

Nutritional yeast – adds a nutty cheesy flavor and is essential for this recipe.

Make ahead – the cheese sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 – 3 days. Simply reheat and toss with hot pasta when ready to serve.

Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese

Servings: 4

Only 15 minutes to make this melty, stretchy, gooey, dairy-free cheese. Pour it on nachos, serve it on a baked potato, use it in a quesadilla, or wherever you desire.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Tortilla chips for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. To soften the cashews: Boil them for 10 minutes until soft, OR soak the cashews for four hours to overnight. Drain before using.

2. Add the softened cashews, water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. It will be very watery. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot to remove any cashew bits that didn’t grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture. 
3. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring.
4. As you stir it will start forming clumps, then it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional minute or two to make sure it has firmed up completely.
5. Pour over nacho chips or use in any way you desire.

Notes:

Make ahead: Allow cheese to cool then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to return the cold cheese back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it until desired consistency is reached.

Tapioca starch: Only tapioca starch will give that stretchy texture, but you can prepare the cheese with other starch such as cornstarch or arrowroot powder which will give you more of a sauce texture.