How to make vegan hard cheese that’s sliceable and can be grated. These dairy free cheese recipes are made from nuts or seeds and are oil-free. All nut cheeses and seed cheeses are high in protein, heart-healthy fats and nutrition.
It’s very easy to make firm vegan cheese and often costs less than normal cheese. Nutritional yeast gives these plant cheeses a cheesy and nutty taste and is full of B vitamins. Suitable for dairy-free, gluten-free and plant-based wholefood diets.
Smoked Cashew Cheese
This cashew cheese combines cashew nuts with smoked paprika to give a really morish tasty cashew cheese. Known as an artisan vegan cheese by many due to the great taste from the quality ingredients.
Sunflower Cheddar Cheese
Sprouted sunflower seeds are the main ingredient in this vegan cheddar cheese. The recipe contains miso but this can be substituted with a pinch of salt. A nut free vegan cheese that is also inexpensive.
Perfect vegan cheese recipe for pizza as it grates, see my Quina Crust Sunflower Cheese Pizza for a gluten-free high protein vegan pizza made from scratch.
Pistachio Hard Cheese
Raw pistachios make a rich, creamy and distinctly pistachio nut cheese. The slightly green colour comes from the nuts but to give a deeper green colour try adding a bit of a green powder like wheatgrass, barley grass or spirulina. This is one of my favourite vegan cheese recipes.
Marmite/Yeast Extract Cashew Cheese
Yeast extract combined with cashew nuts complement each other to make an irresistible cheese. If you’re in the UK yeast extract is most commonly known as the brand Marmite and in Australia the most common brand is Vegemite.
This spread is becoming more available in the US in the international section.
Vegan Cheese Video Recipe
Any issues with the above video play Vegan Cheese Recipes on YouTube. Like and subscribe to the channel to get more recipes like this.
What is Agar Agar Powder?
This is a natural seaweed extract and is what helps the plant-based cheese set. Always use a pure powder. Can be bought online inexpensively or from Asian shops.
The name Agar Agar comes from the Malay name for the type of algae used.
Agar agar is an essential ingredient in all of these vegan cheese recipes. If you leave it out these recipes make great vegan cheese spreads or dips.
Nootch / Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast, or the more appetising name of nootch, is what gives these vegan cheeses their cheesy nutty taste. It comes in the form of flakes and is great sprinkled over savoury food or added to sauces to give a cheesy taste without any dairy. Nootch is high in B vitamins and many brands contain the elusive B12.
Can be bought online or from many health food shops.
Seeded Oat Cake Recipe
These 5 Seed Oat Cakes are the perfect accompaniment to any of these sliceable vegan cheeses. They are made without any added oil as most shop bought oatcakes contain palm oil. Can be made with gluten-free oats.
Crunchy seed crackers with nut or seed cheeses make a high protein snack that’s filling and satisfying.
Dairy Cheese Vs Plant Vegan Cheese
A little meme I made about plant cheese and dairy cheese. It’s hard to convey all the information quickly but lots of cheese does contain animal stomach enzyme, animal puss from bladder infections, hormones and steroids. Plant cheese is a great way to avoid all of these, plus it’s lower CO2 emissions and cruelty free. Why wouldn’t you want to make any of these firm vegan cheese recipes?
I’m addicted to all of your cheese recipes nest and glow. They are so simple and taste great. So amazing to have a big wheel of healthy plant based cheese that is dairy-free. I recomend to try all of these!
Hi my name is Nadine, I will be trying this recicpe. But can I leave out the nutritional yeast and sweetener?
Hello Nadine, sure feel free to leave out the sweetener. It will still set and everything without the nutritional yeast but will be missing the cheesy nutty taste. Do try it and let me know.
What is the best what to keep / store this? and how long does it last for?
In the fridge is best to store for about 5 days. Or you can freeze to last for 3 months. Let me know what one you make!
I’ve made the smoked cashew cheese before and it’s great. So much cheaper and better than ANY VEGAN CHEESE IN THE SHOPS
Thats great to hear, I’m glad you like the smoked cashew cheese 🙂
What kind of paper do you use to line your containers when pouring the “cheese” mixture? It looks softer than parchment paper.
Hi Daria, I’m using what’s called greaseproof paper in the UK. Not sure if its called something else in other places. There’s baking parchment that is thicker and usually with a layer of something (silicone maybe) that I don’t use for this. Where are you based?
Type in grease proof paper on Amazon and there are a few, don’t get confused with parchment paper……..100 sheets under 18 dollars.
Thanks for that, I was using them interchangeably and it looks like I shouldn’t have.
for the 1 lemon juiced – you mean some lemon juice, not a whole lemon right? just checking
Yes I mean the juice of a lemon. Some do like to add a peeled lemon to get all the nutrition from the pith, but I think that ruins the texture and taste.
Can any cheeses be made with pumpkin seed butter?
Yes! I haven’t done it but I would follow my sunflower seed cheese and replace the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds. It will work well. Let me know how you get on.
Great video. What is that paper thing? Parchment paper?
Thanks, it’s greaseproof paper – I believe its called parchment paper in some other countries. You just want some cooking paper that is thin enough to line the cheese mould with. Hope that helps
Thanks for quick response 🙂
You’re very welcome, always happy to help
I live in South Africa, is Brewer’s Yeast the same as the nutritional yeast you use called Nootch?
Hi Cheryl, afraid not brewers yeast is something very different. Had a quick look and some places in SA do sell it like this place – https://www.faithful-to-nature.co.za/natures-choice-nutritional-yeast-flakes Hope that helps.
I would guess the cashews are raw as they are in most cheese recipes but since those pistachios looked roasted I figure I’d check. Is the smoked paprika enough for “Smoky taste” or can you add a dab of liquid smoke if you like smoky cheeses? These looks like my new favorite cheese recipes!!
Hi Tracy,
The cashews are indeed raw for this as are the pistachios. Well raw as in they haven’t been roasted but most cashews have been heated during the shelling process. I buy raw pistachios from the baking aisle where they are pre shelled.
The smoked paprika is mainly for the smoky flavour with a touch of sweetness, I think it would work great just with liquid smoke if you prefer. I just have a 1kg bag of smoked paprika as I used it so often!
Let me know how you get on with these recipes!
Hello Nest and Grow. I would like to know if by there is a recipe book I can buy with cheeses in it. I have been using agaragar fir many years and making my own vegan chess’s as well. Would be nice to experience some others tastes. Thank you Robyn
Hi there, there’s always my book with a few cheese recipes in it 😉 nestandglow.com/book but I think you mean a pure vegan cheese book. Have to admit I don’t own one, I did try a few recipes from a sample of a vegan cheese book but they didn’t turn out for me so didn’t buy it.
I tried making the cashew cheese last night but it didn’t set and was very wet – what did I do wrong?
It could be the agar agar, maybe it was not strong enough or it needed more? Did any get stuck to the bottom?
I have agar agar and it tastes totally horrible. I tried making a cheese with it. It tasted fine until I added the agar agar. Is it a brand name thing? If yes, what brand should I use? I used Landor. Thanks in advance.
Oh really? I don’t think it should have a taste. I’m using one from online that doesn’t have a brand, what kind of taste did it have? Some find the texture off if too much is added
can I sub agar agar with cornstarch?
Afraid not, that really doesn’t work. Just leave it out to make a pate 🙂
Wondering what the trick is to get the cheese to be firmer/harder? i soaked the cashews for a day… should I use unsoaked cashews or soaked for less time?
Hello, the firmness is from the agar agar. It can vary in potency, so if it’s not firm enough just add some more. Although can give a not great texture if too much is used. Hope that helps.
Great recipes. How do I sign up for on going post??
Hi there, I don’t have a newsletter but you can follow on socialmedia @nestandglow or click the notifications button to allow notifications if you like. Glad you like these recipes
Can I substitute the agar agar for xanthan gum. That’s just want I have in my pantry 🙂
Afriad not, has to be agar agar else it won’t set. Can leave out to make a cheese pate instead
Thet all sound great. But, i am having a problem with going vegan because everything consists of nuts, certain seed, and soy. I have a child who is allergic to them. Any advice?
Hi there, I would say to make a seed milk using a seed butter that they aren’t allergic to. How about sunflower butter or tahini?
Hi, question, for the cheese, can you use a glass bowl instead of the paper?
Sure! It doesn’t come out with the lines and will have a smooth shiny appearance but these vegan cheeses taste just as good! Will look like the sunflower cheese recipe
Can you use yeast for Agar agar it says on Google Cornflour is the same have you used any of them two
Afraid not, the cornflower just won’t set it to be firm and sliceable. Leave out and most of the water to make a vegan cheese pate if you prefer 🙂
Love the recipe but the portrayal that dairy is full of antibiotics and hormones is completely false
Hi there, sorry I’m not trying to be misleading – it does depend a lot where you live. The US dairy industry is very industrialised and it’s more aimed for there where I believe antibiotics and hormones are often routinely given. Where are you based?
I made the Marmite cheese. I added about a teaspoon of asafoetida, because I am a flavor junkie, topped them with hemp seed before leaving to set. It is so delicious, savory and very smooth. The instructions are easy to follow and I have these small little non-stick spring-form pans, so I didn’t even really need the parchment paper. One recipe made 2 rounds. Your description is highly accurate, it is irresistable. On my way to make some more tonight! Because I am also a chili lover, I am adding chopped habanero my plant gifted me with today! Thank you so much for sharing! Aloha!