This quick recipe for dairy-free Pistachio Nut Cheese is easy and foolproof. It slices, grates and will go golden brown when grilled. The only difficult part is not eating the pistachio nuts as they are!
It’s better to make this vegan cheese than just eating the pistachio nuts as they are sprouted, meaning the goodness and nutrients are more easily digested by the body.
The cheese is oil-free and contains heart healthy fats from the pistachio nuts. Most vegan cheeses are dairy free but not healthy as they contain hard oils, flavourings an emulsifiers. This nut cheese recipe is made just from whole food ingredients and it tastes as good as it looks.
Also full of B vitamins and you can use a brand of nutritional yeast with B-12 to get that elusive vitamin. Suitable for vegan, dairy-free, paleo, plant-based, gluten-free. and general healthy diets.
This nut cheese will probably take other ingredients as flavours really well. Next time I may try it with dried apricots, rose essence or dried cranberries.
I love vegan cheeses with my palm oil free oatcakes recipe. They are made from gluten-free oats and a mixture of five different seeds. However you can use whatever seeds you have in your cupboards.
This vegan cheese ended up more yellow than the bright green I was hoping for, but this isn’t really surprising as the pistachio nuts inside are mostly yellow and the nutritional yeast is yellow.
To make the pistachio cheese a bright green I would suggest adding 1/4 tsp of green powder such as spirulina, wheatgrass or barley grass. You won’t taste it but it will give a deeper green colour and a nutrient boost.
I’ve found that this dairy free cheese is great to have with berries. The nutty green cheese looks and tastes great with tart raspberries.
I use pre-shelled unsalted pistachio nuts to make this. I believe this type of nuts has been lightly heated to help remove the shells, but at a lower temperature than normal shelled roasted and salted pistachios. So strictly they wouldn’t be considered raw but most people on a raw food diet would be fine with shelled nuts.
Vegan cheese that's made from pistachio nuts and is free of dairy. Quick and easy recipe for a plant based cheese that has no added oils. This nut cheese slices and grates. I use a 3" springform mould to make this but anything like a bown can be used instead. Check out my sunflower cheese recipe to see what it would look like set in a normal cereal bowl Links maybe affiliated, meaning I earn a commission from purchases but at no extra cost to yourself.Pistachio Nut Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Yield
10
Serving Size
1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 53Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 48mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 3g
The pistachio nuts for this nut cheese are soaked in salted water to sprout them and make the nutrients more bioavailable. This is called activating nuts and apparently was part of several ancient cultures like the Aborigines. If you are short of time then just soak for 15 mins, but it’s best to soak for 8 hours or overnight.
Think of this recipe as a base recipe to add different flavours to suit your tastes. Please do let me know how you get on in the comments or tagging me on social media @nestandglow on Instagram.
If you like this recipe but are looking for a nut free vegan cheese check out my sunflower seed cheese. It’s another dairy free healthy cheese that can be sliced and grated!
Do the pistachios need to be raw?
Hi Cassie, I would recommend to get the pre shelled ones that are labelled as raw (even through they have most probably been cooked) as no need to shell and they won’t have salt on them. But any type would work well for this 🙂
I made this yesterday and it is awesome!! My husband can’t eat much garlic so rather than use two cloves I used 1/4 tsp of powdered garlic. Today I took a portion and added some dried dill to it. Love it. It is great spread on thin rounds of carrot. I used raw pistachios from Nuts.com. I have also put some in the freezer to see if it freezes ok. It is just the two of us so this is very rich, we certainly wouldn’t eat this all up in 2 or 3 days…or at least shouldn’t! Lol.
This look super yummy. What size mould did you use? Thanks 🙂
Thanks, about 4″ in diameter 🙂
Can this be frozen and then used later?
Hi Kathleen, I’m not sure – I think the texture would be a bit off but that probably wouldn’t matter. I think my mum is trying to freeze it already grated onto a pizza base. So I will report back with how she gets on 🙂
I followed every single step and ingredient. My “cheese” did not come together at all, the texture was watery all throughout!!!! So frustrated!
Sorry to hear that, what kind of agar agar did you use? I only use the powder as its the strongest and stir constantly to stop it from sticking. Many people have made this recipe so I assure you it does work/1
How long does it last in the fridge?
I would say about 2-3 days. But mine never lasts even 2 days with me about 🙂
I made this delicious cheese today, love it! I will use less maple syrup and a little more salt and nooch. Thank you!
I agree on the less Maple, guess I’m used to a sweet cheese. From the looks of it otherwise, it seems it will set up nicely. I hope it will come out of my mold. Can’t wait to see. I did add Chipotle seasoning, to try to get it a bit more savory. We’ll see if that did the trick. It’s my first time using this recipe, looking forward to trying some of the other ones too.
Hi from Australia, just wondering what size tablespoon you use, 15 ml I am assuming? Thank you!
Hi, yes I use UK / US tablespoon sizes and always heaped, same for the cups in my recipes. It usually doesn’t matter so much with my recipes as its high in natural produce so can need some tweaking, but for this it’s important so that it sets right 🙂
Also wondering if the 2 pinches of salt go into making the recipe (aside from the 1 pinch to soak the nuts)?
Hi, the 2 pinches of salt are in total – one for the soaking and one in the final cheese. But you might want to adjust the amount for the final cheese to your taste as some like it a bit saltier.
Hello.
Can I change the agar agar by guar gum or xanthan?
Thanks,
Shirley
Hi Shirley, sorry I don’t think either of those will work. If you don’t have agar you can leave it out and make this a spreadable cheesy pate instead of a firm block 🙂
Like Deborah, I will use less maple syrup (I intend not to use any) and “up” the salt and nutritional yeast. As is, the recipe is too sweet for my taste.
Hi, I made this a few weeks ago, mine turned out more like “Pate”‘ wondering if you bring the agar agar and water to the boil and then simmer, also I used a 4 1/2 inch Spring pan and still had almost half as much mixture again and, last question, do you use 15 ml or 20 ml tablespoons? Thank you.
Hi Vicky, sorry to hear that – I use 15ml TBSP (i think this is the US and UK size). Was it agar agar powder? The flakes aren’t as potent so you need more. I usually bring to a simmer and keep stirring as otherwise, the agar can stick together at the bottom. Hope that helps 🙂
1 cup is 100 gram according to Google.
I just measured with a measuring cup and sacle and mine is 118. But definitely not 150….
In addition 40g is not 1/2 cup. It is almost 1 cup !
Hello, this might depend on the brand you use. I either use Trader Joes or engevita yeast flakes as they are the most popular in the US and UK and that’s what it works out for me as. But to adjust to your tastes. Recipes that are high in natural food do need a bit of initiative as they can vary so much across the world 🙂
Your conversion is off… Even if you consider that a cup is 100 grams then 40 grams is less than a half, not a cup? Where are you taking the conversions?
Hello, I’ve just googled myself and 1 cup of chopped pistachios is 100g and 1 cup whole is 150g 🙂
1 cup is 236 ml
I measured whole (shell) and it was 118gram
Ah I see, you want to measure the amount once taken out of the shell. This is in the first line of the recipe 🙂
I meant to say that it was 118gram Without shells. I buy them without the shells so I can use them right away.
Hi Bastian
Thank you for your beautifull recipes. i have one one question, about the water in which you soak the seeds and nuts.Do you discard it or re-use it in the recipe. I wondered cause the soaking might remove toxin -like substances in which case you should discard it and if that’s not the case you might reuse it cause it might contain some water-soluble vitamins from the nuts in it. What’s the case here?
Warm regards
Hi Stacy,
Thanks so much for your lovely comments – that’s so nice to hear. I do discard it as I follow the train of thought that it contains the enzyme inhibitors/antinutrients. However, if you don’t add the salt it’s said to be beneficial to use to water plants as while it may not be good for us it’s said to be good for them.
As with many of these things where there is little money to investigate there isn’t studies to back it up, but it seems logical to me but I’m always open to learn more.
Let me know what you think
Hi, can I leave the nutritional yeast out and still have the recipe work? I cannot eat it. Is there something I could substitute for it? Thanks!
Hi Victoria, the recipe will still work but it will taste a bit different. It’s hard to replace the nootch as it gives the cheesy nutty taste but how about some yeast extract instead? Then reduce the salt as yeast extract is salty.
Maybe a lil yeast extract/marmite may work. Just a little though!
I am wondering if the nuts are one cup with shells or without the shells?
Hi Donna, it’s without the shells. Let me know how you get on with this nut cheese
Hi Bastian, loving the sound of these vegan cheese recipes, however, the previous two I’ve tried to make, from a different site but using similar methods, have not firmed up much. One had a slight ‘jelly-like’ texture, the other was essentially ‘spreadable’. I followed the recipes to the letter so I’m confused as to why this is. I use agar agar powder, not flakes. I’ve also combined tapioca starch in one to help, but it did not work. I’m wondering if you can double up on the amount of agar agar to make sure the cheese is firm, cuttable and shred fable? Will doing his cause it to go too hard, affect flavour? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Hi Chris, sorry to hear some others didn’t turn out too well. Yes I would double up on the agar agar – I used heaped tsp rather than level ones and if your cheese is spreadable then doubling it sounds like the right amount to get the correct firmness. It will still spread when very set but only after more pressure, it won’t ever be the same constancy as normal cheese (as its less fat based and more water based) but should slice and grate nicely. Let me know how you get on.
Thank you, Bastian.
I tried your recipe and it came out looking good. The texture is a little ‘spongy’ and gelatinous, which takes away some of the enjoyment of eating it. The flavour is decent and I added a little spirulina to deepen the colour. I was wondering if I could perhaps replace the water by ‘curdling’ some soya milk with apple cider vinegar. Maybe this would create a more cheese like texture?
All the best,
Chris
Hi Chris i’m not really sure if the soya milk curdle will work. Maybe add a bit less agar agar for a less firm cheese? Or add some coconut butter and less agar to set it
Hi Bastian!
Love your recipes! I avoid consuming nutritional yeast. What can replace it?
Thank you.
Hey there, thanks so much! How about using east extract spread in its place?
Thank you so much for your recipe. My husband is allergic to apple cider. Can I use a different one?
Thanks glad you like it. Just replace with lemon or lime juice – it’s just there to balance the flavours out/
Hi Cassie what kind of paper do you use for wrapping your mold?
Hi there, I’m using what we call greaseproof paper in the UK.
Could I make it without maple syrup for less sweetness (like my cheese p savory), or is it needed for texture?
No its not needed, feel free to leave it out – just for sweetness
Nest and Glow. This recipe looks great. Is this sweet or savory? I’m assuming sweet due to maple syrup which I’m sure we can skip. But – Do you need the final step with agar? I only have the syrup agar agar and I can do without the extra sugar.
Hi there its more savoury with a hint of sweetness but the syrup is totally optional. You need the agar agar to help it set else will just be a liquid. Can leave that and the water its boiled in to make a pate instead.
Mine didn’t set at all. HELP! LOL
Oh no 🙁 it’s usually the agar agar sticking to the bottom or not strong enough and needs some more – check out the comments on this recipe as I’ve spoken so much about this https://www.nestandglow.com/healthy-recipes/smoked-cashew-vegan-cheese
nice idea
I’m running short on time and didn’t read through all the comments. I’ve always heard good things about nutritional yeast but my experience with it has been far from good. I’m a diabetic with Celiac and do better avoiding animal products and any grains. Is there another suggestion for the nutritional yeast or is there a brand that is 100% grain free?
Hi there, I replied to your other comment but I use Marigold Engevita. Nutritional yeast should be gluten free as it’s grown on molasses and not grains. But do check the back of the packet.
Hi, I can’t find the agar power. Can I use fruit pectin instead? Thanks!
Afriad not, it won’t set. Just leave it out and the liquid it’s boiled in to make a pate
Hi, I cannot find agar agar powder. Can I use fruit pectin instead? Thanks so much!
Afraid not it doesn’t set properly with that, just leave out the agar agar and make it a pate
I have agar agar flakes in my pantry. If I “grind” them up in my spice grinder, will that work as a powder?
I’m really not sure, I don’t think so. Tried to find out to no avail
Yes, it most certainly will. Grinding into a powder is how it’s generally used.