Vegan Cheddar Cheese (No Soy, Legumes, or Nuts!)

Meltable & Sliceable Vegan Cheddar Cheese

Like me, You may have searched the web, watched YouTube videos, tried many recipes, only to be disappointed in the final result with vegan cheddar cheese that is soy and nut free? That’s why I have worked hard and failed many times to create this beautifully yummy block of cheese, haha!
Now you can step into your very own kitchen and make this delicious sliceable, shreddable, melty cheese too!

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I’ll stop bragging on this cheese in a second, but I am really excited that this cheese is also allergy friendly! There are modifications you can make to make to this recipe work for you and your family. That is why I love home cooking over store-bought! Anyway let’s get on too the science of vegan cheese for any nerds like myself out there…

How Cheese is made?

To understand how to make vegan cheese that is similar to dairy cheese, let’s take a closer look at how dairy cheese is made…

First, you start with milk and then add in some enzymes and probiotic strands to help the milk turn semi-solid. Then you separate the solid chunks (called curd) away from the liquid (called whey) and save the ingredients to portion out accordingly into cheese molds. Then, all that is left is salt & time. If you want to see how cheese is made in greater detail check out this video.

The Science of Cheese

Dairy filled cheese is full of fat, protein, and enzymes that break down and melt when heated. In order to make vegan cheese that can be shreddable but also melt like dairy cheese, you need fat that solidifies at room temp & melts when heated, protein that binds all ingredients together, and ingredients that can stretch when heated. So in my recipe, we use refined coconut or palm oil, pea, rice, or potato protein powder, and starches like corn and tapioca which help the mixture to stretch and bend. If you want to know more technical terms about the science of vegan cheese, click here.

Ingredients and Substitutions

For this recipe, we use the following ingredients or subs:

• Water. 
• carrots. This gives your cheese a nice color and the vegan cheese flavor you’re looking for.
• oats. (you can sub cooked rice, or raw sunflower seeds) All substitutes should work just fine! You don’t necessarily need this ingredient, but it does make the cheese way more creamy! If you do omit this ingredient, I recommend only doing 2 cups water in the recipe, instead of 3, so that the cheese doesn’t get too watery.
• olives. This ingredient is key a tangy rich flavored cheese.
• olive oil. You can sub a different oil, however, I recommend this oil for its robust flavor.
• mushroom seasoning.This ingredient is key to making the flavor profile rich and creamy!
• salt.
• lactic acid. Without this ingredient to add sharpness to your cheese, your end result will taste bland. 
• Refined coconut oil. (you can also use palm shortening OR vegetable shortening if soy isn’t an issue for you). Coconut oil will make the hardest cheese since coconut oil is the firmest of all three options listed here. 
• *potato starch. This ingredient is key to the stretch and melting properties in your cheese! Without it, your cheese will not melt properly!
• *modified tapioca starch. Another key ingredient for shredding and melting, a modified variation of tapioca starch allows the cheese to go from solid to liquid and back again without compromising the texture.
• *Cornstarch. Helps thicken your cheese mixture. *(If you need a sub for any of your starches, you will lose some stretchability when subbing starches for each other, but you can use whatever starch works best for you & let me know how it goes!)

How to make this cheese:

To start, you make a juice without pulp out of carrots and oats. We like to save pulp for smoothies. 

Then you make some homemade olive extract to add as flavoring. It’s delicious! We save the excess for future cheeses, salad dressings, and flavoring savory dishes. 

Then you blend together mushroom seasoning, lactic acid, and salt, till everything is fine and powdery. Pour this into the large pot with the carrot juice and olive extract.

Then, add all remaining ingredients: cococonut oil, potato starch, tapioca starch, and cornstarch into the pot. Whisk everything together, till smooth.

When you go to heat the cheese, you will need to have a whisk ready to mix with, so that no clumps form. We like using our immersion blender with the blender attachment. Eventually, your cheese mixture will begin to boil and look very thick (think super thick nacho sauce). At this point, I take the cheese off the heat & pour it straight into a silicone mold or an airtight container. Refrigerate 10-12 hours, or till it is firmly set.

Shred, slice, and melt as needed.

Other Cheese Recipes:

If you are looking for other homemade top 9 allergen free cheese recipes here are some ideas:

• Vegan Ricotta Cheese (link coming soon…)
• Vegan Parmesan (link coming soon…)
• Vegan Nacho Sauce (link coming soon…)
• Vegan Cream Cheese (link coming soon…)

ENJOY!

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