Quick & Easy Vegan Cheese Recipe! (2024)

Mar 2, 2022

4.98 from 42 votes

| 39 Comments

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Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make (plus chilling time) and you can have a homemade vegan cheese recipe that is creamy, spreadable, and delicious! This quick & easy vegan cheese recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients, is more affordable than store-bought cheese, and tastes so much better! Ready to experiment with making your own vegan cheese? Let's go!

Over the years I have posted a ton of delicious vegan cheese recipes. Some of the cheese are more complicated than others, and some are made using ingredients that are a little more difficult to source. So I decided it was time to go back to the basics and make the most perfect, super simple cheese recipe! Made from just cashews, coconut oil, salt, garlic, and my secret ingredient: olive brine (which makes it taste tangy and like it has been aged). You won't believe how amazing this tastes!

Plus, if you are feeling a little creative you can stir in freshly chopped herbs, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, coarsely ground black pepper, or any other fun add-ins you can think of. In these pics I added fresh thyme leaves, lemon zest, and black pepper. These cheeses are freezer-friendly so I love to make 2 or more blocks at once and store them for later so that I have a delicious round of cheese anytime I desire.

Common questions about vegan cheese:

What is vegan cheese?

Traditional cheese is made from animal milk whereas vegan cheese is made from various nuts, seeds, soy, tapioca, oils, or other ingredients. In this recipe, the base of the cheese is made from raw cashews. See the recipe notes for other variations.

What is vegan cheese made of?

Raw cashews, refined coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. You can also optionally add in chopped fresh herbs, lemon zest, coarsely ground black pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes to jazz it up a little! Raw cashews are the base of the cheese which will make it smooth and creamy. Refined coconut oil will add richness and also make the cheese firm up in the fridge. Olive brine adds an aged tang to the cheese, and garlic and salt are flavor enhancers.

How to use this vegan cheese?

This quick & easy vegan cheese is best enjoyed as a snack. Serve with crackers or bread, spread the cheese on top, and enjoy! It's also fantastic dolloped onto a fresh bowl of pasta, crumbled over roasted vegetables, spread onto toast and topped with jams or fresh fruit, add to a salad, or amp up your vegan cheeseboard.

How to Make Vegan Cheese:

To start you will need to first soften your cashews so that they will be easier to blend until a smooth and creamy cheese.

Soften the cashews: Add the cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews, by placing the cashews in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the cashews to soak for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using.

Blend the cheese:Add the softened cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will likely get warm when blending from the friction. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.

Form the cheese: Line two molds (I usedthese), or two small bowls with a square ofcheesecloth.Divide the cheese among the two cheesecloth-lined molds. If you are adding fresh herbs, sprinkle them over the cheese and then use a chopstick or something similar to swirl the herbs into the cheese.

I like to keep one cheese wheel of quick & easy vegan cheese plain with no add-ins, and the other wheel with added herbs. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the cheesecloth over the cheese.

Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has firmed up. Unwrap and enjoy!

This cheese is...

creamy
tangy
spreadable and melty
5 ingredients
15 minutes to make
freezer-friendly

More delicious homemade vegan cheese recipes:

Easy Vegan Blue Cheese
Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese
Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Cranberry Thyme Vegan Cheese Ball
Vegan Parmesan
Vegan Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

If you try this quick & easy vegan cheese recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.

Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.

4.98 from 42 votes

(click stars to vote)

Quick and Easy Vegan Cheese

Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make a homemade vegan cheese recipe that is creamy and delicious! This quick & easy vegan cheese recipe is cheaper and better than store-bought!

Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 10 minutes mins
Total: 15 minutes mins

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

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Ingredients

▢ 2 cups raw cashews, softened (see step 1)
▢ ⅓ cup refined coconut oil, melted
▢ 2 tablespoons green olive brine, (the liquid in a jar of olives)
▢ 2 cloves garlic, peeled
▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
▢ Optional add-ins: coarsely ground black pepper, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, or chopped fresh herbs, (such as thyme, dill, rosemary, parsley, or basil)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soften the cashews:Add the cashews to a medium pot and cover with water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until the cashews are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews, by placing the cashews in a bowl, covering them with water, and allowing the cashews to soak for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse before using. Both of these methods will soften the cashews making them easier to blend into a creamy texture.
Blend the cheese: Add the softened cashews to a food processor along with the coconut oil, olive brine, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth, creamy, and sticky, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You want to make sure you blend this very well so that it gets as smooth as possible. It will likely get warm when blending from the friction. I blend mine for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.
Form the cheese: Line two molds (I usedthese), or two small bowls with a square of cheesecloth.Divide the cheese among the two cheesecloth-lined molds. If you are adding fresh herbs, sprinkle them over the cheese and then use a chopstick or something similar to swirl the herbs into the cheese. I like to keep one cheese wheel plain, and the other with herbs. Smooth the top of the cheese with a spatula and then fold the cheesecloth over the cheese.
Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until the cheese has firmed up. Unwrap and enjoy!

Notes

Storage/ Make Ahead/ Freeze:The cheese can be kept wrapped in the fridge for up to a week or it can be frozen.

Substitute for cashews: cashews are my preference as they are creamy and mild in flavor, but if you need to substitute them you can use macadamia nuts, blanched almonds, or raw sunflower seeds. All of these nuts and seeds will need to be boiled for about 15 minutes to ensure they have softened.

Substitute for coconut oil:coconut oil becomes solid when chilled so this is what firms up the cheese. No other oil will work for this, but if needed you can try substituting vegetable shortening. If you are oil-free you can omit the oil but note that this will be more of a creamy spread and will not firm up in the fridge.

Refined coconut oil: ensure you are using refined coconut oil which has no taste or smell of coconut. Unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut taste which won't be appetizing for this recipe.

Substitute for green olive brine: Sauerkraut, lemon juice, white miso paste, apple cider vinegar, caper brine will all work. They will all provide different tastes but will still be nice.

Substitute for cheesecloth: you could use a clean dishcloth, wax wrap, plastic wrap, or anything like that. The cheesecloth does help dry it out slightly and give the finished cheese a nice texture on the outside, but otherwise, other wraps will work just fine.

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Insta and let the world see just how amazing plant-based creations can be!

Author: Sam Turnbull
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Appetizer, Snack

More cheesy vegan recipes you might enjoy...

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Sylvia W says
April 05, 2024 at 3:21 pm

I just caught someone on Pinterest trying to pass off this recipe as her own :-(. She even used the same picture! So every comment asking for the full recipe I replied with the link here! So there, cheater!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  April 07, 2024 at 9:19 pm
  Thanks for looking out for It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken 🙂
  Reply
Boston Vegan says
May 14, 2023 at 9:23 pm

Made this today - easy and delicious!
Reply
Paula says
February 04, 2023 at 7:14 pm
Mine is super oily. What did I do wrong?
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  February 08, 2023 at 4:57 pm
  Tough to say without being in the kitchen with you. Did you use coconut oil or an alternative?
  Reply
Ross says
December 28, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Is there a reason green olive brine is specified? Will black olive brine also work?
Reply
- Sabina says
  December 30, 2022 at 3:13 pm
  Probably because of the colour. Black olive brine is dark.
  Reply
sadie says
November 07, 2022 at 5:16 pm
Howdy,
This looks wonderful. I'm going to give it a try. Question: Would you say adding noosh would help with oomphing the cheese flavor factor? I will try irrespective, but I wanted to ask for your thoughts. Thank you for the inspo! 😀
Reply
- sadie says
  November 12, 2022 at 1:31 pm
  Well, I tried this. It's good. It's cheese-adjacent, I would say. The flavor is great (and super adjustable). The texture is super soft. Totally usable, and doable... but soft. Glad to add this to the roster!
  Reply
  See Also
  Erdäpfelsalat (Austrian-Style Potato Salad) Recipe
  - Boston Vegan says
    May 14, 2023 at 5:52 pm
    @Sadie, this particular recipe says it makes a spreadable cheese - maybe other of Sam's recipes are for firmer versions? My first attempt is chilling in the fridge-looking forward!
- Sam Turnbull says
  November 17, 2022 at 5:06 pm
  It will just be a slightly different kind of cheese taste. Many of my other vegan cheese recipes contain nooch. 🙂
  Reply
Heather says
October 07, 2022 at 8:28 pm

I am currently doing an all nut, seed, fruit and vegetable detox cleanse with my dairy loving, carnivore husband...and we have been very limited to salads and smoothies. We are usually omnivore foodies, and he was losing his mind a bit. Sam, you are an absolute genius, and THIS HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING. I actually made mine in a blender (I also made the Bleu cheese and sharp cheddar) because I was so excited to start immediately. It was a lot of work, but it can be done...lots of scraping. My husband bought a food processor today because he loved the cheese so much!
I substituted Tahini with kelp flakes instead of miso paste for the "umami". We don't eat soy, and legumes in general aren't allowed on this detox so it makes finding delicious recipes a bit difficult. These cheeses turned out so amazing!!
I left one plain as you suggested and put red pepper flakes, cracked pepper, and lemon zest on the other.
Coffee filters instead of cheesecloth, worked pretty well, too.
I'm planning on making these quite often!! Thinking of adding some cherries to make a holiday gourmandaise kirsch.
Thanks so much!!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  October 20, 2022 at 3:28 pm
  Wonderful! So happy you loved the cheese! 🙂
  Reply
Katya says
August 13, 2022 at 5:32 am
Hi!
I’ve made this a few times and love it but last couple of times the liquids wasn’t blending with the solids . It was super separated. And wasn’t blending together.. any suggestions?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  August 17, 2022 at 2:58 pm
  Did you soften your cashews and did you keep blending? It works every time for me. Maybe try blending longer. The cheese will get warm and sticky and gooey when it is blending properly. Enjoy!
  Reply
Peggy says
July 17, 2022 at 8:23 pm
Looks delish. I will be making this tomorrow. QUESTION: Can I use a few capers along with the brine? What do you think?
Reply
Galya says
June 10, 2022 at 2:19 pm
Do you have to use a food processor? How about a high-speed blender?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  June 13, 2022 at 9:26 am
  I think the mixture will be too thick for a blender and will not mix well.
  Reply
kate says
May 22, 2022 at 1:39 pm
There is no need to boil the cashews. simply soak them over night,
or four hours, etc. if you soak instead of boil, then the cashews are
uncooked ( if you get the good cashews that are cold processed, such as Divine Organics) . You could put them in warm water to soak, and it would speed up the soaking....
Reply
Nina says
March 24, 2022 at 1:26 am

I am going to make this tonight.
Do we have to use cheesecloth, or will just oiling a mould work?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 24, 2022 at 10:21 am
  Hi Nina, see the recipe notes for cheesecloth alternatives. I think the cheese would stick if you just used oil so best to use some kind of wrap. 🙂
  Reply
Kaki Robinson says
March 10, 2022 at 3:00 am

I like this cheese. Very easy to make. Delicious spread. I added some red pepper flakes and fresh flat leaf parsley. Will definitely make again with other hen combinations. Maybe add some diced green olives to some of it
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 23, 2022 at 12:36 pm
  Happy you enjoyed Kaki!
  Reply
Charo says
March 09, 2022 at 4:03 pm
Hi,
I love to try this. How many days/weeks can I keep it in the fridge?
Thanks
Charo
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 23, 2022 at 12:34 pm
  Hi Charo, the cheese can be kept wrapped in the fridge for up to a week or it can be frozen.
  Reply
Pauline says
March 07, 2022 at 2:45 pm
I used to enjoy cream cheese cubes marinated in olive oil with sundried tomatoes, cracked peppercorns, lemon zest, minced garlic and fresh rosemary. I cubed half of this up and mixed it up with the marinade and it is amazing. Thanks for bringing back this option for me!!!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 23, 2022 at 12:28 pm
  Aww that's wonderful! You're most welcome 🙂
  Reply
Gail Holm says
March 03, 2022 at 9:45 pm

I made this last night and served it today to my non-vegan friends and they loved it. I put in extra garlic and a bit of onion powder for seasoning and it was amazing. Will definitely be a staple for me now
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 04, 2022 at 4:20 pm
  Aww that's wonderful! So happy you loved it, Gail 🙂
  Reply
Bernadette Montano says
March 02, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Hi Sam, Do you need to use cheesecloth? I don’t have any and wondering what I can substitute. Thanks!
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 03, 2022 at 9:07 pm
  You could use a clean dish cloth, wax wrap, plastic wrap, or anything like that. The cheesecloth does help dry it out slightly but otherwise it should be pretty similar 🙂
  Reply
Walt says
March 02, 2022 at 10:27 am
Silly question, but is there anything I can substitute for olive brine. I don't eat olives. So it would be nice to be able to use something else.
Reply
- Meg says
  March 02, 2022 at 11:11 am
  I believe another of Sam's recipes suggest adding sauerkraut or sauerkraut juice. I've tried that and it's very tasty. Light colored miso paste can also give good flavor to vegan cheeses.
  Reply
  - Walt says
    March 02, 2022 at 11:20 am
    Thanks! I have both sauerkraut (and its juice) and miso paste. So I'll have to try one of those.
- Sherry says
  March 02, 2022 at 11:23 am
  I use a pinch of sauerkraut in many vegan 'cheeze' recipes for the tang. You could also sub white vinegar or lemon juice, but it won't have the same depth of flavor as olive brine or sauerkraut.
  Reply
  - Suzy says
    March 02, 2022 at 12:54 pm
    Might be a silly question, but would dill pickle juice work?
  - Sam Turnbull says
    March 03, 2022 at 9:05 pm
    Hmmm it might taste pickle-y... but maybe that would be nice?
- susan says
  March 02, 2022 at 1:54 pm
  
  I often substitute capers for olives and I think that brine would work well also, though I haven't made this YET!
  Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 03, 2022 at 9:03 pm
  Sauerkraut, lemon juice, white miso paste, apple cider vinegar, caper brine will all work. Of coruse they will all provide different tastes but will still be nice 🙂
  Reply