Vegan Hard cheese recipe

Have you ever consumed vegan hard cheese? Do you know how to make vegan cheese? If not, then this article is worth a read. We will discuss everything you need to know about vegan cheese and will help you to prepare different vegan cheese recipes if you prefer to make versus buy. So, let’s get started.

When you become a vegan, the first thing that you miss eating the most is usually cheese. That’s where vegan cheese comes into play. It is a particular type of cheese made for people who have switched to a vegan diet and does not contain any animal products.

Most of the dairy-free cheese recipes are made from nuts or seeds. They are oil-free. Nut cheeses contain high amounts of protein and are rich in heart-healthy fats.

These plant-based cheeses are rich in nutritional yeast, which give them a cheesy and nutty taste. They are rich in vitamin B. These cheeses are potentially suitable for dairy-free, gluten-free and plant-based diets.

Vegan hard cheese is easy to make, and you can comfortably make it at home. You might be wondering that when it is readily available to purchase, why should I make it at home? Let’s find out the answer to this question.

Why Should You Make Vegan Hard Cheese at Home?

Although you can easily buy cheese from the store, the cheese available there might have stayed on the shelf for a few weeks. It is wrapped in plastic and contains preservatives that change the flavour of the cheese.

The taste of the vegan hard cheese that you buy from the store does not always suit your palette; or at least it may take you a while to find a brand you most like.

You will can also save some money by preparing vegan cheese at your home if you have the time to make it yourself.

It is simple to make vegan cheese at home.

How to Make Vegan Hard Cheese at Home

Now let’s discuss the procedure to prepare vegan cheese at home. Let’s start with the ingredients needed to make this cheese.

Ingredients

• Coconut Milk
• Water
• Agar-Agar Powder
• Nutritional Yeast
• Salt
• Lemon Juice
• Tapioca Starch

Purpose of Ingredients

There might be different methods to make the perfect vegan cheese, but to make the creamiest vegan cheese, you need full-fat coconut milk. Although you can use other plant-based milk as well you will find coconut milk will give you a rich and creamy texture.

The purpose of adding Agar-Agar powder is to make cheese firm. Similarly, the purpose of adding Nutritional Yeast is to give a cheesy flavour to the product. Nutritional yeast is a flaky yellow powder that comes with an umami flavour.

In addition to that, lemon juice is added for flavour and acidity. You can also add cider or vinegar instead of lemon juice. This will give your cheese a little bite.

Tapioca starch is added to make the cheese melt and stretch. Be careful while adding the tapioca starch because if you added anything less than the recommended amount, you will have to provide high heat to melt it. Similarly, if added more than the recommended amount, the cheese will become too soft to grate.

How to Make Vegan Hard Cheese from Coconut Milk?

Adopt the following procedure to prepare vegan cheese from coconut milk at home. 

• Take a saucepan and put all the ingredients in it. Stir it with a whisk.
• Heat this mixture while stirring continuously for about 6 minutes. This will allow the agar-agar to melt entirely and set properly.
• Now pour it into a container and allow the cheese to cool for about 15 minutes. Keep the container lid open.
• Finally, seal the container with a lid or cover it with a plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Different Types of Vegan Hard Cheeses

Let’s discuss some of the various types of cheeses.

Pepper Jack Cheese

Nutritional Yeast and Tahini are the ingredients that give a distinct flavour to this cheese. The fiery bits of pepper add to the taste. You can enjoy this cheese in a delicious sandwich.

Mozzarella Cheese

Mozarella cheese offers the best taste when baked on top of a pizza. You can easily make it at home. It is much healthier than store-bought cheese; if you have the time to spare.

Sliceable Cashew Cheese

Sliceable cashew vegan hard cheese is made with agar-agar. It slices, grates, and melts easily—a complete perfection.

Tofu Feta Cheese

Tofu-feta vegan cheese is free from cholesterol fats. It works perfectly in Greek salads. The cheese is entirely fresh and is easy to make. All you need is to cut the tofu in cubes and marinate it. The longer the cheese sits, the better it tastes. There are handy cheese moulds you can buy to make the process more effective.

Garlic & Herb Vegan Cheese

Garlic and Herb vegan cheese is a creamy vegan cheese infused with lemon, garlic, nutritional yeast, and dill.

Let’s find out how you can prepare garlic & herb vegan cheese.

Ingredients

• Raw cashews (2 cups)
• Cloves Garlic, minced (2)
• Garlic Powder (1/2 tsp)
• Lemon, zested (1)
• Lemon Juice (1/4 cup)
• Water (1/2 cup)
• Nutritional yeast (2 tbsp)
• Sea salt (1/2 tsp)
• Olive Oil (2 tbsp)

Preparation Method

• Take a bowl and place the raw cashews in it. Cover it with cool water. Cover it in a plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 12 hours.
• When soaked thoroughly, drain the cashews and add to a food processor. Now add the garlic powder, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and olive Oil
• Process this until it gets creamy and smooth while scraping down the sides and adding water as needed. Now taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Add more lemon zest for tartness, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, garlic for zing, or sea salt for flavour.
• Now take a mesh strainer or a colander over a large mixing bowl and lay down two cheesecloth layers.
• Scoop all the cheese over the cheesecloth using a spatula. Carefully twist the top to form the cheese into a disc.
• Place it in a refrigerator for about 6-12 hours until the excess moisture has been wicked away.
• While serving, unwrap from the cheesecloth and carefully invert onto a serving platter. You can enjoy it chilled with crackers or vegetables.

Conclusion

We hope this article helped you in getting detailed information about how to make vegan hard cheese. We encourage you to follow the instructions listed above and prepare this delicious cheese from the comfort of your home.