Smoky red pepper vegan cheddar cheese. Firm and sliceable and totally delicious on crackers or sandwiches or grated on pizza.
This vegan cheddar cheese has a delicious smoky red pepper flavor and is truly divine.
It’s perfect for a vegan cheese board and you’ll absolutely impress all your guests if you bring this out at your next dinner party!
It’s also wonderful for any special occasions. Cheese and wine anyone?
This recipe is based on our sliceable cashew cheese recipe. That recipe is amazing, and if you’re going to make a cheese board, why not go all out and make both kinds of cheese? I recommend it.
I knew that I could intensity the flavors even more, make it a bit sharper and tangier for a cheddar flavored cheese. And that is exactly what we have here.
How To Make Vegan Cheddar Cheese
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
It’s so easy to make this. The majority of the ingredients are simply blended up in a blender as you can see below.
Then you boil some water and agar agar on the stove, and once boiled you add that to the already blended ingredients in the blender and blend it in.
And then, working quickly because it starts to set super quickly, you pour it all out into a bowl, smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
This is probably the easiest sliceable vegan cheese you’ll ever make. Unless you’ve made our other cashew cheese, then you already know how easy it is.
You don’t even need to soak your cashews first.
Really, the only tricky part to this recipe, is once you’ve boiled the agar agar powder and water together, and poured that into the blender to blend, you have to be really fast or you’ll have hard set cheese sitting in your blender jug.
You have to pour it in, blend it with the other (previously blended) ingredients really quickly and then pour it out into your prepared dish, all really quickly. Have I said the word ‘quickly’ enough? I’m not sure that I have. I really mean you have to do it quickly! Hahaha.
Ingredient Notes
Agar Agar Powder:
The crucial ingredient in making this vegan cheddar cheese set is the agar agar powder. You get agar agar powder and agar agar flakes. Use the powder.
The powder is much stronger than the flakes, and the flakes would require you to use a lot more (around 3 times as much).
This recipe was made with the powder and not the flakes so definitely use that. However, if all you can get is agar agar flakes, then use 3 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon.
Raw Cashews:
Raw cashews make up the base of this cheese recipe and to that we add all kinds of delicious things that create that sharp cheddar flavor.
We don’t find it necessary to soak the cashews first. However, if you DO prefer to soak them, then you may have a softer cheese as a result.
Red Bell Pepper:
Red bell pepper provides color and flavor and just works really great in this recipe.
Smoked Paprika:
Smoked paprika creates a mildly smoky flavor that works great here.
Ingredient Substitutions
I always get asked about ingredient substitutions so let me just say, the best results are going to come from following the recipe. We test everything thoroughly so that we come up with something really good.
However, if you want to leave something out that is there for flavoring, it is still most likely going to come out fine.
As mentioned above, don’t try and leave out the agar agar powder, it won’t work without that. Or the cashews, but aside from those crucial ingredients, if you want to swap the red bell pepper for a yellow bell pepper or you want to leave out the cayenne pepper because you don’t like it, this is all likely fine.
Provided it is in a small quantity and it is not a crucial ingredient, you likely can substitute it for something similar or possibly even leave it out altogether.
Vegan Cheddar Cheese FAQ
Can you grate it? Yes you can. It is firm enough to grate. It tends to get firmer the longer it’s in the fridge, so if it’s not ideal for grating when it’s just set, it will be the next day.
Does it melt? Yes it does. It is not the kind of melty cheese that is going to spread over pizza, but it does melt a bit and soften when heated. So you can absolutely grate some and use it on a pizza. It won’t spread, but it will still be delicious.
Can I mash it? Yes, it’s soft enough to mash over your cracker if you like it mashed. It’s soft enough to mash while still also being firm enough to grate. It’s good stuff.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The texture may change slightly after thawing. Thaw it in the fridge.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ⅓ cup Water (80ml)
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Tahini (60g)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce or sub Tamari for gluten-free
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper deseeded and chopped, about ¾ cup
- 2 and ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1 Tbsp Agar Agar Powder must be powder and not flakes*
Instructions
- Add the cashews, ⅓ cup water, lemon juice, coconut oil, tahini, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, red pepper, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender jug. Blend until smooth. Set aside, but do not remove from the blender.
- Add the 1 cup of cold water and agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling let it boil for 1 minute. You will notice it getting thick and gelatinous.
- Remove from the heat and pour it into the blender on top of the cheese mix.
- Blend until smooth.
- Working quickly, as it will start to set very fast, pour it out into a round dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
- To remove from the bowl, turn it upside down onto a plate.
Notes
- It’s really important to use agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you do use flakes you will need to use 3 times as much.
- The bowl I used was 5 inches round and 2 inches deep, chosen because it goes quite straight up the sides so creates a nice shape for the cheese. You can use any round bowl or ramekin, and if your bowls are smaller, then just use 2 bowls for 2 smaller rounds of cheese.
- This cheese can be grated, melted or smashed up on a cracker.
- This recipe makes a 21 ounce (600g) round of vegan cheese.
- Serving size is 4 slices which is approximately 1 ounce.
- Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
I followed this recipe to a T. I did everything that was written in the recipe but this morning on turning it out, it’s more the consistency of a panna cotta pudding than a hard cheese. I will admit to not liking recipes that contain agar agar, but I have no idea what I did wrong. The taste is delicious but I’ll be eating it as a cream cheese rather than a hard cheese.
Delicious!!! Great recipe! Also loved your vegan brie & cheese ball! Thank you ☺️
Awesome! Thanks so much Rebecca!
Can I use guar gum instead of agar agar?
I haven’t ever tried that so I have no idea. The worst that could happen is it does not set.
Yes, that’s how I made it with Xanthum Gum. While I put 1 cup of water in a pan with the 1 Tbls of XG, it thickened without my even heating the water. Next time, I will just add the extra water to the Blendtec and then add the XG while blending.
I made this cheese today and it’s awesome. I did use roasted cashews because that’s what I had, I did the soak as well. I also substituted olive oil for the coconut oil. The flavor is perfect and it’s firm but melts to a creamy cheese sauce consistency. So excited to try more cheese recipes.
Do you need to grease the bowl you are putting the cheese mixture in? I guess you have to wash the blender fairly quickly too?
I usually spray the bowl with non-stick spray, though you can also grease it with coconut oil if you prefer. The leftover mix will set in the blender if you don’t wash it super quick, but it’s very easy to remove.
This is the 3rd time I’ve made this and it’s the best vegan cheese recipe ever. Had our family over from Scotland we’re in Brazil and it was a hit. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I used the last of my agar agar so now have to source it here.
Thanks so much Kerrie!
Flavor is outstanding
How long does it take to set in the fridge?
Great! It usually starts setting pretty fast, and totally set within an hour or two.
Hello, I would like to have a try at making this cheese. Could you please tell me the size of the bowl/dish you used to pour the mixture in please? ( Width and depth ). Also, would ground cashews work? I would rather use that as it would mix quicker and take less blending time! I have a blender but not sure how to use it, as it was given to me. I think it’s more of a smoothie maker though, so I want to get a “food processor” type that you have in your photo. I only have a mechanical processor at the moment. Works but you have to turn the handle by hand and things don’t get as smooth. Makes lovely chunky bean dips though. Oh, I do have an electric stick blender- could I use that? It’s very fast, which means I have to partly cover the dish when it’s blending as it will splatter me!
The bowl size is in the notes of the recipe card. I don’t know about ground cashews, I haven’t tried that. A stick blender is unlikely to work well enough. If your other blender doesn’t make the mix totally smooth, it will still be okay for the end result.
Delicious flavor. Once cashews are soaked 8 hours the recipe finishes quickly. Velveeta type consistency. However, be aware – does not melt easily.
Wow! I just made this vegan cheese, and I’m so impressed. The flavor is delicious and the texture is believable! Even my husband was surprised at how good it tasted, and he’s skeptical of vegan substitutes.
So happy to hear that Autumn! Thank you!
Is there anything you would recommend to substitute for the coconut oil?
Thanking you in advance!
You can leave it out.
This was my first try making my own vegan cheese and I was so surprised at how easy and surprisingly delicious this was! It has great depth of flavor and I’m sure it would please vegan and non-vegans alike. 🙂 Mine is a bit soft.. planning to try this with kappa next time and see if it makes it a bit more firm per husband’s request.
It ended up to be more spreadable than sliceble. I’ve used 5g of agar powder and about 0.8 cup of water. The taste is divine though.
I am new to Vegan cooking. Could you tell me which brand of Nutritional yeast and agar agar you use? Thank you so much!
Hi Dawn, we have links in the ingredients list in the recipe card.
Hi Alison, should I soak the cashews or just put straight into jug with other ingreds as per your recipe?
Thanks,
Mia (Australia)
You don’t need to soak them as they blend up with a fair amount of liquid.
I don’t have a Vitamix. Will a food processor work?
Hi Denise, yes it will work!
A few days ago I make the sliceable cashew cheese here and it was delicious so I decided to try this cheddar recipe. The cheddar cheese was awesome, lovely depth of flavor. My only substitution was chipotle powder for the smoked paprika since I was out of the smoked paprika. For me, the chipotle powder also added a nice touch of smokiness to this cheese. Great recipe and thanks so much Alison. Next up are your Feta and Brie cheeses, I can hardly wait.
So glad you liked it Keith! Hope you’ll love the feta and brie as well! Thanks for the amazing review!