Vegan, Dairy Free Cheese Making Recipe: How-To
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
We’re not too hard core about the definition of cheese. So we appreciate how vegans look for ways to emulate the rich creamy taste of cheese, without the dairy.
We’ve tried about every “cheez” we could get our hands on, but have never found the right flavor of orange rubber to satisfy us. That said, we’ve never tried to make our own.
On the Vegan Reader, we came across this great recipe for vegan cheese, developed by a long time vegan with fond memories of real grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s a thoughtful combination of flavors like tahini, vinegar, olive oil and herbs that results in a soft cheez that sounds flavorful and versatile.
Here’s a description. Full recipe after the jump.
“What Does This Homemade Vegan Cheese Taste Like?
That’s what I’d want to know first, too. There is something about the combination of the nutty sesame that’s in tahini, the tang of the sharp rice vinegar and the cheesiness of the nutritional yeast, with the addition of salt, that tastes quite a bit like cheddar cheese, but I find it’s not quite ‘enough’ on its own. Frankly, tahini is so delicious, it’s good all on its own, but we’re striving for a real cheesiness here and I find that the addition of the olive oil is very important, as it mimics the high fat content in conventional cheese (without the cholesterol!) Finally, the inclusion of fresh herbs makes the finished vegan cheese most akin to those herbed gourmet soft cheeses that people pay big money for and serve at parties.”
