You won't believe how easy it is to make vegan cheese spread! This recipe is made with honey, walnuts, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic and a few other simple ingredients. You'll have a healthy and dairy free appetizer without much work!
You've probably heard of cashew cheese by now. It's amazing how a simple ingredient like cashews can be turned into so many amazing dairy free options like yogurt, milk and cheese!
Cashews get a really creamy texture when you soak and blend them well so it makes them a great cheese and dairy sub. I've been looking for good swaps ever since I started eating an anti-inflammatory diet last year!
All you need are the ingredients and a Rawsome Creations Nut Milk Bag to make this vegan cheese spread.
What is vegan cheese made out of?
Most of the time vegan cheese is made out of cashews. Just like this vegan cheese spread recipe! The cashews are soaked in water to soften them up then blended to create a creamy cheese texture.
Most vegan cheeses have additional flavorings like garlic, herbs, nuts and honey.
Nutritional yeast is another key ingredient in this recipe. Don't let the name scare you, it's really good! It's a flaky yellow texture that has a parmesan flavor. It's the perfect ingredient to make the cashew cheese spread taste even more like cheese. I like to buy mine at Whole Foods but you can also grab it on Amazon.
Is vegan cheese healthy?
Vegan cheese is really healthy! This vegan cheese spread is made with raw nuts, natural sweeteners, and real ingredients. This recipe is great for you if you follow an anti-inflammatory, vegan, dairy free or low carb diet!
How to make vegan cheese spread:
Start by soaking your cashews overnight. Get a bag of raw and unsalted cashews them place them in water and in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Next, drain the cashews and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender. After that, add fresh water and the rest of the vegan cheese ingredients and blend on high until the cashews are smooth.
You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, strain the cheese through a Rawsome Creations Nut Milk Bag and gently form the cashew "curds" into a flat disk inside the bag. Refrigerate the cheese for at least 6 hours, until the cheese keeps the disk shape without the bag.
I love the Rawsome Creations Nut Milk Bag because of it's easy clean-up! The seams are on the outisde for easy cleanup and it's fair trade! Once the vegan cheese spread is ready and you've washed your bag, plate the cheese with extra walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
What to serve with vegan cashew cheese:
- Crackers (I like Simple Mills!)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Pita
- Sweet potato chips
If you love this recipe as much as I do, don't forget to tag me on Instagram with @what_mollymade so I can see it and feature you.
More vegan appetizers:
- Dairy free spinach artichoke dip
- Sweet potato hummus
- Creamy avocado dip
- Cauliflower buffalo wings with dairy free ranch
This post is sponsored by Rawsome Creations. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you so much to brands like this who allow me to keep sharing healthy and delicious recipes with all of you!
Honey Walnut Vegan Cheese Spread
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice 1 ½ - 2 lemons
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey (or agave for vegan option)
- ¼ cup walnuts plus more for serving
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Place cashews in a medium bowl and cover with cool water. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and place in the refrigerator to soak for 12 hours. If you can’t use them right away, drain the cashews from the water and place back in the bowl and in the fridge for up to 36 hours.
- Once soaked, drain cashews thoroughly and add to the bowl of food processor or a blender. Add the garlic, lemon juice, water, honey, nutritional yeast, walnuts, sea salt and olive oil with the cashews.
- Process until very creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed, about 5 minutes. You may need to do this longer depending on how high powered your blender is. Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness or salt for flavor.
- Place a large mixing bowl on the counter then place a fine mesh strainer, or colander, on top of the bowl. Next, place a Rawsome Creations Nut Milk Bag on top of the strainer.
- Pour the blended cheese into the nut milk bag and pull the string to close it then strain as much liquid out as you can. Gently form the cheese into a flat disk and twist the top of the bag to secure.
- Place the disk on top of the strainer then place the disk, the strainer and the bowl back in the fridge to drain thoroughly and said for at least 6 hours. The cheese should hold its shape when released from the nut milk bag.
- To serve, unwrap from nut milk bag and gently invert onto a serving platter. Reform with hands or cheesecloth as needed, then coat with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of honey(optional). Be sure to handle it gently.
- Serve chilled with crackers or vegetables. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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