Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese
Unlock the delectable flavor of homemade vegan cheese with our Plant-Based Smoked Gouda! This easy-to-follow recipe will guide you through making this scrumptious block of Gouda that slices, shreds, and melts just like the real thing. Get ready to savor the irresistible taste and versatility of our Gouda, making your sandwiches, pizzas, quesadillas absolutely unforgettable!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews or almonds
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 deglet dates
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp dark miso paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
Thickening
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp powdered agar agar
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours.
- Drain the cashews and add to a blender along with the remaining ingredients except for the thickener ingredients and blend until silky smooth.
- Add the thickening ingredients to a saucepan and bring up to a boil while whisking.
- Once mixture starts to boil turn heat down a bit to keep it at a steady low boil.
- Whisk for 5 minutes.
- Remove lid from blender container and turn blender on low. Pour thickening mixture into the cheese mixture in the blender while it is running and blend until incorporated.
- Quickly pour into a silicone bread pan or cheese mold (or parchment lined bread pan).
- Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to firm up.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Calories: 86kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 56mgPotassium: 138mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
Jill, would it be possible to make this with white beans or sunflower seeds? I’m trying to avoid nuts.
I haven’t tried that so I’m not quite sure. The sunflower seeds would be the best bet but the flavor will be a bit stronger.
Claudia there are some recipes out there with white beans and also some with potatoes and carrots. While they are good, not as good as this recipe. I have tried them all. This is the first one that melts and can be grated, that I have tried. So thank you Jill, love your recipes.
Hi Jill what brand of crackers did you use with this cheese. Also I have another idea for you how about whole foods plant based pasta
It has been so long since I made that video that I don’t remember the brand of cracker.
Please share when the liquid smoke may be used?
It is added to the blender in the first mixing step
Can you use the light miso??
Yes
Will arrow root starch work instead?
No, it doesn’t firm up. If you use that it will turn out more like soft cream cheese.
I have medjool dates, can I use them?
yes
Do you think 1 tbs would be the same as the date?
yes
This is unbelievable!! Just fantastic and pretty easy to make! I made a few substitutions because of what I had in the house, but it was perfect. I used almonds instead of cashews, flaked agar-agar (used 7 Tbs because it’s lighter) and light miso. Thank you for another simply fabulous recipe.
Hey Jill,
I really like this recipe. I’ve made dozens of cheeses base on Agar Agar or Beta Keratin with tapioca starch while experimenting with different nuts, white beans, tofu, fermented tofu, saurkraut juice, and fermenting everything before adding the Agar Agar, but your relatively simple recipe turned out great. I made the recipe with soaked almonds and needed to add a bit more water to get it to blend in my vitamix.
Thanks for simplifying my chees making adventure.
Thanks for the recipe. I just can’t get used to the texture of anything with agar agar… but it did firm up and was sliceable. I just don’t like that texture, so I melted it with a little extra liquid smoke and ground red pepper and used it for cheese on portobello burgers. It was fantastic! We also drizzled on steamed veggies and that was yummy too!
Hey there Jill,
Love the recipe and the flavor, but mine didn’t firm up beyond a firmish tofu texture. I thought I followed the recipe, but perhaps didn’t simmer the agar agar long enough? Is that what you would first suspect?
Thanks!
Yes, that would be my guess.
Hello Jill: Would this freeze?
K
Honestly, I’m not sure.
Hello Jill: I had another question. Have you made this without liquid smoke? I’m not a fan. Can you think of anything that might be substituted for liquid smoke?
You can just leave it out or use just a little more of the smoked paprika
This is the best plant based cheese that I have ever made. Due to a cashew allergy, I use almonds. I boil the almonds for 5 minutes, then remove the skin. Then, I soak the almonds overnight in the refrigerator. The creaminess of the blended almonds is the consistency of using cashews. The flavor and texture of the smoked gouda cheese is very good. Thank you, Jill, for this great recipe.
I don’t have miso paste. Would substituting soy sauce affect the texture too much?
Soy sauce would work fine.
Sadly, I’m not a fan of the taste, texture, or the ease of making this recipe. I have a Vitamix and pouring the hot agar agar mixture in the top opening while it was running was very difficult. The cheese didn’t melt in any recipe that I tried it with, including 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.