I’ve been making this cashew cheese for years, with very little changes. The only thing I’ve changed is alternating between including and not including nutritional yeast.
Nutritional yeast aka “hippie dust” is deactivated yeast that has a distinct flavor that is best described as cheesy. It’s often used to give vegan dishes a “cheesy” and savory taste. It’s not only there for taste it’s a complete protein, providing all 9 amino acids and has a lot of the B complex vitamins. This recipe includes nutritional yeast, which gives the cashew cheese a richer flavor.
You can opt to make this a softer, creamier cheese by adding more liquid (water) or you can leave it as is, let it set in the fridge and shape it into a ball for a firmer cheese spread. The flavors also develop the more it sits in the fridge, so it tastes best about 24 hours after making it.
Cashew Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 C raw chashews
- 1/3 C water
- 1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water for 6 hours
- Once the cashews have been soaked, drain the water and pour the cashews into a blender.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste. If you want a thinner cheese, add a bit more water to thin it out.
- Store the cashew cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week
- If you want to shape the cashew cheese into a ball, like the picture above, keep it in the fridge overnight. The next day, it will be firm enough to roll into a ball. You can also roll that ball into a mixture of herbs for a coated herb cheese.
Notes
