Easy Cashew Cheese Recipe: How to Make Vegan Cheese

Cashew cheese is a non-dairy cheese spread made with softened cashews rather than milk. There are many ways to turn a nut into a cheese, but vegans have long prepared cashew cheese sauce at home by soaking cashews in water until soft, then draining and blending them until smooth. It's also possible to culture cashew cheese, fermenting it just like dairy cheese for a more complex flavor. Ambitious cooks can produce hard, sliceable cashew cheese by adding agar-agar (vegan gelatin made from algae).

Cashew cheese tastes a bit nutty and salty. The cheesiness typically comes from the addition of nutritional yeast. Most homemade cashew cheese has a spreadable consistency similar to hummus or ricotta, which means it's excellent as a sauce or dip—but you can't really use it in place of mozzarella or cheddar.

At its most basic, cashew cheese is a combination of three ingredients.

1. 1. Raw cashews: If you've ever made cashew milk or cashew butter, you know that cashews can have a creamy flavor and texture. Since they're so mild, they provide a great base for other flavors.
2. 2. Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is what gives dairy-free cashew cheese its cheesy flavor and yellow color. It's made from the same type of yeast used in baking and brewing, but it's been deactivated, so it won't make your cheese start to bubble.
3. 3. Salt: Most cashew cheese recipes call for a generous amount of sea salt.

There are many ways to use up a jar of homemade cashew cheese, including:

1. 1. In mac and cheese: To make the fastest macaroni and cheese ever, simply add cashew cheese to cooked pasta and toss to coat.
2. 2. On a bagel: Instead of spreading cream cheese on a bagel, use cashew cheese.
3. 3. With roasted veggies: For a simple appetizer that's both gluten-free and vegan, drizzle roasted root vegetables or squash with cashew cheese, then sprinkle with pepitas or sunflower seeds for crunch.