Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (2024)

by Nicole | 10 Comments

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4.8 from 6 votes. Leave a review!

This vegan goats cheese recipe is made from cashews and simple to prepare. With the option of using agar, it’s easy to make a tasty, tangy and crumbly dairy free cheese!

This recipe is not fermented which makes it easy, approachable and doesn’t require any fancy techniques or ingredients!

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (1)

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Is Goat Cheese Dairy Free?

Goat cheese is made from goat milk, a type of dairy; so no, goat’s cheese is not dairy free. While many people associate cow’s milk as being “dairy”, humans consume the milk from a variety of animals including goats and sheep (most commonly).

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (2)

Do Vegans Eat Goat Cheese?

Since goat cheese is made from goat milk, an animal secretion/ by-product, it is not vegan and therefore vegans do not eat goat cheese.

Sometimes there’s confusion about what the term vegan means, but it refers to a lifestyle that avoids the use of animals in any way possible. Some people use the term “plant-based” which doesn’t have a specific definition, therefore someone on a plant-based diet may choose to consume non-vegan products like goats cheese. “Plant-based” focuses on what you eat whereas veganism is about ethics and justice for animals.

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (3)

What is Vegan Goat Cheese?

Vegan goat cheese is any product or recipe that mimics the flavor and texture of non-vegan goat cheese. This recipe uses cashews and some salty, tangy ingredients to get that signature goat’s cheese flavor.

There are other vegan goat cheese recipes that require fermentation and use probiotics. While this adds depth of flavor and added tanginess, it’s not necessary to make a delicious cashew goat cheese. It may also be expensive to purchase probiotics, and fermentation is time consuming.

This recipe can be ready to eat in as little as 15 minutes if you don’t use agar (or up to 2 hours if you do and need to let it set).

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (4)

How to Make Cashew Goat Cheese

Making cashew goat cheese is a simple process. It starts with soaked cashews. Place these in a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients and blend to smooth.

There are two options for this recipe:

  1. Use agar to help “set” the goat cheese. This option creates a dairy free goat cheese that crumbles nicely. Agar is similar to gelatin and helps the goat cheese form into whatever shape you like. The agar also makes crumbling the cheese easier.
  2. Skip the agar and use some plant-based milk. This option tastes exactly like the agar version, but will be a softer, spreadable texture. Without agar the goat cheese is difficult to crumble.

Letting the goat cheese sit in the fridge overnight, or even for two days before serving helps the flavors come together and brings out some tanginess found in a good vegan goat cheese substitute.

If you don’t have time, the non-agar version can be served right away (although cold is best). The agar takes about 2 hours to set so plan your cooking around this needed wait time.

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (5)

How to Crumble Goat Cheese

Agar helps create a vegan goats cheese that crumbles. To crumble goat cheese, I recommend using a fork to gently pull off small pieces of the cheese.

As noted above, if you want the cheese to crumble, agar is a must. Agar provides a firmer texture in the cheese that allows it to hold its shape as you crumble. Even with agar, the cheese will be soft (like non-vegan goat cheese).

If you want to make a goat cheese “log” (as seen in the video) agar is needed.

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (6)

📖 Recipe

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (7)

Vegan Goats Cheese

Enjoy a simple and delicious vegan and dairy free goat cheese recipe that is quick to make. This goat cheese substitute is a tasty way to enjoy this classic variety of cheese on a plant-based or dairy free diet.

4.84 from 6 votes. Leave a review!

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Resting Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 138 kcal

Cuisine Vegan

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of about ½ a lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste (white type)
  • 90 grams extra firm tofu (about ¼ of a typical 350 g block)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Option 1: Using Agar

Option 2: Without Agar

  • ¼ cup plant-based milk (I use unflavored, unsweetened soy)

Instructions

  • Soak the cashews and sunflower seeds (overnight in the fridge or in boiling water for 10 minutes).

    1 cup raw cashews, ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds

  • Drain the water from the cashews and sunflower seeds and place into a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, extra firm tofu and salt.

    2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon miso paste, 90 grams extra firm tofu, 1 teaspoon salt

  • Continue following the directions for using either (1) with agar or (2) without agar.

For Agar:

  • If using agar, place agar powder into a small pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes then bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5-8 minutes until all the agar is dissolved.

    1 ½ tablespoons agar powder, ½ cup cold water

  • Add the agar into blender or food processor (with the already partially blended cashew cheese) and blend until smooth and creamy.

  • Quickly transfer the cashew cheese mixture into a container of your choice. The cheese takes the shape of whatever you place it in.

  • If you’d like to make a “log” of cashew cheese, pour the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and carefully roll the plastic wrap around the cheese, into the desired shape.

  • Place the cheese into the fridge and let sit for at least 2 hours or until the agar is set and the cheese feels firm. If possible, let sit overnight for best flavor.

Without Agar:

  • If not using agar, add plant-based milk into the blender or food processor with partially blended cashew cheese.

    ¼ cup plant-based milk

  • Blend until smooth.

  • Scoop out the mixture into a container/ bowl and place in fridge for at least 15 minutes, or until cold, before serving.

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving (⅛ of recipe)Calories: 138 kcalCarbohydrates: 9 gProtein: 5 gFat: 11 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5 gSodium: 376 mgPotassium: 173 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 2 gVitamin A: 5 IUVitamin C: 3 mgCalcium: 33 mgIron: 2 mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Vegan Cheese Recipes

Like this recipe? You should also try:

  • Sunflower Seed Parmesan (Nut Free Vegan Parmesan)
  • Vegan Ricotta Cheese Recipe (Almond and Tofu)
  • Vegan Parmesan Cheese Recipe
  • Vegan Feta Cheese (Tofu Feta Recipe)
Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (12)

About Nicole Stevens

Nicole is a long-time vegan with a Masters of Science in Food and Nutrition.

She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes.

Vegan Goats Cheese Recipe made with Cashews | Dairy Free (2024)

FAQs

Why are cashews used in vegan cheese? ›

Nuts, such as cashews, almonds, and macadamias, are commonly used in vegan cheese-making due to their creamy texture and high-fat content.

Is all vegan cheese made with nuts? ›

What Ingredients Are in Vegan Cheese? Vegan cheeses are 100% animal-free and made using vegetable proteins. Usually, they're made from soy; nuts, such as cashews and macadamias; and vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. You can also find cheeses that derive from agar, tapioca, peas and arrowroot.

What are three dominant ingredients in vegan cheese? ›

Common Ingredients in Dairy Free Cheese
  • Soy Based. Soy is unsurprisingly one of the most common bases for vegan cheeses—and is popular in many plant-based animal-product substitute. ...
  • Coconut. ...
  • Flour. ...
  • Tree Seeds and Nuts. ...
  • A Safer Alternative.
Apr 29, 2020

What is a vegan alternative to goat cheese? ›

VEGAN GOAT CHEESE BRANDS
  • Bandit (Fruit'n Nut Log, Garlic Za'atar Log, or Sharp Pimento Log)
  • Catalyst Creamery (Urfa Chèvre and Chive Chèvre)
  • Cultured Kindness (Cashew Chèvre With Basil & Chive or Cashew Chèvre With Caramelized Onion Balsamic)
  • Daiya Goat Cheeze (available only in Canada)
Oct 12, 2023

What to substitute for cashews in vegan cheese? ›

Almonds are the most similar to cashews. They can be used in trail mix, granola, vegan cheese recipes, cream sauces, and made into milk.

What is a good substitute for cashews if you are allergic to nuts? ›

Seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower seeds have a similar flavor and texture, making them a good substitute in recipes calling for cashews. Seeds are especially effective if the recipe calls for cashew butter.

Is Daiya cheese made with nuts? ›

The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya's original products are cheese analogues made from coconut oil and tapioca flour that are known for their cheese-like consistency and melting properties. They contain no animal products or soy, lactose, wheat, barley, gluten, or nuts.

Is vegan cheese anti-inflammatory? ›

Taste and Nutrition. Containing oilseed and plant milk, vegan cheeses are rich in minerals (magnesium) and antioxidants, and they possess anti-inflammatory properties, all of which protect against damage caused by free radicals.

Do vegans eat mayonnaise? ›

It's simple: even though it's completely dairy-free, regular mayonnaise isn't vegan because it's made by mixing a raw egg with oil. So conventional mayo contains eggs and they are vegetarian, but not vegan.

Can vegans eat feta cheese? ›

The answer here is a pretty straightforward no. As feta cheese is made from the milk of sheep and sometimes goats it isn't suitable for anyone on a fully plant-based diet. Vegans will not only abstain from eating meat, but also all animal products or other foods that are made with the use of byproducts too.

Why do I not like goat cheese? ›

Others have tried goat cheese before and despised it because of a tangy, strong flavor that is associated with goat cheese known as “goatyness'. While cheese makers can't control whether people try new things or not, they can control the level of “goatyness” a cheese has.

Why is goat cheese not considered dairy? ›

Does Goat Cheese Have Dairy? Though goat's milk is still considered a dairy product, it is higher in certain fatty acids than other animal milks, including caproic and caprylic acid. While contributing to goat cheese's tangy character, these also make goat's milk easier to digest with a lower component of lactose.

Why is goats cheese not vegetarian? ›

Is goats' cheese vegetarian? French, traditional goat cheeses are made with animal rennet, while British and other modern goat cheese are almost always vegetarian.

Why are cashews good for vegans? ›

For the vegan eater, cashews offer up a good source of protein, unsaturated fat and copper, a “mineral essential for energy production, healthy brain development and a strong immune system.”

Is cashew based cheese healthy? ›

Cashew nuts are a great alternative as a base for vegan cheese. They are low in saturated fat, taste great, and are a good source of protein. High oleic expeller pressed sunflower oil can be used for added creaminess in place of coconut oil.

What cheese is made from cashews? ›

Cashew cheese is a plant-based alternative to traditional dairy cheese. It's made from cashew nuts instead of milk from goats, sheep, cows or buffalo. The cashews are blended and flavour components are added, along with nutritional yeast or active live cultures to give it a cheesy taste and texture.

What makes vegan cheese taste like cheese? ›

Nuts, such as cashews or almonds, are often used as they contain a lot of natural fat that gives a creamy texture once blended. Many brands also use a vegan lactic acid to add the tang and umami that gives that quintessential cheese flavour.

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