Non-dairy Cheese Part 2: Cheddar

I want to make cheese for all of my friends.  This is part two in my attempt to accommodate my friends who can’t eat dairy products.

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4 cups of cashews for vegan cheddar.

 

Vegan cheddar begins the same way as vegan yogurt:  lots of cashews!

 

 

 

Oh, and a few extra ingredients:

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Cashews, yeast flakes, tapioca flour, miso, canola oil, carrageenan, yogurt, salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I blended everything together and heated the resulting “cashew goo” on my stove.  This mixture was then poured into my cheese press to give it shape.  Finally, the cheese was air-dried for a few days.

I was happy with the turnout, but I would do a few things differently the next time I make this:

  1. I doubled the recipe from the book, and I don’t think all the cashews were ground up in the second round of blending.  Next time: I won’t double the recipe.
  2. The yogurt I used was thinner than I was expecting (see Part 1).  Next time:  I’ll either buy soy yogurt from the store or spend more time focusing on the cashew yogurt so it thickens a bit more.
  3. I noticed that I cooked some of the cheese to the bottom of my pot while heating.  Next time:  I’ll use a double boiler setup to distribute heat more evenly.
  4. I only “pressed” the cheese on one side, leading to one smooth side and one rough side.  Next time: I want to press for a few minutes on both sides.
  5. The book told me to rub salt on the cheese before air drying, but I think this led to the cracks you see on the sides.  Next time: I want to apply salt with a brine solution instead (I would normally do this with a dairy cheese)

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