Smoky red pepper vegan cheddar cheese. Firm and sliceable and totally delicious on crackers or sandwiches or grated on pizza.
This vegan cheddar cheese has a delicious smoky red pepper flavor and is truly divine.
It’s perfect for a vegan cheese board and you’ll absolutely impress all your guests if you bring this out at your next dinner party!
It’s also wonderful for any special occasions. Cheese and wine anyone?
This recipe is based on our sliceable cashew cheese recipe. That recipe is amazing, and if you’re going to make a cheese board, why not go all out and make both kinds of cheese? I recommend it.
I knew that I could intensity the flavors even more, make it a bit sharper and tangier for a cheddar flavored cheese. And that is exactly what we have here.
How To Make Vegan Cheddar Cheese
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
It’s so easy to make this. The majority of the ingredients are simply blended up in a blender as you can see below.
Then you boil some water and agar agar on the stove, and once boiled you add that to the already blended ingredients in the blender and blend it in.
And then, working quickly because it starts to set super quickly, you pour it all out into a bowl, smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
This is probably the easiest sliceable vegan cheese you’ll ever make. Unless you’ve made our other cashew cheese, then you already know how easy it is.
You don’t even need to soak your cashews first.
Really, the only tricky part to this recipe, is once you’ve boiled the agar agar powder and water together, and poured that into the blender to blend, you have to be really fast or you’ll have hard set cheese sitting in your blender jug.
You have to pour it in, blend it with the other (previously blended) ingredients really quickly and then pour it out into your prepared dish, all really quickly. Have I said the word ‘quickly’ enough? I’m not sure that I have. I really mean you have to do it quickly! Hahaha.
Ingredient Notes
Agar Agar Powder:
The crucial ingredient in making this vegan cheddar cheese set is the agar agar powder. You get agar agar powder and agar agar flakes. Use the powder.
The powder is much stronger than the flakes, and the flakes would require you to use a lot more (around 3 times as much).
This recipe was made with the powder and not the flakes so definitely use that. However, if all you can get is agar agar flakes, then use 3 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon.
Raw Cashews:
Raw cashews make up the base of this cheese recipe and to that we add all kinds of delicious things that create that sharp cheddar flavor.
We don’t find it necessary to soak the cashews first. However, if you DO prefer to soak them, then you may have a softer cheese as a result.
Red Bell Pepper:
Red bell pepper provides color and flavor and just works really great in this recipe.
Smoked Paprika:
Smoked paprika creates a mildly smoky flavor that works great here.
Ingredient Substitutions
I always get asked about ingredient substitutions so let me just say, the best results are going to come from following the recipe. We test everything thoroughly so that we come up with something really good.
However, if you want to leave something out that is there for flavoring, it is still most likely going to come out fine.
As mentioned above, don’t try and leave out the agar agar powder, it won’t work without that. Or the cashews, but aside from those crucial ingredients, if you want to swap the red bell pepper for a yellow bell pepper or you want to leave out the cayenne pepper because you don’t like it, this is all likely fine.
Provided it is in a small quantity and it is not a crucial ingredient, you likely can substitute it for something similar or possibly even leave it out altogether.
Vegan Cheddar Cheese FAQ
Can you grate it? Yes you can. It is firm enough to grate. It tends to get firmer the longer it’s in the fridge, so if it’s not ideal for grating when it’s just set, it will be the next day.
Does it melt? Yes it does. It is not the kind of melty cheese that is going to spread over pizza, but it does melt a bit and soften when heated. So you can absolutely grate some and use it on a pizza. It won’t spread, but it will still be delicious.
Can I mash it? Yes, it’s soft enough to mash over your cracker if you like it mashed. It’s soft enough to mash while still also being firm enough to grate. It’s good stuff.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The texture may change slightly after thawing. Thaw it in the fridge.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
- Vegan Mozzarella
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Queso
- Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Cheddar Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- ⅓ cup Water (80ml)
- 5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Tahini (60g)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce or sub Tamari for gluten-free
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper deseeded and chopped, about ¾ cup
- 2 and ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 cup Water (240ml)
- 1 Tbsp Agar Agar Powder must be powder and not flakes*
Instructions
- Add the cashews, ⅓ cup water, lemon juice, coconut oil, tahini, soy sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, red pepper, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder to the blender jug. Blend until smooth. Set aside, but do not remove from the blender.
- Add the 1 cup of cold water and agar agar powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Once boiling let it boil for 1 minute. You will notice it getting thick and gelatinous.
- Remove from the heat and pour it into the blender on top of the cheese mix.
- Blend until smooth.
- Working quickly, as it will start to set very fast, pour it out into a round dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Smooth it down and then place it into the fridge to set.
- To remove from the bowl, turn it upside down onto a plate.
Notes
- It’s really important to use agar agar powder and not the flakes. If you do use flakes you will need to use 3 times as much.
- The bowl I used was 5 inches round and 2 inches deep, chosen because it goes quite straight up the sides so creates a nice shape for the cheese. You can use any round bowl or ramekin, and if your bowls are smaller, then just use 2 bowls for 2 smaller rounds of cheese.
- This cheese can be grated, melted or smashed up on a cracker.
- This recipe makes a 21 ounce (600g) round of vegan cheese.
- Serving size is 4 slices which is approximately 1 ounce.
- Keep it covered in the fridge and consume within a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
Hi, this recipe looks great. I’m purchasing super agar powder. Would I still use one tablespoon or less? Some people statred that their cheese wasn’t firm enough. I’m wondering if I should just use the stated amount. Would it hurt to have it firmer? Would it totally not melt on a pizza then? Thank you!
Hi Linda! I think you can go ahead and use the same amount as stated in the recipe and just see how you go. If the cheese is a bit too firm you can use a little less next time, but there is no problem even if it is ‘too firm’ it will still be great to use in all the ways.
OMG I saw now that I nearly transformed your sliceable cashew cheese into cheddar without knowing it. But here I see some really interesting other ingredients too, I’m sure this one will come out even better. Thank you so much.
I love this recipe! Very “cheesey!” I was out of peppers, so I used a carrot instead, and that worked out just fine. The one thing I will do differently next time is use less salt: maybe reduce it by half a teaspoonful, or even a full teaspoon…the other spices add so much flavor, and there is already so much salt in the soy sauce and tomato paste. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hello, I have a food processor rather than a blender. I am getting an immersion blender tomorrow. Are either of these tools suitable for making this recipe? This recipe looks so yummy!
Hi there, yes the food processor should work great! It may not be ‘quite’ as smooth but the difference will be small.
I’ve made this twice, adjusting the quantities of spices to my taste and it is absolutely delicious!
The only thing that I am curious about is the consistency…it is firm even on room temperature however it does not have the texture of the cheese. I don’t mind that but i wanted to ask if that is how it’s supposed to be.
Agar agar i was using is 100% pure organic.
Thanks for the recipe ❤️
I don’t usually comment on anything, but this deserves a comment. Absolutely wonderful recipe! I just made two of the cashew cheeses as Christmas gifts for friends, and I just made this cheddar cheese and it’s even better then the others, which I honestly didn’t think possible. Thank you for my new favorite cheese!
So happy it worked out great! Thanks so much Morgan!
Wow! My friend sent me this recipe as she knows I am going vegan and said they made it this Thanksgiving 2021 and said it was a huge hit. Since she raved about it I decided to get all the ingredients as I didn’t have the smoked paprika or tahini or Agar agar powder ( took some time finding it) . She was emphatic that ” you must follow the instructions exactly!!”
Well.. SHE’S RIGHT! I LOVE IT AND IT TURNED OUT EXACTLY AS SHOWN. My daughters are as good as gourmet cooks and they loved it as well. Its great with crackers or on toast with sandwich! so smooth and spreadable.
Im making it today as part of our Christmas meal!! GREAT RECIPE! ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!
Thanks so much for the awesome comment and review Meg! So happy to hear you loved the recipe.
The consistency came out like a sliceable jello for me. Not sure if I did something wrong or this is how it it. Tastes good but not sure what I can use it for except crackers. Also, it seemed to make way more than described in the recipe.
Hi Mary, I would check your agar agar powder to make sure it is pure. Otherwise though it will be great as a spread.
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!!
Thanks for the great review Carol!
Looks very good but I wonder if I can eliminate sodium such as salt… And also get some unsalted mustard? Many thanks!
Hi Wendy, sure you can take out the salt and use low sodium options for mustard etc, of course flavor will be lost though.
Hi Alison, I’m out of tahini and don’t usually buy it. Can I skip it in the recipe?
If a crititcal ingredient, then I’ll add it to my grocery list!
Thanks again.
Mia (Australia)
You can leave it out. 🙂
As I was making it, I was thinking what a seemingly random mix of ingredients this recipe entails–it’s like something my 6-year-old would put together when she creates one of her “concoctions.” But the result is absolutely delicious! I don’t know why mine didn’t harden enough to make it sliceable/shreddable (probably the agar-agar; I’m in Austria so sometimes the ingredients are somewhat different) but it doesn’t really matter because it still tastes fantastic as a spread or stirred into my vegan chili. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome Karen, so glad it came out delicious! Thanks for the wonderful review!
Thank you for the time, effort and talent it took to put this recipe together. It’s gorgeous. I am wondering if you or anyone else has frozen this cheese and whether the consistency remains the same after thawing?
You’re so welcome Esther! You can freeze it up to 3 months. It can change the consistency slightly but it’s very slight.
Question: I didn’t see how long the cheese should stay in the fridge to set? 2 hours? 6 hours?
I imagine it depends on the size of the dish it is in. I separated into two 4-inch springform pans. The recipe fit perfectly.
My daughter and I are excited to try the results of our hard work. Wondering how long we should wait.
Hi Ted, it starts to set quickly and is usually entirely done within 1-2 hours. 🙂
I love your recipe! I’ll be making toasted cheese sandwiches. And macaroni and cheese.
Awesome! So glad you loved the recipe!
Tasty, We have been having this sliced or spread on home made toast for lunch and last night used it on pizza. Yum! Thank you Alison,
Awesome Hilary! Thanks so much for the great review!