Our Favorite Smoky Vegan Cheese

For many plant-based eaters, cheese was the hardest food to give up. How many people have you heard say “I would be vegan but I just can’t give up cheese!” After much trial and error, this is the recipe that makes people say “I could be vegan with this!” Yes, it’s our favorite smoky vegan cheese.

This recipe is based on the Almond Milk Pepper Jack from Vegan Richa. I often make a Pepper Jack version, but the smoky version is my favorite to serve with crackers, on sandwiches, or just eat as-is. It has a soft, creamy texture that is so hard to find with commercial vegan cheeses. One of my guests described it as a soft smoked gouda. I usually double the recipe, which works beautifully. Sometimes I’ll add the liquid smoke, put half the cheese into one container, then stir red pepper flakes into the other half. The best of both worlds.

This cheese doesn’t really melt, though it’s substantial enough to grate. Part of the reason this cheese works so well is my rich, homemade almond milk. Other milks just don’t give the same texture.

The ability to slice and grate this cheese comes from the agar, which is a seaweed extract. It must be thoroughly cooked, as described in the recipe, to activate it. Note that agar comes in both powder and flake form. This recipe uses the powder. I’ve never used the flakes, but I’ve read that you need double the quantity and triple the cooking time.

The recipe is gluten free if you use chickpea or rice flour (I like the results with rice flour). Wheat flour works great too. Also, the starches can be switched with a small effect on the cheese’s texture. Experiment with arrowroot or potato starch instead of tapioca starch or cornstarch.