Got 10 minutes? Then you have enough time to make some INCREDIBLE Cheddar Cheese! Made with chickpea flour, it is naturally soy-free, grain-free, oil-free and nut-free, plus high in protein. Enjoy it plain, as a snack or appetizer, or slice it for all kinds of sandwiches.
It started with Chickpea Flour Feta Cheese.
Now it’s time for another cheese made from chickpea flour, one that is ideal for sandwiches, snacking, shredding, and so much more.
It’s time for Chickpea Flour Cheddar Cheese! It’s addictively delicious, easy to make, and inexpensive, too. It is also:
*Vegan
*Oil-Free
*Nut-free
*Soy-Free
*Grain-Free
*High Protein
*Rich in B Vitamins
Cut it into cubes for a supremely satisfying snack, or impressive appetizer.
The method for this cheese is as simple as the feta cheese: a small amount of chickpea flour and salt is combined with cool water, and then the mixture is added to boiling water and cooked until very thick.
To create A Cheddar flavor, I used a combination of the following: paprika (sweet Hungarian for regular Cheddar, or smoked paprika for a smoky Cheddar), nutritional yeast flakes (for umami cheese taste), a bit of tahini (lends richness; I have options in the recipe if you cannot eat sesame seeds), and vinegar.
Prepared yellow mustard is my stealth ingredient. It adds a distinctive Cheddar tang as well as golden color (which comes from turmeric).
As with chickpea flour feta, it is VERY important to set aside a 9×5-inch loaf pan BEFORE you begin cooking. You do not need to do anything to the pan (yay!), simply keep it near. This Cheddar cheese sets up even more quickly than the feta; as soon as it is very thick, start scraping (quickly!) into the pan.
Aim for an even layer in the pan, but do not worry about the top being perfectly smooth. This will become the bottom side of the cheese when it is inverted. If you like, you can dip the spatula in warm water to help smooth the mixture.
Let the cheese cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until cold and very firm. Once the cheese has set, drain off any accumulated liquid and unmold onto a cutting board (it should release with ease).
Next, add cheesemaker to your LinkedIn profile :).
In addition to cubes for snacking, consider cutting the block into some cheese sticks for packed lunches and after-school munching:
Or, slice it for sandwiches:
You can shred it, too! It does not melt in the same way as traditional cheese, but it is a flavorful topping for salads, baked potatoes, and tacos.
The cheese will last for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator, perfect for many lunches, quick suppers, and snacks!
Keep it cheese-y, everyone!
Chickpea Flour Cheddar Cheese {Vegan, Nut-Free, Soy-Free}
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: About 16 ounce of cheese (8 servings) 1x
Description
Easy-to-make, vegan Cheddar cheese, made with chickpea flour! It is naturally soy-free, grain-free, oil-free and nut-free, plus high in protein. Enjoy it plain, as a snack or appetizer, grate it, or slice it for all kinds of sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes (such as Bragg’s)
- 1 tablespoon paprika (sweet, or smoked)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2–1/4 cups water, divided
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tahini
Instructions
- Set an 9×5-inch loaf pan close to your work area.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, onion powder, and salt. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the water until blended and smooth, and then whisk in the mustard and vinegar.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 1-1/4 cups water to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and whisk in the chickpea mixture and tahini. Cook, whisking constantly (it sets up very quickly!), for 4 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is very thick.
- Immediately scrape mixture it into the pan, smoothing the top.
- Cool the cheese to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 2 hours until very firm.
- Drain any water from the pan (water will release from the cheese as it sets); invert the cheese onto a cutting board.
- Cut, cube, slice or shred as desired!
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
Tahini-Free Variation: If you do not eat seeds (tahini is made of sesame seeds), you can use an equal amount of oil (e.g., olive oil or avocado oil), or unsweetened almond butter or cashew butter.
Tip: The cheese will grate more easily after it has “set” for at least a week (it becomes firmer the more it sits). Alternatively, cut off a hunk of cheese (that you intend to grate), wrap, and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before grating.
- Category: Vegan cheese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 oz (1/16 of recipe)
- Calories: 45
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 122 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.7 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
i tried to make this today it didn’t come out as it was supposed to.. it tastes ok, but it came out more like processed cheese/jello.
Unlike others here there’s not really any water coming out of it.
What was confusing to me though is that the recipe says to bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat to low (so i put it on low fire on the smallest thing) and then put in the mixture. i had been stirring for 5 minutes but still just a watery mess so i brought it to a boil and then turned the heat down and kept stirring.. it got thick then, but probably not thick enough..
so now i’m thinking maybe i should’ve kept the fire medium/high while continuously stirring?
Maybe you were meant to put it very low so you can add the mixture and the tahini to the water, but does the word cook mean you ened to turn the heat back up?
i don’t know but keeping it very low doesn’t seem right.
Hi Henk,
It sounds like there was too much Walter or not enough chickpea flour. With the right measurements, the mixture becomes quite thick, quickly. It should not be watery at all after about a minute. You were doing everything right with the heat. Based on your earlier comments, it sounds like differences in measurements between the US and Europe. So sorry.
I want to try this, but I’m a little reluctant as all my other attempts at vegan cheese have been disappointing. Can you tell me, is the finished cheese fairly hard? Dryish? My main dislike of other vegan cheeses has been the spongy jelly like texture, so I’m wondering how ‘wet’ this cheese is. Is it really possible to eat it plain, or is it better disguised in cooking?
Many thanks
Hi Fife,
I enjoy eating chickpea cheese plain. It continues to firm up in the refrigerator after several days so you can slice it and grate it. You might consider halving or quartering the recipe to see what you think before committing to a bigger batch 🙂
Does it melt like normal cheese?
It does melt, but it melts more like a thick sauce than like dairy Cheddar
Hi Camilla,
I made this recipe last night and it is delicious. One thing I would like to do it firm up the inside. The cheese sat in the fridge 13 hours and the inside is stiff but stick to knife when I cut it. Your cubes look good with sharp edges. I think mine would be worse. Like I said, just the inside needs to firm a little but this is going to be my go to new cheese. Do you think adding a small amount maybe 1 tbsp Agar Agar might help?
Thanks again for the great recipe
Steve
★★★★★
Great, Steve! Thanks so much for sharing your tips 😊
Hi – newly dairy free former cheese fiend…so your cheese recipes are definitely high on my list of priorities.
How long can I store these (hypothetically speaking as I’m expecting to devour the lot ASAP).
Thanks!
Well, I don’t have any idea what I’m doing wrong, but I’ve attempted to make this twice now. Each time, I’m left with an ooey-gooey mess. Even though it gets very thick while cooking, it doesn’t really set up, and gives off tons of water (I keep pouring off and pouring off, and I’ve even tried putting paper towels in to soak it up.) Then it cracks (even though it’s mostly goo) and is never something I could slice, dice, or grate, at all. Is the besan I’m using somehow wrong? Are there no additional thickeners? I think I might have to give up on this one, as I’m not getting very far!
Hi Geof,
I am so sorry you are having trouble with this! Can I ask how long you have let the cheese set? I’m trying to figure out what could be going wrong. The type of chickpea flour/besan should not make any difference.
One thing I want to check: I just want to make sure that you are only using 2 and 1/4 cups water TOTAL. Based on your description, it sounds like there is far too much water. 1 cup of the water gets added in at step 2, the remaining 1 and 1/4 cups at step 3. Is there any possibility of that you added more (e.g., 1 cup at step two, 2 and 1/4 cups at step three)? Just checking!
i am planning to make this now.. possibly you might have taken an actual cup of chickpea flour? i don’t know what kind of cup the person of this website has but whereever i look a cup of chickpea flour is around 92 gram, while in this recipe it says a cup is 120g.
i don’t know if this person has used the same cup size for the water and nutritional yeast, but i’m afraid i’m being set up for disaster here.
however i just put 120g in some thing that had a cup measurement on it and it does seem to work out, don’t know why every source i can find says a cup is 92 gram.
i’ll let know how it went.
Hi! Hmm, that’s odd— all the brands in the use are standardized to 1/4 of chickpea flour equaling 30 grams (120 per cup) . It is still standard in the US to use standardized cups for baking and cooking in recipes, so if that is not the norm where you are (from your email, Netherlands?), definitely go with the grams measurement.
Hi was wondering if it could be made without the yeast, unfortunately I am intolerant to yeast
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, you can, it will still come together like the but it won’t really have much cheese-y flavor. But I have some ideas you could try : (1) use unsweetened cashew butter in place of the tahini (it has more of a cheese-y flavor, plus add an extra tablespoon or two, (2) If you eat soy, add a tablespoon or so of soy sauce or liquid aminos, (3) light toast the chickpea flour before using (just place in a dry skillet over medium heat and stir until light golden brown) to up the umami flavor of the chickpeas; (4) soak some dried mushrooms in water. Use the water from the soaking, and the soaked mushrooms (finely chop them) to get the umami/cheese-y flavor. 🙂
What brand of chickpea flour do you use? I’ve had trouble finding one without a nut warning!
Hi Autumn,
I have probably used every brand multiple times, all with equivalent results. Apologies, I have not made note of the nut warnings!
This came out great. Made a tomato pie with it. Froze the “cheese” and then cubed to add to the recipe in place of dairy cheese. Turned out very tasty. Can you double the recipe?
Oh my goodness, that sounds so good, Dee! Yes, you can certainly double the recipe! Thank you for your note about freezing the cheese. I had not tried to freeze it before you mentioned it here, and, like you indicate, it froze well!
Looks awesome ! Does it freeze well ? Is there an amount of dry mustard i can use to substitute the prepared one or you wouldn’t recommend it ?
Hi Nikos,
I have now tried freezing it, and yes, it does freeze well! I have been cutting it into somewhat smaller pieces before freezing to make it easier to remove small pieces at a time. The cheese becomes more dense after freezing and defrosting, which I like, especially if I use it in a recipe (as opposed to eating it plain). Yes, you can use dry mustard (perhaps 1 or 2 teaspoons? I have not tested, you can go by taste). You may want to add a touch more vinegar and a pinch of turmeric (which are in prepared mustard), and perhaps an extra tablespoon of water.
Is cider vinegar the same as Apple cider vinegar?
Can’t wait to try this, I’ve been searching for a vegan cheddar cheese that is firm and can be cut up!
Hi Davina,
It is indeed the same. You can use white vinegar, white or red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar , too (the only one that might be odd is balsamic vinegar). I am with you, I need Vegan cheese that will slice or cube for a wide range of eating options. Enjoy!
No, they are not the same. Cider vinegar is stronger.
Hi Paulette,
That is not true. Cider vinegar and apple cider vinegar are the same except that, if “apple” is not specified (i.e., just “cider vinegar”) then it can be made from apples OR other fruits. There can be a lot of variation in strength of different vinegars, true, but it is based on the brand, and the process. In the case of cider vinegars, some apple cider vinegars will be stronger than bottles marked cider vinegars, and vice versa. And apple cider vinegars can vary in taste and strength from brand to brand. The main point is that absolutely, you can use cider vinegar and apple cider vinegar interchangeably in this recipe.
Trader Joe’s also carries it!
Thanks, Thea!
Is this dry powderd mustard or prepared musterd?
Where can I buy this yeast?
I really want to make this.
Hi Sandia! It is prepared mustard (I have a photo in the post :)). I used Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast; it is the most common brand. It is typically shelved in the health food section of grocery stores, or sold in natural food stores. You can also google it and find countless online sources for ordering it. It It is high in protein and B vitamins and is a great multipurpose seasoning in all kinds of things!