Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheddar Cheese (Oil-Free)
Easy vegan sunflower seed Cheddar cheese--it's oil-free and so delicious! It makes perfect slices for sandwiches, snacks, and cheese boards. Or grate it for tacos, quesadillas, and bubbling casseroles.
Servings: 16 ounces (454 g)
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 Medium Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (see notes for options)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (adjust as needed/desired)
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or prepared mustard of choice)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (sweet, not hot; see notes for options)
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (see notes for options)
For Agar Agar Gel
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon agar agar powder (not agar flakes)
Instructions
Prepare Primary Cheese Ingredients
- Rinse the sunflower seeds through a colander or mesh strainer to remove any dust or particles.
- Set aside a shallow dish (glass or ceramic), or silicone mold, that can hold more than 2 cups of liquid. Once started, the cheese making process moves quickly (the agar agar begins to set almost immediately after blending with the other cheese ingredients). You will need the dish ready ahead of time.
- Place the rinsed sunflower seeds in a blender. Add 3/4 cup water, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, salt, smoked paprika and turmeric. Cover and blend until completely smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the container. Keep the mixture in the blender container.
Prepare Agar Agar Addition
- In a small saucepan or medium saucepan, whisk 1 cup (237 mL) water and the agar agar powder until blended.Turn on the heat to medium. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a low boil. Continue to stir for about 1 to 2 minutes longer until the agar agar mixture just begins to thicken. Remove from the heat.
- Working quickly, add the hot agar agar mixture to the blender container with the blended sunflower seed mixture. Cover and blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of container one time.
- Immediately spread the sunflower seed cheese into the selected dish, smoothing the top. Press a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper onto the surface of the cheese.
- Refrigerate the vegan Cheddar cheese for at least 2 hours, or until very firm to the touch. Agar agar sets relatively quickly.
- Run a dull knife around the edges of the dish. Invert the set cheese onto a plate or cutting board.
- Slice or grate the cheese as desired!
Notes
Storage: Store the cheese in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.
Freezing: Cut the cheese into slices (or grate it, or cut into smaller blocks) and place in an airtight container in the freezer. Defrost the cheese in the refrigerator. Gently blot the cheese with paper towels, if needed, once defrosted.
Ingredient Options
- Lemon Juice Alternatives: You can use an equal amount of green olive brine (from a jar of brine-packed green olives) or use a light colored vinegar (e.g., white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar). If using vinegar, I recommend reducing the total amount to 1 to 1.5 tablespoons (make up the difference with water), since the flavor can be stronger than lemon juice.
- Agar Agar Powder: I do not recommend using agar agar flakes (I have had inconsistent results with agar flakes, including gel blobs). For optimum results, use agar agar powder, which dissolves almost instantly (flakes take several minutes to dissolve). If you want to experiment with agar flakes, use 1 tablespoon flakes for every 1 teaspoon of powder.
- Turmeric Alternative: Ground turmeric adds golden color as well as a mil pungent, peppery flavor to the cheese. An alternative (for both color and flavor) is ground annatto, which has a mild peppery flavor and orange-red hue.
- Smoked Paprika Alternative: An equal amount of mild child powder, or 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder, can be used in place of the smoked paprika. You can also omit it from the cheese. If you just want the smoky flavor, use (1) smoked salt in place of regular salt, or (b) add 1 teaspoon liquid smoke.
- Onion Powder Alternative: Replace the onion powder with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ounce | Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg