In the meantime, lightly grease a small bowl that holds about 1 ⅔ cups (400ml) of liquid (or another container of your choice) with coconut oil, then chill for 5 minutes (optional).
Once the vegetables and cashews are soft, drain them and reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
Transfer the cooked vegetables, cashews, and reserved cooking water to a blender. Add the lemon juice, salt, paprika powder, mustard, yeast flakes, and garlic powder and blend until smooth and creamy. Then fill the mixture in a bowl and scrape out the blender with a soft spatula. (This step is helpful to work quickly when mixing with the agar in step 6).
In a small saucepan, dissolve the agar in ½ cup of water and bring it to a boil. Stir constantly and cook for 1 to 2 minutes (or according to the package instructions).
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and quickly stir in the cashew cheese mixture until combined. Then immediately pour it into the chilled greased bowl, smoothing out evenly.
Place the cashew cheese in the fridge for at least 3 hours (or better overnight) to firm up.
Once firm, overturn the vegan cheese onto a plate. Slice and enjoy it!
Notes
Agar-agar: It is important to use 100% pure agar powder (not flakes). I like the cheese a little softer, so I use 1 tablespoon of agar. If you prefer it firmer, you can use more.
Cashews: Feel free to substitute other nuts or seeds or a rich creamy vegan spread (e.g. vegan cream cheese) or coconut cream (the solid part of full-fat coconut milk). But please consider that this will affect the taste and consistency.
Baking: You can use this cheese on top of a pizza, a casserole, and to gratinate any dishes. It won’t be as stretchy and melty as regular cheese but it softens and gets creamy. Also, it can be grated when you freeze the cheese for about 1 hour or until it’s firm enough to grate it easily (see pizza photos in my blog post).
Storage: You can keep this vegan cashew cheese in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days or freeze it for longer storage. Once thawed, the consistency will be a bit softer, but you can still use it for gratinating.
The instruction time does not include chill time.
Please read my blog post for further information and tips!
Nutritions
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.2g | Protein: 2.5g | Fat: 3.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g
