Shredded Cashew cheese is vegan, taste like cheese and melts like cheese as well. Perfect for topping pizza or pasta, in grilled cheese sandwiches and on top of soups and stews. Make it, cook with it, freeze it and enjoy it!
For me, February is vegan Februdairy month, a month to enjoy and celebrate vegan dairy. Whether store bought or homemade, vegan dairy is the delicious, kind and healthier option.
Giving up cheese is one reason why many people won’t go vegan but thankfully that’s not really a valid excuse. There are plenty of amazing vegan cheeses to buy and many more great vegan cheese recipes to try. This recipe for shredded vegan cheese is one of the easiest and most versatile I’ve discovered. I make it all the time and can now enjoy all my cheese covered comfort food favorites.
Making Shredded Cashew Cheese
Making shredded cashew cheese is very easy, with only a few basic ingredients and very little prep work required. You will need a sieve, blender, food processor or grater, and a preferably glass mold for freezing.
Begin by boiling the cashews and carrots until the carrots are tender, about ten minutes. Once cooked, strain through a sieve and reserve the cooking liquid.
Add the cashews and carrots to a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and 2 1/4 cups of the cashew water. Blend until smooth.
Once smooth, pour mixture back into the cooking pot and cook over medium high heat until the mixture is thickened but not lumpy, stretchy and pulls away from the sides of the pot.
Place thickened cheese mixture in a glass container and let cool for an hour or so at room temperature. Refrigerate for a few hours until cheese is completely cooled. Place cool cheese in the freezer until frozen.
To shred, remove the frozen cheese and let thaw slightly until you can slice it. Slice it in half and shred with a food processor or a hand grater. Refrigerate or refreeze until using.
Versatile and delicious
Shredded cashew cheese tastes yummy and cheesy, and it can be used anywhere you would use dairy shredded cheese. It melts beautifully and can be used to make cheese sauces and to top pizza and baked casseroles. Use it to top baked pasta, burgers, tacos and in a grilled cheese sandwich as well. Anyway you choose to eat it, you’ll be glad you did. Enjoy!
More Cheesy Recipes
Vegan cheese is great for those comfort foods that require it. Nothing is better than cheese and vegan cheese is a tasty, melty and healthy option. Here are some “cheesy” recipes for you to try:
Baked Spaghetti Squash with Cashew Cheese
Shredded Cashew Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 medium carrot roughly sliced
- 2 1/4 cups cashew and carrot water saved from boiling
- 8 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 8 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon stevia seasoning or your favorite salt free seasoning
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the cashews and carrot and boil for 10 minutes, or until the carrot is softened.
- Place a sieve over a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the cooked cashews and carrots into the sieve. Reserve the cooking liquid.
- Transfer the cashews and carrot to a blender.
- Add the nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, lemon juice, salt free seasonings, and 2 cups plus 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water to the blender. Blend mixture on high speed, until smooth.
- Pour the mixture back into the pot and heat, stirring over medium low heat. Lumps should immediately begin to form. Continue stirring for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened, stretchy and pulls away from the pot.
- Remove cheese from heat and place into a preferably glass mold. Tap on the counter to release air bubbles and smooth the top.
- Let cheese cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until completely cool and freeze.
- To shred: Remove frozen cheese from the freezer. Run container under hot water to remove the cheese. Let sit at room temperature until it can be sliced with a knife. You can microwave it as well for 10-20 seconds.
- Slice cheese into 2 or 3 pieces, small enough to fit through the food processor slot.
- Grate each piece with the food processor using the shred plate. You can hand grate it as well.
- Store grated cheese in the fridge until use. It can also be refrozen.
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