Nut-Free VEGAN CHEESE Recipe Smoked Gouda

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHEESE
Smoked Gouda or Provolone 
Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free

Total Time 8 minutes. Chill Time 2 hrs.
Serves: 8

How to make a basic vegan cheese using
coconut cream or any plant based milk.
I always prefer homemade cheese because
I like to know what’s in my food.

I’ve bought vegan cheeses. The consistency
as well as flavor were disappointing compared
to this recipe. This provolone flavored is my
favorite vegan cheese.

I am thrilled with these results! It’s so easy it seems
failproof.  You can add (or garnish with) chopped dried
or fresh basil, chives, dill or any flavor you like, with or
without the garlic powder.

It’s also sufficiently firm for slicing, grating, or cubing.
If you plan to grate it use the least amount of Tapioca.
Use the maximum tapioca if you’ll be melting it.

You can make a half-recipe, which I do, so that
I can consume it inside of a week.

This is a picture of the block I made from the full
recipe. It measures 5½ by 4 inches, by 1½” thick.

I discovered I’d need agar-agar powder. It’s made of red
dried seaweed, is in health food stores and on Amazon
and it is readily available as kosher.

I read that gelatin or xanthan gum is a good sub
if you can’t get agar agar. (I haven’t tried it yet. )
The required amounts will be different. You’d need
to look it up online.

Agar is a nutrient-rich plant-based gelatin.
I used 2 Tbs. of tapioca. That enables the cheese to
melt for pizza or a melted cheese topping. If  you want
it yellow, add a dash of turmeric.

How to make the vegan smoked Gouda
(Almost identical to Provolone), except
For flavor.

Vegan Smoked Gouda Flavor 
Total Time 10 mins Servings: 8 

Vegan smoked gouda cheese is made with
coconut cream , Free of gluten, dairy, soy,
and nuts!

Ingredients

1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut cream full fat (with no additives but water)
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
1 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 to 2 tbs. agar agar powder
1 tbs. tapioca flour (aka tapioca starch)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs. liquid smoke hickory flavor
(or to taste)

Recipe Notes
Once the cheese sauce begins to boil,
turn the heat down so that it is bubbling,
but not so hot that it will burn.

Instructions

Prepare cheese molds by spraying a glass
bowl or container with spray oil or rub any
neutral flavored oil on the molds to prevent
sticking. (Recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese).

Pour the can of coconut cream into a saucepan.
Put 1/2 cup of hot water into the empty coconut cream
can to melt all the remaining coconut cream and add
the water to the pan.  Turn heat on to medium and
stir frequently until it boils.

Bring to a slow boil Turn down the heat until the
cheese sauce is just barely boiling and stir constantly
until it is very smooth while stirring constantly for 
6 minutes allowing the agar agar to melt completely
and get very smooth.

Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan and
stir with a whisk.

Pour the cheese into an oiled glass container and
let it sit uncovered for about 15 minutes until it cools
slightly, then put the cheese into the refrigerator to
cool for at least 2 hours.

It will set up firm and be able to be sliced or shredded.

If you are making the melting style vegan cheese,
it will set up softer than the variety with less tapioca
starch.

Immediately pour into the prepared cheese molds.

Let it cool with the lid off for about 15 minutes at
room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator
for at least 2 hours to firmly set.

Once the cheese is cooled completely cover and
store in the refrigerator in a sealed for up to a week.

Author: Monica | TheHiddenVeggies.com

Can’t get enough garlic and herbs?
Check out  vegan cheese with garlic and herbs!

Image by skeeze from Pixabay Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Vegan Provolone
INGREDIENTS

1 can (13.5 oz.) full fat *coconut cream that has no additives.
(You can substitute the coconut cream with
1-1/4 cups of any plant milk and ½ cup oil
instead of the coconut cream and water).
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. + 1 tsp nutritional yeast
        (Make it cheesier by adding an
additional tsp of nutritional yeast).
2 tbs. agar agar powder
1 tsp tapioca  (2 tbs. will make this cheese
melt better for pizza, grilled cheese or fondue)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder

*Recipe Note: Gums (stabilizers) and chemicals added
to the coconut cream may spoil your results. Read the
label. You should see only coconut and water. I buy
additive free coconut milk on Amazon.(You can substitute
the coconut cream with 1¼ cups of any plant milk and
½ cup oil.  Sounds feasible, I haven’t tried it).

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare cheese molds by spraying a glass bowl or container
with spray oil or rub any neutral flavored oil on the molds to
prevent sticking. You may want to put a piece of parchment
in the bottom for easiest removal. (Recipe will make about
2 cups of cheese).

Pour the can of coconut cream into a saucepan.
You can substitute the coconut cream with
1-1/4 cups of any plant milk and ½ cup
oil instead of the coconut cream and water.

Put 1/2 cup of hot water into the empty coconut cream
can to melt all the remaining coconut cream and add the
water to the pan.

Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan and stir
with a whisk.

Set heat on to medium and stir frequently until it boils
(about 1-2 minutes).

Turn down the heat until the cheese sauce is just
barely boiling, and stir constantly for exactly 6 minutes,
even if it appears done sooner, until it is very smooth.

Immediately pour into the prepared cheese molds.

Let it cool with the lid off for about 15-25 minutes
at room temperature. Then transfer to the refrigerator
covered, for at least 1-2 hours to firmly set.

Once the cheese is cooled completely cover and store
in the refrigerator in a sealed for up to a week.

You can create a variety of different textures of vegan
cheese by changing the amounts and ratios of liquids,
fats, agar agar, and starch. The more agar agar, the firmer
the cheese. The more tapioca starch, the softer and
stretchier the cheese.
A higher fat content will give you richer and creamier
cheese with a more authentic mouth feel. If your cheese
is too soft If your cheese is too soft to shred and more
jello-like, then you probably added too much tapioca
starch or possibly not enough agar agar.
Slight variations in these 2 ingredients will change the
texture greatly.
FREEZE IT: You can freeze it for up to 3 months. 
I find it easiest to shred the cheese and then freeze
it in an air-tight freezer bag. This way you can use
small portions of it without having to thaw the whole block.

Many more recipes and pointers for vegan cheese-making
will be found by Author: Monica, at
https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-smoked-gouda/

Recipe Notes:
For a firmer cheese, leave out the tapioca
starch from the recipe.

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