Do you follow a vegan diet and avoid dairy products for ethical or health reasons? But if you like milk and cheese, you don't necessarily have to cut them out of your diet. There are now alternatives to cheese in all possible variations. We have put together some recipes for plant-based cheese substitutes for you, because vegan cheese is versatile and tastes delicious.
What is vegan cheese made of?
Essentially, vegan cheese substitutes are based on water, vegetable oils such as coconut or palm oil and vegetable starch. Soy, tofu, processed nuts or grains and yeast are also often contained in plant-based products.
Make your own vegan cheese
Vegan cheese is part of the range of organic shops, vegan supermarkets and health food stores and is becoming increasingly popular. If you want to try something new in the kitchen, you can make your vegan cheese in the comfort of your own home and develop your own creations.
sliced cheese
The popular plant-based cheese sliced for bread or just for snacking, which comes very close to the taste of real cheese, can be easily recreated at home with these ingredients:
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 small cup cashews
- 3 EL The yeast flock
- Juice of half a lemon
- Paprika powder
- Cuminpulver
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tsp agar agar + a little water to mix
Make your own variety to suit your taste
Cook the peeled sweet potato until soft and mix well in the blender with the remaining ingredients, except agar agar. First stir the agar agar cold, boil it and put it in the blender. Mix the mixture again and pour it into small bowls. Then put the cheese in the fridge. You are welcome to create your own type of vegan cheese with fresh herbs, dried tomatoes or walnuts.
Vegan pizza and lasagna cheese
As is well known, pizza or vegetable lasagna requires a lot of cheese. You can make a great-tasting alternative to real cheese that melts, strings and also tastes great, using just these two ingredients:
- 1 pack of soy cream
- 2 tablespoons oil or vegan margarine
Put the ingredients in a hot pot and stir them together until a viscous mixture forms. The liquid must not boil.
yeast melt
To bake pizza or casseroles, you can also use a homemade yeast melt. The typical cheesy taste is created by using yeast flakes. For this you need the following ingredients:
- 4 THE Margarine
- 6 tsp flour
- 300 ml water
- 8 El (Noble) Hefe flock
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp mustard
Heat the margarine in a saucepan and then add the flour. Once you get a smooth roux, you can slowly add 150 ml of water and bring the liquid to the boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat and add the salt and mustard. Including stir in the yeast flakes and mix them with the remaining water. Boil the liquid again until you reach a cheesy consistency.
Parmesan
Even as a veganYou don't have to miss out on the spicy parmesan with your rice or pasta dishes. You can quickly make the hard cheese yourself with these few ingredients:
- 100 g almonds or pine nuts
- 25 g Hefeflocken
- 15g breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
Roast the skinless nuts in a pan and crush them in a blender or mortar. Add the remaining ingredients and sprinkle the finished Parmesan cheese over your dish.
Vegan mozzarella without yeast flakes
Within a very short time you can also make vegan mozzarella at home and use it to prepare a delicious tomato and mozzarella salad or even bake it. To prepare it you need the following ingredients:
- 120 ml soy milk
- 2 tbsp plain soy yoghurt
- 2 tbsp potato starch flour or tapioca
- 1 EL Vegan Margarine
- 3 EL Kill
- Salt
Put the potato starch and soy milk in a pot and bring the liquid to the boil, stirring constantly. Now you can add the remaining ingredients and stir the cheese mixture over a low heat for another 5 minutes until it forms strings and separates from the bottom of the pot. Place the vegan mozzarella in a lightly greased mold and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Quick cream cheese
For small meals in between or when things need to go really quickly, a vegan spreadable cheese that can be prepared in no time at all is ideal. The ingredients you need are:
- 100 g Tofu
- 50 g neutral oil, such as E.g. rapeseed, sunflower or safflower oil
- 50 ml soy milk
- 1 EL (Edel-) Hefeflocken
- 1 Price Johannisbrotkernmehl
- 1 pinch of salt
Shred the tofu and mix all the ingredients in a blender until a creamy consistency is achieved. For a herb cream cheese, you can use various herbs of your choice, such as: Add dill or oregano.
Cream cheese lovers can also prepare the vegan cheese spread with cashew:
- 200 g Cashewkerne
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp lime juice
Cashew-Käseaufstrich
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Soak the cashews in water overnight and blend them in a blender the next day until you get a spreadable cream. Add the lime juice and spices and enjoy the delicious spread on bread or as a base for sauces.
Substitute for feta cheese
If you want to enrich your vegan barbecue evening with a herb cheese, a mild, spicy, vegan feta based on soy milk is ideal. For the cheese you need:
- 2 liters of soy milk
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garam masala spice mix
- Bunch of garden herbs (e.g. chives, wild garlic, etc.)
Bring the soy milk with the salt and garam masala to the boil and stir the lemon juice into the slightly boiling soy milk. The liquid then begins to flocculate. Simmer the soy milk for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Then let the cheese drain well through a sieve lined with a tea towel.
Fold the cloth over the cheese mixture and squeeze out the cheese. Then mix the finely chopped herbs into the cheese curds. Now you can use the cling film to form blocks of cheese. Wrap them in foil and leave them in the fridge overnight. Place a cutting board on top of the cheese to keep the blocks nice and firm. You can serve the herb feta grilled with salad.
Vegan cheese dip
If you are looking for a tasty, vegan substitute for cheese dip for vegetable sticks or nachos that tastes delicious both warm and cold, you can make a cheese sauce with these ingredients:
- 100 g carrots
- 125g potato
- 3 EL The yeast flock
- 1/2 roasted pepper
- 50 g Cashews
- 2 THE Margarine
- 1 tbsp soy cream
- 1/2 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp wheat flour
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- possibly 1 teaspoon miso, light
Cook the carrots and potatoes in a little water until very soft. Puree the cooked vegetable cubes with the other ingredients until creamy and then cook this sauce, stirring, until it thickens. This vegan cheese dip will keep for a few days in the fridge if there is any left over.
