One of my lockdown projects has been to experiment with different types of vegan cheese. While I love the options that are popping up more and more in stores, they tend to be pricey, especially if you go through them as fast I as do. Besides, homemade is always better, right?
I made four vegan cheese experiments so far and the last one was the best, which i'll get to in the end. But first let's talk about the process. The base of most vegan cheese is nuts, especially cashews because they don't have a strong flavour of their own and they blend extremely well into a smooth consistency. But for vegan cheese to taste, well, cheesy, it's really important to ferment it. This typically means adding some live cultures to the mix and letting it culture between 1 to 3 days. The longer you ferment, the tangier the cheese. And cultures can include probiotic capsules, Sauerkraut, Kimchi or even Apple Cider Vinegar. In a nutshell, fermentation is when a microorganism converts a carbohydrate, such as starches or sugar, into an alcohol or acid. (Source) This not only produces that tangy, umami flavour we all love but also makes the end product more easily digestible.
EXPERIMENT #1
First, I blended cashews with water and added probiotics from a capsule. (I used 60 billion) While this was great, I found the flavour to be somewhat bland. I knew it could be better.
EXPERIMENT #2
Next, I blended up cashews, walnuts and almond milk. This one tasted amazing, and fermented pretty quickly. But weirdly, the cheese turned light blue! I have no idea why, I'm sure there's a scientific explanation so feel free to hit the comments section below if you're in the know. I'm almost certain though that it was because of the almond milk as it had some additives in it such as Calcium, B12 and vegetable gums which might have caused some sort of chemical reaction. I know it wasn't mould though (believe me I looked at way too many mould pictures to make sure, and now I'm a bit traumatised) and it tasted amazing. So I ate it anyway, but I realise that the blue might be concerning for some people, so I decided to keep experimenting.
EXPERIMENT #3
Next attempt was a 1:3 ratio of hemp hearts to cashews with a probiotic capsule as culture. This one thickened up super nicely, almost like hard cheese, but the taste was off. There was this bitter aftertaste to it and upon research I realised it's because the oils in hemp seeds get rancid super quickly. Between blending and fermenting with the jar open, it seems that the oils oxidised and developed a bitter flavour. So I decided it's probably best to eat hemp products unfermented.
EXPERIMENT #4
For the final and best result, I blended cashews with water and added some Kimchi as culture. Kimchi is my favourite to ferment with so far. I guess it's evident from the bubbliness when you open a jar of Kimchi that it's literally bursting with live cultures. For this method as well, I decided to ferment with the jar closed instead of open. Because fermentation is an anaerobic process, it doesn't require any oxygen. And this prevents a hard film from forming on top. Another tip is to place the jar in an oven with the light on (making sure the heat is off). The light provides just enough push for the fermentation to occur, especially in winter where temperatures are lower.
Within 24 hours, the cheese was already rising and bubbling up. So much so that I decided to stop the ferment short and place it in the fridge because the jar I used wasn't big enough to contain it. Lesson learned for next time. But it still turned out amazing. And the thing with these vegan cheeses is that they still slowly ferment in the fridge and thicken up, getting a bit tangier every day.
I'm still keen to try different methods, just because I'm naturally curious and love to experiment. But this Kimchi based recipe has definitely become a staple for me because;
1 It was the fastest fermentation,
2 It rose up beautifully, giving the cheese more texture,
3 Tasted amazing, with a slight hint of Kimchi,
4 It's much cheaper than store-bought, especially if you buy the nuts in bulk.
This fermented vegan cheese is perfect to spread on toast for a healthy snack or even used in sweet recipes. (like this Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake) In terms of flavouring, the possibilities are endless. I sometimes like to finely chop some herbs (dill is a great option, as are chives and a bit of garlic) and add them in. But it tastes great plain too!
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments! Enjoy.
Rinse cashews and soak them in a bowl for 4 hours with enough water to cover.
Sterilise your equipment. You can do this by boiling some water and pouring it in your blender jar, utensils, jar etc. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, just make sure everything has been cleaned very well.
Rinse the cashews after 4 hours.
In a high-speed blender, blend cashews with water and salt. Using the tamper helps move things along. Add extra water only if necessary in small increments, keeping in mind the more water you add, the runnier the cheese will be.
If your mixture got really hot while blending, leave it to cool for a bit.
Add the kimchi and mix until smooth. (ideally with a silicon or wooden spatula, as metal tends to react with probiotics)
Seal the jar and either leave it to ferment on the counter-top, or if your kitchen tends to get cool, place in an oven with the light on. (Making sure heat is off)
Leave to ferment 1 to 3 days. Feel free to taste it while it's fermenting, only using a clean spoon and never dipping the same spoon in after using.
Once you're happy with the flavour and texture, you may add some flavouring now or if you're going to keep it plain, place in the fridge for a couple hours. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse cashews and soak them in a bowl for 4 hours with enough water to cover.
Sterilise your equipment. You can do this by boiling some water and pouring it in your blender jar, utensils, jar etc. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, just make sure everything has been cleaned very well.
Rinse the cashews after 4 hours.
In a high-speed blender, blend cashews with water and salt. Using the tamper helps move things along. Add extra water only if necessary in small increments, keeping in mind the more water you add, the runnier the cheese will be.
If your mixture got really hot while blending, leave it to cool for a bit.
Add the kimchi and mix until smooth. (ideally with a silicon or wooden spatula, as metal tends to react with probiotics)
Seal the jar and either leave it to ferment on the counter-top, or if your kitchen tends to get cool, place in an oven with the light on. (Making sure heat is off)
Leave to ferment 1 to 3 days. Feel free to taste it while it's fermenting, only using a clean spoon and never dipping the same spoon in after using.
Once you're happy with the flavour and texture, you may add some flavouring now or if you're going to keep it plain, place in the fridge for a couple hours. Enjoy!
thanks for sharing your experiment results with vegan cream cheese. this has been something i cant to make
Thanks Nancy! It was a fun experiment, can’t wait to share more!