Vegan Goat Cheese Recipe - incredibly flavorful and versatile, this cheese is straightforward, easy, and one you will make again and again!
Vegan Goat Cheese Recipe
In the Vegan Fusion class earlier this summer, one of the components in the raw and live phase was culturing. We learned about, made and drank Rejuvelac. We made cultured plant cheeses, as well as raw elixirs, sauerkraut and kimchi. Everything was outstanding, and it was very exciting for me.
I have always been nervous about attempting any culturing or fermenting at home. After some hands on learning and creating, a cultured cheese was one of the first things I knew I'd try at home - one with tangy flavors of goat cheese.
When cultured, a plant cheese will have a tangy flavor, as well as all the benefits of a live food - nutritionally rich and containing beneficial bacteria.
I based my culturing process on the method we learned in class:
1) Soak nuts in water for several hours.
2) Blend nuts with liquid (in class we blended with water - for this recipe I used apple cider vinegar).
3) Transfer to a sanitized glass jar, covering and leaving in a dark warm cupboard overnight.
In class the next day, we added some fresh herbs to the cultured cheese - at this point you can add whatever flavors you want.
For my 'goat' cheese, I kept the flavor additions simple - some lemon juice for tart acidity, and a bit of salt.
This tastes surprisingly similar to traditional goat cheese, and the consistency is both creamy and crumbly. It is perfect on a beet salad, in a cherry tart, or simply spread on a crisp cracker. The pairings and the flavor possibilities are endless!
*update: A bunch of readers have successfully made and loved this recipe. a few have had varying results - great flavor with a creamy consistency, not crumbly. Sometimes my results are creamy too, more of a cream cheese, like this example here. I will then wrap in cheesecloth to strain another 12 hours or so - in the refrigerator - and can often achieve the crumbly consistency then. Literally piecing it apart with a fork is how I get it to crumble.
recipes using this Vegan Goat Cheese Recipe:
Maple Roasted Beet Salad with Vegan Goat Cheese
Cherry Goat Cheese Rustic Tarts
Vegan Goat Cheese Bacon Wrapped Dates
Lemon Caper Pasta with Goat Cheese Croutons
Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Dip
Dijon Apricot Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Lavender Date Goat Cheese Hand Pies
Apricot Goat Cheese on Fig Crisps
printable Vegan Goat Cheese Recipe:
Vegan Goat Cheese Recipe
Vegan goat cheese is incredibly flavorful and versatile. This recipe is straightforward, easy, and one you will make again and again!
Ingredients
- 1 ยพ cups raw cashews, soaked several hours / over night
- ยผ cup filtered water
- 1 tablespoonย organic apple cider vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon (about one tablespoon)
- ยฝ teaspoon sea salt
- contents of 1 probiotic capsule (optional)
Instructions
- In food processor or high speed blender, combine soaked cashews, vinegar, lemon juice, contents of probiotic capsule, and water. Blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a sterilized glass jar. Cover with plastic wrap and secure with rubber band.
- Cover/wrap jar in a kitchen towel and leave in a room temperature place overnight.
- Transfer to refrigerator.
See notes for variations
Notes
Basic culturing technique adapted from the Vegan Fusion Immersion Chef course I attended in 2011.
dairy, soy, oil, and gluten free, vegan, cultured recipe
Macadamia Nuts
My original recipe called for 1 cup cashews and ยพ cup macadamia nuts. This evolved to just cashews over time, as myself and many readers were omitting the macadamias for various reasons. Both recipes work well; the flavor and texture are excellent and similar.
Flavor additions
Plain goat cheese is delicious as is, and is a perfect vehicle for added flavors.
- Savory: There are so many savory options to add to vegan goat cheese. Smoked paprika, dried onion, or garlic powder are some of my favorite spices. Roll a log or ball of goat cheese into chopped nuts or seeds. I love to make bite size appetizer goat cheese balls and roll them in sesame seeds or chopped pistachios. For a sweet and savory, combine chopped pistachios with dried cranberries. Chopped sun dried tomatoes are an excellent addition to vegan goat cheese.
- Sweet: Add minced dates, figs, or dried apricots. Chopped candied pecans or walnuts add a nutty sweetness to the tangy vegan cheese.ย Stir in maple syrup or your favorite sweetener. Shape goat cheese into a disc or log and serve it with your favorite jam.
How to make crumbly vegan goat cheese
Wrap the cheese tightly in cheesecloth, or use a fine mesh strainer. I wrap in cheesecloth AND place that in a fine mesh strainer over another bowl, and place in the refrigerator. This method usually works to reduce / remove liquid; I also squeeze the wrapped cheese.
How to make vegan cheese sliceable
The easiest way to make any vegan cheese sliceable is to add kappa carrageenan. When you don't need stretchy meltability, an agar agar works to thicken vegan cheese into a more solid cheese you can slice.
How long does this recipe last?
My rule for maximum flavor and freshness is to enjoy this recipe within one week.
Refrigerate vegan goat cheese in a glass container with a tightly fitting lid.ย
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
2 tablespoonsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 152Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
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ABOUT KRISTINA: Kristina is spabettie! She founded spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. As the sole recipe developer and photographer, Kristina turned her culinary training into the best way to spend her days - sharing just how flavorful and vibrant vegan food is! She loves dachshunds, Portland, Hawaii, drummers - well, one drummer - and travel.
spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Marya says
I'm so excited to find this recipe! I've stopped eating all dairy and have just started to play around with tofu cheese, this will expand my repertoire even more! Thanks so much for sharing!!
spabettie says
you are welcome, Marya! I have had several people make this already - some haven't cared for it but most have positive reviews and are loving it! It's definitely fun to learn the culturing process.
leah says
oh me oh my. how long does this keep? i'm sure it won't be around in my house that long anyway, but just out of curiosity!
spabettie says
hi Leah! with things like this, I try to use it within 3-4 days... and you're right, it really doesn't last long! It will probably last longer, but wouldn't have as fresh a flavor?
Richa says
love that texture! need to make this asap!
spabettie says
Richa, I hope you try this! I have now made it three times, two had AMAZING texture (creamy, like cream cheese, second one even more crumbly like goat). the third time was a totally different consistency, more pasty, still tasted great, just more ... spreadable. sure is fun to play around with, though! ๐
Carolina says
I made this last night, this morning I am doing a happy dance all over the kitchen, piece of bread "goat cheesed" in hand!!! The flavor is insane, I love the tang. Mine turned out creamy white, but had a yellow brown "film" on top, did you experience this also? I shaved that part off and tossed it... Not scared of fermentation any longer, but I didn't wanna try that LOL. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
spabettie says
hi Carolina!
thanks for letting me know - I'm doing a happy dance now too!
yes, mine had the film too - I should update the recipe notes with this. I removed mine as well, but I do not think we did in class? To keep the color and consistency uniform it's best, I suppose.
so happy you conquered your fermentation fears, me too! ๐
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
Maybe I should use some of my Nutty Butter nuts for this...
spabettie says
yes. YES. YEEEESSSSSS. ๐ I mean, sure.
Western Garden Mama says
The cheese itself was outstanding, really good flavor (close enough for veg, right?) And mine was bubbly and fluffy. I mashed it down into the jar and stirred a lot, after refrigeration it was better.
That said, I did not like it with sweet, but that just may be a preference.
spabettie says
so happy you like the flavor, we really did too! I'm pretty sure the bubbles are part of the process... how long did you let it ferment?
I have had a few people say they think I'm crazy for pairing this with something sweet, you are not alone! ๐
Cristina says
how much lemon juice did you use? I only used 1/3, and it was very lemony to me. the consistency was like a cream cheese, I can't believe it! the culturing was scary but I suppose it doesn't have to be LOL. I used all macadamia because its what I had, but I might leave out the lemon next time (I'm not really fond of lemon anyway. thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
spabettie says
hi Cristina,
I would definitely use less lemon if you are not fond of it... perhaps leave it out and only use the ACV? (in class we used only water, so you can try that as well). I don't think even 2 lemons would yield 1/3 cup, though. I will measure next time and let you know.
Jenna says
finished the whole batch in one sitting (we had neighbours over) and everyone loved! our neighbourโs hubby had no idea he was eating a โcheezeโ and I still havenโt told him LOL. I canโt wait to make another one, Iโm going to add herbs to it too. THANKYOU
spabettie says
you are so very welcome - thanks for the feedback, SO happy you all loved it!
Cara says
I've seen some recipes for cultured vegan cheeses that sound a lot harder - this really sounds doable. Have you tried it on warm dishes yet? I am just wondering how it "melts."
Cara says
Oh and another question, potentially stupid. I've never done any canning so I don't know much about sterilizing glass. I know it involves dipping in boiling water, right? But how much time? Any other essential instructions I'd need to know? Thanks!
spabettie says
no stupid questions! I am used to sterilizing when we make beer, so that's why I said that ๐ you can probably just use a very clean glass container... but if you want to sterilize yes, we boil them at least 20 minutes. again, because we have this on hand for beer making, I also used a sanitizing solution (iodine based) ... but really if you boil it is probably enough! ๐
spabettie says
hi Cara!
it doesn't really melt like a traditional cheese (not sure if goat cheese really melts either?). it does soften, and yes, I used it in a cherry goat cheese tart and LOVED it! I just dotted blobs of this around the cherry filling, they stayed in blobs and softened a bit... very good!
Kath (My Funny Little Life) says
I'm back, finally. ๐ And this is something I've wanted to try forever! ๐ ๐ I've been thinking of adding paprika and dill and a bit of lemon juice, I'm really excited to try this now because your recipe seems to easy and simple, and the instructions I've found so far were a bit laborous for me.
spabettie says
that is what I loved about this basic process when we learned about it in class... it may be several steps but it really is not difficult! ๐