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 Recipe - incredibly flavorful and versatile, this cheese is straightforward, easy, and one you will make again and again!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked several hours / over night
- ½ cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked several hours / over night
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon (about one tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- contents of 1 probiotic capsule (optional)
Instructions
- In food processor or high speed blender, combine cashews, macadamias, 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.
- Variations:
- Add one tablespoon miso to the blended nuts prior to culturing.
- Add a very small amount (1 tablespoon) soaked Irish moss after culturing, to make it more of a slice-able cheese. Read more about Irish moss here - vegan brie.
- Mix in fresh herbs, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, jam or fruit to finished cheese.
Notes
basic culturing technique adapted from Vegan Fusion Immersion
dairy, soy, oil, and gluten free, vegan, cultured, live
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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.
Cathy says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have only been a vegan for one month and last weekend I made an awesome salad and all I could think was, "Oh I wish I could put goat cheese in this!" I have nuts soaking right now as I type this! I can't wait to try it!
Kristina Sloggett says
yay! (again, so happy you like it!) 🙂
carencro says
When did you add the lemon juice? Do you just stir it in or use a blender?
Kristina Sloggett says
hello! I updated the recipe directions with the lemon juice - it gets added with the water. thank you!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Hi Spabettie, I have made vegan 'cheez' a number of times and haven't been totally pleased with tofu-based ones, I like the nut-based ones better. I just made one today not so different from yours (pine nuts, miso, ACV, lemon juice, yogurt starter). I do prefer the taste that the yogurt starter gives it, but I'm scared to let the cheez ferment! Can you give me any reference that it will be safe? I would not feel good about scraping a film off the top.....
Kristina Sloggett says
hello Mary!
first thing, I would say if fermenting makes you nervous, then please do not do it. I know exactly how you feel, there have been many times I haven't wanted to prepare something in this way (homemade kombucha, for example), as many things can go wrong. Honestly, this is the only thing I have ever made this way, and I felt fairly comfortable because we had just covered fermentation in class.
I saw your recipe, and from the ingredients you use it sounds like it tastes great! I would stick with the methods you used in that recipe - I am not comfortable telling anyone it is safe, because as I said, things can go wrong. If I wanted to google a reference for you, I know I could find just as many saying it is not safe, you know? I respect your nervousness, because I am the same way, really.
Cheers, Kristina
Jan says
made this last night and today, just in time for holiday. only one disapointment is that I did not increase values of ingredients - I would have liked more.
these methods were new to me and quite queer, and I did complete still. although most dairy does not agree with me, I enjoy milk and cheese from goats, as it is milder for my gut. I have strict dairy free relations visiting for the holiday, and this was made for them.
thank-you for this delicious cheese, I love your straight-forward styles.
Kristina Sloggett says
I am so SO happy you enjoyed this, and YES - make a double batch next time! 🙂
I hope your relatives liked it as much as you and I - happy holidays!
GG says
I am not a lemony fan so I reduced that amount to almost nothing (also from a bottle, I dont have lemons here lol) and I am glad I did, but the flavor was great and the texture too, creamy crumbly like a real goats. thank you!
Kristina Sloggett says
good to know you still enjoyed it with less lemon (I love lemon, but need to remember not everyone does!). happy you liked it!
Rachael says
I'm so excited to make this! And i'm definitely going to make my lactose intolerant Dad some for christmas. Do you know how long this stays good for?
Kristina Sloggett says
hi Rachael, with any raw recipe like this, I generally give it just a few days, really. the flavors tend to be best the first few days, although it can most likely last a bit longer?
Judee @ Gluten Free A-Z says
I just became a vegan ( after many years of being vegetarian) for health reasons. I'm really excited this recipe and just subscribed to your site. I'm looking forward to reading through your recipes!
spabettie says
hi Judee!! thank you for subscribing, I am very happy you found me! I hope you find many of my recipes appealing - I range from raw and "clean" to vegan comfort food - I cover it all, I guess! and then there are the desserts... 😉
let me know if you try this recipe, please? I have had success with it four times now, and several others have made it and liked it also - there have been a couple people that have had mixed results, so I am always interested in finding others who make it and how it went.
cheers! Kristina
Laurel says
Ooh, Goat Cheese. Yum. Here am I, coincidentally planning to make millet rejuvelac, too. I just have one probably unanswerable question though. Apple cider vinegar, I see it in so many vegan recipes and generally just replace it with lemon juice. That won't work here will it? I can't use vinegar. Just open a bottle of the apple cider stuff and watch me pass out. I'm better than Cable. 🙂
spabettie says
hi Laurel - you can definitely just use lemon!! the acv was my addition, my take on the recipe. in class we just used water. it will taste different, but not in a bad way? there is a certain tartness that just comes from the culturing, and I'd not add MORE lemon to make up for it - probably still just one (or two small) lemons... millet rejuvelac - YUM!
Laurel says
Thanks!
spabettie says
😀 enjoy!
Todd says
Hi,
I just tried this recipe yesterday. Thanks for posting it! The taste is really good, but my texture didn't turn out quite right. I used the exact ingredients (with the juice of 1 lemon) but it still has a texture sort of like loose ricotta. The taste reminds me of a cross between leban (the cultured milk I used to make before going vegan) and cottage cheese. But it definitely doesn't hold together like the picture. I left it in covered jar for around 18 hours or so, but it didn't change in appearance at all. Did yours go through an appreciable metamorphosis? Thanks again and I'd appreciate any suggestions since I have enough nuts to whip up a second batch!
spabettie says
hi Todd,
glad to know it tastes good, sorry to hear yours was not the same consistency I had. being so new to this, I'm not really sure what to say - I am making more soon, so I will keep you in mind as I do this. I wonder if less liquid would work for you? Mine definitely did go through a change (I will take photos next time!), there was a darker film on top, and a tangy flavor developed - more than just form the lemon and acv.
I will see if I can make another batch this weekend if I can, to help you further!
cheers, Kristina
Todd says
Hey Kristina,
Thanks a bunch!
I ended up putting mine in a fine strainer and letting it sit in the refrigerator for a couple days. It took a lot of liquid out, so I'll definitely use less next time. The texture's better, but it still tastes the same.
Still confused on why it didn't develop differently. What kind of acv do you use? I used the Bragg's raw with "mother". I would've thought that would be a good fit. I wonder if it somehow inhibited fermentation?
I look forward to seeing pics, and thanks again!
-Todd
spabettie says
glad to hear it improved some - great idea to strain it. I use the same acv - so that shouldn't be it? in class we used only water, so that shouldn't matter anyway. sorry to say I did not have time to remake this weekend, but I will soon, and will share more details.
Barbara Jenkins says
Well this recipe turned out I am impressed. The tangy flavor is spot on, I think, and the consistency was smooth.god job.
spabettie says
thank you, Barbara, I appreciate your feedback. happy you like it.