This vegan cheese tastes like real cheese. It’s a delicious and healthy alternative to cheese, made with inexpensive and easy to get ingredients.
Cheese is the reason why so many people are vegetarians and can’t go 100% plant-based, but I have good news for you: you can make delicious plant-based cheeses, like this amazing vegan cheese.
I was addicted to cheese before going vegan. However, I’ve found there are delicious and also healthier alternatives you can make at home with simple and easy to get ingredients. Sounds good, right?
This recipe is also perfect for lactose intolerants and for all those people who are just looking for healthier alternatives. Besides, it’s extremely easy to make and SO inexpensive.
The first time I made it I couldn’t believe it wasn’t real cheese and I’ve fooled so many non-vegan friends and family members with it.
It has the same consistency than a classic cheese sauce and it’s so good with some regular or baked tortilla chips, but you can serve it with anything you want or use it to make all kind of recipes.
In addition, it’s cholesterol-free, good for the planet, good for your health, lower in fat (especially if you omit the oil) and extremely tasty. It’s basically made with potatoes, carrots, oil, water, and some condiments, that’s all!
You really NEED to give this vegan cheese a try. It’s one of those life-changing recipes you can’t miss!
How to make vegan cheese – Step by step
- Boil or steam the potatoes and carrots for about 20 minutes or until they’re soft (photo 1).
- Drain them and add them to a powerful blender (photo 2).
- Add all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth (photo 3).
- Serve immediately (photo 4) or keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4-5 days. You can also freeze it if you want.
Pro tips
- I’ve made this recipe using different types of potatoes and it always work, so please feel free to use any kind you have on hand.
- It can be made with cold, hot or room temperature water. You could even add the water you used to boil or steam the veggies. I prefer to use clean water at room temperature, though.
- Extra virgin olive oil is my favorite choice, but any oil will do.
- Oil is optional. If you’re oil-free just add more water (the same amount) or any unsweetened milk of your choice.
- If you can’t find nutritional yeast in your area, use debittered brewer’s yeast instead (the same amount) or you could also use beer instead of water. You may need to add a little less, though.
- Not all brands of nutritional or brewer’s yeast weight the same, so I prefer to use a measuring cup. If you don’t have one, add 8 tablespoons or just add 35 grams and then add more if needed.
- If you like your cheese spicy, just add a dash of cayenne powder as well.
How to eat vegan cheese
- You can have this vegan cheese as an appetizer or even a snack and serve it with tortilla chips, crudités, pita bread or whatever you want.
- It can also be used as a cheese sauce to make mac and cheese or any recipe that calls for a cheese sauce.
- It’s also a good alternative to real cheese to make pizza, lasagna, or pretty much anything that is made with cheese. I also add it to my burgers sometimes instead of sliced cheese.
Can you freeze vegan cheese?
Yes, of course! Just keep it in a sealed container and store it in your freezer for weeks or even months. I usually transfer the container to the fridge the night before, that way it defrosts by itself. Then I reheat it in a saucepan and add more water or even milk if needed.
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PrintVegan Cheese
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
This vegan cheese tastes like real cheese. It’s a delicious and healthy alternative to cheese, made with inexpensive and easy to get ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups potatoes (360 g), peeled and diced
- 1 cup carrots (135 g), peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup water (125 ml)
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (35 g)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (70 g)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Boil or steam the potatoes and carrots for about 20 minutes or until soft.
- Drain them and add them to a blender.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips, crudités or use it to make pizza, lasagna, mac and cheese or any other recipe that calls for cheese. Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4-5 days. You can also freeze it if you want. I usually transfer the frozen container to the fridge the night before, that way it defrosts by itself. I reheat it in a saucepan and add some water or milk if needed.
Notes
- I’ve made this recipe using different types of potatoes and it always work, so please feel free to use any kind you have on hand.
- It can be made with cold, hot or room temperature water. You could even add the water you used to boil the veggies. I prefer to use clean water at room temperature, though.
- Extra virgin olive oil is my favorite choice, but any oil will do.
- Oil is optional if you’re oil-free just add more water (the same amount) or any unsweetened milk of your choice.
- If you can’t find nutritional yeast in your area, use debittered brewer’s yeast instead (the same amount) or you could also use beer instead of water. You may need to add a little less, though.
- Not all brands of nutritional or brewer’s yeast weight the same, so I prefer to use a measuring cup. If you don’t have one, add 8 tablespoons or just add 35 grams and add more if needed.
- If you want your cheese spicy, just add a dash of cayenne powder.
- Recipe adapted from Veggie on a Penny.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 168
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 404 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 4.7 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in February of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in September of 2019.
It wasn’t great, I have to say; way too much oil 😕. Maybe it will taste ok in a mac & cheese dish what with me now have 750g of it.
★★
This is the best vegan cheese recipe I’ve come across. The only alteration I made was to use 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) instead of 1/2 cup nutritional yeast because I really don’t like the taste of it. The color is incredibly convincing, and the flavor is satisfying. Plus, it’s the easiest recipe to make 🙂
★★★★★
I loved this! So tasty. I had always been nervous to try different things, this being one of them. I am so glad that I ventured out and allowed my taste buds to explore something new. This recipe is so versatile! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
★★★★★
Hello! When you say all kinds of potato work, do you mean even sweet potato? Can’t wait to try this.
I’ve been making versions of this for years, and it’s always great. I usually use butter potatoes, no need to peel, and an equal amount of carrots, less nutritional yeast than called for here but the same spices and lemon juice. If you have a vitamix, there shouldn’t be any problem puree-ing it to a perfectly smooth texture. The olive oil is optional in my opinion but does give a richer texture. I also make a butternut squash mac n cheese that’s based on the same flavors and is equally delicious. If you didn’t have luck the first time, try again and make sure you have a really good blender.
Wonderful recipe. Easy and delicious. I have made a few others but this version is the best. A Very authentic cheese taste!
★★★★★
Is there a way to make this shredded?
Are you using NUTRITIONAL yeast? It’s completely different from baker’s yeast (aka. the yeast used to leaven bread). To me, nutritional yeast smells similar to parmesan cheese, and is usually sold in canisters (similar to a coffee canister).
The recipe says nutritional yeast.
This recipe is great…my dog loved this cheese too! I made it as directed, with nutritional yeast, over elbow macaroni. Yum! Way better than Kraft mac & cheese in my opinion.
★★★★★
This is so AWESOME !!!!!! My daughter made this and brought it on Christmas Eve with fresh vegies and gluten free whole grain chips . I had to get the recipe it was so delicious ! It’s easy to make too !
★★★★★
This recipe is fantastic! Mine came out looking a little weird bc it had little chunks of carrot in it but that’s only bc I packed my potatoes down when measuring them. It turned out crazy thick but it sure is tasty! Next time I’ll measure the potatoes BEFORE I cook them bc there will DEFINITELY be a next time! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
We are working toward a better diet and I was looking for a sub for cheese because that will be our biggest problem. I had bought nutritional yeast a few years back and never used it. Decided to try again, bought some more and stumbled across this recipe. Holy cow. I am impressed. This will definitely make eating veggies easier. The only things I changed were that I used fresh onion and garlic and boiled with the veggies instead of powder. Then I used the starch water from the veggies instead of plain water. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Is there any way to reduce the overpowering yeast taste and smell? Is it possible to make it without yeast entirely?
The easiest and BEST cheese sauce I’ve ever made. I used it for Mac-n-cheese for my grandson and myself. We loved it. Then I poured some on my taco and – wow! (for the taco, I added a bit of taco seasoning to the cheese. It made it more of a Nacho cheese which I also used as a dip with chips. Perfect)
★★★★★
Hi Pamela! Sounds so good 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
I was shocked by how good this cheese is! I used two medium Russet potatoes (2 cups) and two large carrots (1 cup) just as in the recipe, and cooked for 20min in a little water. I blended it in my Nutribullet. I added a bit of oat milk to thin it out slightly and help the blender make it smooth.
I do agree that 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast is too much and would scale it back next time.
This was amazing in vegan kale nachos. I put chopped kale leaves in a cast iron pan, poured some cheese over it, added blanched jalapenos and black beans, another layer of cheese, and broiled it for 5-7 minutes until the cheese was slightly browned and the kale was tender. Absolutely delicious! Photo here: https://imgur.com/a/5lfbD0V
★★★★★
Hi Colin! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks a lot for the picture!
Amazing! Tried it tonight for the first time over steamed broccoli and ate some more with pretzels because it was so good – we only used half and saved the rest to freeze- thanks for making Momming a little easier AND healthier!
★★★★★
Hi Veggie Mama! Thanks a lot 🙂 Sounds amazing!
Oh my gosh so smart to use potatoes and carrots. Im obsessed!! Thankyou!!! Amazing
★★★★★
Hi Lacie! You’re so welcome 🙂
We made this tonight and was amazed how good it was. We immediately made nachos with it and they were really good. Can’t wait to use the leftovers. Used Yukon Gold potatoes and Algae Oil which is neutral and saturated fat free.
★★★★★
Hi Barry! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This recipe is our “go to” for cheese sauce. We use it on steamed veggies, baked potatoes, with chips and on rice and pasta. It can be used anywhere you need a cheese sauce. We omit the oil, otherwise just as the recipe is written. We love it! Thanks so much!
Hi Tamela! So glad to hear that 🙂 You’re so welcome!
Best vegan cheese I’ve ever made, the oil gives it a really realistic texture but it’s still much healthier than store bought vegan cheese which is full of saturated fat, and it doesn’t dry out like water-based sauces. The only thing is next time I’d probably use only 1/3 cup of nutrional yeast because it was a little overpowering.
★★★★★
Hi Sara! SO glad you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Ive been making cheese w this recipe for years, it’s super good and i never have any issues with it. It’s bomb, i pour it over for nachos or macaroni pasta 🙂
Hi Val! Thank you so much 🙂 Have a nice day!
I have some nutritional yeast that is a few years old and the date has expired on the container. It’s a darker shade of yellow than fresh yeast. Is this still safe to make cheese with or should I through it out?
Hi Heidi! I’m not sure, but I would through it out…
I did try this recipe and thought it was delicious. I have to be careful with the carbs so Dr. wanted me to not have more than 30 per meal. So I cooked 1 oz. of macaroni (22) and had 1 serving of this recipe (9) and am in the limits. Salad to the side. Yum
Hi Ann! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This is delicious! I gave it a Mexican twist (I am Mexican although I live in Spain) and I served it at a party, among other dips like black bean dip, guacamole, etc. After doing this exactly according to your recipe (although I used beer instead of nutritional yeast and water), before serving I added jalapeño peppers (canned) chopped very small and fresh cilantro chopped very small and served it with chips. Everyone loved it! No one noticed it was vegan. I love your recipes!
★★★★★
Hola Lorena! Thanks a lot 🙂 I’m Spanish and live in Spain as well. Sounds so good 🙂 So glad you guys enjoyed it!
I made this last night using canola oil instead of EVOO and it tasted pretty goo. I wanted to try and make it closer to Colby tasting so I tweaked it a bit by adding mustard powder + more lemon juice and salt to taste. 5 stars on the texture and color, 4 stars for taste. My next batch I plan to try using a bit of vegetable stock instead of water, and melted plant butter instead of oil.
★★★★
Hi Hali! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Well I made this tonight…….. followed all the instructions and ingredients to a t…….. it not only didn’t look anything like the picture it smelled awful and tasted awful. Very disappointed
Hi Kristy! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work for you, but as you can read in the comments it’s so popular on the blog and it really works. Maybe you did something wrong. Did you use nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast?
I tried this awhile back and it didn’t turn out great for me either. Never said anything as 99% of people enjoyed it so assumed I just screwed it up.But as someone else didn’t have it turn out right I thought I would follow up and ask. In particular mine didn’t end up looking smooth like that. The potatoes created a mealier potato texture. I want to try it again and see if I can figure out what I did wrong, but first I want to ask what kind of potatoes you used that created such a smooth creamy looking texture. Thanks.
Hi! I’ve made this recipe using all kinds of potatoes and it has always worked for me, but I usually use Yukon Gold Potatoes 🙂
Okay thanks. I’ll give that a try.
Hope it works 🙂
For the people who the potato mixture turned out wrong… you really need to use russet potatoes and cut into large pieces. sometimes people try to cut up the potatoes too small and it makes them gummy. the same holds true for mashed potatoes!
★★★★★