I have been both fascinated and mystified by nut cheese. It wasn’t until I went vegan two years ago that I even learned you could make cheese from nuts. No, it doesn’t necessarily taste much like milk cheese, but it’s still delicious and of course, much healthier for you than the moo-ey version. This recipe is also from Big Vegan, and is actually for quesadillas topped with a mango salsa. I plan on giving that a try, but I think this cheese tastes phenomenal on crackers and apples. I melted some on a tortilla and the flavor really comes out. This recipe is a process, so allow a couple of days for it to magically turn into cheese.
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 C macadamia nuts
1/3 C raw cashews
1/3 C almonds, slivered or flaked
1 acidophilus capsule
1 Tbs cold-pressed corn oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS:
Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with cold water; refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts and puree them in a food processor with 1/2 C water. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree.
Transfer to a glass bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.
It will then give off a very cottage-cheesy smell. Stir in the lemon juice, oil, and salt. Refrigerate. Enjoy!
- ⅓ C macadamia nuts
- ⅓ C raw cashews
- ⅓ C almonds, slivered or flaked
- 1 acidophilus capsule
- 1 Tbs cold-pressed corn oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with cold water; refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts and puree them in a food processor with ½ C water. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree.
- Transfer to a glass bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.
- It will then give off a very cottage-cheesy smell. Stir in the lemon juice, oil, and salt. Refrigerate. Enjoy!
Seriously been trying to make this forever and never found a good recipe!! Thanks for the inspiration!
Why is do you use probiotic? I’ve seen several nut cheese recipes that call for probiotics… what does it do?
A probiotic helps the digestive system run smooth–it’s like the live cultures that yogurt contains; keeping the natural bacteria at a healthy level.
LOL I’m sorry I guess I should have been more specific…. Do you add the probiotics to help “make” the cheese or is it only for nutritional benefit? Thanks 🙂
Haha! Oh, yes, the probiotic is to “make” the cheese. The recipe is from the cookbook, Big Vegan and the author says the acidophilus “is used to culture the nut purees, giving them a slightly tangy and cheesy taste.” I think that’s definitely true with this particular recipe. 🙂
Loved making this recipe. So easy! Thanks. Used walnuts and cashews. I’m tempted to try making separate batches with a lot of different nuts and see how each comes out differently.