This easy Smoky Vegan Cheese Ball is sliceable but softens to a creamy texture when you let it sit out.
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This vegan cheese ball has the perfect amount of smokiness. It has a little bit of heat from green chiles.
It slices nicely for crackers and is soft and creamy when left out. It is perfect for a party!
Other vegan cheese recipes you might like are my Tofu Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe and my Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe.
A cheesy snack to try is my Vegan Kale Chips with Nutritional Yeast.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- It is sliceable, but creamy when it sits out.
- It has the perfect balance of flavors.
- It is simple and easy to make.
🧾 Ingredients
- Cashews: Only raw cashews will work for this recipe; roasted will not work. A substitute would be raw macadamia nuts or raw sunflower seeds.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a cheesy flavor.
- Liquid smoke: Adds a smoky flavor.
- Garlic powder: Adds a concentrated garlic flavor.
- Tamari: I used low-sodium gluten-free tamari because I like to control the amount of sodium. You could also use soy sauce.
- Lemon juice: Adds a sour flavor. You can also use rice vinegar. I've used it when I didn't have any lemons and it tastes the same.
- Roasted hatch chiles: Adds a spicy flavor. You could use any roasted chile pepper you like. I also have a Vegan Cheese Ball recipe that isn't spicy.
- Coconut oil: Helps bind it together and make it sliceable.
- Salt and pepper: Enhances flavors and adds flavor. I like to use sea salt.
- Pistachios: For coating the outside of the cheese ball. You could use any nuts you like. Fresh herbs would also work. Fresh chives parsley, or dill would all taste great.
To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Soak cashews for a few hours to overnight to soften them. Drain water and place them in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients, except the chopped pistachios.
Step 2: Blend until smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Place in plastic wrap and form a ball. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.
Step 4: Roll in chopped pistachios.
Does It Taste Like Cheese?
I have been vegan for 21 years, so It's been quite a long time since I have had cheese!
To be honest, no vegan cheese is going to taste exactly like cheese, but this has a nice smoky flavor. You might compare it to a smoked Gouda.
It also has a nice creamy texture, similar to cream cheese. It slices when taken out of the fridge, and softens when left out.
Can I Make It Ahead of Time?
That's exactly what I did. In fact, I made this in stages.
First, I soaked the cashews. Then, a day or two later I made the cheese ball. You could do all the steps ahead of time as well.
Since it's so filling, I ate this over a course of a week.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this will keep for about a week.
You can freeze this cheese ball for up to 2 months. Thaw when ready to use.
Other Vegan Cheese Recipes
If you tried this Smoky Vegan Cheese Ball Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how you like it in the 💬 comments below. I love hearing from you!
📋 Recipe
Smoky Vegan Cheese Ball
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon low sodium gluten free tamari
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup roasted hatch chiles (or canned green chiles or jalapeños)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Soak cashews for a few hours to overnight to soften them. Drain water.
- In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except the pistachios. Mix until smooth and creamy. Place in a plastic wrap and form a ball. Refrigerate for a few hours to overnight.
- Peel off plastic wrap and roll in chopped pistachios. Refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
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*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Andrea says
Ant suggestions for a substitute on the hatch peppers?
Willow Moon says
Canned green chiles or jalapeños would work just as well.