This easy Smoky Vegan Cheese Ball is sliceable but softens to a creamy texture when you let it sit out.
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.
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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
This is an overview of the ingredients. To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pistachios: For coating the outside of the cheese ball. You could use any nuts you like.
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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.
Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients, except the chopped pistachios. Mix 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 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
*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.