A homemade vegan cheddar cheese made from a few ingredients. This recipe is gluten, nut, oil, and soy free! The base of this recipe is made with red lentils, combined with tapioca starch and seasonings to make a delicious vegan cheddar cheese.
It has been about a year and a half since I made my vegan mozzarella recipe and that one was a huge hit. So I decided it was time to tackle a vegan cheddar. When thinking of this recipe I thought about why the vegan mozzarella was so popular. First reason, it is very allergen friendly. Second reason, easy to find ingredients and nothing weird. Final reason, it provides a healthier and easy to make alternative. So I thought how could I do that again, what can I use to make a vegan cheddar? Then it hit me. Red lentils.
I love red lentils. They are soft, tender, creamy, and cook much quicker than brown or green lentils. The color is of course perfect for a cheddar cheese and not to mention they are little powerhouses for nutrition. I love red lentils for this because I think they are pretty accessible, easy to find, and usually inexpensive. The second ingredient that is essential for this recipe is tapioca flour/starch. This is made from cassava flour and it is what will give the cheese it’s stretchy, gooey texture. There is no replacement for this but it is easy to find online and in most larger food stores/health food stores.
Now let’s talk about what you can do with this vegan cheddar cheese… pretty much anything you want! I used it to make a vegan grilled cheese. You can use it for vegan macaroni and cheese, quesadillas, enchiladas, cheeseburgers any place you want to use it. This will make about 8 ounces of the vegan cheddar. It can stay in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days and it will become thick enough where you can cut it into little cubes or pieces to melt.
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Vegan Cheddar Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red lentils (45g)
- ½ cup nondairy milk (120ml) unsweetened and unflavored, divided
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour/starch (12g)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½-1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice, just a small squeeze
Instructions
- Soak the lentils in a bowl with water for 5 minutes until water turns cloudy, then drain.
- Place the lentils in medium pot with 1 ½ cups (360ml) of water. Boil on medium high for 20 minutes, until the water has been mostly cooked off and lentils are extremely mushy. They will also turn yellow in color.
- Add the lentils into a blender (a high speed blender is preferred) with ¼ cup nondairy milk. Blend until extremely smooth for around 30 to 45 seconds.
- Then add in the remaining nondairy milk, tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice, and salt. You can start with ½ teaspoon of salt and add more to your preference. I usually do 1 teaspoon.
- Blend on high until it is thicker liquid, it should be easy to pour. If not add another tablespoon of nondairy milk.
- Pour into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring frequently until it has thickened. This will take about 5 minutes so don't worry if it takes a few minutes to thicken up. It will turn thick and stretchy resembling a thick cheese sauce.
- Use immediately or wait for it to cool before transferring into a container.
Video
Notes
Can be frozen and thawed.
Red lentils work best here for color and their soft texture.
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Hey! This looks really good, and I love the idea of using lentils for it, cheese with protein AND fibre? Yes please!
Does this taste a lot like dairy cheddar? I have a lot of non vegans in my life and wonder how closely this will compare for them
Hi Melissa! thank you so much!! I thought it tasted very good unfortunately i didn’t have a chance to let any of the non-vegans in my life try this so I don’t entirely know how non-vegans are going to react to it. I have been vegan for almost 5 years so I am definitely start to forget what dairy products taste like at this point. But I was very happy with the result!
Reblogged this on Ms.Cindy@wildsproutsblog and commented:
I love cheese, but I react to dairy and this is a great option.
Must try this
yes! 🙂
Hi! I’m not vegetarian but I’m allergic to dairy nuts and many ingredients. Is there a substitute for the Paprika and tapioca starch?
Hi Carlette, you can leave the paprika out it is what helps to give it some extra color. As for the tapioca starch unfortunately it is a necessary ingredient as it gives the “cheese” the texture of being gooey and cheese-like.
This looks amazing! Could this be used to make a baked mac and cheese type casserole?
hi Danielle! Yes definitely 🙂
Will this work with a lentil blend as well as just red lentils?
hi Emily I would only suggest to use red lentils for this as they are a softer, creamier lentil variation and of course for the color
SO GLAD I found your website through PopSugar!!!! I am going to make this right now. Love the simplicity of your recipe. You were Godsend to me!!! I am going to now check out all your recipes!!!!!!!!!THANK YOU!
aw well i am very happy to have you here and glad I can help!! 🙂
…I’m thinking …..toasted tempeh bacon and cheese…..Hmmmmm
yes would be delicious!!
I’m going to use this for Mac n cheese tonight. Do you think I’ll need to dilute it at all? Or should I just use the sauce as is and cover the noodles with it?
Hi Rossana I would make it as is and then add more non-dairy milk to your mac and cheese to get it to your preferred thickness, may need to add a bit more salt/seasonings depending on how much nondairy milk you use. let me know how it goes 🙂
It came out so good! I made as is and added some mylk after it bubbled and thickened. I did add more salt, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Once I mixed it with the noodles, it was missing a Mac n cheese flavor component, so I added ground mustard and a dash of hot sauce. It was perfect. Thank you so much!!
yay I am so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
This look so delicious and with so many uses! 🤩 I cannot wait to try this. My sister and I went vegan this January for Veganuary and will continue to eat vegan/plant based.
I just came across Francesca’s YouTube channel this past weekend, then Instagram and blog…I am loving all of the beautiful recipes she creates. Her attention to detail, photography skills, and East coast vibe are the best!
woooo yay for being vegan since January that is incredible!!! I am so happy to have you here and I am so glad you are enjoying everything. thank you for the sweet words and love <3
I love red lentils and I loved cheese. So the combination of the two is just delicious. It’s great over refried beans and in burritos. It’s become a staple in my recipe collection. Thanks so much!!
Hi Karen!! Aw yay I am so happy to hear that! thank you so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review it really means a lot xo
This looks amazing! I was thinking of making a big batch and freezing it. Do you know What the the carb and fat content is on this?
Thank you for sharing!
yes you can definitely do that! I don’t but if you use cronometer.com you can input the ingredients and get it from that! hope you enjoy!
I love it will be making it thank you for sharing your recipe
you are so welcome Juanita! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe. But I just bought a 2 lb bag of organic lentils – and they’re whole, not split. They’re tiny, but I’m guessing they will need more than a 5 minute soak? Any and all comments appreciated. Thanks! ☺️
Hi Claudia! I don’t believe mine were split so I wouldn’t soak longer than 5 minutes!
Made this just now for grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato basil soup. Wonderful, nut free recipe. Tysm for sharing
yay!! i am so glad thank you so much for making it and taking the time to leave a comment and review!!! xo
This is so delicious! Creamy, salty, flavourful – and yet super easy and super healthy! I subbed cornstarch for the tapioca starch and it worked out beautifully. I’ll definitely be making it again!
Hi Anna!! Oh yay I am so so glad to hear you enjoyed it. thank you so much for making and taking the time to leave a comment/review xoxo
How do I make this solid enough to shred with a grater?
hi this recipe isn’t designed to do that, sorry!
This recipe looks great! I’m looking at several and I think this one is the winner. I saw on another thread that if you freeze it, you can grate it. I hope this helps.
Hi! I have a recipe for hard cheddar now as well https://plantifullybasedblog.com/2024/06/15/vegan-cheddar-cheese/
I don’t know how did I miss this recipe. OMG! It was delicious! It came stretchy and chewy. I poured on top of black beans, baked veggies and sweet potatoes. Divine! Thank you!
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe yay!!!!
This is the best base for nacho sauce. It is my go to every time my husband gets out his queso, or need a sandwich spread. I add a little salsa, or sriracha and various spices for extra spices. This cheese also freezes wonderfully. Put the cheese in a silicone bottom ice cube tray to get the cubes out easily. After freezing I put the cubes in a freezer bag and take out a couple cubes as needed.
Thanks for such an amazing and easy recipie.
Awesome so glad you enjoy it Anna!!!