there are so many awesome homemade vegan cheese recipes out there but one I haven’t seen too much of is a vegan pepper jack! this recipe is easy to make, full of spiciness, and great for topping on tacos or chili.
This homemade pepper jack vegan cheese is easy to make, great for keeping stored in the fridge, and allergy friendly. Made from a base of non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt, it has red pepper flakes and sweet jalapeño scattered throughout! This vegan cheese can be enjoyed in cubes, slices, or grated. I can’t wait for you to try it.
What is Pepper Jack Cheese?
Non-dairy pepper jack cheese is one you probably know but in case you don’t here is some info on it! The cheese essentially combines the creaminess of Monterey Jack cheese with the heat and spiciness of the jalapeño. So, this cheese is fun because it has a little kick. In the 19th century Mexican Franciscan friars in Monterey, CA started making Monterey cheese. Later on David Jack decided that the market for the cheese could be developed and he helped to produce the cheese. Later on, they began to add small pieces of spicy peppers to the Jack cheese resulting in pepper jack cheese. To be honest before making this recipe I didn’t realize it was just some peppers thrown in there, so it is very easy to make!
Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese Ingredients
There are a few essential ingredients when it comes to vegan cheese making.
- Agar Powder: this is a seaweed based product. It helps to create the consistency, texture, and firmness in this vegan cheese. It cannot be replaced or substituted. You can easily find it at health food stores or order it online.
- Tapioca Flour/Starch: this will help the vegan cheese to melt a bit better and give some structure to the vegan cheese. You can usually find it in stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc or order it online.
- Non-Dairy Milk: I like to use a higher protein non-dairy milk, my go to is always Ripple Pea Protein Milk, just make sure you use something with at least 7g plant protein per serving.
- Vegan Yogurt: unsweetened and any kind you like will work just fine!
- Chopped Sweet Pickled Jalapeño: I went with sweet pickled jalapeño but you can use fresh non-pickled ones too! Any ones that you like will be great.
- Red Chili Flakes: adds in more space and a fun pop of color!
- Salt: for saltiness of course.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds in B vitamins, cheesiness, and umami.
How To Make This Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese
Into a blender you will add the non-dairy milk, vegan yogurt, salt, nutritional yeast, agar powder, and tapioca flour. Blend until it is well incorporated. Pour it into a pot and then add in the chopped jalapeño and red pepper flakes. Then you will cook it on the stove to activate both the agar powder and tapioca flour. Once it is gooey and stretchy, pour it into a lightly oiled container and pop in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours or until firm. Then you can slice, grate, cube, or enjoy it anyway you like!
More Cheese Recipes
How Can I Use Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese?
You can use this really anyway you like! I put it on top of chili, stuffed peppers, and vegan scrambled tofu. You can also use it in things like vegan quesadillas, fajitas, nachos, it will go great with any Mexican Inspired or Tex-Mex dish. I also think this would be fun for a vegan cheese board. The possibilities are endless.
Homemade Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese FAQ
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes!
- Is this recipe soy free? Yes, as long as you use soy free non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt.
- Is this recipe nut free? Yes, as long as you use nut free non-dairy milk and vegan yogurt.
- How long will this recipe last? This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. As there are no preservatives it is always good to just err on the side of caution.
- Can I freeze this? I didn’t try freezing this but if you want to try slicing some and placing it in the freezer it may work!
- How well does this vegan cheese melt? It will melt up a decent amount but as we all know it is a little hard to get vegan cheese to melt as nicely as non-dairy vegan cheese.
ORDER MY COOKBOOK
Looking for more delicious vegan comfort recipes? Order my cookbook Plantiful: Over 75 Vibrant Vegan Comfort Foods! Filled with all types of recipe from bites, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts and more! Available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, IndieBound, Walmart, also available in stores.
Sharing direct links to recipes and pictures is highly encouraged, please do not copy and paste my recipes or share my pictures without permission. I work very hard on my blog and don’t want to see my recipes popping up anywhere. Thank you so much.
Homemade Pepper Jack Vegan Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) non-dairy milk, unsweetened see note about non-dairy milk choice
- ¼ cup (60ml) non-dairy yogurt, unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons (18g) agar powder
- 1 tablespoon (8g) tapioca flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (30g) chopped jalapeño, can be fresh or pickled
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Into a blender all the ingredients except the jalapeño and red pepper flakes. Blend for 30 seconds until well incorporated.
- Pour into a pan and add in the jalapeño and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes mixing continuously with a spatula until it starts to thicken. Once it thickens and is becoming stretchy lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 10 more minutes mixing with the spatula.
- Then pour into a lightly oiled small rectangle storage container or pan (approx 5 to 6 inches long). Place in the fridge and allow to set for at least an hour, or until firm. It may take longer so don't worry if it does.
- When ready remove and enjoy immediately however you like!
Video
Notes
- Non-Dairy Milk Note* be sure to use a higher protein non-dairy milk like Ripple Pea Protein Milk or Soy Milk. This will ensure the vegan cheese works out properly.
Did you try this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @plantifullybased to let me know how it went. If you enjoyed this recipe please be sure to leave a comment or review, it is so helpful for the blog. Thank you!
Plantifully Based® is part of the Amazon Affiliate Partner Program. Links on here may be from Amazon or other affiliate programs. If you decide to purchase through a link I will receive a small commission. This helps to run the blog and make more recipes.
I’ve been plant based for about 5 years and started to really miss cheese. I ate it when I’d buy the store bought brands but didn’t love the ingredients. So I searched how to make my own and found your recipe. I just tried this recipe and it is 10/10. I eliminated most of the jalapeno because it was too strong for me but the cheese tastes amazing and slices perfectly. Next time, I’ll add more red pepper flakes to compensate for the omission of the jalapeno. Even my mom loved it and she is not vegan. Thank you!
Hi Wendy! Oh my goodness I am so glad to hear that you and your mom enjoyed it! thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review it really means a lot!!
This turned out so delicious and it was so easy to make! I’m psyched to find a homemade cheese that will satisfy my cravings without a bunch of weird ingredients and fillers. Now I’m excited to try the rest of your cheese recipes!!
Hi Sherrie!! thank you so much for coming to leave a review on here, it means so much. I am so so happy you enjoyed this and I am so excited for you to try the other ones xoxo
Oh, wow. I have been experimenting with vegan cheeses since I was 10 years old (back in the day when you paid an arm and a leg for crumbly slices of potato starch and annatto held together with coconut oil). I’ve gone through many phases of trying to make my own, including shelling out for raw cashews in bulk and some disasters with poorly made rejuvalac. I’ve never, ever found a recipe where I could just open the fridge and make it—until this one! It was so easy and convenient that I expected it to be a spectacular failure, but it’s fantastic. It even melts! I imagine it will be even better if I make it with proper (vegan) yogurt instead of the sweetened vanilla stuff I had on hand. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Chelsea!! oh my goodness thank you for the kind words! I am so so glad you enjoyed it and so glad it was easy to make. thank you so much for leaving a review it means so much!!
Hi 😊 how long can the cheese be stored in the fridge? Thanks xo
Hi Kathy everything is covered in the FAQ section of the blog post! “How long will this recipe last? This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. As there are no preservatives it is always good to just err on the side of caution”
Just made this, I am anxiously waiting for it to cool. But just the bits that I tasted so far are so good. I see an afternoon of cheese and crackers ahead. I even made one without the peppers since it was so good, I added a little miso to that one for added funk and umami. I really like that it doesn’t have coconut oil as a main ingredient or nuts and all ingredients that I already had.
Hi Wes! Oh yay I am so so glad you liked it! and so glad you made a fun variation with the miso paste and no peppers thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment and review means so much!!
How long do you say this last for in the fridge? Can’t wait to make this looks delicious!!
Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much. I cover it in the FAQ section of the blog post: “How long will this recipe last? This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. As there are no preservatives it is always good to just err on the side of caution” hope you enjoy!
Ready to make this but not exactly sure of the storage container size. Would an 8″ glass meatloaf container work here?
Hi Shanna! Sorry, I am just seeing this comment now it would probably be okay the block may be a bit on the thinner on the side then. I used a small container maybe about 5 inches long.
Hi 😋 Made this cheese twice now and the flavour and texture are amazing. I actually made cheese and it’s vegan 😁.
Quick question if I may and don’t worry if you can’t answer it. The first time I made it the block was firm a bit like a Brie but the second time it came out a lot softer. It’s still very nice a makes an amazing soft cheese for spreading.
I like both but it would be good to know how do I could choose which to make 🤔. The process and ingredients were the same and same brand. Only thing I can think of is potentially whipped the soft one too much ?
Many thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Phil! thank you for the kind words and I am so glad you enjoyed it. Hmm it actually sounds like with the second time the agar may not have been cooked enough. Hmm what do you mean by whipped it too much? To me it is sounding like an agar issue more than anything because that is what creates the firming up.
Sorry bad choice of words ☺️, simply meant continuously mixed it to much during the cooking process.