I still remember the first time I ever had a plant-based cheese around 4 years ago. I was on a date with my hubby Walker for dinner at a vegan café called Tori’s Bakeshop in the East end of Toronto. (Note: It’s no longer open for dinner). We ordered the cheese platter to start out and Walker being a cheese lover was very skeptical that he would like a nut-based cheese.
Well, suffice to say, he was a believer! I remember both of us “ooooohing” and “awwwing” over the cheese. The texture was wonderfully creamy and absolutely packed with flavour. We were so full after gobbling up all the cheese we had no room for our main courses, ha! So be forewarned, nut cheese is FILLING.
The first time I tried making my own cheese was this homemade cashew cheese that I shared in 2018. I had no idea it was going to be such a huge hit on my YouTube channel! Who knew so many people wanted to make their own nut-based cheese. One of the reasons for the popularity is that it is just so gosh darn delicious!!! I also think many people are grateful who can’t eat dairy and of course those following a plant-based diet / lifestyle want to still enjoy the yumminess of cheese.
It’s not at all difficult either. If you’ve felt intimidated up until now to make cheese, don’t be!
Now I’m gonna be straight with you and tell you that it isn’t any cheaper than store-bought nut cheese. But the process of culturing and making your own cheese is rewarding and fun! You’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something which is essential during this pandemic especially if you’re at home all day!
I love that all the ingredients are very easy to find with the exception of mac nuts, sometimes they can be tricky. But if you can’t find macadamia nuts then try my cashew cheese as cashews are easier to find.
This homemade macadamia nut cheese is…
Snacks
Macadamia Nut Cream Cheese
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Ingredients
- 2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked in water for 4-6 hours
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1-2 tsp dried parsley
- 1-2 tsp dried basil
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 capsules Genuine Health x 15 billion probiotics
- 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Pinch sea salt or rock salt
Instructions
- After nuts have soaked, drain water and give them a quick rinse.
- In a food processor or high power blender place nuts and water. Blend until smooth. Next add apple cider vinegar and blend some more until creamy. See my notes at the bottom.
- Add dried herbs, garlic, probiotics (open up capsules and pour probiotics into mixture), nutritional yeast and salt. Blitz again just until combined.
- Scrape out the mixture on to a cheese cloth or nutbag so it's breathable and form into a round shape. Place a cooling rack on top of a bowl. Place cheese on top of cooling rack (see my video) so it's got lots of room to breath.
- Let sit on counter for 24 to 72 hours. Or place in a warm place like the oven, with the oven OFF. Remember to put a note on your oven door so you do not forget! :)
- Your cheese is ready to enjoy when it starts to get stinky. Trust me, you'll know! Refrigerate as soon as you want it to stop culturing.
- It should last in the fridge about 2 weeks.
Notes
When blending, you'll need to stop the food processor or blender every so often and use a spatula to push down the cheese on the sides. There will still be some texture in the cheese, this is okay it doesn't have to be perfectly creamy.
I've included ranges for some of the ingredients so you can create the flavour profile you desire. I like a good flavour punch so the first time I made this I used the smaller amount and the next few times I've used the larger amount.
I recommend serving this on a platter with all your favourite ingredients such as chopped crunchy veggies, fruits and crackers.
Use coupon "JOYOUS20" for 20% off your purchase of Genuine Health Probiotics.
I don't know about you, but I just want to stuff my face into that yummy platter! It has pretty much every single food I love.
Happy cheese eating!
Joy xo
This post was created in partnership with Genuine Health, however all opinions are always my own. Read more about partnership ethos here.
Can you replace this with cashews made plain and used for cheese cake?
ReplyHere's a cheesecake recipe you can follow: https://www.joyoushealth.com/16760-blog-rawkin-raspberry-cheesecake
can I leave out the probiotics?
ReplyYou can but the cheese won't culture/ferment or last as long. But you'll just have a nice creamy mac spread, which will still be great!
thanks 😉
Where do you get your macs from? Must they be raw? Right now I buy dry roasted with salt from Costco. Would that work? Thanks, Joy.
ReplyIt will still work with dry roasted. It just might not be as smooth. The big carrot in Toronto sells unroasted mac nuts.
Can I use walnuts instead of macadamia nuts? My daughter has sensitivities to many nuts but can eat walnuts.
ReplyI've never made it with walnuts before. Can she eat cashews? If so, try this recipe, it's delicious: https://www.joyoushealth.com/27245-blog-homemade-creamy-cashew-nut-cheese
Can I sub in other probiotics? The ones I have are 11 billion
ReplyYes that should work!