Paleo Cheese?!
Are you kidding me? Ok but before we get to that…. My obsession with cheese is not really a secret. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love the stuff, in a very unhealthy addicted sort of way. And I had to give it up. If you haven’t read about my break up with dairy, you can do that HERE. But if I can be honest, and I feel like I can be, I still love it. I still wish for it sometimes and get frustrated over certain foods not having it. Like chili. I really stinkin’ love chili with shredded cheese on top. Or a little sprinkle on a salad. Or the stringy gooey provolone and swiss baked on top of french onion soup.
Can I live without it? Of course! I don’t want any one food to have that sort of power over me – but do I miss it sometimes reallllllly badly? I do. I’ve been thinking for awhile about how to make a cheese-y recipe that would fill the void. Sometimes it’s just the “feeling” of a certain food that we miss. Like coffee or chocolate, or cheeeeeeeese. Before I started eating predominantly Paleo, I tried a bunch of the cheese products from my health food store. How can I put this?! They were freakin’ disgusting and made me want to yack. Now I am not usually this colorful in my language on here but OMG grody. I just can’t do all that business.
Back to this recipe; I recently saw a recipe that I wanted to recreate to go along with our YIDDISH KITCHEN recipes and I really needed some shredded cheese to do this. Okay need is the wrong word, but I felt like it would be a great addition. So in true “me” fashion, I started daydreaming. How would I do it? What would help it melt but still hold together? What about the color? It needed to look like cheese too right?! And then it happened…I went in the zone and didn’t come out until the “cheese” was made.
And then I cut the cheese. Ew y’all gross! No, I literally cut the cheese that I made. And sliced it. And made little shreds. AND I PUT IT INTO MY CHILI AND IT MELTED!!!!!!!!! And as they say, that’s all she wrote. Note: The nut free option is better as a slice or shred NOT melted – when it melts it goes back to its original state which is like cheese sauce. Ingredients (Nut Free version below, scroll down):
- 1 cup raw, soaked cashews, drained (I soak for 4 hours or more)
- 1/2 cup water, divided
- 1 tablespoon grass fed gelatin (you can use 1.5 tbsp if you want it more firmer)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch paprika (you can use smoked also)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pimentos (without liquid)
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (to taste, you can use more if desired)
- In a blender, combine the drained, soaked cashews, 1/4 cup water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, pimentos, and lemon juice
- Blend on high until creamy. If you have a hard time getting a smooth consistency, add a tiny bit of water at a time and scrape the edges of the blender until this is achieved. You’ll want it to be as creamy as possible
- Spoon the blended mixture into a small saucepan and heat over low/medium heat, stirring regularly
- In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Stir very well to combine, then quickly incorporate it into the saucepan mixture. Stir until all the water is incorporated completely then remove the saucepan from heat and pour the mixture into a parchment lined container – can be a glass bowl, loaf pan, really anything that you’d like to use so long as it is small-ish. You want the cheese to be as deep as possible once poured in.
- Refrigerate for an hour or two until the cheese is firmed up. If you opted for extra gelatin, you can possibly shred this with a grater. Otherwise you’ll want to chop/slice/dice the cheese into shreds for topping. Alternatively you can slice the cheese for grain free crackers and so on.
- Store in the fridge until ready to use
- Note: If you use only the 1 tablespoon of gelatin, this cheese will have a semi-soft texture so that you can either spread or slice through it. More gelatin will yield a firmer result.
- Note: You can play with flavors. You can make a pepperjack version or a chipotle version or even a “nacho” version by adding in a bit of cumin or chili powder. Use your imagination and have fun!
Nut Free Version Ingredients:
- 1 cup dairy free milk (flax/coconut if keeping nut free)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Paprika to taste (and color)
- 1 tablespoon pimentos
- 3 tablespoons grassfed gelatin
- Combine all ingredients except for gelatin in a blender and blend until pimentos are incorporated fully
- In a saucepan heat the mixture for about a minute or two over medium/high heat
- Whisk in gelatin until dissolved completely
- Transfer cheese mixture to a greased mold/container
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes (or more) until set
- Slice however desired, I used a mandolin to achieve slices
YES. I am so excited about this recipe! I have friends and family who can’t eat dairy and not having cheese has been the hardest thing!
Hope you like it Heather!
how long do u think it will store in the fridge?
Next time add a little bit of starch 1tsp(tapioca,..) when the recipe says”heat over low/medium..” . it will help hold better together !
Mine didn’t need tapioca, the gelatin acts as a binder.
Jen, Thank you so much for this recipe. I gave up dairy about three months ago and it’s been hard. For me, giving up grains was much easier. I can’t wait to try it. I appreciate you sharing your recipes!
Rita, I am the same! Grains were so much easier to give up for me!
What does the pimentos do? Can it be left out?
They add color and a little flavor. You could omit.
I’m embarrassed to ask – what exactly is pimento? I know it’s red pepper, but what kind and in what form? And what am I looking for and in which part of the supermarket?
Sorry to be so dense!
Thanks,
Ludia
I buy pimentos in a glass jar (they are soaked in water) and are found in the Spanish/Latin aisle. Most mainstream groceries should have them! You aren’t dense at all, that’s a very valid question!
This was a huge hit and do you know how hard it is to please a teenage girl with dairy allergies. She said it was fabulous and has it everyday since I made it. I used macadamia nuts instead because I didn’t have any cashews on hand. We added the chili powder at the end as mentioned in your recipe. Best vegan cheese, THANK YOU!!!
I love this!!! Thanks for telling me.
Not to be ”that person” but if you use gelatin it isn’t vegan. Just in case some see this and not really know what gelatin is you know
I definitely don’t call it vegan but 100% dairy free for those with sensitivities, yay!
I made a batch this morning and it is so good! I’ve recently decided that dairy may be one of my problems, so am trying to go totally dairy free. I tried some dairy free cheese from the grocery store and was not impressed, but even my husband said this cheese “wasn’t bad”. High praise from him!
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes!
Thanks for this recipe – I think it’s going to help make giving up cheese bearable. I am wondering how you think it could be adjusted to taste more cheddar-y. I could live on Tillamook cheddar – however my body can’t. Thanks!
Hmmm, the nutritional yeast is what gives it that “cheesy” flavor so you could possibly add more? I am sort of limited with the paleo/non dairy friendly ingredients but that’s what I would do. You could also ferment it with probiotics but I am not the expert on that!
You could try fermenting the mixture, before adding the gelatin, to get a cheesier flavor more akin to cheddar. I’ve done this before with a spreadable cashew base recipe and the results were pretty good… still not exactly cheddar, mind you, but definitely cheesy. For this recipe, I’d recommend waiting to add the gelatin until later as I don’t know if fermentation would weaken the gelatinizing factor. Follow the recipe, then blend in 2 Tbsp of plain dairy or vegan yogurt/kefir, or a probiotic supplement/starter, place the blended mix in a bowl covered with a towel (not plastic wrap) and leave out on your counter for at least 12-24 hrs and taste it to see if it’s as cheesy as you want it. Depending on the room temp it could take upwards of a few days to get the taste you want, just taste every 12 hrs or so until you get the flavor you want. THEN bloom the gelatin/.25 C water in a bowl for 5 mins and microwave it on high for 15 seconds, then again in 10 second increments until it’s liquified. Place fermented cheese mix in a blender/food processor and stream in the gelatin while blending, and then continue to blend on medium for 30sec-1min until the gelatin is incorporated, then refrigerate per the recipe.
I’m so glad you posted this. I am like you, I was controlled by cheese. I could eat an entire ball of mozzarella and not blink. Since giving it up I have been thinking of nothing but cheese. Can’t wait to make this over the weekend. I think I will make a whole bunch of different kinds. I’m so exited. THANK YOU SO MUCH from one cheese addict to another ??
Hope you enjoy it!
My son is allergic to cashews. Do you think I can make it with almonds?
Thanks.
I haven’t tried but that should work! I would still soak them first.
Thanks for this recipe! Going to give it a try. Myself and the kiddos are dairy free and haven’t had pizza in about 10 months (can’t find a fully dairy and all grain free substitute already made in stores). We are definitely missing having pizza every once in a while! 😊 🍕
Hope you all liked it!