This Best Vegan Cheese recipe is a lactose-free cheese made with macadamia nuts, nutritional yeast and other delicious flavors. Ready in 5-minutes!
When Mauna Loa approached me to collaborate with them and their delicious macadamia nuts, I immediately knew what I was going to make!
I’m not vegan, but I’d been hearing about this cashew dip from Trader Joes’s all over instagram. It made me really curious so I decided I wanted to make my own savory nut dip.
Most vegan cheeses are made from cashews. I’m not sure why, but I love me some cashews so maybe it’s just a taste preference?
The problem with using cashews is that they have to soak before you can blend them up. Macadamia nuts are already a very soft nut, so they require no soaking which means you can go straight to whipping up this delicious vegan cheese!
I might be a little bias, but this is the best vegan cheese recipe… ever!
Okay so maybe I don’t have much to compare it it to. I did have a delicious vegan ricotta cheese on a butternut squash pizza from True Food Kitchen that was absolutely incredible! But, I would still consider this macadamia nut cheese to be the best vegan cheese out there 😉
PLUS, it’s ready in 5 minutes!
This macadamia nut cheese is insanely flavorful and the perfect thickness for dipping, spreading or eating straight from the spoon. Which I may or may not have done all while I was making it.
This vegan cheese recipe gets its cheesy flavor from nutritional yeast. You can read all about the benefits of nutritional yeast if you’ve never used it before, but if you follow this blog, I’m sure you’ve seen it used plenty time before!
Buttery
Cheesy
Garlic-y
Delicious
Just a few of the words I would use to describe this “best vegan cheese recipe”.
I chose to pair my nut cheese with roasted carrots, homemade sweet potato chips, cucumbers, pretzels, pita chips and whatever veggies I had in the fridge. (AKA not that many because as you all know, I like to save my money and buy frozen vegetables!
I also added this vegan cheese to a turkey sandwich (not very vegan of me) and it was amazing! Ever had avocado toast with eggs? Then you would LOVE macadamia nut cheese toast with eggs.
Seriously, the opportunities are endless with this stuff. But watch out, because it’s insanely addictive.
Do you have a recipe for your best vegan cheese!? I wanna know!
SHOP MY FAVORITES:
x, elizabeth

Servings |
People |
- 1 1/4 Cup Raw Macadamia Nuts
- 1/2 Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Salt
- 1/4 Cup Water
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes Optional!
Ingredients
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- Add macadamia nuts to a food processor or a high-speed blender along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic salt and 1/4 cup (60 ml) water.
- Mix/blend, scraping down sides as needed. Then add more water 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time until a thick paste forms. I find I get the best texture results with a food processor, but in a pinch, a blender can work too. It just might require more work!
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, lemon juice for brightness, or garlic salt for garlic flavor.
- Blend again to combine. If adding herbs or spices (like red pepper flakes) add at this time.
Found this post in the TSC group! I am sitting at work starving right now and that looks so delish!! Might need to make it this evening.
Great photos!
Megan
http://www.todayisthedaylifestyle.com/blog
Have to try this recipe! It looks so tasty!
This recipe is going straight to my Vegan cheese Pinterest board. So yummy! 😀
Cashew dip???? Sign me up!
This actually sounds really good. Might have to try it today…
I am dying to try this! Adding it to my holiday recipe line up!
http://www.proseccoandprojects.com/
Thank you for this recipe!! SO making it!
I am not vegan but so often I have a problem with dairy. This sounds delicious and it wouldn’t hurt my stomach. Thanks!
This sounds so good! The perfect holiday party dish.
Xx,
Megan http://www.styledbymegan.com
Yum!!
Um YUM!!! I am about to make the change to vegetarian and this is for sure a recipe I am going to put on my list to try!
This looks like a really tasty but also healthy dip. I really enjoy nuts and know how many healthy benefits they contain so this is definitely something I will try.
Is that the juice of 1/2 lemon, or 1/2 a measure, like teaspoon, tablespoon, or ounce? Thanks!
Hi Roxanne! I used juice from 1/2 a lemon, but you could do 2 tbsp to start and always add more! I’m just a huge lemon fan 🙂
Absolutely love how easy and versatile this is.
Anyone have any vegan cheese you can make without using probiotic…