Cooking With Kindness Part III: Vegan Dairy Substitutes & Tips for All The Goo Without the Moo

“I would go vegan, but can’t live without cheese!”

Ask any vegan about this one, and their eyes will start rolling into the back of their heads. It’s one of the most common refrains they hear, and it drives our jolly vegetable friends batty.

However, as infuriating as it may be, there is a solid element of truth to the claim that people feel so attached to cheese that they could never give it up. It turns out that the casein protein contained in cheese breaks down into opiates called casomorphins that stimulate the opioid receptors in your brain in precisely the same way as many narcotic drugs¹. This not only gives you a mini-high but is also incredibly addictive. So, when your queso-munching friend says, “I’m like addicted to Cheese”, they're closer to the truth than you think!

No wonder you’re jonesing for a hit of camembert, a bag of brie or a gram of gouda!

It takes 1 litre of milk to produce 100g of cheese, which is why you don’t hear it as much in relation to milk or yoghurt. However, for many, the seductively smooth texture of other dairy products can also exert a powerful pull. Humans are hard-wired to gravitate towards high-fat, high-calorie foods, and dairy hits that spot hard.

Why Don’t Vegans Eat Dairy?

Wait a minute, though! If no animals are slaughtered to produce milk, why do vegans have a problem with dairy? This frequently asked question is understandable but highlights some facts many people do not know. Unfortunately, the fate of all animals in the dairy industry is the same as their cousins bred for meat. However, it’s fair to say that conditions for dairy animals during their lives are considerably worse. While this is not the place to go into all the gory details, the level of cruelty that animals in the dairy industry experience2 will shock you. This is to say nothing about the devastating impact that dairy farming has on the global environment. As one of our resident GreenPan vegan team members recently put it, “If you forced me to choose between eating either dairy or meat, from animal welfare and environmental perspectives, I’d go for meat every time, without question. Dairy is scary.”

Now, that’s some plant-based food for thought.

The Ultimate Guide to Vegan Dairy Substitutions

Not so fast! Before you run off to join your local CA meeting to bravely admit to being a Cheeseaholic and sign up for the Geronimo Stilton Twelve-Step Program, help is at hand! As it happens, with a bit of technical know-how, a drizzle of effort and a selection of healthy, nutritious ingredients, you can have all the creamy, cheesy goodness your heart desires without the cow (or sheep, or goat)!

Today, we will take your hand and guide you down the plant-based path with a step-by-step guide on how to find or make vegan dairy substitutes and alternatives that will keep you satisfied and scratch that dairy itch.

Our first stop is white gold.

1. Vegan Milk Substitutes:

Take a stroll through any supermarket dairy aisle, and if you pay attention, you may notice that the plant-based milk section is just as extensive, if not larger, than the moo-juice zone. The rapid proliferation of “milks” made from a surprisingly diverse range of nuts, grains and seeds has made it astonishingly simple to replace cow’s milk in your diet.

We’ve already taken an in-depth, comprehensive look at vegan milk substitutes in Part I of this series. Rather than repeat ourselves, you can access all the information you need about plant-based milk alternatives in our blog exploring the world of Vegan baked goods and sweet treats.

The bottom line is that with so many varieties available at affordable prices, replacing cow’s milk with your new favourite vegan option has never been easier or more affordable. There's a type for every taste, from soy, oat, almond, pea and cashew to macadamia, hemp, flax, rice and hazelnut and more. The trick is to experiment, mix and match until you find the one that works best for you. Some vegans find that they prefer different varieties for different purposes. For example, you may decide you like almond milk in your tea, oat milk with your cereal and soy milk in your vegan pancake batter. Whatever the case, this is one area of your life where it’s socially acceptable to play field and finding out what works best for you.

2. Vegan Cheese Substitutes:

As we’ve already discovered, this is the big one. Replacing cheese is arguably one of the steepest hurdles that new vegans and reduceatarians (people who aim to reduce their consumption of animal products) must overcome. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of commercially available vegan cheese products, with new and more authentic items hitting the market regularly. Whether you’re looking for chewy cheddar, glorious goat cheese, or marvellous mozzarella, you can find it at your local supermarket, specialty store, or online.

Newbies to the genre often find not all vegan cheeses taste or melt precisely like the real thing. However, for those who genuinely value kindness to our four-legged friends, the benefits of living in alignment with your conscience far outweigh any difference in flavour or gooeyness. So, next time you’re at the store, pick up a pack and give it a try.

Better still, if you’re someone who prefers a little bit of kitchen DIY, then making your own vegan cheese can be an enriching experience. Making non-dairy cheese is a surprisingly simple experience and, in most cases, utilises ingredients that you probably already have at home or are readily available wherever you shop.

How To Make Vegan Cheese At Home

Let’s start your homemade cheese journey with a basic recipe that is highly adaptable and, with a bit of ingenuity, can produce delicious replicas of your favourite cheese varieties.

You can alter this method to produce a firmer cheese or one that melts easily. However, you can’t always have everything in life, and this is one of those cases, so choose one or the other because you can’t have both, unfortunately. Let’s start with the firm version, which is sensationally sliceable and perfect for crackers or sandwiches:

Vegan Firm Cheese Ingredients

• 1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream: You can substitute macadamia, cashew, or soy milk, but coconut milk or coconut cream produces the creamy texture closest to the dairy cheeses you crave. If you’re using plant-based milk, combine 1¾ cups of milk with ⅓ cup of neutral-flavoured vegetable oil for best results.
• ½ Cup Hot Water
• 2 Tablespoons Agar Agar Powder
  Agar Agar is your congealing agent. It comes in powder or flake form, but powder is the best for this recipe. If you can only find flakes, increase the amount to 6 tablespoons.
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
  Colloquially known as “Nooch”, this wonder ingredient has a delightfully cheesy flavour and is high in protein, so it’s a brilliant vegan ingredient.
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Method

• Empty your can of coconut milk or cream into a high quality non-stick, PFAS-free saucepan.
• To ensure that you get all the residual cream in the can, fill it with hot water, give it a bit of a stir to dissolve the solids, and then empty it into the saucepan.
• Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and whisk vigorously until the mixture forms a smooth, creamy consistency.
• Cook the mixture on medium heat until it just boils, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to low and continue stirring constantly for 6 minutes until it’s very smooth. The Agar Agar needs at least 6 minutes boiling to set correctly, so you’ll need to be precise with this step. We strongly recommend setting a timer.
• When your timer goes off, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into a sealable container. You can use whatever shape container you like, but make sure to spray or coat it with oil; otherwise, the cheese will stick.
• Let the mixture cool uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover with a lid and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours. Once fully set, you can bring the cheese back to room temperature to serve if you prefer.

Additional Tips:

• If you want a cheesier flavour, increase the amount of nutritional yeast
• Store the cheese in an airtight container. It should keep for up to 5 days in the fridge for 3 months in the freezer
• If your cheese is not hard enough, increase the amount of agar agar.

Now that we’ve got this down pat let’s look at how we can adapt this basic recipe to mimic various cheese varieties:

1. Vegan Garlic & Herb Cheese: Add 2-3 cloves of crushed fresh garlic and a 1-2 teaspoons of whichever herbs you fancy to the mixture before cooking.
2. Vegan Cheddar Cheese: Add the following:
   • ½ teaspoon of paprika
   • ⅛ teaspoon of turmeric
   • ¼ teaspoon of onion powder
   • Increase the amount of nutritional yeast to ½ cup
   • Just before you pour the mixture into the mould, add 1 teaspoon of miso paste mixed well into 1 tablespoon of warm water.
3. Vegan Smoked Gouda Cheese: Add 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke or 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika to the mixture. That’s it!

Feel free to experiment with different ratios and flavourings to create your own unique cheese experiences!

How To Make Vegan Melty Cheese

The next step on our cheesy journey is to cook up meltable versions of the above. Let’s backtrack to the basic recipe. We’ll follow the same ingredients and method except for the following:

• Decrease the amount of water to ¼ cup
• Reduce the amount of agar agar to 2 teaspoons
• Add 2 ¼ tablespoons of tapioca starch (tapioca flour), dissolved into ¼ cup of cold water
• The method is identical, except we’ll stir in the tapioca mixture slowly once the cheese is boiling
• Increase cooking time to 7 minutes
• This version takes longer to set, so cool it in the fridge uncovered for 3 hours

The meltable version is perfect for toasted cheeses, potato bakes or other dishes that call for loads of gooey goodness. If you’re finding it a bit on the soft side, which is making it difficult to work with, put it in the freezer for a while, and you’ll find it grates like a dream.

Bonus Recipe: How To Make Vegan Mozzarella

Few things in life are more decadent and dreamy than soft, silky, stretchy mozzarella cheese. Whether in a salad, on a pizza or elevating a home-cooked pasta to legend status, it’s a luxury many vegans crave in vain, but no longer need to.

If you feel like you literally could never live without it, then consider your life problems solved, because this vegan mozzarella recipe is about to rock your world!

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cups of water
• 4 tablespoons of tapioca starch
• ½ cup of raw cashews
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Method

• Soak the raw cashews in 2 cups of boiling water for at least 5 minutes or up to an hour. The longer they soak, the creamier their texture will be, so if time permits, try to get as close to the hour as possible
• Drain the water from the cashews and place them in a blender with all the other ingredients. Blitz until the mixture is very smooth, scraping down the sides from time to time as required
• Transfer the mixture to a non-stick chef’s pan or a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly as it heats
• After a few minutes, the mixture will begin to congeal. Continue stirring it constantly until it spontaneously becomes thick and gooey and starts to stretch when you move the spoon through it
• After about 20 minutes of a solid workout, the mixture will become a single mass of cheese. Immediately remove it from the heat
• This mozzarella tastes best when used fresh, but it can also keep in the fridge for a few days. Just keep in mind that the longer it stays in the fridge, the less elastic it will become

Ok, just one more: How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese

Smear it on your bagel, lather it on your crackers or dollop it on your vegetables. A good cream cheese has a luxurious feel that can make any Sunday morning special. The ingredients are somewhat similar to our mozzarella, but the result is unique

Vegan Cream Cheese Ingredients

• ¼ cup of unsweetened vegan yoghurt
• 1 ½ cup of raw cashews
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of chopped chives or spring onions
• ½ teaspoon of onion powder
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

Method

• Soak the raw cashews for at least 30 minutes in hot water. As with the mozzarella, the longer you soak, the creamier the outcome, so go crazy
• Drain and rinse the cashews. Place them in a blender with the salt, lemon juice, yoghurt, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and blitz until the mixture is creamy and smooth
• Add the chives or spring onions and fold in
• Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for a few days

3. Vegan Sour Cream

For our last dose of creamy goodness, we’ll show you a quick and easy way to whip up a simple but gorgeous vegan sour cream. Pour it on a roast potato, drizzle it on a latke, or mix it into a pasta sauce. However you use it, this non-dairy version will satisfy even the most dedicated dairy lover.

Vegan Sour Cream Ingredients

• 1 cup of raw cashews
• ½ cup of water
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon of onion powder

Method

• Soak the raw cashews in water for 4 hours or overnight. You know the drill by now: the longer, the creamier
• Drain the cashews and rinse. Place them in a blender with all the remaining ingredients
• Blend until completely smooth and creamy

Conclusion: Creamy But Kind

Whether you’re going all the way with a vegan lifestyle or just experimenting with reducing the amount of animal products in your diet, these vegan dairy recipes will ensure that you never feel like you’re missing out. Follow this guide to recreate virtually any dairy recipe you love with ingredients that are better for you and kinder to the animals with whom we share our world.

Looking for more information on vegan food and cooking? Check out our fascinating and entertaining blog on vegan cookware, or this encyclopedic list of vegan resources.

Note:
¹Mount Sinai Hospital, Oct., 2015: Study Reveals that Cheese Triggers the Same Part of the Brain as Many Drugs
²The Guardian, Mar 2017: Dairy Is Scary. The Public Are Waking Up To The Darkest Part Of Farming