Sliceable Vegan Smoked Gouda. Reliable, easy-to-make cheese recipe. Perfect on platters, sandwiches, cubed in salads, and melted in recipes. Gluten-free, no starches, soy, or coconut milk.
Cover 1 cup raw cashews with 3 cups of water and soak for 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse and drain well.
Make gouda cheese
Place soaked cashews, ½ cup homemade almond cream1 TB lemon juice, 1 tsp. wet yellow mustard like Frenchs, ½ tsp. liquid smoke, ¼ cup nutritional yeast1 tsp. sea salt, ¾ tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. onion powder in a Vitamix (best) or high-powered blender. Blend until really smooth and no longer grainy. The mixture should be slightly warm.
Boil agar
Place 1 cup cold water in a saucepan. Whisk in 5 tsp. agar powder and dissolve completely. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Turn the heat down slightly and keep stirring while cooking for a full two minutes. Agar will be like thick caramel when ready.
Combine cheese mixture and agar
Turn on the blender with the cheese mixture in it. While the agar is still hot, pour it into the center of the moving cheese mixture. Turn up the speed and blend briefly until the agar is fully mixed in and the mixture is smooth.
Immediately pour into 4 one-half cup glass molds. Tap filled dishes and give a shake to even tops. the cheese will begin setting right away. Cover and let cool at room temperature.
Place in refrigerator for several hours or overnight until firm.
Flavor Rind With Marinade
Stir ⅛ tsp. liquid smoke into 1 cup tamari or soy sauce in a shallow dish.
Take molded cheese from the refrigerator. Carefully loosen around the edge of the cheeses with a knife, and turn out onto a kitchen board.
Place firmed cheese in the bath. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, flipping a few times to brown both sides.
Dry rind to finish cheese
Remove the cheese from the bath and place it on a smooth dehydrator sheet. Dry at 120 degrees for an hour or two until a thin rind forms and the surface of the vegan smoked gouda is dry.
Alternatively, place it on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in an oven at 170 degrees. Dry for about 20 minutes per side, flipping as necessary.
Store Vegan Smoked Gouda
Homemade Vegan Smoked Gouda lasts at least 2 weeks refrigerated, and 3 months if vacuum sealed. It can also be wrapped and frozen for 6 months.
Notes
Recipe TipsDrain soaked cashews well before using them in the recipe.Blend the cheese mixture and have it ready before boiling the agar in water.Stir agar into cold water to dissolve and cook for a full 2 minutes once it boils.Mix cooked agar immediately into the blended cheese mixture. It hardens quickly if left in the pan.Substitute coconut aminos if desired for tamari or soy sauce. You may want to add a little salt to the marinade if you use the coconut aminos.Leftover marinade makes an excellent seasoning for grilled or roasted veggies and tofu. You can also freeze and reuse the marinade for future batches of vegan smoked gouda.