The holy grail of being a vegan: cheddar cheese that shreds, melts, and has that wonderful signature sharp cheddar flavor. I’ve done the math, making this cheese will save you about half the money of buying it and it only takes 10 minutes! This recipe makes a large batch and stores perfectly in the freezer. You can even double the recipe and enjoy this amazing vegan cheddar cheese for weeks to come. This recipe requires some unique ingredients, but they all will store nicely in your pantry giving you ample supply to make this amazing cheese again.

You can buy all of these ingredients on Amazon using the links below. I’ve already done your research for you finding you the best deals. I buy these exact products from Amazon if I can’t find them in my local stores.

Using refined coconut oil rather than virgin coconut oil removes the coconut taste allowing that beautiful sharp cheddar flavor to shine through. The texture of coconut oil promotes both shredding and melting in your vegan cheddar cheese.

Tapioca flour, also called tapioca starch, is a thickener made from tapioca root helping your cheese to set well and making it shreddable. It lends a smoother, softer texture than cornstarch.

Kappa carrageenan powder is a seaweed derivative similar to agar agar. It is used to thicken your vegan cheddar cheese and to help make it shreddable. Don’t be tempted to use agar agar. Many recipes call for agar agar and I’ve tried them side by side. Kappa carrageenan yields a much softer, smoother texture and promotes better melting making your cheese much more “cheesy” as compared to agar agar.

You likely already have nutritional yeast flakes in your vegan kitchen, but if you don’t, pick some up here. Yeast flakes give your cheese a more cheesy flavor.

Print Recipe

Vegan Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups refined coconut oil
• 2 2/3 cup soymilk must have soy as the only ingredient, see notes
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch also called tapioca flour
• 3 tbsp kappa carrageenan
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 4 tsp paprika smoked paprika for smoky flavor
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Mix all together in a blender except lemon juice and blend on high to combine, about 1/2 to 1 minute.
• Transfer to a saucepan and cook on low to medium heat stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent burning. Cook 3-5 minutes or until quite thick. Transfer to greased glass dish or dishes and place in refrigerator. Allow to firm 4 hours or overnight.
• Slice, shred, or freeze your cheese as desired.

Notes

Soymilk: For this recipe to work, you must use soymilk that has soybeans as the only ingredient. At the moment, I know of three options for this kind of soymilk:

• WestSoy at WalMart
• Trader Joe’s brand name soymilk in the green carton
• EdenFoods Eden Soy (can be purchased online)

I’ve also tried making my own soymilk but it will not set for this recipe.