How to make vegan cheese? What is fake cheese made from? The one that doesn’t use dairy products?
At a time when veganism is becoming more and more attractive, it is time to take a closer look at what is makes vegan cheese and how to make a homemade version.
Plant-based cheese: ingredients, manufacturing, consumption
What is vegan cheese?
Also called faux-mage, vromage or vegan cheese, a plant-based cheese does not contain products of animal origin (no cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk or animal milk).
In a vegan cheese, the ingredients must all be of plant origin, the challenge therefore being:
- substitution of milk from animals
- find a texture close to the original version
- reproduce the taste of milk cheese.
Who eats vegan cheese?
Vegans who have banned all products of animal origin from their diet are those who mainly consume vegan cheese.
While everyone can eat it, it is also particularly suitable for lactose intolerant since it is not made with animal milk.
Vegan shaping: ingredients
Vegan cheese is generally made with oilseed purees (cashews, almonds), soy milk, aromatic herbs, spices etc. Animal rennet is replaced by a vegetable version.
It is then fermented, then refined.
b >Making a plant-based cheese with legumes is possible but a little more complicated than making a plant-based cheese based on oilseeds.
What does a vegan cheese taste like?
The vegan cheese does not reproduce the traditional version identically but comes very close. Camembert or cheddar for example do not have the characteristic smell but the texture and taste are similar. Moreover, you will find a wide range of vegan cheeses, there is something for all palates: vegetable feta, vegetable ricotta, vegan blue cheese, vegan parmesan, vegan goat cheese, vegan mozzarella, vegan brie, vegan camembert, etc.
How to eat vegan cheese
There are no rules to follow, you can eat plant-based cheese exactly like its traditional version. Spread, sandwiched in a good baguette, on pizza or in pasta…. But there are also vegan cheeses at raclette or at fondue which allow you to indulge in these traditional dishes of French cuisine.
Vegan cheese recipes
It is a cheaper alternative to buying it in stores. However, you need a little time and patience.
Here’s how to make homemade vegetable cheese .
If you make a vegan cheese with oilseeds, simply soak them for a few hours in water then mix them with a ferment. After a few hours you have a first fresh cheese to spread, you can then refine it. Vegan cheese with cashews is certainly the most popular, but you can also use sunflower seeds which are often less expensive.
For the vegetable feta recipe to use for example in salads, mix 250 g of firm tofu with 10 cl of olive oil, 25 g of basil, half a clove of garlic , salt and pepper.
Then simply cut it into cubes to garnish your salads.