With the zingy, fresh taste of garlic and herbs, this vegan cheese is tangy and easy to make. We find this vegan garlic herb cheese is perfect for serving at parties or just enjoying as a delicious everyday spread.

A wheel shaped, soft vegan cheese with a wedge cut out of it

Making your own vegan cheese

This gorgeous wheel of garlic and herb vegan cheese is:

Cheap and easy to make
Nut free and oil free
Tangy and flavourful
Delicious spread on toast or crackers

Cheese is often the last thing to go for many vegans as they transition their diet - it was for us. We’re not a fan of store bought vegan cheeses, finding them too artificial and full of coconut oil and starches.

So instead we’ve learnt to make our own, not trying to replicate the exact flavour of cheese, but rather its role in a dish.

So we make stretchy, melty sauce to go on top of pizza. Nutty, salty vegan parmesan to go on pasta. And this tangy garlic and herb cheese to spread on our favourite bread.

And we think it does the job really nicely - no it doesn’t taste exactly like cheese. But it ticks the boxes of crumbly/creamy and tangy/salty.

And it makes you want to spread it generously on everything!

Spreading the 'cheese' on an oat cracker

Our garlic and herb vegan cheese contains:

Sunflower seeds for the base
Lemon juice for tang
Garlic for zing
Garlic powder for a touch more sweet garlickiness
Nutritional yeast for cheesiness
Dried herbs for an aromatic earthiness
Chopped chives for their freshness
And salt to bring it all together

All the ingredients on a wooden board - a bowl of sunflower seeds, half a lemon, a pot of nutritional yeast flakes, spoonfuls of garlic powder, salt and dried herbs, two garlic cloves, and a ramekin with freshly chopped chives.

Most vegan cheese recipes use cashew nuts, but here we use sunflower seeds. They’re an awesome budget friendly and nut free alternative to cashews.

This cheese costs around a third of the price than if you made it with nuts! And sunflower seeds are super nutritious too.

Variations

You can easily try the cheese as you blend it and adjust the quantities to taste.

You could change this recipe up by:

Using other nuts or seeds - we're gonna try almond and pumpkin seed next
And using different fresh herbs in place of the chives - wild garlic, spring onions, parsley or coriander would all be delicious!

Step by step

STEP 1 - Soak the sunflower seeds overnight - then drain and rinse

STEP 2 - Put all the ingredients in a blender

STEP 3 - Process until well blended and scrape down the sides as needed

STEP 4 - Fill a ramekin or dish with a layer of chopped chives on the base, then fill up with the cheese

STEP 5 - When you are ready to serve, run a spatula around the edge of the dish to loosen the cheese wheel

STEP 6 - Flip over onto a plate or board

The finished 'cheese' is topped with chives and sits neatly on a white plate.

Shaping tips

To form the cheese you want to find a suitable bowl or dish. You want something with a capacity of around 230ml or 8oz.

We use a straight sided glass ramekin that is 9cm by 4cm on the inside. This is just about perfect with a spoonful leftover to instantly enjoy!

First fill your container with a layer of the chopped chives, then fill it up with the blended cheese.

Smooth over the top with a spatula, cover and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

Run a spatula around the side of the container to loosen the cheese, then turn it upside down onto a plate. It should come out with a little encouragement!

You can use a spatula to neaten it up again if necessary, and sprinkle on a few more herbs.

Storage

The flavours of the cheese merge and develop after being left in the fridge for a day. You can keep it in the covered ramekin, or an airtight container, until you wish to serve, for up to 3 days.

Removing a freshly sliced wedge from the finished 'cheese' wheel.

We hope you have fun making your garlic and herb 'cheese'! Here's some more fun DIY vegan recipes which you can make at home:

Vegan Sunflower Seed Parmesan Cheese

Vegan Chorizo (our fave on pizza!)

Walnut Milk

Sophie & Paul

📖 Recipe

A round soft cheese the color of cream, its top covered with fresh chives, is sitting on a small white square plate. A small wedge has been cut out of it. It looks appetizing!

Vegan Garlic & Herb Cheese

by Sophie & Paul

5 from 6 votes

A delicious spreadable vegan cheese, flavourful with lots of herbs and garlic and a nice little tang.

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Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Makes: 8 servings

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: French

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup (130 g) sunflower seeds soak overnight
▢ 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice
▢ 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
▢ ½ tsp garlic powder
▢ 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
▢ ¾ tsp salt
▢ 1 tbsp water
▢ 3 tbsp chives or other fresh herbs, finely chopped

Instructions

Soak sunflower seeds in water overnight. Then drain and rinse.
1 cup (130 g) sunflower seeds
Finely chop the chives and set about half aside for later.
3 tbsp chives
Put the soaked sunflower seeds, half the chives and all the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until the cheese comes together, achieving uniform consistency.
3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried mixed herbs, ¾ tsp salt, 1 tbsp water
Pause to scrape down the sides as often as necessary if all the ingredients get stuck to the side of the blender. Eventually, it will come together.

Shaping

In a suitable bowl or ramekin, line the bottom with the rest of the finely chopped chives, and add the cheese on top, pressing it gently into the shape. Tip it out onto a plate (go round the side with a spatula or knife if necessary), smooth out the side until you are happy with it, and serve!
Alternatively, shape the cheese on a plate by hand, or simply serve in a bowl or on a plate, topped with the extra fresh chives.

Storing

The flavours of this vegan cheese develop and blend together when it's stored in the fridge for a day or two. So it's worth not eating it all up at once!
Store covered in the fridge to keep fresh and moist. Use up within three days.

Notes

Variations

Have fun experimenting with other nuts or seeds, such as pumpkin seeds or almonds. Instead of chives, you could use spring onions, parsley, coriander... Instead of garlic powder you could add some smoked paprika!

See the step by step pics above for shaping tips.

Nutrition

This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment to let us know! Share a photo and tag @veganonboard - we love to see what you make!

Comments

5 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)