Dairy-free Series: Dairy Cheese Alternatives

Have Your Cheese Without the Cow

Removing dairy milk from my diet was a fairly easy thing to do because there are a lot of dairy-free milks conveniently available in almost every grocery store. Finding dairy cheese alternatives is a little harder, and I had no idea how to make dairy-free cheese at home and have it still taste like dairy cheese. I’ve seen recipes for a dairy-free cheese sauce made from cashews, and I was completely shocked when I stumbled upon a dairy-free ricotta cheese recipe made from cashews too. There are so many types of dairy cheeses with different textures and flavors that seemed difficult to replicate without using dairy. This led to my investigation of other dairy cheese alternatives, and I’ve found five dairy-free products that can be used to mimic cheese made from dairy.

Types of Dairy Cheese Alternatives

Nutritional Yeast

When you think of yeast, in terms of cooking, a couple things may come to mind like bread, baking, and beer. Nutritional yeast is very similar to yeast used to bake bread and yeast used to craft beer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast that’s commonly known as brewer’s yeast or baker’s yeast, and it’s grown on molasses, sugar beets, and whey. This same species is also the base for nutritional yeast, but once mature, it’s heated and dried to deactivate the yeast and break it down into small flakes.

Nutritional yeast is a very popular dairy cheese alternative because of its savory, cheesy taste. It can be used just like any grated cheese, and it has tons of health benefits. Depending on the brand of nutritional yeast, the caloric count is very low, typically around 20 calories per tablespoon, and most brands are enhanced with vitamins, such as B12, iron, and calcium. B vitamins improve nail, skin, and hair health and growth. Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein, boosting energy and supporting the immune system, and it doesn’t contain any sodium, sugar, and gluten. As always, if you have an allergy concern, be sure to check labels because every brand is different. Bragg Nutritional Yeast is a great choice, and you can sprinkle it on everything from eggs to pasta.

Cashews

It may seem really crazy to make cheese out of cashews, but it’s possible and amazing. There’s a lot of different dairy cheese alternatives you can make from cashews, but the first is a basic cheese sauce that’s great for mac and cheese, nachos, cheese fries, and anything else you want, honestly. The four basic ingredients for a dairy-free cheese sauce are raw cashews, nutritional yeast, water or dairy-free milk, and spices. You can add whatever spices you want, but a few staple spices you should definitely add are garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and ground turmeric. To make this dairy-free cheese sauce, you should soak your raw cashews for at least 2 hours, then after soaking, you add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend.

You can also use cashews to make a dairy-free ricotta cheese. The first step is soaking your cashews – this is an important step because it makes the cashews easier to blend. Then you add water, garlic, an acid like lemon or apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Blend it up and use it for lasagna, stuffed shells, or as a spread.

Tofu

Tofu has risen in popularity over the years and is a huge staple in vegan and vegetarian dishes. It’s made of condensed soy milk that’s molded into white, solid blocks. Most soy is genetically modified, so be sure to purchase organic tofu, or if you’re limiting your soy intake, then try a different dairy cheese alternative. However, tofu is a very nutrient-rich food that’s high in protein with roughly 70 calories in a 3.5-ounce serving. Tofu can be used to make two dairy cheese alternatives; the first is dairy-free mozzarella cheese. For this, you’ll need firm tofu, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, tapioca starch, unsweetened soy milk, salt, and garlic powder. You blend it all together, cook it over medium-high heat, then transfer it to a bowl to cool and enjoy.

The second dairy cheese alternative using tofu is dairy-free feta cheese. Feta seemed, to me at least, like a difficult cheese to make without dairy because of it’s crumbly texture and unique taste, but it’s possible! This recipe needs tofu, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and onion powder. Simply blend it and place into a bowl to cool and get firm in the fridge overnight. Just cut it into feta-like cubes the next day and serve it on a salad or as a spread.

Hemp

Products made of hemp are gaining attention in the U.S., but it has been a staple in many cultures for centuries. Originating from the Cannabis sativa plant, hemp seeds have very little amounts of THC, and they’re a great source of protein, fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3, vitamin E, and other vital nutrients. Hemp seed oil has also been known to help with dry skin and eczema, and the seeds themselves have a nutty flavor and can be cooked, roasted, and eaten raw. The first dairy cheese alternative made from hemp is dairy-free “Parmesan” cheese. All you need are hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and salt. Just put everything into a food processor and pulse until it looks like a powder.

Another dairy cheese I thought would be hard to replicate without dairy is cream cheese, but this recipe makes it possible. You’ll need hemp seeds, garlic cloves, salt, limes, water, dill or tarragon, salt, and pepper. Just like the other dairy-free cheese recipes, you put all the ingredients into a blender and blend. It’ll last for about 5 days when stored in a sealed container in the fridge.

Almonds

Making dairy-free cheese out of almonds blows my mind just like everything else on this list. Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, fiber, protein, healthy fats, and magnesium, and their skin is packed with antioxidants. This garlic herb almond “cheese” recipe resembles a soft dairy cheese like Brie, and it can be used as a spread or dip. All you need are almonds, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and optional herbs. Then blend all of the ingredients in a food processor and mold it into your desired shape—a small springform pan or round dish is great to use for a mold. You can even garnish the sides with herbs and spices. As with cashews, it’s important to soak your almonds so they blend easier and their skin peels off faster, if you like them peeled.

If you don’t have time to make your own dairy cheese alternative, Kite Hill Almond Milk Ricotta Alternative is a great option. It has just five ingredients and doesn’t contain soy and gluten. Kite Hill also has dairy-free cream cheeses and dips made from almond milk.

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