Cultured Cashew & Sunflower Seed Cheese

This vegan sunflower seed cheese is blended with cashews and cultured overnight for a sharp, tangy flavor. Mix in your favorite herbs and veggies, and spread it on bread or crackers!

Please note that this recipe calls for rejuvelac, a fermented liquid used in vegan cheesemaking, which takes several days to make. It's pretty easy to make once you get the hang of it, but allow enough time if you're making cheese for a special occasion!

Vegan cheese has come a LONG way, especially in the past decade. "Vegan cheese" used to be synonymous with nutritional yeast sauce, or sticky, flavorless goop thickened with starch and gums.

That's not to say these types of "cheese" don't exist anymore. It still takes some knowhow to choose the best vegan cheeses at the supermarket, but the best ones are leaps and bounds beyond the options from just a few years ago.

So... what changed? The biggest change was the way cheeses are made. Before, companies would mimic the taste of cheese by adding flavoring, but it was always missing the sharpness of cheese. Turns out, you can get that sharpness by making the cheese using a similar process to making dairy cheese: culturing!

Culturing is essentially adding probiotics to the raw ingredients to transform and develop the flavor. We have Miyoko Schinner, owner of Miyoko's Creamery, and author of Artisan Vegan Cheese, to thank for bringing this technique to the mainstream. Now you can buy cultured vegan cheeses on supermarket shelves, or make it yourself!

If you're new to making cultured vegan cheeses, this cashew sunflower seed cheese is one of the simplest cheeses you can make. It doesn't require ordering any special ingredients, and it only takes a few days for it to develop that sharp flavor.

The finished cheese will have a taste and consistency somewhat like cream cheese. You can eat it spread on bagels, or mix in some herbs and veggies and dip crackers in it. If you divide up the finished cheese and make a few different flavors, it makes a super simple cheese platter.

🧀 Ingredients

Rejuvelac

Rejuvelac is the ingredient that will transform the blended nuts and seeds into a thick, spreadable, and tangy cheese. You can buy it at some health food stores, but I recommend making it yourself.

Here's my Rejuvelac recipe, which you can make at home with sprouted quinoa. The recipe will make enough to make this sunflower cheese with plenty leftover for other recipes.

Cashews & sunflower seeds

Vegan cheeses are usually made with raw cashews because they blend up nicely and have a very neutral flavor. But when you're experimenting with cheesemaking, those suckers will make your grocery bill add up like crazy.

Cutting the cashews with sunflower seeds will make your cheese more economical without sacrificing taste or flavor. The sunflower seeds add a bit of nuttiness too.

Salt

Iodized table salt may inhibit the culturing process, so I'd recommend using sea salt in this recipe. Don't add too much salt before culturing the cheese because the flavors will change after it cultures, so you can add more salt to taste at this point.

🔪 Instructions

1. Soak the cashews and sunflower seeds in water in a covered container for 5-6 hours (see note below for a quick soak option).
2. Combine the soaked cashews, sunflower seeds, rejuvelac, and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth. You might need to add more rejuvelac if the mixture is too thick to blend.
3. Transfer to a glass container that is big enough to allow for expansion, and cover with cheesecloth or other loose covering, and secure with a rubber band. Do not use an airtight container.
4. Place in a dark, slightly warm place, such as a cabinet in the kitchen or in a TURNED OFF oven with the light on.
5. Let culture for 24-48 hours, until the desired level of sharpness has developed, checking on it and stirring it up every 12 hours. The time it takes to culture will vary depending on the temperature.
6. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until thickened.
7. Add salt to taste, and any herbs or vegetables mentioned in the Notes for a variation. Serve spread on bread, veggies, and crackers.

💭 Tips

• Quick Soak: The recipe calls for soaking the nuts and seeds for several hours before blending them. If you'd like to speed up the process, you can soften them by boiling instead. Boil them in a pot of water on the stove for 5 minutes, then let sit in the hot water for 15 minutes, or until soft. Rinse with cold water so they are cool before proceeding with the recipe.
• The amount of time it takes for the cheese to culture will vary based on the room temperature. It's best to keep it in a warm place. Taste it after 24 hours, then again every 12 hours until the desired flavor is reached.
• The cheese will continue to thicken as it chills.
• The cheese will expand a bit as it cultures, so use a glass container with at least 2 inches of space at the top.
• Make sure to stir the cheese every 12 hours as it's culturing so it doesn't dry out on top.
• The cheese will have a tangy smell and taste after 12-24 hours of culturing, kind of like cream cheese, and some small air bubbles. If this does not happen, or if you seed mold growth, discard and do not eat.

 📋 Variations

After the cheese is ready, you can flavor it to your liking with herbs and veggies. You can even divide up the cheese and make multiple flavors for an easy appetizer. Serve it with veggies, crackers, and fresh bread.

Each variation below is the quantity for 1 cup cheese. The recipe makes 2 cups cheese total, so you can divide it up and choose 2 different flavors, or divide it up further for smaller quantities.

Sun-dried Tomato

Add ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and salt to taste to 1 cup cheese. This one is great with warm fresh bread.

Olive and Lemon Pepper

Add 3-4 tablespoons chopped green olives and ½-1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning to 1 cup cheese. Try it spread thinly on crackers. It's salty, briny, and lemony!

Giardiniera

Add 3-4 tablespoons hot or mild giardiniera and salt to taste to 1 cup cheese. You can use store bought, or make my Chicago Style Giardiniera recipe. The oil in the giardiniera thins out the cheese a bit. Try stirring a spoonful into your pasta.

Italian Garlic & Herb

Add 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning and 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic to 1 cup cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. This one goes great on a bagel as a cream cheese.

Pesto

Add 2 tablespoons pesto to 1 cup cheese. You could make it with fresh basil pesto in the summer, or try my Kale Pesto when fresh basil is not in season. This cheese is absolutely addictive. I've also added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes to this one.

Jalapeño

Add 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeños to 1 cup cheese. Try it with tortilla chips or on a bagel.

📖 Recipe

Cultured Cashew & Sunflower Seed Cheese

Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Culturing Time: 1 day 12 hours

Total Time: 1 day 12 hours 10 minutes

This vegan sunflower seed cheese is blended with cashews and cultured overnight for a sharp, tangy flavor. Mix in your favorite herbs and veggies, and spread it on bread or crackers!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ½ cup rejuvelac, must make separately - see note
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Salt to taste, after culturing

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews and sunflower seeds in water in a covered container for 5-6 hours (see note for quick soak option).
2. Combine the soaked cashews, sunflower seeds, rejuvelac, and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth. You might need to add more rejuvelac if the mixture is too thick to blend.
3. Transfer to a glass container that is big enough to allow for expansion, and cover with cheesecloth or other loose covering, and secure with a rubber band. Do not use an airtight container.
4. Place in a dark, slightly warm place, such as a cabinet in the kitchen or in a TURNED OFF oven with the light on.
5. Let culture for 24-48 hours, until the desired level of sharpness has developed, checking on it and stirring it up every 12 hours. The time it takes to culture will vary depending on the temperature.
6. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until thickened.
7. Add salt to taste, and any herbs or vegetables mentioned in the Notes for a variation. Serve spread on bread, veggies, and crackers.

Notes

• The cheese will expand a bit as it cultures, so use a glass container with at least 2 inches of space at the top.
• The time it takes for your cheese to culture may vary depending on the room temperature, type of rejuvelac, and humidity.
• The cheese will have a tangy smell and taste after 12-24 hours of culturing, kind of like cream cheese, and some small air bubbles. If this does not happen, or if you seed mold growth, discard and do not eat.
• Make sure to stir the cheese every 12 hours as it's culturing so it doesn't dry out on top.

Quick Soak

If you don't have time to soak your nuts and seeds for several hours, you can soften them by boiling instead. Boil them in a pot of water on the stove for 5 minutes, then let sit in the hot water for 15 minutes, or until soft. Rinse with cold water so they are cool before proceeding with the recipe.

Rejuvelac

Rejuvelac is a fermented liquid made from sprouted grains or seeds. It is an essential ingredient for cultured cheeses. Learn how to make it here.

Variations

After the cheese is ready, you can flavor it to your liking with herbs and veggies. You can even divide up the cheese and make multiple flavors for an easy appetizer.

Each variation below is the quantity for 1 cup cheese. The recipe makes 2 cups cheese total, so you can divide it up and choose 2 different flavors.

• Sun-dried Tomato Cheese: Add ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and salt to taste to 1 cup cheese.
• Olive & Lemon Pepper Cheese: Add 3-4 tablespoons chopped green olives and ½-1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning to 1 cup cheese.
• Italian Garlic & Herb Cheese: Add 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning and 1 clove garlic, minced, to 1 cup cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Pesto Cheese: Add 2 tablespoons pesto to 1 cup cheese.
• Giardiniera Cheese: Add 3-4 tablespoons hot or mild giardiniera and salt to taste to 1 cup cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: ¼ cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 622mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on seitanbeatsyourmeat.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.

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