I love plant-based cheese. Unfortunately, just like any other store-bought, processed food, most vegan cheeses available in food health stores and supermarkets are packed with preservatives, colorants, and other yucky chemicals. That’s why I prefer making my own with real, whole-food-based ingredients.

Making cheese is easy and fun. Though not all vegan cheeses are as straightforward to make, this grateable chaddar cheese is the perfect start for a new cheesemaker-to-be.

You can either use it sliced on a sandwich or grate to make gratin-like dishes. While it doesn’t melt like a regular dairy cheese it makes a nice crispy crust similar to a cheesy crust.

Though most of the fermented and non-fermented cheeses I make are made from cashews or other nuts or seeds, this one is nut- and seed-free. The main ingredient is orange sweet potato which creates this nice orange, cheddar-like color.

DIY GRATEABLE VEGAN CHEDDAR CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

For the cheddar cheese

2 cups of water
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup orange sweet potato, boiled/steamed and lightly mashed
1 red bell pepper, roasted/charred
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 T lemon juice
2 t Himalayan pink salt
½ - 1 t blacker pepper, ground
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
For extra smokiness add either liquid smoke, smoked tabasco or smoked paprika to taste

For the agar-agar

2.5 T agar agar
1⅓ cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Steam/boil sweet potato until soft. Lightly mash and tightly pack 1 cup to use as the base of your cheese.

In the oven or on a gas stove, roast/char the red pepper. Remove skin.

In a blender, combine all the ingredients to make the cheddar cheese. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

To make agar-agar: in a small pot or saucepan, bring water and agar-agar to a boil. Sir constantly. Reduce heat to low and keep stirring until you are left with a molasses-like consistency.

Then quickly transfer the agar-agar mix to the sweet potato mix and blend until well combined. Pour into mold or containers and let set in the fridge. This will take about 30 minutes.