Easy Vegan Cheeseball
You will not believe how easy this vegan cheese ball recipe is! It uses simple methods and ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Not to mention, this vegan cheeseball has a killer cheesy flavor, mind-blowingly creamy texture, is omnivore-approved, and cashew-free!
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Can you truly call it a family holiday party if there’s not a cheese ball in the room? I think not!
For as long as I can remember, my Nana has always made the best cheeseball. My whole family looked forward to it year after year, and it was a safe bet you’d find at least one or two of her cheeseballs stored in each relative’s freezer at any given time.
So, obviously this was another super nostalgic recipe on my “must-veganize” list for years, and I am all sorts of pumped up to announce we’ve finally done it!
I made this vegan cheese ball for my family’s Christmas brunch a couple years back, and it was a huge hit! Even my Nana herself, whose recipe ultimately inspired this killer veganization, told me several times how much she enjoyed it which totally made my day because we all know Irish grandmothers never lie about a compliment. 🙂
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How to Make a Vegan Cheese Ball
I LOVE how simple this vegan cheeseball recipe is! I legit threw it together with staples I always have in the kitchen (and I bet you do too). The methods are simple too. If you can use a food processor, you got this, friend.
The result will blow your mind with its flavor, texture, and general awesome-ness.
The cheeseball is tofu-based (inspired by our BEST vegan feta recipe), so there’s no cashew-soaking required. You will need to press the water out of the tofu though.
Once that’s done, you’ll add the tofu to your food processor with some refined coconut oil. This gives the ball its shape and emulsifies to add a super creamy cheesy wonderfulness to the whole mixture.
Next, you’ll add a few seasonings and some fridge staples like yellow mustard and lemon juice. These give the vegan cheese ball that sharp cheddar-y flavor.
From there, you’ll wrap your ball in cheesecloth or plastic wrap and let it set overnight in the fridge! In the morning, you’ll unwrap and roll the vegan cheeseball in finely-chopped walnuts.
And finally, get ready to PAR-TAY!
This vegan cheeseball would be a GREAT recipe to make for the holidays, Super Bowl, or any party! Also, just a regular Tuesday because there is never a wrong time to make this vegan cheese ball. So, let’s do this!
If and when you make this vegan cheeseball, we totally wanna know about it! You can rate the recipe and leave a comment below, or we love when you tag us in your fun AF photos on Instagram. If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
Thanks, friends! We hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy! 🙂
Other Tofu Cheese Recipes:
- Creamy Vegan Goats Cheese
- Vegan Beer Cheese Dip
- The BEST Vegan Feta Cheese
- Easy Vegan Champagne Cheesecake
- Dairy-Free Veggie Cream Cheese
Easy Vegan Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz. block extra firm tofu
- 2/3 cup refined coconut oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the coating:
- 1 cup raw walnuts
Instructions
- Press your tofu well and use your hands to crumble it into your food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. This will take a few minutes, and you may need to stop to scrape the sides of your blender often. You will know it’s ready when the mixture turns from a cottage cheese-type texture to a thick and creamy texture.
- Lay out 2 12-inch pieces of plastic wrap or cheesecloth and spoon 1/2 of the cheese mixture onto the center of each. Carefully lift all corners of the wrap or cheesecloth, gather them together, twist a few times, and fasten with a rubber band. Place each wrapped cheeseball in a small bowl and leave in the fridge overnight to set.
- Measure and chop your walnuts. Add them to a shallow pie dish or something similar and remove the cheeseballs from the fridge. The cheeseballs will have hardened overnight and will be easier to mold. Before you open the wrap, use your hands to mold them into even spheres. Then, gently remove the wrap and place in the finely chopped walnuts. Use a butter knife to smooth the top / sides and carefully roll the ball gently to coat it on all sides with chopped walnuts.
- Serve with crackers, grapes, apples, veggies, bread, and all. the. things. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Watch our Vegan Cheese Spread Web Story.
Is the coconut oil the solid or liquid one?
Hi, Karen! All coconut oil is solid below 76F and melts to a liquid if the temperature is above 76F. You always want to make sure you melt your coconut oil before you measure and use it in recipes (especially something like this). The real key here is to make sure you are using a coconut oil labeled “refined” and NOT one labeled “unrefined” or “virgin”. This will ensure you won’t get any weird coconut taste in your cheese. Hope this helps! 🙂
Not the fractionated (liquid) coconut oil.
The regular “solid” stuff. 🙂
wHAT IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR NUTRITIONAL YEAST WHICH CAN BE HOMEMADE. CAN I USE BREWERS YEAST AND CHANGE IT INTOI NUTRITIONAL YEAST? OR USE CASHEWS?
Hi, Heather! If you don’t have access to nutritional yeast, I would just leave it out. It will change the flavor slightly but should still be delicious!
I made this for a picnic. Delicious! I used a little liquid smoke in one of the balls to make “smoked gouda” flavoring. I would scale back on the salt a little, or add to taste. Even omnivores really liked it, you can’t taste that it’s tofu.
Ooooh, what a great idea with the liquid smoke; that sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Margaret! 🙂
I made this for a holiday party we threw. I didn’t tell anyone, even my family, that it was vegan. It was a big hit!
I always love hearing these stories! LOL! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing that!
Can this be made without there coconut oil?
Hi, Shirley. It’s not recommended. The oil is not only what helps hold the finished product together firmly, but it also add a necessary texture and mouthfeel to mimic the cheese ball.
Hi! This looks awesome. In on plant based keto at the moment. Can you please explain your nutritional information. Is one serving an entire ball? I just want to be clear. I’m thinking of actually making them into mini balls to be eaten in a bite as little fat powerhouses as needed throughout the day.
Thanks for catching that! I updated it now. The recipe makes 2 cheese balls, and the nutrition facts are showing for 1/6 of one cheese ball. If you’re making individual cheese balls, I would let the mixture set entirely in a container first. Then, it will be easier to roll them into 12 balls! Great idea by the way!
I know you recommended to another reader that coconut oil is needed for emulsifying, but is there another oil that could be substituted for coconut oil? Coconut oil, although vegan, does have a lot of saturated fat, and I have dietary restrictions for that. Would Avocado or olive oil work, do you think?
Hi, Pamela! Unfortunately, refined coconut oil is essential to this recipe because it firms up at temps above 75F which is what makes our vegan cheese ball firm and spreadable. Vegetable shortening might be able to be substituted, but I don’t think that will help your dietary needs. If you use olive oil, the texture will be more of a thick sauce, and you will not be able to mold it into a ball. It will still be tasty but not necessarily a cheese ball.
I made this for a Solstice party last night. The only change was to use crushed smoked almonds instead of walnuts. It was a huge hit! Thank you!
What an absolutely delicious idea! So glad to hear it was a hit!
I’m going to make this tonight to take to “”wine and cheese” with my neighbour tomorrow. I’ll be using Maille Dijon . I’m sure it’ll be delicious! Thank you!
Ooooh, what a lucky neighbor! Enjoy!