White Cocoa Vegan Charcuterie Cheese
Sliceable and spreadable, this vegan charcuterie cheese is the perfect centerpiece for your next vegan cheeseboard, fancy cheese and crackers moment, or après ski plate. It’s rich, lightly tangy, funky, and salty. It’s got a light sweetness, and a rich, chocolatey aroma. If you’re looking for a cheese to bring sweet and savory together, with a side of sophistication, this is your cheese. Like the best things in life, this cheese takes time (but not too much time), so plan ahead. You will need a day of fermentation time before you’re ready to indulge!
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Eating this Cocoa Vegan Cheese
I called this a vegan charcuterie cheese, because it’s pretty much perfect at that. It holds its shape nicely, but is easy to slice and spread. It pairs well with both sweet and savory things, and is just as delicious scooped onto a fresh fig as it is on crackers. But we can go beyond the cheese board with the applications for this bit of gourmet goodness.
This cheese should keep well in the refrigerator wrapped so that it doesn’t dry out. For longer term storage you should have no problem freezing in for at least a few months.
Now let’s go on to the eating part. Firstly, this cheese will soften with heat, but it’s not really mean to melt. And it can hold it’s shape pretty well, but it’s also not going to be the type of cheese you grate. It is excellent added to sandwiches, bagels, and wraps. It adds amazing flavor to your favorite creamy pasta recipes. Try it on pizza- I have a grape-topped flatbread recipe that it would be AMAZING on. Try it on pancakes, waffles, or French toast. I haven’t tried this, but I imagine this would be so good whipped up and added to a cannoli! This vegan cheese also has an amazing texture for crumbling- try adding it to your beet salad, an heirloom tomato salad, or one with spinach and candied pecans.
As I write this now I’m eating a slice of white toast, with softened cocoa cheese, sliced fresh figs, and topped with date syrup. It’s kind of beyond amazing.
And if you do try any of these ideas, or any other ideas, please let us know in the comments!
Looking for Vegan Cheese Recipes? Try one of these!
- Buttery Vegan Cheese Cracker Recipe
- Sweetened Vegan Cashew Mascarpone
- Rye Pretzel Recipe with Vegan Beer Cheese
- Fermented Spreadable Sweet Chestnut Cheese
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese Pizza Recipe
- 5 Ingredient Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vegan Cheese and Rhubarb Danish
- Kabocha Squash and Cheese Vegan Pupusas
- Holiday Baked Vegan Cheese with Guava Swirl
- Vegan Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Quesadillas
Vegan Charcuterie Cheese Tips and Tricks
- Unless you happen to have a local cheese making supply shop, you will likely want to get your starter culture online. I’m located in the United States, and this is the provider I use.
- Store your cheese cultures in the freezer to make them last longer.
- A high-powered blender will give you the creamiest result, but blending a cheese this thick may mean that the cashews don’t circulate well. I don’t have the worlds best blender, and have found that a food processor ultimately does a better job for me.
- White pepper adds a bit of a funky, goat-cheese like flavor to this cheese in a way that black pepper really won’t. If you don’t have any, you can find white peppercorns here.
- This cheese recipe makes roughly 4 cheeses of the size and shape pictured here, but can also be made into round shapes by packing it into ramekins. I recommend lining ramekins with plastic wrap for easy removal.
- While not cheese-making related, I wanted to share my quick charcuterie or cheese board making tips
- Start your board with your main events- your vegan cheeses, mock meats, and dips or spreads. Spread them out across your board.
- Add your carby bits- breads, crackers, and cookies. I like to find at least three different options that are of different shapes and sizes. Make small patches of carbs between the main events.
- Add the fruit and veg- from carrot sticks to grapes, use these items to fill in most of the gaps that have been left around the mains and carbs.
- End with a sprinkling- nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, perhaps olives. Fill in as much of the gaps as possible to create the sense of bounty.
White Cocoa Vegan Charcuterie Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashew pieces
- 1/16th tsp. mesophilic starter (alternatively use the powder from 2 probiotic capsules)
- 1/2 cup melted cocoa butter
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Soften your cashews by letting them soak overnight, or by boiling them for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid, and place in a high-powered blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy, adding water a tablespoon at a time as needed (try not to add more than 4 or so tablespoons for a thick cheese). Add the starter and pulse or process to combine.
- Transfer the cheese to a clean container, and cover the surface of the cheese lightly with plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming. Let it ferment at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for about 24 hours, until it has a nice tang.
- Melt the cocoa butter, and make sure it's not hot. Add to the fermented cheese, along with the nutritional yeast, white pepper, and salt. Use an immersion blender to combine the cocoa butter into the cashew mixture fully.
- Shape the cheese by placing in ramekins or molds, or using parchment paper and rolling them into logs. Place in the fridge to cool and set.
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