I tried making vegan cheese from scratch — here’s how it went

I love a good store-bought vegan cheese board, but my budget does not.

Also, half the labels read like a chemistry midterm.

So I did what any pop-culture snacker with a streak of chaos would do: spent a weekend turning my kitchen into a dairy-free test lab. My goal wasn’t to win awards. I just wanted three things—something fluffy for toast, something melty for nachos, and something sliceable for sandwiches.

By Sunday night, I had all three…and a counter dusted in tapioca like a K-pop rehearsal stage after a confetti cannon.

Here’s exactly what worked, what flopped, and how you can skip my mistakes.

Gear check and pantry MVPs

You don’t need a culinary degree — just the right tools and a few clutch ingredients.

I used a high-speed blender (a regular one can work; soak longer), a small saucepan, a silicone spatula, a fine mesh strainer or nut-milk bag, and two containers or molds.

Pantry heroes: raw cashews or blanched almonds for body, tapioca starch for stretch, agar-agar flakes or powder to firm things up, lemon juice or lactic acid for tang, miso for depth, and nutritional yeast for that nutty “aged” vibe.

Add olive oil for silk, garlic/onion powder for backbone, and salt like you mean it. Pro tip: measure before you start cooking—these mixtures thicken fast.

Cheese #1: 15-minute almond ricotta (fluffy, tangy, foolproof)

This was my warm-up and instant ego boost. It’s forgiving, fast, and actually tastes like something you’d spread on good sourdough.

You’ll need: 1 cup blanched slivered almonds (or raw cashews), ½–¾ cup hot water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp white miso (optional but clutch), 1–2 tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp garlic powder.

Steps:

1. Soak + soften. Cover almonds with just-boiled water for 10–15 minutes (cashews need only 10). Drain.

2. Blend. Add nuts, ½ cup hot water, lemon, oil, miso, nooch, salt, garlic to the blender. Blitz on high until fluffy and slightly grainy like dairy ricotta. Add water 1 tbsp at a time to reach spoonable curds.

3. Taste + tweak. More lemon for brightness, more salt for pop, a glug of oil for richness.

4. Chill. Scoop into a container and refrigerate 30 minutes to set.

How I used it: dolloped on toast with roasted tomatoes; folded into stuffed shells with spinach; smeared on crackers with hot honey (vegan, obviously).

Texture note: It holds its shape but stays soft—no slicing, just glorious swoops.

Cheese #2: Stretchy stove-top queso (potato-carrot-tapioca magic)

This is the one that made me yell, “LOOK AT THE PULL,” to no one. The base is humble veggies; the texture comes from tapioca starch doing its bouncy thing.

You’ll need: 1 cup peeled potato chunks, ½ cup carrot slices, ½ cup raw cashews (soaked 10 min), ¾ cup water, 3 tbsp tapioca starch, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2–3 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, pinch turmeric (color), hot sauce to taste.

Steps:

1. Boil veg. Simmer potatoes and carrots until very tender (10–12 minutes). Drain.

2. Blend smooth. Add veggies, soaked cashews, water, oil, nooch, vinegar/lemon, spices to blender. Blend until satin-smooth.

3. Activate the stretch. Return the mixture to a saucepan, whisk in tapioca starch until fully dissolved (no lumps).

4. Heat + stir. Cook over medium, stirring constantly. In 2–3 minutes it transforms from silky to glossy and stretchy—like fondue’s extrovert cousin.

5. Serve hot. Pour over chips, tacos, broccoli, or your soul.

Texture note: Reheats well with a splash of water; keeps 4–5 days. It won’t set into slices (wrong recipe), but it will drape and stretch like a mozzarella TikTok.

Cheese #3: Sliceable mozz (agar-set, sandwich-ready)

I wanted something you can slice, not just spoon. Agar-agar (a seaweed-derived gelling agent) brings the structure while tapioca adds a gentle bend. Think fresh mozzarella meets firm provolone.

You’ll need: 1 cup raw cashews (soak 30 min), 1⅓ cups water (divided), 2 tbsp refined coconut oil or olive oil, 2 tbsp tapioca starch, 1½–2 tsp agar-agar powder (see note), 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp lactic acid solution, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white miso, 1 tsp sugar (helps browning), ½ tsp garlic powder (optional).

Steps:

1. Blend base. Drain cashews. Blend with 1 cup water, oil, tapioca, lemon/lactic, salt, miso, sugar, garlic until ultra-smooth—no grit allowed.

2. Activate agar. In a small saucepan, whisk agar into ⅓ cup water. Bring to a boil, then simmer 2 minutes, whisking; it must dissolve completely to gel later.

3. Combine + cook. Pour the hot agar slurry into the blender and blitz 10–15 seconds. Immediately return the mix to the saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it thickens and turns glossy (1–2 minutes).

4. Mold. Scrape into a lightly oiled round container or silicone mold. Smooth the top.

5. Chill. Refrigerate 2–3 hours. Turn out and slice.

Texture note: Use 1½ tsp agar for softer, bouncy slices; 2 tsp for firmer, grate-able blocks. Melts into soft puddles on pizza under strong heat; on grilled cheese it softens and hugs the bread but won’t ooze like dairy—still very satisfying.

Optional flex: tangy probiotic chèvre (24–36 hours)

If you like a little funk, this is the easiest ferment-lite.

You’ll need: 1 cup soaked cashews, 3–4 tbsp water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, 1 probiotic capsule (dairy-free).

Steps:

1. Blend thick. Aim for cream-cheese thickness.

2. Inoculate. Stir in probiotic powder.

3. Ferment. Cover with a clean cloth and leave at room temp 24–36 hours. Taste for tang.

4. Shape + chill. Roll in herbs, cracked pepper, or everything-bagel seasoning.

Flavor: bright, tangy, spreadable. Amazing with olives and a playlist of vintage city-pop.

Flavor architecture: how to make it taste “cheesy,” not “nutty”

• Acid = tang. Lemon is bright; apple cider vinegar is mellow; lactic acid (food-grade) is the most “cheese-accurate.” Add in drops, taste often.

• Umami = depth. White miso brings fermented bass notes without fishiness. A pinch of onion and garlic powder wakes the blend up.

• Fat = luxury. Olive oil = fruity and soft; refined coconut oil = firmer set, cleaner flavor. Don’t overdo it or you’ll mute tang.

• Salt = non-negotiable. Cheese is salty. If it tastes “meh,” it’s probably under-salted.

Troubleshooting: the blooper reel (so you don’t repeat it)

• Gritty texture? Soak nuts longer or blend hotter/longer. If your blender is mid-strength, start with cashews, not almonds.

• Soup instead of stretch? Tapioca needs heat to activate. Keep stirring over medium until it goes glossy and elastic.

• Rubbery sliceable cheese? Too much agar or overcooked. Drop agar by ¼ tsp next time and pull it from heat as soon as it thickens.

• Bland result? Add ¼–½ tsp more salt, a splash of lemon, or ½ tsp more miso. You’re seasoning a blank canvas—be bold.

• Doesn’t melt? Plant cheeses soften more than they melt. For pizza, shred thin, add a few spoonfuls of the stretchy queso on top, and bake hot (500°F/260°C). Teamwork makes the melt work.

Cost, time, and sustainability math

On price, homemade won.

My almond ricotta cost roughly the same as a boutique tub but yielded twice as much.

The queso was pennies—potatoes and carrots are the coupon queens of cheese world.

The agar-set block came out 30–40% cheaper than a branded slice pack. Time-wise, ricotta is 15 minutes, queso 25 with cleanup, mozz an hour including chill time (hands-on about 15).

Waste-wise, I reused glass jars and bought nuts from the bulk bins, which shaved packaging and cash. Bonus: everything froze well except the ricotta (texture got watery—just eat that fresh).

The verdict (and my new default)

If you’re vegan-curious or just dairy-light, start with the almond ricotta. It’s a no-stress win you’ll use constantly.

For game day or Netflix nachos, the stretchy queso is the star—put it on broccoli if you must feel virtuous. And for sandwiches or pizza night, the agar-set mozz is absolutely worth the minor science experiment.

Will I still buy fancy vegan cheese sometimes?

Of course. But now I’ve got a three-cheese rotation that’s budget-friendly, pantry-powered, and weeknight simple.

Call it my plant-based holy trinity: scoop, stretch, slice.