

Classic Cashew Cheese

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How to use Classic Cashew Cheese |


Classic Cashew Cheese //

4.9 from 7 reviews
Classic Cashew Cheese
Recipe type: dip, spread
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked)
  • ¼ cup filtered water
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tbs. dijon mustard
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  3. This will further harden after it's been chilled.
  5. Enjoy!
Recipe yields about 1½ cups
Nutrition Information


Classic Cashew Cheese // Classic Cashew Cheese //


Have a cheeeeeeesy day,

xo McKel

Share your thoughts

  • Thanks for this easy recipe! I can finally have Mac n Cheese again since I can’t have cheese anymore 🙁

  • Andrea

    Thank you! How long do you soak your cashews for?

  • Sarah Hornsby



    • Hi Sarah,
      Within the post I state “how to use” with used for this recipe. Thank you very much for your kind words and support! Hope you come back soon 🙂

  • Jenny

    What would happen if I tried to do this with a magic bullet or ninja blender?

    • Hi Jenny, it’s noted in the recipe you can use another high speed blender. This should work just fine, although it may not get as creamy as when using a Vitamix or Blendtec. 🙂

  • Yummmmmmmmm!


    • Wonderful! I’m glad you like the recipe. Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

  • tala

    How important is it that the cashew are raw? I have about a kg of roasted cashew at home, I could’t use them for this recipe could I ?


  • Jen

    I just used this as a filling for a vegan lasagna with lots of veggies. YUM! So good! It was my first attempt at cashew cheese. Seems like a winner to me!

    • Hi Jen! That’s a great idea, I’m glad you enjoyed it and gave it a try. Come back to visit soon 🙂

  • Adriana

    Hi McKel, is there any substitute for the nutritional yeast? I am on a candida diet and have been told I cannot eat it. Thanks!

    • Hi Adriana,
      Nutritional yeast is not an active yeast- it’s optional just for flavor (see the blog post for the directions)

  • Hi there! I can’t wait to try this recipe. How long will this last in the refrigerator?

  • This looks so delicious and I am excited to make it this coming week!

  • Teresa

    Where can I find nutritional yeast??

  • That looks super yummy! Not heard of cashew cheese before I must say, but I really do see the appeal!

  • Gina



    • Thank you Gina! I’m so glad you find this recipe delicious like I do, best to you- m.h.

  • Inês

    Dear McKel,
    is it possible to substitute the nutritional yeast used in this recipe for other product (could be a dairy product)? I can’t find nutritional yeast here… and the beer yeast I used almost “kill” me 😉 (a lot of stomach pains…). Thank you very much for your attention. All the best!

    • You can use any cheese you’d like instead of nutritional yeast, the concept is to make it vegan by getting the flavor of nutritional yeast, but you could add in a dairy cheese if you’d like- such as grated parm.

  • Rebecca


    • Hi Rebecca,
      You’re only using vinegar if you don’t use the wine! Not all at once 😉

  • Pam G

    I’ve made this several times now. I added smoked paprika to the last batch – delicious!

  • Greg

    This sounds great. Thank you. Have you every tried to heat it like a fondue?

    • Hi Greg,
      I haven’t tried to heat it other than by adding it to something that’s already hot, for example quinoa, pasta, etc. and it still tastes amazing!

  • Alison


    • You can stuff anything with these cheeses! Baking may be tricky as it’ll thin out in texture, I would try one at a time to see if you like the end texture, but it’s best used at room or chilled.


    • Hi Indian Delights,
      Thank you for asking, I don’t allow other blogs to repost my recipe, but you may share the direct link back to the original blog post to share. Yes, you can use other nuts and seeds to get a similar texture 🙂 Thank you!

      • Indian Delights

        Thank you for responding. Noted. We will just link to your recipe.

  • Jessica


    • Great question Jessica, you can use cashew butter in that form just as you would an almond butter/PB- try it on toast, with fruit, veggies, etc.! I wouldn’t incorporate it into this recipe, it’s best to make this one as is 🙂

  • christine


    • If you’re looking to add protein to this recipe you can add more nutritional yeast (this is primarily where the protein comes in) or add hemp seeds.

  • Aariggins


    • Did you add the nutritional yeast? That’s the most vital part of the recipe! It gives it that cheesey flavor (or simply use less dijon to your taste)- hope that helps for making round 2 😉

    • Amber

      Add extra nutritional yeast or just decrease the mustard. I also sometimes add extra garlic powder, salt and/or paprika to make it more cheesy

  • Marcie

    Wow! Absolutely delicious. You nailed it! Will be checking out your other recipes. Thank you.

  • Denise


  • Stephklok

    I added a dash of Worcestershire sauce and some almond milk and it made a fantastic blue cheese dressing!

  • Molly

    this is great! Thanks for posting! I just had it on a black bean burger and it was amazing! Can’t wait to try it on other things!

  • Fliss

    This is fantastic, so addictive. I left out the mustard, wine/vinegar, salt and pepper and added a splash of olive oil. It was amazing.

  • Emma


    • IF you did that I would recommend putting it on the pizza for the last 5 minutes or so in baking, just to warm it up!

  • Cathy


    • Great question, it can be used in place of cheese, but it’ll be a different texture kind of like a spread! It’ll be delicious on warm acorn squash!

    • Amber

      You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast on instead of parmesan for a cheesy flavor even without the other stuff. I’ve also seen recipes for vegan parmesan that I think used ground up walnuts with nutritional yeast and a couple other ingredients.haven’t made it in years, though. I usually just stir nutritional yeast in when I want it

  • Sandra

    Simple to make and amazing!! Thank you.

  • Wendy

    I used to make something very similar years ago….I added some Emmes gelatin,(vegetable), and it would be firm enough to cut like cheese… wasn’t quite as firm as REAL cheese, but worked very well in a sandwich…..can’t remember how much Emmes gelatin I used…it was a long time ago.????

    • McKel Hill

      That sounds so interesting! The world of nut cheeses and vegan cheeses are booming and actually are starting to include bacteria and natural fermentation- really cool stuff. 😉

  • Kerry

    Thank you for this amazing recipe, love it and so did my family. Have done it now a few times with family get togethers, we all eat dairy free so this was such a treat. Thank you for sharing. ????

    • McKel Hill

      Glad you and your family are enjoying this one Kerry!

  • Caroline

    I love cashew cheese! But, it looks like this recipe makes a lot for me to eat in a week! I could half it or do you think I could put half in the freezer?

    • McKel Hill

      You can simply make half- you can’t freeze this recipe ><

  • Penny

    Sounds delish. Is this suitable for freezing?

    • McKel Hill

      I wouldn’t recommend freezing it! Best when raw and made fresh for up to 1 week in the fridge 😉 Enjoy Penny!

  • Rachel Rose

    Hi there! I’m excited to try this recipe to make veggie [cashew] cheese-stuffed portobello mushrooms! But I have a question: do you have to dehydrate the soaked cashews before making this cheese?

    • Rachel Rose

      Forgot to add: You mention in an earlier post to soak the nuts for 20 mins to an hour. can they be soaked overnight?

      • McKel Hill

        Yes you can soak them overnight if you’d like!

    • McKel Hill

      No, you don’t need to dehydrate the cashews before making them into the cheese! It actually helps that they’re soft, they blend much easier 🙂

  • killoran

    I love this and make it all the time now. On toast it sorta tastes like grilled cheese. Dip crackers and/or pretzels in it. Serve it on macaroni. Add it to sandwiches. Great on Grillers (vegan hamburgers). Thank you for the recipe. I use regular mustard, and bump it up, but I’ve made it w/o mustard too. I use way more nutritional yeast, and red wine if that’s all I have. I’ve added instant mashed potato flakes to it as well, to thicken it a bit, but like that it’s not hard.

    • McKel Hill

      So glad you enjoy it that many ways Killoran! It’s delicious one 😉

  • Lynn

    Hi, could you be more specific on the nutritional value? there are conflicting stats on the interwebs and I really have to watch everything I eat. I do not understand Fat: 4.

    Thank you for your post and time.

    • McKel Hill

      Hi Lynn, you can visit and input the blog post URL and it’ll find it and calculate it for you! Hope that helps you and tracking 🙂

  • Dianna Roberts

    Just whipped this up and really liked it. Added another clove of garlic and an Anaheim pepper. Think it could use a little salt, maybe, but will definitely add this to my standard repertoire.

    • McKel Hill

      Great, always adjust seasonings to taste 😉

  • Shilo Hazard

    Just finished making this. Don’t think I’ll use the mustard next time or very little. I can really taste the mustard in there. May add a little more salt too. Looking forward to trying it again once it’s been chilled.

    • Thanks for the feedback! I personally LOVE mustard so I’ll note that in the recipe. I hope you enjoy once it’s chilled!

  • Rachel P

    sounds like a great recipe! i am going to use this for a casserole i’m bringing to thanksgiving. my aunt makes a casserole with broccoli, cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup mixed together and then cheddar on top. it is a childhood favorite but having been vegan for 2 years now it definitely disturbs me to even think about eating it. so i’m going to make a layered vegan casserole inspired by the original, without subbing for processed oil filled vegan alternatives. i’m thinking: thawed frozen broccoli florets (gotta save time!), cashew cream cheese, and a simple topping made of whole wheat panko mixed with herbs and a little nooch. wish me luck! ????

  • Shaun Day

    I used a variation of this recipe in to vegan broccoli risotto as a substitute for Parmesan that would normally be add at the end of cooking, was delicious!

  • Pingback: Going Vegetarian? | Kate()

  • Amber

    I like to make cashew cheese with some added seasonings for nachos. Tonight it’s going as a sauce on pizza with cauliflower pizza crust

    • Love the flexibility of adding spices to the cashew cheese! So glad you’re enjoying it Amber 🙂

  • Riley Elizabeth Schwarcz

    This is delicious! So glad I used this recipe

    • McKel Hill

      Thanks for the kind words, Riley! I’m so glad you enjoyed!


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