Recipe: Cashew Cheese

Animal suffering and the climate impact of animal products are causing many people to rethink the meat and dairy products they consume. The good news is there are alternatives. And you can make them yourself!

One of these alternatives is cashew cheese. Our colleague Carolin likes to experiment in her kitchen. She has come up with a simple and tasty recipe for cashew cheese using our cashew flour. We discussed how cashew flour is made on our blog here back in the spring.

A heavy-duty blender is usually needed to make nut cheese. But a normal handheld blender can do the job with our cashew flour! Instead of the probiotic capsules available in the health food store, you can also use 50 ml rejuvelac or brottrunk (simply reduce the amount of water accordingly).

Ingredients

• 200 g ground cashews
• 100 ml water
• 1 probiotic capsule
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp yeast flakes (for a particularly cheesy flavour, optional)

Preparation

1. Blend together the cashew flour, salt, water and lemon juice in a tall container (or a blender). The result should be a viscous, homogenous paste. If necessary, add a little more water. Next, open the probiotic capsule and add the contents to the mixture. You can throw away the casing. Mix the culture in well, but do not let the blender run too hot.
2. Now put the cashew mixture into a clean bowl or glass dish and cover well with a kitchen towel. Leave to mature in a warm place for 24 to 48 hours. In summer, a kitchen corner can do just fine. In winter, you can place the cheese near the heating or in the oven with its light switched on to mature. The cashew cheese is finished when it has a delicately sour taste – similar to cream cheese. Then keep in the fridge and consume swiftly. You can now use your cashew cheese as a spread or as an ingredient for other dishes.

Note: Make sure both your hands and kitchen are clean. Tingly cheese or mould are signs of the wrong bacteria. In that case, you should no longer eat the cheese!

Suggestions and variations

Herbal crust: You can give your cashew cheese a herbal crust made from fresh herbs or spices, such as chopped dill and black pepper.

Mediterranean: Mix the finished cheese with a small bunch of chopped basil and 4 finely chopped dried tomatoes.

Refreshing: Blend the cashew cheese with 50 g green peas and a few sprigs of fresh mint.

Oriental: Mix the mature cheese with 1 tsp curry powder and 2-3 finely chopped dates for this variation.

You are limited only by your imagination! Give it a try and tag us if you share your creations on social media.

Recipe and image from CaroKocht.