Garlic and Dill Cheese
This creamy Garlic and Dill Vegan Cheese is a soft, spreadable plant-based delight bursting with fresh herbs and bold garlic flavor—perfect for crackers, sandwiches, and snack boards!
Servings: 30 1 tbsp Servings
Equipment
- Food Processor or High-Speed Blender
- Cheese Cloth
- Fine Mesh Strainer or Colander
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews
- 10 oz Silken Tofu
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest About the zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice About the juice of 2 lemons
- ½ to ⅔ cup Water
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Fresh Dill Finely minced
- ½ tbsp Lemon Zest About the zest of ½ a lemon
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water and set aside for 1 hour. Then drain.
- Once soaked, drain cashews thoroughly and add to a food processor or high-speed blender. Add the silken tofu, minced garlic, garlic powder, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, starting with lesser amount, nutritional yeast, salt, and olive oil.
- Process or blend until very creamy and smooth, scraping down sides and adding additional water as needed. Then taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Place a fine mesh strainer or colander over a large mixing bowl, and lay down two layers of cheesecloth or a clean, fine, absorbent towel.
- Use a spatula to scoop all the cheese over the cheesecloth, then gather the corners and twist the top gently to form the cheese into a “disc.” Secure with a rubber band.
- Place in refrigerator to set for at least 6 hours, preferably 12, or until excess moisture has been wicked away, and it holds its form when released from the cheesecloth. The longer it sits in the fridge the more it will firm up.
- To serve, unwrap from cheesecloth and gently place onto a serving platter. Reform the cheese disk with your hands or cheesecloth as needed, then coat it with chopped herbs and ½ tbsp lemon zest, if you would like. The cheese disk is fragile, so handle it gently.
- Enjoy chilled with crackers or vegetables. Cheese will hold its form for 1 to 2 hours out of the refrigerator, but best when chilled. Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.