Remember those Sharp Cheddar Cheese Balls we used to get during the holidays? I wanted so bad to recreate one this year, but got this Holiday Vegan Cheese Spread instead. No matter, it still tastes absolutely delicious!
I was actually a little disappointed it did not firm up into a ball like I wanted, even after sitting in the refrigerator overnight. But then I tasted it and oh my….. this was just too good to not think about sharing it.
Of course, I did ask my Facebook Group if they would rather wait for the actual cheese ball recipe to come out instead, and their answer was loud and clear!
Give us the Vegan Cheese Spread! lol
So here you go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Both my official taste testers (my wife and daughter) gave it an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up so I’m thinking it’s pretty darn good.
You can make a simple cheese and cracker platter for your Holiday gathering by using Rye Crisps, Melba Toasts, or a product found in many stores called “Mary’s Gone Crackers”, all 3 of which are oil-free.
I wish I could say the Cheese Spread itself was low-fat but sadly I cannot. I used Sunflower Seeds for the bulk of it so there are some calories in this, hence the name HOLIDAY Cheese Ball. If you are watching your weight – you certainly don’t want to be eating this every day.
But as a treat? I think your Holiday guest will love it.
Sunflower Seeds vs Cashews
I chose Sunflower Seeds over Cashews this time because they are not nearly as costly as cashews, and I don’t mean just monetarily either.
If you didn’t know, the US imports the majority of its Cashews (actually a seed from the Cashew Apple) from Brazil, Vietnam, and India.
The process of shelling the nut exposes workers to harmful acids that lie between the layers of shell on the cashew nut, which causes painful burns to their hands
Some 500,000 people work in India’s cashew nut industry – nearly all women – who are paid as little as £2 a day for the arduous labour with no contracts, no guarantee of steady income and no pension or holiday pay.
https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/04/women-india-pay-price-cashew-nut-demand-vegan-diets-rise-9110415/
Many of the women were not given gloves and those that were chose not to wear them as it slowed their work down – they are paid by volume.
One nut sheller, Pushpa Gandhi, 30, told the newspaper she is covered in scars from her work shelling cashews but makes just 200 rupees a day, or £2.15 (that’s about $2.83 in US dollars) .
In addition, sunflower seeds are grown here locally in the US (so there’s less transportation involved), AND they require a LOT less water to grow – so they are a lot more environmentally friendly.
Finally, there are none of the ethical concerns I stated above AND – they are healthier too!
Ounce for ounce, they have LESS fat, MORE fiber, and MORE calcium – so it’s the pretty Sunflowers for the win.
I love cashews, but honestly, if Sunflower Seeds can give us the same creamy sauces and cheese, why not use them?
So…. ready to try something new? I think you’ll like the result.
Let’s go make some Vegan Cheese.
Holiday Vegan Cheese Spread
Start by getting some raw, unsalted, unroasted, shelled Sunflower Seeds from your favorite Grocery Store. Many stores will have these in their bulk bins now. If you can’t find them, you can always try Trader Joes, Aldis, Whole Foods, or of course, Amazon.
Measure one cup of seeds into a small bowl and cover with hot water. Depending on your blender, we’re going to let these soak at least 1-2 hrs. I have a Vitamix, and even after soaking 1 hr I still had to scrape down the sides several times to get it smooth and creamy.
Next, we drain our seeds and add them to a blender along with all the remaining ingredients in the recipe box below. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
I only added enough water at the end to help it get creamy. I added 1 Tbs at a time until I got the consistency I was looking for.
At this point, it will be very soft but you can go ahead and taste it – I know you’re wanting to 🙂 .
I then lined a small bowl or ramekin with clear plastic wrap and scooped the cheese into the bowl to sit overnight in the fridge. It will thicken slightly and by allowing it to rest – it will give it time for all those yummy flavors to meld together.
That’s it – pretty easy recipe. No cooking involved, just a little patience and a blender.
Speaking of which, as I said above, I do use a Vitamix.
I have had many blenders throughout the years but my Vitamix is definitely my favorite. It’s powerful, easy to use, and super easy to clean. I simply add a little water and a dash of dish soap and turn it on – it basically cleans itself.
I’ll add an Amazon Link below as maybe they will have a Holiday Special you might like.
Keep in mind that as an Amazon Associate, I do earn from qualifying purchases but at no extra cost to you.
That’s it for this week, please be sure and let me know in the comments below how it went and what you think of my “Seed Cheese”.
It does remind me of those Sharp Cheddar Cheese Balls I used to love but maybe to you – it won’t. Regardless, I still think it’s pretty good so be sure and let me know.
See you soon and oh! …… I almost forgot!
Happy Holidays from all of us here at BNV!
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Description
Remember those Sharp Cheddar Cheese Balls we used to get during the holidays? I wanted so bad to recreate one this year, but got this Holiday Vegan Cheese Spread instead. No matter, it still tastes absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds (raw, unroasted, unsalted)
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbs white miso
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
- Up to 2 Tbs water as needed to blend
Instructions
- Cover seeds with hot water and allow to soak 1-2 hrs or more.
- Drain seeds and add to blender
- Add all remaining ingredients (except water) and blend until smooth
- Scrape down the sides as necessary
- Add 1 to 2 Tbs water as needed to make a smooth and creamy paste
- Cover and allow to sit overnight in fridge for best flavor
- Serve with your favorite Vegan Crackers or Crudités
- Garnish with addtional paprika or thyme as desired
Keywords: vegan cheese spread, sharp cheddar, vegan cheese ball
Lin
I can’t wait to try this! Chuck, I wonder if you poured it into some cooked agar agar if it wouldn’t firm up into the cheese ball consistency you are looking for. I may try that when I make this recipe.
★★★★★
Chuck Underwood
I have thought about using agar – but I TRY to post recipes where the ingredients are easy for everyone to find. I will probably try it myself – and I’ll let you know what happens.
Shawna
Yest, try agar agar Chuck!
Angie
What brand of nutritional yeast do you use? I haven’t liked any “cheese” I’ve tried yet and I’m thinking it could be the brand of nutritional yeast I’m using! Thanks in advance!
Chuck Underwood
I buy mine from a bulk bin at my local Fred Meyer Grocery Store (Kroger). I think…..it is a Red Star brand.
Angie
Thanks a bunch! We have Kroger so I’ll see if it’s the bulk bin!
Peacefeline
Hi Angie,
I have found that the unfortified nutritional yeast has a nicer flavor for me and that is what I started with. Now I can eat either unfortified or fortified but I had to start out with the unfortified for the best flavor. It might work for you too.
Debby
Do the sesame seeds have to be raw? I have most of the ingredients already but my seeds are roasted.
Chuck Underwood
I think it will be better if they are, yes.
Fily V Wolczek
Hi Chuck! All your recipes are fab! On this cheese ball one, I wonder if I could try replacing the seeds with white beans? It would virtually eliminate the fat, but I wonder if the texture would be the same? Thanks!
Chuck Underwood
Doubt it? But don’t really know.
lee
texture would be a little more firmer, which they are used in place of some things like agar agar, etc.
Suzy
Hi Chuck. How long will this last in the fridge? Thanks! Looks great!!
Chuck Underwood
Probably not long! lol. It will be devoured quickly!!
Mary Anne Thompson
I cannot eat red or green peppers but am going to try this with either a roasted carrot or with sun dried (aka dehydrated) tomato. What else could substitute the red pepper?
Mary Anne Thompson
Since I cannot eat peppers, I made the cheese recipe using 3 medium sized radishes to replace the pepeprs and the cheese was delicious. It is good to use sunflower seeds for cheese since they cost less and pose less risk to produce. Thanks.
★★★★★
Winona Davies
A thought…I use psyllium husk to bind in my gluten free baking. It requires only a small amount (1 or 2 tsp for a recipe this size) Maybe that would work to firm it up without the hardness agar gives? Psylliums bulking as a stool softener only happens in larger quantities.
This looks yumm! New Years eve with some Mary’s Gone Crackers is what I’m thinking!
Margaret
Hi Chuck, this looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the information regarding cashew harvesting. How do you think sunflower seeds would hold up in your other recipes that use cashews? My initial thinking is that the taste would be totally different.
Elena Valentino
Thank you for bringing the ethical problems with cashew to my attention and finding an alternative for this recipe. Thank you for all you do for us.
Leyla
How far in advance can I make this before a party?
Susan McClain
I made this last night and let it sit til this afternoon and it is amazing! Hoping it will be okay in the fridge til Tuesday night for a Christmas party! Thanks so much for the info on cashews my problem is that I’m celiac and have to be careful about bulk bins… but I had everything… I used granulated garlic powder and I had frozen red peppers and it worked really well! Scraping all the good stuff out of the blender proved to be a challenge… my blender worked well and it isn’t a high dollar one!
★★★★★
Kristie
I saw a video on YouTube where the dad used agar agar to make a sliceable cheese like Velveeta and it worked really well. Heres the video with recipe. It’s from IKillChickpeas https://youtu.be/X2Q25wpmBOw
I’ll be making you cheese this week, I prefer to the sunflower seeds too.
★★★★★
Ilka Luza
Great recipe ! I added some rolled oats to bind and it worked really well. My blender isn’t really blending it to a super creamy consistency but even with a few lumps it was delicious. Thank you !
★★★★★
SR
Looks yummy, can’t wait to try. Since I have no Vitamix, for recipes that call for cashews on other sites I’ve been using jarred cashew butter (1/2 cup butter for every cup of cashews) . I checked and it looks like 1 cup sunflower seeds makes about 1/3 cup butter. So as long as you get the kind with no additional oil or sugar or salt it should work. Sun Butter’s organic version fits. Others may have some salt. Something to consider if Vitamix is not yet in your budget & you make occasional recipes with blended seeds.
Beth
This looks delicious but I am allergic to sunflower seeds% If I used cashews how much would I need.
Chuck Underwood
1:1 replacement.
Sue Ann
Would it work to substitute pumpkin seeds for the sunflower seeds? Thanks!
JIm
made this LOVE IT
Angie Greaney
Blended some up yesterday for our Cristmas gathering today. We had to try a few crackers with the spread this morning and wow!!! It is excellent! Thank you for this and many of your other delicious creations!
★★★★★
Erin
Very easy recipe. I didn’t have a red pepper so used orange. I blended it first in food processor, but couldn’t get it nice and smooth. Finished it in 3 small batches using magic bullet. I probably used 5 or 6 tablespoons of water total to get it to blend. It’s very tasty and does have a nice tang like cheddar cheese. Will definitely make this one again, thanks Chuck.