This Almond Milk Pepper jack shreds and melts. Super easy and quick to whip up. Free of Dairy, egg, soy, gluten. can be made corn-free
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A quick post today with this Easy Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese. This vegan cheese has almond milk, starches and agar to thicken and stretch, Chickpea flour for taste and texture and voila! You can also make this with coconut milk or cashew milk. The cheese with cashew milk will be whiter on melting. The almond milk cheese shreds with a large grater! Use it on a Pizza or grilled Sammie.
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More Vegan Cheese Recipes from the blog:
Try this Cauliflower Cheddar Slices
Some Cashew Mozzarella made into Mozzarella Sticks!
Green Goddess Gouda
This Pepper Jack shreds! If you want to make it really hard, try pomona’s pectin like this recipe.
Almond Milk Pepper Jack cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) almond milk divided
- 1.5 Tbsp tapioca starch or use arrowroot starch
- 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1.5 Tbsp chickpea flour
- 2 Tbsp or more nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp or more lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder or use 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) onion powder
- 2.5 tsp agar powder see note for agar flakes
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) or more red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Grease a glass container with extra virgin olive oil and keep ready. In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup almond milk with the starches, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, spices and salt.
- In a pan, add 1 cup of almond milk and agar powder and heat on medium heat, Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 4 mins.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly add in the almond milk starch mixture from step 1 and mix.
- Increase heat to medium and continue to mix and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add in the pepper flakes and fold in. Carefully (the mix will be hot) taste and adjust salt, tang (lemon juice) and spice. You want it to be slightly more saltier, spicier in the liquid state.
- Take off heat and pour in a well greased glass container. Let set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Use a large grater to shred and use.
Notes
for variations: Use other plant milks like cashew milk or coconut milk. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Almond Milk Pepper Jack
Allergen Information: Free of Dairy, egg, soy, gluten. Can be corn-free
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond milk, divided
1.5 Tbsp tapioca starch or use arrowroot starch
1.5 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
1.5 Tbsp chickpea flour
2 Tbsp or more nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp or more lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder or use 1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp onion powder
2.5 tsp agar powder
1/2 tsp or more red pepper flakes
Method:
1. Grease a glass container with extra virgin olive oil and keep ready. In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup almond milk with the starches, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast. extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, spices and salt.
2. In a pan, add 1 cup of almond milk and agar and heat on medium heat, Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 4 mins.
3. Reduce heat to low and slowly add in the almond milk + starch mixture from step 1 and mix.
4. Increase heat to medium and continue to mix and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add in the pepper flakes and fold in. Carefully (the mix will be hot) taste and adjust salt, tang (lemon juice) and spice. You want it to be slightly more saltier, spicier in the liquid state.
6. Take off heat and pour in a well greased glass container. Let set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Use a large grater to shred and use.
Note: if using agar flakes, use 2.5 to 3 Tbsp of the flakes and cook with the almond milk for 12 to 15 minutes in step 2 and mix to completely dissolve.
for variations: Use other plant milks like cashew milk or coconut milk.
Shredded up on a Pizza below. No that is not hair, its just onion skin. Pizza recipe here.
Patrice Anita
I made this yesterday and hoped it would melt. Today I grated some, topped a tortilla and put it on a covered griddle…IT MELTED!! I am so happy and oh yes, it is delicious! Thank you so much. I am on a very low salt diet so I left out the salt and amped up the pepper flakes and am very happy. I am freezing a small portion to see how it holds up in the freezer and then defrosted. Thanks again.
Richa
Yay
Fady
I just want to say thank you so so much!!! I have been looking to make cheese for a very very long time and all the recipes involve curdling and are hard to follow. I made this and the cheese hold up so well i can lift it with one finger and it still wont fall apart. It melts nicely too! I added greek seasoning to mine and it was fantastic. Cheese is my favourite food and I am so happy that I can now make it at home!
Vegan Richa Support
perfect! so glad to hear Fady =)
Sue
Yummy! Thanks Richa.
Just an appreciative gal
Haven’t even waited the hour for this to set in the fridge – the liquid taste test pleased me enough to say bravo! I subbed cappa karageenan for the agar, added a little lemon pepper and liquid smoke where you suggested taste testing for spiciness, and my goodness! I cannot believe how cheesy and tasty this recipe is.
Vegan Richa Support
I say Bravo as well! thank you
Kris
Would this work without the oil?
Rajni Agarwal
I hv vegan nacho sauce made from veggies n hummus, I like both flavour, can I cook them separately on stive with some china grass strips n wl it become vegan cheese when refrigerated
Vegan Richa Support
what are china grass strips?
Brian
Can you substitute xantham gum for agar? Any alternatives for gelling. Also having trouble finding arrowroot or tapioca.
Vegan Richa Support
how about fruit pectin? or use chickpea flour like Nut Free Vegan Nacho Cheese Slices. Gluten-free Recipe
Anjani
I follow the exact steps listed on this recipes and I used black chickpea flour. When I was tryin to shred on the pizza it was not shredding but rather crumbled in my hand . I don’t what went wrong. Any suggestions?
Thank you
Richa
probably because the black chickpea flour is not as thickening as white chickpea flour which is what i use here. you can just slice and use
Anjani
Oh I see and it wasn’t melting when I sliced. Do you think it’s because of chickpea flour? What is the good substitute for chickpea flour?
Christine Abernathy
I’ve made this recipe and I am amazed at how close it gets to the flavor! I keep it melty and put it over nachos. It’s a great alternative!!! Incredible!! Thank you Richa!!
Richa
awesome!
Elizabeth
Question!!! I accidentally added cashews to mine thinking it was like all the other recipes… Will this do anything? I just out it in the fridge and I’m waiting. Thank you!
Richa
should be fine
Ah
This was my first homemade cheese and I will definitely be making it again. I like the flavour and have had it on pizza, crackers, toast. Mine turned out a solid but spreadable, too soft to grate. I could only find something called vege-gel to use as the gelling agent so might try to adjust the quantities a little to make it more firm next time, but it’s been great. Thanks for the recipe and comments!
Richa
awesome! yes adjust the gelling agent to get to a grateable state.
Aileen
Should it go in the fridge covered or uncovered?
Richa
covered
Petra
This recipe looks incredible and I’m dying to make it! Only thing is, I don’t have chickpea flour. Is there another flour/starch or something else I could substitute? Thank you so much!
Richa
regular flour will work
Vinny
Hey Richa‼️
Am going to make this cheese to shred into your Lentil-Vegetable Frittata from your Everyday Kitchen cookbook. I make the Chickpea Flour Vegetable Frittata 😋❣️frequently (doubling the recipe for a 13×9!) but haven’t tried the Lentil one yet.
Regarding:
2. In a pan, add 1 cup of almond milk and agar and heat on medium heat, Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 4 mins.
Should I keep the rolling boil going for the full 4 mins.?
Richa
awesome!
yes almost a rolling boil.
Somya Singh
Hi richa! Big fan of a lot of your recipes!! A quick question tho, I can’t find agar ANYWHERE within like a 30 mile radius, so could I make the cheese without it? I know it would probably be runny and more saucy, but would it have any impact on the flavor?
Richa
Yes, you can make it w/o Agar. It is only for setting the cheese and it does not change the flavor.
lekawa
Just made this and it tastes amazing! I haven’t chilled it yet so don’t know about the sliceability, but at this point I couldn’t care less. It tastes that good. I wasn’t expecting it to be a big stretchy mass by the time I finished cooking it…. Is this the way it’s supposed to be?
Richa
Great! It does get stiff because of the agar. Let it chill for a more set texture. You can adjust starch and agar for a texture you prefer.
Beatriz
How long can I store in the fridge in an air-tight container and also can i freeze it (already sliced or shred)?
Richa
4 days in the fridge. i havent tried freezing it, but it should work out ok. The texture might change slightly
Hannah
I’ve tried this with unsweetened cashew milk and a teaspoon of white miso and it came out fantastic. Question – do you think that, with less agar and a more spreadable texture, this could be used as a healthier alternative to vegan butter?
Richa
thats awesome! vegan butter is a different texture and use. it needs to have tons of oils so that it can melt like butter. it would be more like a spreadable cheese
Cici
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipes, I have tried to make it today, so delicious taste like the real cheese, I don ‘ t have nutritional yeast , so I used organi mushroom bullion block and used 4 fresh small thai cillies grounded.🍕🧀🧀🍕
Nicole
I think I want to give this a try especially because you showed it used in so many recipes! Almond grilled cheese, please! Really though, this looks spectacular and easy to make (relatively!)
Natalie
Hi Richa,
Just made this cheese (and the bbq sriracha pizza as well!) and they were absolutely delicious–thanks for sharing these wonderful cheese recipes!
I did notice however, that my cheese didn’t seem quite as hard as yours–it didn’t shred as easily and also didn’t melt as nicely as yours–do you have any thoughts as to why this might have happened?
My guess is that I didn’t let it sit in the fridge long enough–I left it in for an hour and a half–do you think this might have been the issue? Just want to perfect it for next time! 🙂
Thanks so much!
Richa
Hmm, yes that and maybe add more agar powder. I use a somewhat close to minimun amount for a good texture and meltability and it can fall short depending on the brand of agar, other ingredients etc. Add another tsp
Brenda
I made this cheese today and wondering if there is a way to make it so it’s not so soft? I found it hard to grate without it becoming too soft and somewhat mushy I followed the directions exactly as stated, so just a little unsure.
Richa
double the agar powder and try. sometimes the agar powder depending on brand needs additional amounts for similar effect.
Brenda
Thanks! I will try doubling the agar powder and can’t wait to try your other recipes, they look great!
Nirali
I made this cheese yesterday and it was soooo amazing. I would like to give it a 6 out of 5:). My lil son who is allergic to dairy couldn’t tell the difference and gobbled the entire pizza (which was also GF and Corn Free). However, I didn’t realize nutritional yeast was different and added instant yeast. Anyways I have already ordered nutritional yeast and plan to try all your cheeses:). You are our hero!!! Thanks and keep posting:).
Richa
This is awesome! Yes, definitely use nutritional yeast for cheesier flavor to add to any creamy sauces, cheeses etc.
Liane Blanco
I just made a batch using pectin. I discovered too late that the brand I was using was sweetened. However, it still tastes really good! I’ll get the right kind of pectin next time.
Richa
oops. 🙂
Marty
Hi, I was wondering which Almond milk I should use? I buy the Almond Breeze brand. Should I use the original or unsweetened? Thanks.
Richa
unsweetened. Any of the other brands which have unsweetened options might work too
Chris
Hey there!
Great recipe!
But i cant get the cheese solid. 🙁
I used agar agar powder and for the corn- and tapiokastarch i used arrowrootstarch.
Its like a cream :'(
An answer and suggestion would be great!
Greetings
Chris
Richa
I think all arrowroot doesnt work as well. You need a combination of starches. If it is too liquidy creamy, then the agar powder either did not dissolve well or did not activate well or its too old and has lost its gelling capability. With the agar, the cheese should generally set a bit to somewhat soft state even with the changed starches.
The recipe makes a set cheese which is soft and will not shred like a hard cheese. It shreds into soft shreds that can be used over pizza. You an freeze it for a bit to harden for shredding. Maybe the soft consistency is what you mean by creamy?
Chris
Hey! Thanks for the answer and thoughts about it! 🙂
Hmmm… let me think of a comparison for the texture… it was more like pudding, when still hot and “liquid” after boiling it!
Looks far away from your pictures or a “shredability” of any kind. 😀 🙁
The agar agar powder was in a still sealed packgage that is +/- one week old. 🙂
I guess i will try it with a starch combination than next! … is there one of the starches you would recommend the most for combination with the arrowroot?
Or just stick with cornstarch + tapioca and not using the arrowroot at all?
Greetings from Germany and thanks again so far! 🙂
Chris
Angelica
The consistence and the flavor of this cheese is awesome! It’s the only veg cheese I’ve made more than once because it’s really good! Many others are just “meh”. I replaced some jalapeno to the chili flakes the second time, I now can’t stop eat it 😀 It also “melt” in a way other homemade cheeses don’t! REALLY THANK YOU for sharing!
Richa
Awesome!
Katalin
Der Käse ist geschmacklich top. Für Sandwich, oder zur Pasta geraspelt sehr gut. Zum Überbacken nehme ich aber nie wieder. Ich habe mich exakt an das Rezept gehalten, der Käse ist aber auf unserer Pizza nicht zerlaufen, sondern verbrannt, bevor die Pizza durch war. Ich habe mich sehr geändert und die Enttäuschung war bei den Kindern sehr groß, weil die Pizzen leider wegschmeißen mussten. Sorry, ich weiß nicht warum es derart schief gelaufen ist, ich bin zwar neu als Veganerin aber eine sehr erfahrene Köchin…
Richa
I am not sure why it burned quickly on the pizza. What ingredients did you change in the recipe? That has never happened to me with this cheese even when i broil.
Katalin Kovács-Bea
Hallo, ich glaube, es lag an der Stärke. Ich habe zum ersten Mal Maisstärke genommen. Der Käse hat aber so gut geschmeckt, dass ich oft wieder gemacht habe. Ich habe aber Tapiokastärke und Pfeilwurz genommen. So hat sehr gut funktioniert! Besonders mit zusätzlich Bärlauch drin ☺️danke und es tut mir leid, wegen meiner Aufregung am Anfang. Es ist eh sehr schwer mit Google Übersetzer Rezepte zu verwirklichen ☺️dein Buch habe ich auch schon gekauft Richa! Bitte so weitermachen! Liebe Grüße!
Richa
Awesome! I know the translator is weird. If you translate it correctly yourself, please do leave it in the comment here so others who want the translation can follow it!
Tammy OHagan
WHere can I find chickpea flour? I search Thrivemarket.com and Amazon.com, neither have it!
Richa
its called garbanzo bean flour on some sites.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=chickpea+flour
https://thrivemarket.com/bob-s-red-mill-garbanzo-bean-flour
Kathy
If you have a high speed blender you can make your own chickpea flour from raw chickpeas.
Jennifer
Hi there! I am really enjoying all your amazing recipes and was so excited to try to make this cheese! Unfortunately as I was reading it I accidentally admitted the nutritional yeast as I didn’t see it in the recipe directions! Only in the list of ingredients! I tend to be a step-by-step sort of cook and because I didn’t see it in the written directions I skipped right over! We shall see how it comes out! Going forward when would I add the nutritional yeast? Did I somehow miss it in the directions? Thank you so much for your guidance! I have been vegan for four months now and your recipes has really helped make it a wonderful journey!
Richa
Ah, yes i missed mentioning it in the directions. thanks for catching that. The ingredients usually are used in the order listed, so it is added after the chickpea flour and mixed into the almond milk at step 1. Updated the recipe now. The cheese might not taste very cheesy. You can use it on a pizza and sprinkle some nutritional yeast over it once it is melted.
Stance
There’s a shortage of agar, worldwide. Is there anything that can be used in its place?
Richa
how about fruit pectin? or use chickpea flour like https://www.veganricha.com/2014/09/nut-free-vegan-nacho-cheese-slices.html
Joe
Kappa carrageenan
Kristine
Hi from Norway! I found this recipe last week and was super excited as it looked amazing 🙂 Ordered the ingredients I didn’t have and finally tried to make it this week. Yesterday I made pizza but the cheese didn’t melt. It did taste good though, so it’s definitely a good option for pizza, but I wondered what went wrong. (The picture of your pizza looks amazing!) I have only tried to use it once, so I don’t know… but was thinking about temperatures. Do you know if a lower temperature would maybe help? Thanks anyway for a fabulous recipe!
Richa
Hi Kristine,
The cheese melts at high temperature. If it didn’t melt, then it could one of 2 things. The temperature in the oven didnt get high enough or the toppings were quite cold and needed more time to heat up. Since the cheese is on the toppings you used, the cheese would also need more time to heat up. You can broil the pizza for a minute or so to help the cheese melt.
The cheese melts and then sets again as the pizza cools. It sets faster than dairy cheese. So it could have melted and set already when you sliced the pizza.
You can add some more oil to the cheese recipe, so it stays melted a bit longer. Let me know how it works out.
Kristine
Thank you so much for your reply. I have tried twice now, one time using the grill function and one time just normal heat in the oven. The cheese did not melt, it looked the same as before putting the pizza in the oven, just that the edges of the cheese got burnt (still tasted great though!). The pizza sauce, toppings and cheese came straight from the fridge though, so it was all cold. Thanks for all your tips, next time I will add more oil and also let the topping heat up a little before adding the cheese.
Kristine
Hi again! I have tried to make this cheese a second time now. I added more oil, and this time the cheese melted! Hurray! Delicious. The only problem was that this time the didn’t really harden in the fridge, so I wasn’t able to shred it. It was more like a thick cream cheese. Would you happen to have any ideas to fix this too? 🙂 Maybe more agar? More starch?
I am so grateful for this recipe, I enjoyed my pizza soo much!
Richa
🙂 it depends on the oil. some oils stay liquid when cold so too much oil would keep the cheese from setting well. you can add more agar since agar also has variable results depending on brand.
you can also spread the cheese mix on a greased baking sheet and let it set. once set, you can make thin slices to use as shreds.
Carmen
Could this be made with soy milk instead of almond milk?
Richa
Yes.
Holly Thompson
AHHHH this recipe just changed my life. I just made it today and it’s incredible! Your are a vegan GENIUS. Thank you!
Richa
Awesome!
Debbie
Can’t wait to try this! Does it matter what size of glass container I use and did you use homemade almond milk. Thanks
Richa
You want to use a small container else the block will be too thin. I used unsweetened almond milk from a carton, I don’t remember which brand. Homemade should work well too. It might have a stronger almond flavor, so adjust the seasoning to mask it.
Christine
Hello! When I make this recipe, the flavor is perfect!!! However, when it cools, it adopts a very funny taste; I’m thinking it’s the thickeners? I am using cornstarch, arrowroot, and agar. Do you have any advice on that? Thank you for your wonderful blog and so many delicious, healthy recipes!!!
Richa
It could be either of the starches as they have their own flavors that might be detectable depending on your taste buds. Could also be chickpea flour, it tastes bitter raw-ish if not cooked long enough to cook fully. It can also be the almond milk if you are using a brand almond milk. some brands add many gums and thickeners which alter the flavor/texture on being heated for long. What is the funny taste closest too, like a spoilt nut, flour, is it bitter ? You can possible taste the tiny amounts of the starches, flour etc ingredients to figure out what the cheese taste is close to.
Gabi
The texture is near-perfect. The taste, however, wasn’t really what I was expecting. There’s something in there that completely puts me off. I first thought it was the almond milk, so I made another batch with unsweetened soy milk. But I still didn’t like the taste. I might try again without the apple cider vinegar (maybe take more lemon juice instead) and some nutritional yeast, which can often save cheesy recipes. Or could it be the chickpea flour? I’ll keep experimenting because I like the texture a lot.
Richa
hmm. Can you tell me more about the taste? There could be many reasons. The extra virgin olive oil gets rancid sometimes,old vinegar can add quite a stale flavor profile. It can be chickpea flour as well (if it taste bitter or raw floury) if the flour did not fully cook through, simmer a few minutes longer. Chickpea flour once cooked is mellow. You can use regular flour but the texture is different compared to chickpea flour. With the leftover cheese, you can make cheese sauce for pasta, melt the cheese with some non dairy milk and add more nooch and spices and herbs, taste to fix the flavor.
Elizabeth
Hi Richa, this is a weird question but, is this cheese healthy? I say this because of the starchs, I don’t know how healthy are this types of flour, could you help me with this info?
Thanks a lot
Richa
Hi Elizabeth, I have not studied nutrition, so its hard for me to say much. healthy is a term open to many interpretations.
This cheese gets used over multiple servings depending on how you use it. It has almonds, agar and whole chickpea flour which is a fabulous thickener, and some starch for texture. You can also make cheese with no starches like cashew cheeses but then the texture would be different and it will be a spreadable cheese, and not meltable.
mohamed
hi I would to know if this cheese melt like real cheese thanks
Richa
it melts a little bit