Vegan Richa

Vegan Food Blog with Healthy and Flavorful Vegan Recipes

Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese with Almond Milk. Glutenfree Recipe

By 182 Comments

Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

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

Jump to Recipe   

Vegan Almond Milk Pepper Jack Cheese

Eek. We are finally moved from blogger to WordPress. New theme, new platform and new everything. And while I try to learn the ropes on this, there might some hitches and delays here and there. First post published!

The feed got refreshed, so if you subscribe by email, I apologize for the extra email with the recent posts. The subscription mails have now returned to normal frequency ie. one email per post. I plan to change it to a weekly newsletter in the future to reduce the number of mails.

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.

Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese

Even writing up the post is a learning process. The dang editor. Any who, while you all are here, please browse around the site, report any issues in the comments on the post, or on my Facebook page and let me know what you think :).

The site move was accomplished with the least amount of my hair graying with the help of Rika (veganmiam.com). Rika under Rika Studio also does web design, WordPress customizations or transfer and consulting. She is still helping me out night and day with the learning curve! I cannot recommend her enough!

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.

This Dairy free Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese is easy, ready within minutes & it shreds, melts. Made with almond milk, nooch, chickpea flour. Almond Milk Cheese | VeganRicha.com #vegan #cheese

Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese #glutenfree #veganricha #vegan
Print Recipe
4.83 from 23 votes

Almond Milk Pepper Jack cheese

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
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: cheese
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2
Calories: 250kcal
Author: Vegan Richa

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

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.
Nutritional values based on one serving

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Almond Milk Pepper Jack cheese
Amount Per Serving
Calories 250 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 838mg36%
Potassium 197mg6%
Carbohydrates 19g6%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 150IU3%
Vitamin C 1.9mg2%
Calcium 225mg23%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

This Dairy free Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese is easy, ready within minutes & it shreds, melts. Made with almond milk, nooch, chickpea flour. Almond Milk Cheese | VeganRicha.com #vegan #cheese



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. This looks sooooo good Richa! I love that it is soy-free!! I have every ingredient except the agar and the chickpea flour, darn!! It looks fabulous on that pizza. Oh, and I love your new space…much more streamlined and easy to read!! I always like the way blogs look with just one sidebar…NICE! 🙂

    Reply

  4. Wow I have all the ingredients! This looks so easy! I hope it works out well. Btw I thought Tapiica and arrowroot are the same?i hAve arrowroot powder and it says on the bOx that it is the same as Tapioca.. love all your dishes Richa. You are very inspiring 🙂 keep up the amazing cooking 🙂

    Reply

  5. Hi Richa, this looks like real cheese or even better!!!!!
    I don’t get tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder here. Can i omit them?

    Reply

    • those things make the cheese, else it will be just almond milk 🙂 you can use 1 to 2 tsp garlic paste and add 1 tsp of crushed onion (crush fresh onion with mortar pestle) . use corn or arrowroot starch instead of tapioca. Add 2 tsp soy sauce to sub the nutritional yeast and do not omit the olive oil.

      Reply

  6. Thank you so much for this recipe!! I’m yet to try it but soo looking forward to making a low fat vegan cheese that is this easy! Can you please tell us though – can we omit the olive oil??

    Reply

  7. Richa, you have been on a roll posting things that I can’t wait to make! (loved the chickpea chorizo pasta) There are only 2 of us and this looks like a decent sized block. Any idea how long it will keep in the fridge or if it would handle freezing? Thanks.

    Reply

  8. The new website is great. Clean and sleek!

    Can you provide the nutritional info for the cheese, please? It looks yummy. Thanks!

    Reply

    • thanks Lizzie. you can plugin the recipe into a calorie counter and check. or just check the almond milk carton label and add the olive oil calories +protein to it.

      Reply

    • I can’t believe it’s 100% vegan cheese! It looks sooo normal. When I saw photo with pizza there was only one thought- I have to do it as soon as possible. But first, I wanted to know nutritional info like Lizzy.
      I often use this site http://happyforks.com/analyzer, so I can recommend it to you Lizzie. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find almond milk there so I had to add it by myself. This is why I can’t tell you precisely about nutritional info, I don’t know which milk you will use. But you probably will be shocked, if you try it, how many fiber (cheese with fiber? amazing option!) and vitamin it contains.

      Reply

  9. your blog looks beautiful! congratulations! the cheese looks super yummy and perfect, too. you’re always blowing me away. (ps- even though you weren’t listed in the vegnews veggie awards, i typed in your blog for my favorite 😛 you deserved to be on the ballot.

    Reply

  12. I moved over to WordPress last month, so I’m totally feeling your pain! Everything looks awesome though – both the site and the cheese. I’ve been meaning to try out some new vegan cheese recipes and this one sounds delicious. Pinning so I can give it a try!

    Reply

  13. Your food and photos look really awesome. I cook very simple, healthy plant-based fare, and as of yet haven’t had the space/time/inclination to play more w/ food. Your food looks like something I want to eat right now. I have also wondered whether to switch to WP from blogger, but am concerned about the learning curve. Are you on wordpress.org, or .com? I guess the difference is self-host or not? Love to hear your thoughts. ~Tracy

    Reply

  14. Love the look of your new WordPress blog! Please continue daily e-mails; I find the steady stream of recipes in my inbox inspiring (even though, as in this case, there’s a time lag before I actually prepare them).

    Just tried this recipe and it turned out great (as most of your recipes seem to). I enjoy your blog and recipes; thanks so much for sharing them with us.

    Reply

    • Hi Christine…

      Can I ask what this cheese tastes like? Was it pleasant tasting, did it have the cheesy taste? It’s looks amazing, and wouldn’t mind trying it, but I was hoping for assurance taste wise from someone who has made it, many thanks in advance…

      Great site also Richa….

      Reply

      • I just made it and I was blown away. It’s extremely cheesy to me…but I’ve been vegan for many years so I don’t know if my tastes have changed. The problem is, taste is impossible to describe. Just make some and see for yourself. It was so easy to make…took a total of 15 min. I suppose if you don’t already have things like tapioca starch…agar…chickpea flour…etc…it could be a big waste of money and cupboard space if this is all you need it for. Maybe you could “bum” a little off a friend who already has them…The recipe calls for so little… or find these in the bulk section where you can buy a minimal amount, just to test it out before buying full packages of all these ingredients? Try it!….try it!…try it! I think you’ll love it 🙂

        Reply

  15. This sounds amazing! I’ve made cage cheese, but this looks heavenly! What could I sub for chickpea flour? I have brown rice and whole wheat :-/

    Reply

      • Can I use Coconut flour, I have that. I also have sago, can I grind the sago down and use the that in place for my tapioca flour…

        Thanks Richa…

        Reply

        • grinding tapioca pearls will not work. coconut flour also will not work, because it doesnt mix well or work as a thickener. Use any starch that you have, corn or arrowroot or potato starch and sub for other flours/starches as well. or just use more agar.

          Reply

          • Hi. Can I use all purpose baking flour? Ingredients are garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, white sorghum flour and fava bean flour?

          • I don’t know the ratios of the flours in the mix. all of the flours except sorghum are ok to use. Sorghum has a peculiar flavor and it might add that to the cheese. You can try it if you generally like sorghum.

  16. This is amazing! Thank you for the amazing recipes!! =)
    Youve really changed my view of food (I had an unhealthy relationship). Thank you for giving me another reason to live =)

    Reply

  17. Made this today. So amazing. Thank you for the recipe. My first every time making vegan cheese and I’ll be doing it again.

    Reply

  18. This was wonderful—ate it as is and used it on several things. I made black bean pasta (my new love) and put your chorizo on top with a little extra tomato sauce and topped it with the cheese. Excellent! Thanks so much.

    Reply

  19. I tried this cheez today and I must say it tastes really good except for the almond milk… It’s really overwhelming. But I’m kinda surprised because you’re using it in almost all your cheeses… Would it be possible that the almond milk in the US is different from the one we have here in France ? I must say I’m kinda disappointed because I actually hate almond milk haha, but I was hoping like in your recipes with coconut milk the taste would disappear too (I may be a little bit stupid too). Anyway I’ll try again with another nut milk next time !

    Reply

    • Hi Chloe, It could be different. The almond milk here has a bit of gum to thicken. Different brands use different gums or starches to thicken and most taste slightly different than the other. home made almond milk also tastes different. It also depends on the almonds. older almonds give a sharper nut taste to the milk etc. If you do not like almond milk, then try some other non dairy milk like soy, other nut milk or coconut milk.
      With all the flavors in the cheese, i couldnt really taste it. but taste is definitely personal, so try other milks as a base.

      Reply

  20. I’ve made this several times, but unfortunately can’t seem to get it right. Following the recipe(omitting the onion powder, using tapioca and arrowroot starch) it didn’t hold its form at all, no way to grate it that. However the taste was great and baking it gave amazing results. Increasing the amount of agar and starches up to double the amount of the recipe made it more firm and sticky, it could hold its form somewhat well, but sadly still no where near grate-able.
    Maybe you’ve got an idea of what might have gone wrong?

    Thanks for all of your amazing recipes!

    Reply

    • oh no. What agar are you using? The only suspect here seems like agar, either it isn’t activating well or something else.
      the recipe calls for agar powder. if you have flakes, use about 3 Tbsp of flakes and cook them for 15 minutes at step 2 until completely dissolved. hope this helps!

      Reply

      • It probably really is the agar. The powder I used consisted (for whatever reasons) of 80% maltodextrin and 20% agar, so even when I used double the amount of it, it obviously still wasn’t near the amount of agar called for. I bought “pure” agar powder now and will give feedback of how it’ll turn out soon, although I’m pretty sure its gonna be fabulous 🙂

        Reply

  21. I’m happy to have found your blog today! I’m just experimenting and trying to make different vegan cheeses. I just wonder, because you use three different starches/thickeners in the recipe, I don’t have tapioca or arrow, how can I replace them? I usually only use agar agar and it has worked pretty good. 🙂

    Reply

    • the starches and flours help with the consistency. Just plain agar or pectin etc sest the up the cheese more like a gel. since there arent any other volume ingredients like cashews in this cheese, the starches add a bit of volume and texture, especially when it melts. You can omit some if you like. It will change the texture slightly, thats all.

      Reply

  22. Hi I’ve been vegan since March and haven’t touched any vegan cheese subs so don’t have anything to compare it to, but this cheese is awesome!! I didn’t have agar/tapioca starch/almond milk so I subbed Koko dairy free (what I had to hand) and cornflour (which in UK seems to be more like corn starch – I’m from the US originally) for both the starches, put a dash of turmeric in for a really yellow cheese. Mine didn’t turn out cheese blocky like yours (more like hardset cheese jello!) and I wouldn’t attempt to grate it, but it’s amazing! It’s comparable to Velveeta but the chilli flakes make it, such a good idea. Would be a great nacho/dip cheese. Thanks so much for this recipe and others I’ve pinned loads! :))

    Reply

  23. My son and I have both been diagnosed with all sorts of food allergies – so I’ve been scouring Pinterest for recipes, substitutes, etc. and came across yours, which looks amazing. I hope this isn’t a silly question but you say clearly 1.5T for cornstarch and chickpea flour is this different from 1/2T? If so, how?

    Thanks

    Reply

    • I am not sure about what you are asking. It is 1.5 Tbsp chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour/besan) And 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch. you add both the ingredients. If you cannot use chickpea flour, you can use a different flour like unbleached white flour or rice flour.

      Reply

    • Hi Tisha, I think I get you – 1.5T is the same as 1T + 1/2 T
      (.5 is equal to 1/2)

      Thank you for this recipe Richa. I’ve got all ingredients except the agar – I’m looking into where I can go to get this in my corner of London immediately (i don’t have time to waste waiting for on online order) this recipe demands I sample it now! 🙂

      Reply

    • Better late than never? I believe she means 1 and 1/2 T. “1.5” is just the decimal version of 1 and 1/2.

      Reply

  26. Hey Richa, just wanted to let you know I recommended this recipe to my friend Brooke. She is vegan and transitioned her family (she has 3 kids) to a vegan lifestyle 3 years ago….but they have struggled with wanting cheese (the kids), especially recently, so I suggested she make this and it was a huge hit with them!

    Reply

  27. I just tried this recipe, twice. The first time I forgot the oil, so I made it again. Somehow the batch with the oil is spot-on!

    I was never a big fan of regular Jack cheese except in quesadillas. I tried this recipe because I had almost all the ingredients, the process was simple, and I didn’t have to use a blender.

    I didn’t have pepper flakes so I diced some red bell pepper and jalapeño and sautéed them in a cast iron pan until most of the moisture was gone. I used grapeseed oil instead of olive and lime juice instead of lemon. I also used agar flakes instead of powder.

    Thank you very much for perfecting it! As the kids say: ” This is the bomb dot com!”

    Reply

  28. Looks fabulous and so tempting…especially that pizza! What is the yield of this recipe…in terms of slices or weight? I have never tried almond milk. Did you make it yourself as well? Any ideas how to do that or could you recommend a brand that you prefer? Love your photography, style and creativity!

    Reply

  29. How will the cheese’s texture change if I have to omit the agar? It is unavailable to me in my city. Thank you!

    Reply

  30. Hi! Just tried this tonight but couldnt find agar and Google told me I could substitute it for gelatine powder. It came out not so great, after a few hours in the fridge still more like jello – but the taste is great! I diced up a jalapeno to add as well for more flavor, and I decided to just mush it and make it ‘cream cheese spread’. I can’t wait til tomorrow to find a store that sells agar – I’m in canada , where would I find it in a grocery store? Baking eisle? I tried bulk barn and they didn’t carry it. Would loooove the hard version to grate it.

    Reply

    • i havent tried gelatin. you can use fruit pectin, but you would have to adjust the quantity so that it sets well. Try health food stores like Kenzington ambrosia. you can also find it in asian or indian stores. it is called china grass.

      Reply

    • Hi Desiree,

      I’m in Canada. T&T Market carries agar agar, as does Bulk Barn (in the gluten-free section)… but I guess it’s not in all locations. You can check out your local health food store as well. I used to live in a small Ontario town, and they had it at our local health food store. You can also order it online from Well.ca or Amazon.ca.

      Good luck!

      Reply

  31. I’ve made this several times over the past few weeks, and it has become my absolute favorite vegan cheese. I love the pepper jack, but I also substitute 1 tsp of liquid smoke for the red pepper. The result is a smoky, gouda-like cheese.

    I have successfully used oat flour and wheat flour instead of the garbanzo flour. They all worked equally well. I also tried sweat potato starch instead of tapioca starch–the tapioca starch wins 🙂

    Thank you for this recipe!!

    Reply

  32. I WOULD DIE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE… but i don’t have any agar agar, can i substitute it by anything else (like xanthan gum?)
    thanks! xx

    Reply

  33. 5 stars
    Hey, I do not have any chickpea flour and I have no access to any natural foods market or any such thing. In a falafel recipe, one ingredient was either ground walnuts or almonds, or chickpea flour. I was curious if I could use ground almond (finely ground, to a flour) in substitution of the chickpea flour. I figured this might be okay because it is almond cheese after all! I would really like your opinion on this! Thank you. (:

    Reply

    • 🙂 nope almond flour wouldnt work in this. chickpea flour acts as a thickener in the recipe and also adds a bit of flavor. You can use regular white flour as a substitute.

      Reply

  34. You are a pure culinary genius!!!! This cheese looks amazing!! 🙂 Thank you for making vegan cooking this delicious!!!

    Reply

  35. 5 stars
    Oh…my…goodness. It WORKED! I mean, this stuff is cheese! This is so so good. I am thrilled. The flavor is awesome, the texture is awesome – perfect. I used the agar flakes since that what was in my grocery store and cooked it for the 12 minutes as you instructed. Thank you so much for an incredible recipe. I just found you and am *hooked* (and I just ordered your book on Amazon – yay!). I am so happy.

    Reply

  36. 5 stars
    This is such a great recipe, thank you so much Richa! I love cheese and now I have an excuse to spend the weekend making this. Keep up the great work!

    Reply

  37. Hi,
    This is the best recipe I tried for a vegan cheese with agar. I prepared it with soy milk (since it’s the only one without added sugar and salt I could find) and it still came out pretty good.
    I have one question though, how can I can make it firmer?
    Thanks,
    Ilya.

    Reply

  38. Thank you so much for this recipe! It was my first vegan cheese to turn out! The whole family loved it. I’d love to find a nut free cream cheese recipe as well. I can not find whole raw cashews everywhere and so I gave up trying to make cheese till I saw this. You are awesome!

    Reply

  40. 5 stars
    “No that is not hair, its just onion skin” LOL

    I made this today. And just tried it. You make me want to stop testing other vegan cheese recipes because this is defininitely the best one, seems pointless to compare to any other. Thank you so much, this is going to be a staple here from today on. Your book in on my wish list for my next Amazon order, you totally got me with your recipes. 🙂

    Reply

  41. 5 stars
    I just made this for the third time. The first two times I made it, I didn’t have tapioca starch. This time I did. I am here to tell all of you – DON’T sub anything for the tapioca starch. My first two tries I just subbed cornstarch and while it was decent, the texture wasn’t great – it wasn’t “stretchy” and didn’t melt easily. I also used the full amount of oil this time (I had been leaving it out), although I will cut that down in the future.

    The funny thing is, when I was making this, I realized I was out of nutritional yeast. I decided what the hay and made it without it, doubling the spices and lemon juice. It was very good, but not as good as it will be with nutritional yeast. Going to the store soon and will grab some and make this again!

    I just had a delicious panini! Thanks so much, Richa! I love your blog and tell all my fellow vegans about it. 🙂

    Reply

  43. 5 stars
    we made this tonite… and even my skeptical vegetarian, cheese loving, dutchman husband was impressed… this is only my second vegan cheese recipe to try and I added 4X the pepper and jalapeno flakes… totally hurrah! been trying to lure him over to the vegan team and your recipes are making it easier! thx for all your effort-=^..^=

    Reply
LINKSPOPULAR POSTSKEEP IN TOUCH
My Favorite ThingsBuffalo Chickpea PizzaYouTube
Recipe IndexLentil Quinoa LoafFacebook
Advertise, Work With MeCrispy Orange CauliflowerInstagram
Privacy PolicyPumpkin Cinnamon RollsPinterest
Terms Of UseSweet Potato Peanut BurgersTwitter
Copyright and Disclaimers