Vegan Cheese Ball
This easy and delicious vegan cheese ball is a show stopping appetizer for your next party or holiday gathering!
Servings: 1 cheeseball
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cashews soaked overnight at least 4 hours (or see notes for quick soaking)*
- 4- oz of vegan cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
- 1-3 tablespoons of water start with 1 tbs and go from there- directions below
- 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon of dried dill
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
For topping:
- ¼ cup of fresh parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup of pecans chopped
- Vegan bacon cooked and finely chopped OPTIONAL*
Instructions
- In the base of a blender or food processor, combine the soaked (and drained) cashews, cream cheese, nutritional yeast, olive oil, soy sauce, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt + pepper. Add in the water starting with just 1 tablespoon and add a little more if your mixture becomes too thick to properly blend.
- Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, and little to no grains of the cashews are visible (see video for reference). Add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, if your mixture gets too thick to properly blend.
- Pour the cashew mixture into the center of a cheesecloth (or other lint free towel) and wrap it tightly into a ball. Place in a bowl and let sit for 4 hours or preferably overnight. There won’t be any excess liquid leftover in the bowl but the towel will help to really absorb moisture.
- Before serving, combine the parsley and the pecans (+ the bacon if using) in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Unwrap the cloth and remove the cheese mixture. A decent bit may stick to the towel but you can use a spatula to scrap it all off. TIP: this is best done with slightly wet hands as the cheese will be less likely to stick. Roll the cheese into a ball and place it into the bowl with the pecan and parsley mixture. Using a spoon, pour the pecan mixture all over the ball and lightly press it into the cheeseball with your hands. Continue until the ball is fully covered.
- Store in the fridge until ready to serve. If you want to firm it up a bit, you can put it in the freezer for about an hour and then back in the fridge. Serve with crackers and enjoy!
Notes
* you can quick soak your cashews by covering them in a pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes and then take off of the heat. Let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.
* if using the vegan bacon, sub out 2 tablespoons of the pecans for 2 tablespoons of the bacon bits
*TO STORE THE CHEESEBALL: place on a plate and cover tightly with Saran wrap. You can also place it in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can very easily make this ahead of time as desired but I recommend waiting to add the pecan mixture topping until you’re ready to serve it.
