The other day I found myself dreaming of my vegan cashew “cream cheese”. Then I glanced at my walnuts, soaking in a jar on the window sill; and another batch of fresh beetroot on the kitchen counter. And there it was! I have to warn you though, walnuts have a strong, unique flavour that might not be to everyone’s taste. You can substitute them with more cashews, or sunflower seeds, or blanched almonds, or….

Also, due to natural oxidation, the top layer of the cream cheese will turn slightly grey. This is normal and doesn’t affect the taste or quality.

Makes approx. 250g of cream cheese:

3/4 cup (100g) cashews (soak for 8 hours, then rinse and drain)
3/4 cup (80g) walnuts (soak for 8 hours, then rinse and drain)
1/3 teaspoon salt
20g raw beetroot (or more if you like)
probiotic powder from two capsules
1/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoon water

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a powerful blender until smooth.

2. Scoop into a sterile jar, place lid on only loose so that the probiotic little helpers can breathe.

3. Place the jar in a warm place for at least 10 hours. Depending on how warm it is and how active the probiotic bugs are, the vegan “cheese” will take between 10 and 20 hours. Once the ‘cheese’ has risen and you can see small bubbles, it is ready.

4. Place in fridge and consume within a week.

Enjoy! 

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Because for quite some time, I had this bottle of probiotic capsules sitting in my pantry, meaning to use it to try some cultured cheese alternatives.

When I first made this vegan cream cheese, I couldn’t believe how much it reminds me of that popular brand. OK, it’s been many years since I last had it, but in my opinion it really does taste very similar. A great advantage: while eating it, you’ll get your probiotics as well!

You can use pretty much any seed or nut. My preferred blend at this stage is cashews and macadamias. You can also use it as salad dressing. So yummy!

This recipe will create one large jar of vegan ‘cream’ cheese. If you wish to have a smaller amount, you might need to make it in a powerful mini-blender (my large high-speed blender struggles with amounts that are smaller than what’s listed below).

Print

Super Easy Cultured Cream ‘Cheese’ (Vegan, Gluten-free, Raw)

When I first made this vegan cream cheese, I couldn’t believe how much it reminds me of that popular brand. A great advantage: while eating it, you’ll get your probiotics as well!

Course spread

Cuisine German

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan

Keyword Almond, Cashew, dairy-free, Fermented, raw, soy-free, Spread

Servings 1 large jar

Equipment

• powerful mini-blender

Ingredients

• 140 g cashews soak them in filtered water for at least 4 hours, then rinse and drain
• 1/2 cup macadamias soak them in filtered water for at least 8 hours, then rinse and drain
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup filtered water start with less and add more if needed
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 2 content of probiotic capsules

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients until tick, creamy and smooth.
• Transfer to a suitable container. I like to use small mason jars. Make sure you don’t fill it more than half full (it will grow once it ferments). Loosely place lid on top, don’t close it to allow it to breathe.
• Place in a warm spot for at least 8 hours. In my experience it needs to be at least 20°C, or even better 25°C. Because it is colder than that in my home, I use a chilly bin into which I place a hot water bottle and the jars with soon-to-be cream ‘cheese’. Add salt & pepper to taste. Store in fridge and use within about 4 days.

Notes

Give it a try! It’s amazing and admittedly quite addictive

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

For the topping I have used sliced peppers, sweet corn and basil leaves. My way of say good bye to summer here in New Zealand. But there are so many options for toppings, feel free to try your own combinations

Homemade Whole Grain Pizza – Vegan, Gluten-Free & Full of Flavor

I already have a recipe for vegan and gluten-free pizza on my blog, but I wanted to try a whole meal only version. Turns out, it works and tastes very well

The amount of dough is enough for either 2 thick and doughy crusts or 3 thin and crispy crusts.

Print

Vegan Wholegrain Pizza – Gluten-Free & Homemade

Yes, I love pizza and pasta! Even with a vegan and gluten-free diet, you can still enjoy them fully. I prefer making everything from scratch — it just tastes better

For this pizza, I used bell pepper, corn, and fresh basil leaves – my way of saying goodbye to summer here in New Zealand. Of course, you can get creative with your toppings — the possibilities are endless!

I already had a vegan and gluten-free pizza recipe on my blog, but this time I wanted to make a wholegrain version. It turned out beautifully — hearty, wholesome, and so delicious! The recipe makes either two thick, soft crusts or three thin and crispy ones.

Course Dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword Crispy, dairy-free, egg-free, Pizza, plant-based, plant-based cheese, wholegrain

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting (dough rising) 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Pizza

Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon active dried yeast
• 200 g buckwheat flour
• 210 g rice flour
• 1 tablespoon psyllium fiber husk
• 2 teaspoon guar gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• up to 1 cup rice flour for dusting and working the dough

For the pizza sauce:

• 3/4 cup passata
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried oregan or basil or thyme
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced minced
• some freshly ground black pepper

For the ‘cheese’:

• 90 g cooked agria potato approx. 1 small to medium sized
• 1/2 cup water more if needed
• 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• salt to taste if desired

Instructions

• In a cup, mix the sugar, active dried yeast and warm water and let sit until it turns foamy on top (approx. 10 minutes).
• In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl, whisk the remaining dry ingredients for the dough. When the yeast is ready, pour it into the bowl with another cup of warm water and mix well.
• Cover with a damp tea towel and let sit in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size (approx. 45 minutes). Temperature should be at least 25 C. You can also let it sit in the oven, after you allowed it to warm up for just a little bit.
• When the dough has doubled in size, stir it again. Then sprinkle the work bench with rice flour and drop dough onto it. Sprinkle generously with rice flour and start kneading it for a few minutes. Add more flour whenever it gets too sticky.
• Half (or third) the dough and place on pizza tray, spreading it evenly. Keep sprinkling with flour if it gets too sticky. Then cover with damp tea towel and place in warm spot for another 15 – 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 220C (top- bottom heat).
• In the meantime prepare the pizza sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl.
• Prepare the ‘cheese’ buy blending the potato and water in a high-speed blender until smooth. Then add remaining ingredients. The mixture should be just thick enough to pour it, without it being too runny. Add more water if needed.
• When the pizza dough has risen, spread the pizza sauce on top. Add toppings of your choice and sprinkle with ‘cheese’.
• Place in oven for approx. 15 to 20 minutes. If it gets too brown too quickly, cover top (you can use a piece of aluminum foil).

Notes

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Really, this pizza dough is AMAZING! Slightly crispy, with a soft interior and a crunchy crust. Just like you can get them at the Italian restaurant! Or, at least the Italian restaurant that i used to visit

I had to use some ingredients that I usually try to avoid: yeast, starches and guar gum. But an experienced baker recently told me that it will work much better with starches and gums. I’m glad that I tried it, because it really does seem to do the trick

Also, I have tried a new way of substituting cheese. I came up with the idea after the inside of the potato spinach fritter that I recently made, had a close resemblance to melted cheese. Of course, it doesn’t taste just like cheese, but I think it gets close to a similar effect.

For 2 pizza with 30cm diameter you’ll need:

1 1/2 teaspoon active dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lurk warm water

1 1/4 cup (175g) rice flour
1 cup (135g) buckwheat flour
1/2 cup (60g) tapioca starch
1/4 cup (35g) potato starch
1 heaped tablespoon psyllium fiber husk
1 teaspoon guar gum
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 lurk warm water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

some extra rice flour for dusting

For the pizza sauce:
1/2 cup passata
1/4 cup water
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
some freshly ground pepper

For the ‘cheese’:
220g potato (1-2 small potatoes)
1/3 cup of potato cooking water
2 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 heaped tablespoon corn (maize) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few pinches ground nutmeg

Preparation:

1. For the pizza dough, mix the yeast and sugar in one cup of lurk warm water. Stir well until dissolved. Once you can see some foam rising on the surface, the yeast mixture is ready to go.

2. In the meantime, sift all dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

3. When the yeast is ready to go, pour it into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Add 1/2 cup lurk warm water and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and stir well until combined.

4. Cover with a damp, clean dish towel and let sit in warm place until the dough has risen to twice it’s size. I find this works best when the temperatures are above 23°C. If your home is colder, you can also place the bowl in the oven, after you have had it on for just a few moments until it was warm (NOT HOT). Now is a good time top prepare the ‘cheese’. Please see below for instructions.

5. When the dough has risen to twice it’s size, give it another good stir until it is quite soft. Dust the work area and the top of the dough with rice flour. Let it drop onto the work area and sprinkle generously with more rice flour until it is dry enough to touch without getting sticky fingers. Then knead the dough on the bench for a few minutes, adding some more rice flour if gets too sticky.

6. Halve the dough and spread each portion onto the pizza trays that have been lined with baking paper. Again, if it gets too sticky, sprinkle some extra rice flour onto it. Once you have spread the dough evenly to the borders of the pizza tray, cover it with a warm and damp dish cloth and let rise in a warm spot. With my old oven, it works well to have them sitting on top while I’m preheating the oven for the pizza baking.

7. In the meantime, mix all ingredients for the pizza sauce in a small bowl. Also preheat the oven to 220-230°C.

8. When the dough is puffy and has increased in size, take a fork and prick it all over the area that will be covered with pizza sauce. Then scoop the pizza sauce onto it and spread evenly. Add toppings of your choice (I used onion rings, blanched broccoli and the nut-free ‘cheese’).

9. Place pizza in oven and bake until the crust and the ‘cheese’ turns golden brown (approx. 10 to 15 minutes).

For the nut-free ‘cheese’

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes.

2. Place in small pot and cover with water. With the lid on, bring to boil and let simmer until soft.

3. Drain, but take 1/3 cup cooking water aside.

4. Mash the potatoes as fine as possible, adding 1/3 cup cooking water. Then stir in nutritional yeast, corn flour, salt and nutmeg. Spread the ‘cheese’ on the pizza before it is baked.

Enjoy!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Depending on your taste, you can make it thick or watery, spicy or mild. And it will still be an amazing addition to your meal! I love it with burgers, pizza, roasted potatoes, soup, salad and many more.

Make sure you soak the cashews for awhile. This way they are easier to digest and also better to work with in the blender

Print

Cheesy Cashew Cream (Vegan)

This is one of my most favourite, easy-as recipes. It is super versatile and has the potential to give many dishes a good lift. Depending on your taste, you can make it thick or watery, spicy or mild.

Course Dip, Sauce, Starters

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword Cashew, Cheesy, Cream, dairy-free, Dip

Servings 1 Cup

Ingredients

• 105 g cashews (soaked in filtered water for at least 4 hours, then drained)
• 1/2 cup water if you want it to be real thick, use only 1/4 (instead of 1/2) cup water
• some nutmeg
• salt to taste
• 1 pinch of chili
• 1-2 pinches of turmeric adds a nice yellowy color
• 3 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients to a fine cream.

Notes

Voilà!

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.