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Home » Meal Type » Sides

Published: Nov 13, 2018 · by Laurel Perry · About 2 minutes to read this article. · This post may contain affiliate links

Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball

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This Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball recipe is creamy, tangy, and surprisingly dairy-free! It gets topped with pomegranates, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey for the perfect holiday appetizer.

Sharp vegan cheese ball on a white plate topped with walnuts, pomegranates, and walnuts with crackers.

Today we answer one of life's most important questions.

If a cheese ball has no cheese, is it really a cheese ball?

My vote, and the vote of everyone else who tried this Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball, is a resounding yes. This appetizer is creamy, tangy, spreadable, sliceable, and decidedly cheesy.

All that sharp flavor gets topped with tangy pomegranate seeds, crunchy walnuts, and sweet honey for the perfect dairy-free bite.Sharp vegan cheese ball on a white plate topped with walnuts, pomegranates, and walnuts with crackers.

This Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball is made possible by two things:

  1. Raw cashews, which make this ball so impossibly creamy, and
  2. Two days worth of time.

This recipe might not be a quick one, but it is well worth it. And it's mostly hands off.

The reason it takes two days is that our raw cashews need to soak in water overnight. This plumps them up and makes them soft enough to blend into a thick cheese mixture.

Once our Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball mixture is blended smooth, it needs to be wrapped in cheesecloth and left to cure in the refrigerator for another 24 hours. This allows the ball to set up into the ideal spreadable but still sliceable texture. It also allows all the flavors to develop creating a tangy, cheesy masterpiece.

Sharp vegan cheese ball with a slice out of it on a white plate topped with walnuts, pomegranates, and walnuts with crackers.

Lastly, to make this recipe, you will need either a high speed blender or a food processor. This recipe uses instructions for a high speed blender, since I think it makes it a touch smoother and creamier. This other cheese ball recipe uses a food processor, and you can find those instructions in that post!

In the end, both contraptions will get the job done. Using a food processor makes it a little bit easier to get the mixture moving in the beginning. The blender yields a slightly thicker and smoother cheese ball. I say use what you have. Just make sure to keep blending or processing until your Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball mixture is as smooth as possible.

Sharp vegan cheese ball with a slice out of it on a white plate topped with walnuts, pomegranates, and walnuts with crackers.

To cheese free cheese balls!

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Sharp vegan cheese ball on a white plate topped with walnuts, pomegranates, and walnuts with crackers and a cheese knife.

Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
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Description

This Sharp Vegan Cheese Ball recipe is creamy, tangy, and surprisingly dairy-free! It gets topped with pomegranates, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey for the perfect holiday appetizer. This recipe takes 2 days to come together, so be sure to plan ahead! One creamy bite in and all that time will be well worth it. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2  cups  raw cashews pieces ( soaked in water overnight)
  • 1  tablespoon  chickpea miso OR gluten-free mellow white miso
  • 2  tablespoons  melted coconut oil
  • 4  tablespoons  nutritional yeast
  • 4  tablespoons  water
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1  clove  garlic ( minced)
  • ½  teaspoon  salt
  • 2 tablespoons Pomegranate seeds
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon honey


Instructions

  1. Drain and rinse the cashews. Add them into a high speed blender. Add in the miso, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, water, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt. Process until super smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
  2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line it with cheese cloth or a thin dish towel. Spoon the cheese mixture into the cheesecloth. Gather the corners and twist the top gently to form the cheese into a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight.
  3. The next morning, unwrap the cheeseball and form into more of a ball shape with your hands, if needed. Sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and drizzle with honey. Serve with your favorite crackers.

Notes

For a soy-free recipe, use chickpea miso.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 0
  • Sugar: 0
  • Sodium: 0
  • Fat: 0
  • Saturated Fat: 0
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 0
  • Fiber: 0
  • Protein: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0
« Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dates and Walnuts
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sunil Dogra says

    August 22, 2019 at 4:04 am

    Your cooking is great. This look delicious and easy to make. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Laurel says

      August 22, 2019 at 10:28 am

      Thank you, Sunil!

      Reply
  2. Megan says

    July 15, 2021 at 11:14 pm

    Honey isn't considered vegan, just an FYI. I'm sure it could be easily subbed with agave but it's a little misleading labeling the recipe as vegan when an animal product is listed in the recipe.

    Reply
  3. Jeanette Paisley says

    November 03, 2021 at 10:21 pm

    That was my thought, too. You beat me to it.

    Reply
  4. Janice says

    November 11, 2021 at 1:47 pm

    My cheese turned out very wet and sticky so unable to shape into a ball. I followed recipe directly. What could have gone wrong? Flavor is good - just more like a spread.

    Reply
    • Laurel Perry says

      November 15, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      Hi Janice, I would suggest leaving it to drain in the cheesecloth longer until it firms up.

      Reply
  5. Jojo says

    December 21, 2022 at 11:15 am

    Hi Laurel,
    How long does this cheese keep? Can I make it three days before it’s served?

    Reply
    • Laurel Perry says

      December 21, 2022 at 1:02 pm

      Hi Jojo, I recommend that the cheese is best for 5-7 days, though I have personally kept it longer with success. Making it three days ahead should be no problem! It will let the flavors mingle and meld together creating an even tastier cheese :) Happy cooking!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Laurel

Eating your veggies doesn’t have to mean bland steamed cauliflower and boring salads! My mission is to help people eat their nine servings of fruit & vegetables a day and LOVE it! About me →

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Vegan sharp cheese ball with walnuts and pomegranate.