# Plant-Based Halloumi: Homemade Vegan Cheese
## Introduction
Add a touch of delectable cheese goodness to your meals without breaking your plant-based lifestyle. This homemade vegan cheese, known as Plant-Based Halloumi, offers a perfect alternative. This delicious vegan halloumi cheese transforms and enhances favorite dishes, proving to be an ideal element for grilling, frying, and adding to salads.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
## Why Make This Recipe
Homemade vegan cheese allows you to control the ingredients used, ensuring you maintain a healthy plant-based diet. It is rich in proteins from cashews, and nutritional yeast, coupled with the additional nutrients from coconut oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
## How to Make Plant-Based Halloumi
### Ingredients
– 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked for 4 hours or overnight)
– 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
– 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
– 1/2 cup water
– 2 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 tsp agar-agar powder
– 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
### Directions
1. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. After soaking, drain and rinse the cashews before adding them to a blender.
3. Along with the cashews, add the melted coconut oil, nutritional yeast, water, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and agar-agar powder.
4. Blend the mixture on high speed until it becomes completely smooth, remember to pause and scrape down the sides as necessary.
5. Pour the blended mixture into a non-stick loaf pan or silicone mold.
6. For an added smoky flavor, sprinkle smoked paprika on top if desired.
7. Bake the mixture for about 25 minutes or until the top is firm and lightly golden.
8. Allow cheese to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least an hour to firm up further.
9. Once firm, slice your homemade vegan cheese into your preferred portions and enjoy!
## How to Serve Plant-Based Halloumi
Vegan halloumi is highly versatile. It can be pan-fried to perfection for a delicious side dish or used as a topping for salads or sandwiches.
## How to Store Plant-Based Halloumi
The leftover homemade vegan cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
## Tips to Make Plant-Based Halloumi
Ensure that your cashews are well soaked before blending. This ensures a smooth blend and makes your cheese easy to mould.
## Variation (if any)
If you would like to try a variety, feel free to experiment with seasoning. You may want to try herbs like rosemary or dill, or add spices like cayenne pepper for a little kick.
## FAQs
### Can I use other nuts in place of cashews?
Yes, you can use blanched almonds or macadamia nuts. However, cashews tend to have a creamier texture when blended.
### Can I use this vegan cheese in baking?
Absolutely! The vegan cheese can be used in any recipe that requires regular cheese.
### What if I do not have agar-agar powder?
If you don’t have agar-agar, you can substitute it with tapioca starch or cornstarch, but the final texture will be slightly different. Agar-agar helps the cheese firm up in a way that mimics dairy-based cheese.