Vegan Brie Cheese (GF)

I’m SO excited to share the recipe for this Vegan Brie Cheese! It’s:

• surprisingly similar to the real thing
• easy to make
• seriously addictive!

Since using mochi to make this Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese, I’ve been experimenting with using it for other dairy-free cheese recipes.

Mochi are Japanese sticky rice cakes, which are made from pounding rice until it becomes sticky and glutinous (don’t worry, despite the name it’s still gluten-free).

It is sold in many different forms, one of them being in small, hard blocks. When these blocks of mochi are melted, they become incredibly sticky, stretchy and gooey…a little bit like cheese!

So, I decided that melted mochi would be my magical secret ingredient when making vegan cheeses.

You can buy mochi in Asian supermarkets, some local health stores, or online – just make sure you get the hard, firm type that’s sold in blocks.

One word of caution: melted mochi is extremely sticky, so once you have removed the cheese mixture from the pan, please soak your pan in boiling water immediately – otherwise you’ll have a very tricky washing-up situation on your hands!

Whilst in the past I’ve used a mixture of mochi and boiled potatoes, or mochi and white beans, this time I decided to try cashews.

Although perhaps more calorific than its potato or white bean-based counterpart, this cashew mochi cheese turned out to be much richer, creamier and just all round more indulgent.

I then ended up baking the mixture, and eating it as a kind of dip, which was super delicious. Then I put the leftovers in the fridge overnight and discovered the next day that it had turned out to look and taste a lot like brie!

I was so shocked to see how much this Vegan Brie Cheese resembles the real deal. It has a crust on the outside and a wonderfully soft centre thanks to the mochi, and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture thanks to the cashews.

For taste, I added vinegar for tanginess, miso for fermented flavour and nutritional yeast for cheesiness. The miso really does add a delicious umami flavour and its salty, tangy taste makes this Vegan Brie Cheese taste remarkably similar to the real thing.

And what’s more, this Vegan Brie Cheese is super easy to make. Just cook your mochi and cashew nuts together until the mochi melts, which means there’s no need to soak the cashew beforehand, then add your seasonings and blend it all up.

Then, transfer to a small baking dish lined with greaseproof baking paper and bake until a crust forms. Then just leave it in the fridge overnight to ‘set’.

The recipe is not only vegan, but also gluten-free and oil-free too.

Whilst this Vegan Brie Cheese makes a great midnight snack, it’s also equally delicious in a sandwich or just eaten with crackers and some fruit.

It’s also wonderful to have on hand for entertaining as it can be made up to a few days in advance. It can be served as an appetiser or dessert alongside crackers, fresh fruit (apples and grapes are wonderful), dried fruit (I recommend apricots, figs, dates, cranberries, prunes or sour cherries) and nuts (like almonds, pistachios or walnuts).

For more dairy-free cheese recipes, check out my:

• Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese
• Vegan Coconut Bacon Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese
• Vegan Stretchy Melty Cheese Nachos 
• Vegan Stretchy Melty Cheesy Fries
• Vegan Stretchy Melty Cheese Quesadillas
• Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

5 from 1 vote

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Vegan Brie Cheese (GF)

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

This Vegan Brie Cheese is surprisingly similar to the real thing, easy to make and seriously addictive!

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Servings: 6

Calories: 64 kcal

Ingredients

For the cheese:

• 120 g (4oz) mochi (the hard firm mochi sold in blocks)
• 100 g (2/3 cup) raw cashew nuts
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon miso* (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• Salt, to taste

To serve (optional):

• Crackers (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• Fresh fruit (grapes, apples, figs)
• Dried fruit (apricots, figs, dates, cranberries, prunes, sour cherries)
• Nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts)

Instructions

For the cheese:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)

2. Place the mochi and cashew nuts in a pan along with 50ml (1/5 cup) water
3. Cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes, until mochi has melted and become sticky
4. Turn off heat and add nutritional yeast, miso, vinegar and salt
5. Use either a blender, food processor or hand-held stick blender (this is the easiest option as you can just do it in the same saucepan) and whizz until completely smooth
6. Transfer the mixture to a small baking dish (I used a mini tart dish) lined with greaseproof baking paper
7. Bake in oven for around 20 minutes, until a slight crust has formed
8. Leave to cool once out of the oven, then keep covered in the fridge overnight before cutting and eating

To serve:

1. Delicious served as part of a cheeseboard alongside crackers, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts etc
2. Keeps covered in the fridge for a good few days

Recipe Notes

One word of caution: melted mochi is extremely sticky, so once you have removed the sauce from the pan, please soak your pan in boiling water immediately - otherwise you'll have a very tricky washing-up situation on your hands!

*If you have trouble getting hold of miso, you can substitute with soy sauce (or tamari), and add extra nutritional yeast and salt if necessary