This Vegan Coconut Bacon Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese is inspired by this grilled cheese, but possibly tastes even more delicious!
I posted the recipe for this Vegan Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese a couple of months ago, and it's been the most popular recipe on my blog ever since!
When I was developing the recipe, I was so excited about creating a vegan cheese that was made using entirely natural ingredients, which would have a similar texture to real cheese.
I managed to make this Vegan Stretchy Melty Coconut Bacon Grilled Cheese thanks to the wonderful ingredient that is mochi! Mochi are Japanese sticky rice cakes, which are made from pounding rice until it becomes sticky.
It's sold in many different forms, one of them being in small, hard blocks. When these blocks of mochi are cooked, they become incredibly sticky, melty, stretchy and gooey.
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.
The other main base ingredient is white beans - when blended up they become luxuriously smooth and creamy, they add plenty of protein and fibre, and their plain taste makes them a great base for other flavours. It also means you can keep this cheese soy-free, nut-free and oil-free too.
I created a cheesy flavour using miso, which adds an umami-rich, salty, fermented flavour, nutritional yeast, and vinegar for a slight tang.
And, whilst I love my other grilled cheese recipe too as the cheese itself is so flavoursome, I wanted ways to make it extra tasty. This was when I realised I needed to make a bacon grilled cheese!
But there's no need to give up bacon just because you've gone meat-free! You can have coconut bacon instead! If you haven't heard of it, this means flaked coconut flavoured with salty soy sauce (or tamari), sweet maple syrup, and a pinch of smoked paprika for smokey flavour. It's salty-sweet, subtly spiced, super crispy and incredibly addictive.
Adding the coconut bacon really takes the flavours and textures of this grilled cheese to the next level! And if you're not so keen on coconuts, why not try flaked almond bacon?
This Vegan Coconut Bacon Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese is great on its own but also delicious with a bowl of steaming hot soup such as:
It also goes well with a nice side salad, such as this:
I hope you'll love this Vegan Stretchy Melty Coconut Bacon Grilled Cheese! For more dairy-free cheese recipes, check out my:
- Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Stretchy Melty Cheese Nachos
- Vegan Stretchy Melty Cheese Quesadillas
Looking for more great sandwiches? You might like my
- Lazy Falafel
- Mediterranean Chickpea “Tuna” Pittas
- Chickpea Mayonnaise Salad Sandwich
- Hummus Toasted Sandwich
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.
Watch how to make the cheese
Vegan Coconut Bacon Stretchy Melty Grilled Cheese (GF)
Ingredients
For the coconut bacon:
- 8 tablespoons flaked coconut
- 1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- Pinch of smoked paprika, to taste
For the grilled cheese:
- 150 g (5oz) tinned white beans, drained and rinsed
- 70 g (2.5oz) mochi (the hard firm mochi sold in blocks)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 heaped teaspoon miso* (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon (Dijon) mustard
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 8 slices of bread (gluten-free if necessary)
Instructions
For the coconut bacon:
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well
- Heat in a frying pan on medium heat for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp
- Set aside on a plate, making sure they're spread apart as this will help them crisp up
For the grilled cheese:
- Place the mochi in a pan with 100ml (just under ½ cup) water and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes or so until mochi has melted and become sticky – until soft enough to stick gently pierce with a fork
- Add the white beans and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until heated through
- Turn off heat and add nutritional yeast, miso, vinegar, mustard and salt + pepper
- 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
- Toast your slices of bread and spread a generous amount of the sauce over half of the slices
- Scatter over about 2 tablespoons of the coconut bacon on top of the cheese on each sandwich
- Sandwich the slices of toast together**
- Best enjoyed immediately, but leftover cheese keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days - just pop in the microwave or reheat on the stove before using
Video
Notes
**I was lazy and just toasted my slices of bread and spread the cheese sauce between them, but you can alternatively use a grilled cheese maker or a frying pan
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Moji
Thank you for the nicest recipe for GF and vegan
I'm wondering if mochi is GF?
Rhian Williams
Thank you! Yes it should be GF but you should always check the ingredients just in case!