This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This Nut Free Vegan Nacho Cheese is simple, makes wonderful slices and does not use any agar to set. Find the secret ingredient and make some today. Jump to Recipe
Another crazy creation your way! After using up my almond milk pepper jack, I was wondering about changing up the whole thickening game. Agar and starches and all 🙂 I was also making some Chickpea tofu that week and the texture and setting capability of chickpea flour was staring me in the face.
So in comes Chickpea flour to the rescue once again! Chickpea flour has great thickening and setting properties. With all the added flavors for the nacho cheese, this cheese works out perfectly. You can also use it to make other cheese flavors that have sharper or complex taste profiles that compliment the custard-y chickpea flour taste. It might not work for the simpler mozzarella or ricotta, as the stronger flavors help dumb down the chickpea flour taste.
Also, this cheese is not going to melt into a puddle. It becomes custard like at high heat and sets again quickly as it cools. You can make slices or make a block of cheese and shred it and use. There is no oil in the cheese either. You can add some for greasy-ness if you like.
The ingredient list might look long, but its mostly spices and flavors. You can try make a less ingredient cheddar with nooch, sundried tomato, garlic, miso and prepared mustard. As with any recipe, if you do not like it, do not throw it away :). Shred and add to my chickpea omelet.
These Nut Free Vegan Nacho Cheese Slices, have no nuts, no oil, no agar, no thickener, no seed, no gluten, no grain. Below sandwich grilled with the slices, recipe coming shortly.
More cheeses to try from the blog
On another note, here is a picture of how easy it is to be vegan these days.
Hubbs to me yesterday: We have a BBQ team picnic tomorrow. Me: you should take something along. Hubbs: the admin(organizer) knows that I am vegan, there will be many options. The last time I ate and went and she was very upset. Me: Rolls eyes. (also he works in a larger tech company. so that makes it even easier).
Steps:
Blend everything and add to pan. Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture becomes a thick even custard.
Transfer mixture to a greased pan. Pat down using a parchment. Cool, slice.
Slice and use.
You can make a block and let it set atleast for an hour in the fridge before shredding. It shreds!
Nut Free Vegan Nacho Cheese Slices. Gluten-free Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 Whole pickled jalapeno, or 2 slices
- 2 Tbsp roasted red pepper , or roasted pimento pepper
- 2 Tbsp chopped tomato
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, use 1/2 tsp chipotle powder if you cannot find gf canned peppers
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 to 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vinegar, apple cider or white
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
- chopped Jalapeno and pepper flakes
Instructions
- Put everything in a blender and blend until fully combined. Use 3/4 cup water for shredd-able block, 1 cup water for slices.
- Add to thick bottom pan, and heat at medium-low heat. Keep stirring frequently.
- The mixture will start to thicken and get lumpy, then smooth out. The mixture will eventually become custard-like and evenly thick. After the mixture has become a thick even custard, Cook for another 2 -3 minutes to cook the chickpea flour. Stir continuously. You can carefully taste at this point and add salt, spice and tang if needed. * Cook a bit longer if not sure. You want to cook the chickpea flour really well, else it can taste raw (bitter and bad) in the slices later.
- Add the chopped jalapeno and pepper flakes if using and mix in.
- Transfer the hot mixture to a greased brownie pan or parchment.
- Spray oil on top. Place another parchment on top and press to a thin square. or use rolling pin.
- Chill for an hour. Slice and use or store refrigerated for upto 5 days.
- Or transfer the mixture to a greased deep small container. Chill for an hour or more before shredding.
- * You can make nacho cheese sauce with the recipe as well. Use a 1/4 cup chickpea flour with 1 cup of water or non dairy milk. Cook to thicken (about 5 to 6 minutes so chickpea flour gets cooked through, taste and adjust. Use to top nachos!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
* If you plan to add more moisture like salsa or more juicy tomatoes etc, use 3/4 cup water to ensure that the cheese sets. The cheese keeps setting as it sits, so keep it refrigerated for for a few hours for sturdier cheese.
* you can change out a few spices or ingredients here and there without affecting the cheese much. Add miso for umami. Use mild peppers etc.
* depending on your stove and pan, you can cook at medium heat, but keep an eye so that the mixture does not stick and burn at the bottom. The cooking time is about 7 to 9 minutes total.
This recipe Looks awesome. I am very crazy to try this at home. Also you have shared the recipe very well step by step. It will be very helpful to me. I want to say thanks to you for sharing the recipe. I also run my own restaurant where i made so many your recipes and people likes it. Thanks to you.
This cheese I dont get. The chickpea flour is overpowering. And it lacks a milky taste like the pepperjack cheese. Veganricha is obviously a talented chef but actually having made this recipe, unlike the useless comments of people who say its so wonderful & they still want to make it, I dunno.. maybe I screwed up the recipe bc it tastes bad.
oh no. I am sorry it didn’t work out for you Sipho. Chickpea flour needs to be well cooked for the taste to get mellow. Maybe the flour did not cook enough. Raw flour tastes quite bitter and odd. So if the cheese was tasting prominently of raw-ish chickpea flour, you need to cook the mixture for longer. The stove, pan and the flour (too old) all can matter in the cooking time. Cook 3 to 5 minutes longer. People in the comments have tried the recipe and it has tasted good to them. Let me know when you make it again if it works out.
You can adjust the pepper jack recipe to make nacho cheese block as wel. use the spices and herbs from this recipe in the pepperjack.
I have not touched the meat, fish or eggs for 50 years or so, and I am having the time of my life with all this amazing food. The constant innovation astounds me!
This cheese is great and I really do want my food to be simple and with less difficulty now. I am spoilt for choice and am lost in admiration for your inventiveness and your generosity of the sharing. Thank you very much.
How would you store the “cheese”?
place slices over each other and seal in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for upto 4 days and freezer for a month. To ensure that the slices dont stick to each other, spray oil between slices or place parchment paper cut into cheese slice size between slices.
Genius Cheese indeed! I love that it is high protein and no random ingredients!
You are amazing Richa! My husband and I are big foodie and obviously our fav is indian food 🙂 and its unbelievable to see your creative genius haow you make indian food even more special and healthy!
You are our food guru !!
Holy nacho cheesy! This is out of this world. It is chilling now in the fridge. I so appreciate that there is no oil or nuts added. We plan on grating tomorrow morning over vegan breakfast tacos with black beans in a taro taco shell. This is going to be the topping that will take it over the top because it tastes just like nacho cheese or pimiento cheese – and this with no nutritional yeast. I have said it before and I will say it again – you are brilliant with the spices! Many thanks!
Quick question: how should we shred..with grater or by hand or some other way? Thanks!
Figured it out! A large holed plastic grater worked grate:) Was easier when it was straight from fridge and cold. Was a little more difficult to grate when it had warmed up a bit. Put it back in fridge and worked like a charm. That is one amazing creation, Richa. Loved the spicy bite to it with the jalapeno and chipotle. Actually looks like the color and smell of nacho cheese and the coloring of pimento cheese. Can’t wait to try it melted as well. Many thanks!
yay1 i know right, all the color and taste and without any random additives! yes it softens as it warms up, i usually freeze it for a few minutes for better shreds. This cheese will not melt gooey-ly. it will just soften and spread and as soon as it is off hear, it will start to set again. for the meltyness, it will need a lot of oil, starch and other things 🙂
We softened with heat and spread on a veg burger this morning – brilliant! The rest of the spreadable cheese we didn’t use, as you said, set up again away from heat. Truthfully, it became a lovely crumbled cheese – like goat cheese, queso fresco or paneer! There are crispy quinoa sliders we wanted to try that has grated cheese mixed in it (not just on top) and now we can! Many humble thanks Richa.
yay awesome! yes this shredded cheese will act very well as a binder in burger patties! so glad you like it. generally i use agar and starches for a more melty cheese, but this definitely the simplest. it can be changed to make other flavors as well. just blend, cook and set!
These look great! I can’t wait to try them.
Anything that has the words Nacho Cheese in them when it come to food, i am in! Perfect for sprinkling on your favorite dishes.
I’ve been wanting to make my own cheese for a long time now.. this might be the recipe that will get me to do it. Looks so good 🙂