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This vegan mild cheddar made with leftover wheat starch water gets some umami from mushroom powder and Worcestershire. It's a hard cheese perfect for your next charcuterie board, but can also be sliced thin for sandwiches or grated onto just about anything for flavor. The wheat starch does not get as stretchy as tapioca or potato starch, so while this will soften it won't exactly "melt."



Ingredients

 1 cup room-temperature starch water, as much water drained off as possible and stirred
 1 cup room-temperature unsweetened soy milkI used organic Silk brand. Different brands might have different additives that could affect the texture of your final result.
 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
 1 ½ tbsp kappa carageenan
 1 tbsp mushroom powderI made mine by grinding dried porcini mushrooms. If using a purchased variety, you may need to adjust your salt content.
 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire I love this recipe but store bought works, too.
 1 tbsp tomato paste
 1 tsp salt
 a few drops of vegan food coloring to make it a little more orange (optional)
  cup refined* coconut oil, melted*It is important to use refined coconut oil which has been de-flavored so your cheese does not taste like coconut.

Directions

1

Drain as much excess water off your starch water as possible and stir. I let mine sit in the fridge for a day or two to try to get it to really separate before using for this. Make sure your starch water and soy milk are at room temperature before beginning, or they will make your coconut oil solidify when mixing. I mix them together and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until it's ready. Be careful not to heat it too much or the starch will clump.

2

Prepare a steamer and have a container ready for your cheese. I use silicone molds which easily release. You may want to oil a glass container if using. Whatever you choose, make sure it can easily hold up at least 2 1/2-3 cups of liquid, because the mixture will rise by about 1/3 during cooking.

3

Add all the ingredients through the salt to your blender or food processor and blitz. Once mixed you can see the color and add any additional at this time. The colors will darken with steaming. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until it is fully emulsified.

4

Finally add in the lactic acid and pulse the blender a bit more to incorporate.* Pour the mixture into the prepared vessel and steam for 45 minutes. Allow to come to room temperature before covering and storing in the fridge. The cheese will be hardened after about 6-8 hours of resting in the fridge and will continue to harden a little more as it rests.


*SIDE NOTE: The reason I add the lactic acid last is because it can affect the kappa carageenan's ability to harden the cheese. I'm honestly not sure if it makes that much of a difference since I'm blending everything together before cooking, anyway, but it's a habit I picked up from The Non-Dairy Evolution by Skye Michael Conroy. If you're just learning about vegan cheese making or want to explore some new ideas, I highly recommend the book.

 

More Starch Water Recipes

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Ingredients

 1 cup room-temperature starch water, as much water drained off as possible and stirred
 1 cup room-temperature unsweetened soy milkI used organic Silk brand. Different brands might have different additives that could affect the texture of your final result.
 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
 1 ½ tbsp kappa carageenan
 1 tbsp mushroom powderI made mine by grinding dried porcini mushrooms. If using a purchased variety, you may need to adjust your salt content.
 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire I love this recipe but store bought works, too.
 1 tbsp tomato paste
 1 tsp salt
 a few drops of vegan food coloring to make it a little more orange (optional)
  cup refined* coconut oil, melted*It is important to use refined coconut oil which has been de-flavored so your cheese does not taste like coconut.

Directions

1

Drain as much excess water off your starch water as possible and stir. I let mine sit in the fridge for a day or two to try to get it to really separate before using for this. Make sure your starch water and soy milk are at room temperature before beginning, or they will make your coconut oil solidify when mixing. I mix them together and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until it's ready. Be careful not to heat it too much or the starch will clump.

2

Prepare a steamer and have a container ready for your cheese. I use silicone molds which easily release. You may want to oil a glass container if using. Whatever you choose, make sure it can easily hold up at least 2 1/2-3 cups of liquid, because the mixture will rise by about 1/3 during cooking.

3

Add all the ingredients through the salt to your blender or food processor and blitz. Once mixed you can see the color and add any additional at this time. The colors will darken with steaming. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until it is fully emulsified.

4

Finally add in the lactic acid and pulse the blender a bit more to incorporate.* Pour the mixture into the prepared vessel and steam for 45 minutes. Allow to come to room temperature before covering and storing in the fridge. The cheese will be hardened after about 6-8 hours of resting in the fridge and will continue to harden a little more as it rests.

Starch Water Mild Cheddar Cheese