Description
This creamy, herby, nutty vegan cheese ball is the perfect make-ahead holiday appetizer for entertaining.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup raw almonds*
- ¼ cup vegan cream cheese
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley or thyme, minced
Coating
- ½ cup nuts of choice, chopped finely (we used pecans)
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
- 2-3 tbsp dried cranberries, minced
Instructions
- Soak the cashews and almonds for 6-8 hours in room temperature water.
- Rinse and drain well. Add the soaked nuts to a food processor and pulse 15-20 times to break down. Add the cream cheese, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and process until you have a creamier mixture. It will still have some texture to it.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the fresh herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Layer out 2 double layers of cheesecloth on top of each other, creating a cross shape. Lay the cheeseball mixture in the center and form into a loose ball. Wrap securely in the cheesecloth, making sure none of the mixture is exposed, and secure with a clip or rubber band. Set on a small plate and refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Unwrap the cheesecloth and gently reform ball. There might be a slight hardening on some of the outside, which is totally fine and normal. Add all of the coating ingredients to a pie plate or large, flat dinner plate.
- Gently roll the cheese ball in coating mixture, pressing lightly all over so the coating adheres. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator to enjoy later.
Notes
*You can sub almond slices with more cashews if you wish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 660.9 mg
- Fat: 37.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.7 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
