We usually make most of our vegan cheeses using almonds or cashews as the base ingredient. However, I wanted to try something different as a way of keeping the cost down when making vegan cheese. As a result this vegan smoked cheddar cheese dip recipe is made using chickpeas (garbanzo beans). The flavor is amazing and the recipe is simple. We have been making this delicious snack a lot since coming up with the recipe a few months ago now. Give it a whirl!
Also, check out the cream cheese omelette recipe on CookingPlanIt. We learned a lot from their guides and tips to efficient cooking and storing ingredients for longer periods.
This vegan smoked cheddar works great as a spread or sandwich condiment as well. As you can see in the photos, we enjoyed it in a vegan “cheese steak” sandwich made using soy “steaks”. We will post the recipe for the sandwich in the future! (Shown above with a vegan soy “cheese steak” sandwich!)
Ingredients to make 3 cups or 740 grams/26 oz of vegan cheese:
- 1 cup (200 grams or 7 oz) of dried chickpeas which is equal to 2 1/2 cups or 480 grams/17 oz of boiled or canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans. COST: 1.12€/$1.28 for organic/bio or 1.04€/$1.19 for non-organic.
- 1 Tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. COST: 0.20€/$0.23 for 1 lemon
- 6 Tablespoons (90 ml) of olive oil. COST: 0.45€/$0.51
- 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) of nutritional yeast. COST: 0.22€/$0.25
- 2 teaspoons of sea salt. COST: 0.03€/$0.03
- 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1/2 of a garlic clove. COST: 0.03€/$0.03
- 1 teaspoon of vegan liquid smoke. COST: 0.10€/$0.11 (North America Example or Example for Europe)
- 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. COST: 0.01€/$0.01
- 1 red pepper. COST: 0.30€/$0.34 for 1 organic red pepper
- 1 1/4 cup (295 ml) water. COST: 0.01€/$0.01
Total cost for 740 grams/26 oz of this vegan cheese is 2.47€ or $2.82. Keep in mind our prices include taxes here in Greece and the U.S. Dollar amount is a conversion of that amount based on today’s exchange rate.
Instructions:
- Boil the chickpeas for 30 – 45 minutes. Strain excess water from the boiled chickpeas when done.
- Add all the ingredients plus the boiled chickpeas into a food processor or high powered blender. I removed the green top and seeds from the red pepper before adding it.
- Blend or process until mixture is as smooth as possible.
- Serve and enjoy!
Jake and Athanasia and we currently live in Patra, Greece. Jake is from Minnesota in the United States and Athanasia is from Athens, Greece. Their blog was born and officially launched in October of 2013! It started with them wanting to create a menu of food for themselves for times they didn’t know what to make or eat. However, it evolved into so much more than that in such a short time! they began veganizing some of their favorite foods and realized quickly how incredible these recipes taste. Their friends and families became impressed by how delicious gluten free vegan food can actually be as well! Check out more of their recipes on 2 Broke Vegans.
