How to Make Vegan Cheese - Vegan Provolone

How to make a basic vegan cheese using coconut milk that is free of dairy, gluten, soy, and nuts. Vegan provolone-flavored cheese.

Prep time: PT2M

Cook time: PT8M

Total time: PT145M

Rating

4.95 stars (89 reviews)

Keywords

coconut cheese, garlic and herb vegan cheese, healthy vegan cheese sauce, how to make vegan cheese, nut free vegan cheese, nut free vegan cheese ball, vegan cheese, vegan cheese recipe

Ingredients

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk (full-fat)
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons agar agar (powder (or 6 tablespoons of flakes if you can't find powdered agar agar))
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Cuisine

cheese
gluten free
soy free
vegan

Steps

Prepare cheese molds by spraying a glass bowl or container with spray oil or rubbing any neutral-flavored oil on the molds to prevent sticking. (Recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese).
Pour the can of coconut milk into a saucepan.
Put 1/2 cup of hot water into the empty coconut milk can to melt all the remaining coconut milk, and add the water to the pan.
Add all remaining ingredients (2 tbsp agar agar, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder) to the saucepan and stir with a whisk.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until it boils.
Turn down the heat until the cheese sauce is just barely boiling and stir constantly for 6 minutes until it is very smooth. (It must boil for 6 minutes to activate the agar agar and set the cheese correctly.)
Immediately pour into the prepared cheese molds.
Let it cool with the lid off for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then cover and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set firmly.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 0.25 cup
Calories: 106 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Sodium: 299 mg

Reviews

Pam Richason on 2026-03-15 (5 stars):
I made this today and it is amazing. I didn’t think I could find a vegan cheese that is so creamy and similar to dairy cheese. Bonus points for being able to pronounce every ingredient in it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Pat Nelson on 2026-02-27 (5 stars):
This was so easy! I made the smoked cheese, but found it too mild and added more liquid smoke and more nutritional yeast. It is fabulous! And it was so fast to make! Texture is perfect! Thank you! I will definitely be making more flavours. Buying half this amount in the grocery store would probably set me back $10. Thank you so much for figuring this out and posting it.
Sandip on 2026-01-21 (5 stars):
Cheese is my #2 reason for not starting to move in the veg/vegan direction. I love cheese. And cheese loves me. CHEESE! CHEESE! CHEESE! This is exciting.
The Vegan Goddess on 2025-10-18 (5 stars):
I haven't tried these recipes yet but want to thank you for creating such a great website and resource. You've created a masterpiece in more ways than one! I look forward to trying your recipes.