This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This vegan blue cheese is simply mind-blowing! Naturally cultured and prepared with just 5 ingredients, it makes use of traditional cheese-making techniques. The result is a sharp, creamy, and rich vegan blue cheese like you have never tried before!
IT IS HERE. The vegan blue cheese recipe is finally here, guys!
I’m really, really excited about this recipe. First, because I have been working on it for several months, and second, because it tastes exactly like blue cheese.
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- The texture is just perfect. It’s creamy so you can spread it easily on a slice of bread, but firm enough to cut it into slices. Plus, it has those natural blue veins that are so characteristic of blue cheese.
- It has that rich and strong aroma. This cheese is actually even stronger in taste than my vegan aged camembert! Non-vegans could not believe it was not “real” blue cheese!
- It’s a fun experiment. Whether you are new to vegan cheese making or made some before, the process of making this blue cheese is interesting and exciting at the same time. You will see the mold slowly grow over a few weeks!
- It’s a reader’s favorite. With 244 ★★★★★ ratings, this recipe is a must-try! James said “Just tasted my first batch of this. It is quite simply, the best vegan cheese I have ever made. All thanks to you Thomas – another epic recipe.”
By the way, if you are looking for different vegan cheese recipes, take a look at my vegan camembert, vegan washed-rind cheese, or this sun-dried tomato camembert!
📘 What Is Blue Cheese
Blue cheese is a type of semi-soft cheese that is made with Penicillium roqueforti cultures. This edible mold not only creates a sharp and piquant flavor, but it is also responsible for the blue/green veins inside and outside the cheese.
Historians say that Gorgonzola is one of the oldest types of blue cheese, appearing around AD 879.
🥛 Ingredient Notes
Just like my vegan aged camembert, this blue cheese is made with just 5 ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Cashews – The base of this cheese is raw cashews. They bring the perfect amount of creaminess and richness. Do not use roasted cashews.
- Probiotics – To give the blue cheese its tangy flavor, we will be using probiotics that will trigger the fermentation process. I recommend using either Acidophilus or Mesophilic. The latter is specifically made for cheese making and yields a superior flavor.
- Mold culture – Penicillium roqueforti is the mold that will give the cheese its rich flavor and blue color.
- Coconut oil – The coconut oil is here to add creaminess, it also helps the mold grow since it requires a lot of fat. I recommend refined coconut oil, that has been deodorized.
- Salt – Salt not only enhances the flavor but also prevents bad mold from growing.
About the Penicillium roqueforti: You can get the penicillium roqueforti mold here. It might seem a little bit expensive but a little goes a long way. For 4 pieces of cheese, you will only need 1/8 tsp. It can be stored in the freezer for months.
🥣 How to Make It
The recipe is actually pretty easy to make; the hardest part is to be patient since the whole process will take over a month.
Prepare the cashew cream
Start by soaking the cashews in water for at least 5 hours or overnight. Then, blend them with water and coconut oil until it forms a smooth cream. Next, add the probiotics and penicillium roqueforti and blend again.
Transfer the cashew cream to a bowl and cover it with plastic film to touch. It needs to ferment at room temperature for one day to kick off the fermentation process.
Shape the cheeses
Next, it’s time to shape the cheeses. Line springform pans or cookie cutters with parchment paper and fill each one with cashew cream. Note: the size or shape of your pans doesn’t matter too much, so use what you have on hand.
Place the cheeses (still in the pans) in a container and refrigerate overnight.
Salt the cheeses
The next day, it’s time to remove the cheeses from the pans and salt them. Salt will help with mold growth, so it’s essential. To do so, sprinkle sea salt on the top and sides of each cheese and use your finger to rub the salt. Very carefully flip the cheeses and sprinkle salt on the opposite side.
Place the cheeses on parchment paper and put them back in the container.
Age the cheeses
It’s not time to age the cheeses and let the mold grow! Age the cheeses in your refrigerator at a temperature of about 47-52°F (8-11°C) and flip them every day.
After 7 days, you should start to see some light blue/green mold spots; it’s a good sign! Continue the process for another 7 days.
Crumble and re-shape
After a total of 14 days, your cheeses should be a bit firmer and almost completely covered with blue mold. It’s now time to crumble them.
Why crumble the cheeses?
It’s the blue mold that gives the cheese its characteristic flavor. The problem is that the mold needs to be in contact with the air to grow, so you need to have many small openings inside the cheese for better mold growth. Regular blue cheeses are often pierced several times with a skewer to make holes. I tried this way but with no success. After several tries, I thought of scrambling the cheese into little pieces and then forming it again without pressing too much to leave large holes inside it. It worked!
Using clean hands, scramble the cheese in a large bowl (just like you would scramble tofu). Next, line springform pans or cookie cutters with parchment paper and re-fill them with the cashew cream without pressing too much to leave large holes on the inside.
The final step is to keep flipping the cheeses every day and wait…Your cheeses will be ready in 3 more weeks, but if you are patient enough to wait for an extra 2 weeks I promise you won’t regret it! It will become even stronger and sharper.
Serve this blue cheese alongside vegan camembert, onion chutney, and grapes and you have one of the best vegan cheese platter!
📔 Tips
- Age the cheeses in a container during the complete aging process. Mold needs humidity to grow. That’s why you need to keep the cheeses in a small box or container in your refrigerator. If you were to let the cheeses uncovered, they would dry out before the mold gets a chance to grow.
- Do not omit any ingredient. This recipe is not versatile, so I do not recommend substituting or omitting any ingredient.
- Use latex gloves. By using gloves each time you handle the cheeses, you reduce your chances of seeing bad mold growing. Latex gloves are pretty cheap and come in large boxes, so do not hesitate to get yourself a box.
- If you are making vegan camembert at the same time: I recommend you keep them in two separate boxes. Mold can transfer very easily, and you could end up with white mold on your blue cheese or blue mold on your camembert.
- Regarding the appearance of the cheese. The rind of this blue cheese is dark blue because I didn’t scrape the sides. Be aware the rind is edible, but if you prefer the exterior to be white, you can gently scrape the mold using a clean knife every two weeks. I prefer to leave the rind because it looks cooler, and after about a month, it will become a little bit firmer. Creamy inside + firm rind = perfect cheese to me.
💬 FAQ
Yes, blue cheese contains a natural mold that is called Penicillium. This type of mold gives the cheese its flavor and color.
Blue cheese has a sharp and tangy taste with subtle piquant/spicy notes.
As long as it’s good mold, yes!
It’s very easy to tell if a cheese has gone bad; just smell it. If it has a rotten eggs smell, you should trash it. If there is some pink or black fuzzy mold, it’s not good either.
Roquefort is a type of blue cheese that is only produced in a specific area of France. It is a protected designation of origin.
No, this vegan blue cheese does not melt. It will only become softer once heated.
Yes, once the ripening process is done, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Disclaimer
- The links provided here for Penicillium Roqueforti may not redirect to a fully vegan product as Amazon sellers change product references frequently. Be aware that non-vegan ones are grown on lactose, meaning they contain *traces* of lactose. Considering the amount used, you could still consider your cheese 99,99% vegan. It’s up to you to choose which one fits your beliefs best. One more thing, fully vegan Penicillium roqueforti exists; you will have to do your own research to locate it.
- Many people have been making this cheese without giving any credit back and labeling it as their own. I worked really hard to create this recipe from scratch and had to do a ton of experiments before releasing it, so please give credit by tagging @fullofplants on Instagram or linking to this website.
Final Words
I hope this recipe will prove it’s possible to make everything with plant-based ingredients. If you are not vegan yet, you don’t have to give up on cheese anymore!
Please let me know if you try this recipe, and feel free to ask if you have questions about the process!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you will receive new recipes every week!
I’d like to receive more tips & recipes from Full of Plants.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Vegan Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw cashews
- 2 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp mesophilic culture or 6 capsules vegan probiotics (Acidophilus)
- 1/8 tsp penicillium roqueforti in powdered or liquid form
- 5 tbsp filtered water
- sea salt
Instructions
The day before
- Soak the cashews in filtered water for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Forming the cheese
- Drain the cashews and place them in a large glass bowl. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, pour the water directly onto the cashews. Let sit 1-2 minutes, and drain the cashews again. This step will help kill possible bacteria.
- Transfer the cashews to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Add the coconut oil and 5 tablespoons of filtered water. Blend on high speed, scraping down the sides from time to time, this step might take about 10 minutes, depending on your blender. You should get a smooth, thick mixture.
- Open the probiotic capsules and add the powder to the blender.
- Add the penicillium roqueforti. If your penicillium roqueforti is in powdered form it works the same way as the liquid one. Blend for another 10-15 seconds.
- The mixture should be smooth but thick. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until smooth. Do not add too much water otherwise the mixture will be too liquid, you want a thick consistency.
- Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic film, and let sit at room temperature in a dark place for about 24h. This step is important to let the cheese ferment.
- The following day, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to make the mixture easier to work with.
- After that, line a baking sheet or flat plate with parchment paper. Place 4 small springform pans on top (I used two 3-inch cookie cutter rounds for each cheese, stacked).
- Cut strips of parchment paper and lay them in 4 small springform pans. You want to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. You can also use plastic film if you prefer. The goal is to prevent the cashew mixture from touching the metal. Fill each pan with the cashew mixture and press it down using plastic film, so it doesn't stick to your hands.
- Place a container upside down on the plate where the cheeses sit. This step is essential to keep some humidity inside. It's important for good mold growth. Place the cheeses in your refrigerator (you will age the cheeses covered in your refrigerator during the whole aging process).
Aging
- After 2 days, sprinkle salt over the top of the cheeses, and lightly rub with clean hands. Carefully flip the cheeses using a small plate lined with parchment paper, and remove the springform pan. Sprinkle salt on top and the sides, rubbing gently. You will only salt once. The cheeses will still be very soft, but they will be easier to work with after a few days.
- Flip the cheeses every day, always using clean hands. You can use gloves or work with a plastic film to make sure you are not touching the cheeses.
- Blue mold should start to appear after about 7 days. The mold will be slightly darker or lighter, depending on the humidity and temperature of your fridge.
- After 2 weeks, scramble the cheese into little pieces (just like when you scramble tofu) in a clean bowl. The cashew mixture will still be quite soft, so try to make small pieces. For this step, I highly recommend wearing latex gloves.
- Lay strips of parchment paper into springform pans and fill each pan with the scrambled cheese without pressing too much. This step is important to create holes inside the cheese as the mold needs to be in contact with air to grow. You can remove the cheeses from the springform pans right after shaping them. Place the cheeses on the baking sheet or plate, cover them with a plastic box or container, and place them back in the refrigerator.
- Continue to flip the cheeses every day for the next 3 weeks, always using clean hands or gloves. This step only takes a few seconds every day.
- After a total of 5 weeks, the inside and the outside of your cheeses will be covered with blue mold. They will be ready to eat soon!
- Wrap each cheese in cheese paper or aluminum foil and wait another 3-7 days. The longer you let them age in the refrigerator, the stronger the taste.
- The cheese will keep for about one month in the refrigerator and will become firmer and sharper.
Notes
- Age the cheeses in a container during the complete aging process. Mold needs humidity to grow, that’s why you need to keep the cheeses in a small box or container in your refrigerator. If you were to let the cheeses uncovered, they would dry out before the mold gets a chance to grow.
- Do not omit any ingredient. This recipe is not versatile so I do not recommend substituting or omitting any ingredient.
- Use latex gloves. By using gloves each time you handle the cheeses, you reduce your chances to see bad mold growing. Latex gloves are pretty cheap and come in large boxes so do not hesitate to get yourself a box.
- If you are making vegan camembert at the same time: I recommend you keep them in two separate boxes. Mold can transfer very easily and you could end up with white mold on your blue cheese, or blue mold on your camembert.
- Regarding the appearance of the cheese. The rind of this blue cheese is dark blue because I didn’t scrape the sides. Be aware the rind is edible, but if you prefer the exterior to be white, you can gently scrape the mold using a clean knife every two weeks. I prefer to leave the rind because it looks cooler and after about a month it will become a little bit firmer. Creamy inside + firm rind = perfect cheese to me.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
I’m working on this blue cheese, I’m at day 5, but I have the cheeses individually wrapped in plastic wrap, will that be okay or should I have them in a pan covered and not wrapped? Thanks for any helpful hints!
Hi Kim,
After salting, the cheeses shouldn’t be wrapped at all. Just keep them in a container or on plate covered with an upside down container to keep enough moisture.
Hi, Would it be possible for you to make a video for this recipe? It looks great! I have not made it yet, but it is worth to try for sure.
Hi Kathy,
I’ll try to make a video next time I make another batch!
What happens if the mixture seems a bit runny?
It means you probably added too much water when blending. If it’s not too liquid, you can still follow the next steps. The salting step should make your wheels a bit firmer as it will extract some water. Next time, start with less water when blending the cashews.
Also, please only rate a recipe after you have fully tested it 😉
I accidentally came across your recipe and decided to try to implement it. But I have a problem – I can’t stand coconut oil at all. Is it possible to replace it with the same amount of olive oil or corn oil? Or at least for a solid butter like cocoa or shea butter?
Hi Alex,
You can simply omit it or use another oil such as shea butter or deodorized cocoa butter.
Dear Tomas,
the blue cheese looks great.
Do the blue cheese can be done with almond vegan cheese, instead cashews?
Hi Ayala,
I didn’t have any success with almonds, sorry. The texture was off and not as smooth.
I can’t eat coconut; can this cheese still be made without it? Can avocado oil replace it?
You can simply omit the coconut oil or use shea butter 😉
I’m not a vegan, I just want to eat healthier. I read one of the comments about using “real blue cheese” as a starter. How much should I use? A couple of tablespoons? Would using a lot more make the process faster? Say, half a real Roquefort? I plan on making the cheese, and then reusing some leftovers for the next batch (like making kombucha). Once I reuse the cheese from your recipe using the non-vegan cheese as a starter, how much to add to the next batch? I’m hoping it will become more vegan after a few batches if I want to share it with my vegan sister. Thanks for the hard work!
I’m afraid using more starter won’t make the process faster. A couple of tablespoons should be more than enough to replace the powdered penicillium roqueforti. Blend that with the cashew cream and age the cheeses as written in the recipe, it will work the same.
It will work the same for your next batch, use a couple of tablespoons of the previous blue cheese. I wish you good luck with your vegan cheese experiments!
download vegan cheese making is not working, can you sent it
I’m sorry, we recently removed the ebook from the blog as a freebie. It has been available for free for more than 5 years and unfortunately has been stolen multiple times and then sold on other platforms. We don’t even have enough time to fill all of the copyright infringement reports. Hence, we have decided to remove it from the blog for now.
We are going to update it, rework it, and sell it by ourselves as an ebook (and probably hardcover as well) soon on the blog. Since it will be a paid book, it will also make it easier for us to submit copyright removal requests in the future.
Thank you so much for this recipe Thomas! I was wondering if over the years you have tried this cheese with almonds or sunflower seeds instead of cashews 🙂
I’m afraid I haven’t tried using sunflower seeds, sorry. I tested with raw blanched almonds in the past but was not happy with the texture as it was not as smooth and rich as cheeses made with cashews.
Taste and texture and brilliant! Thanks so much for enriching my life!
Your blue cheeses look perfect! Great job and thanks for sharing a photo, I love to see your results!
Just made two of these cheeses, following your recipe and… they are brilliant! Taste and texture are awesome. You’ve changed my life. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your rating and feedback Roy!
Thank you! I didn’t think I would ever be able to enjoy blue cheese again, being dairy free. This cheese is the real deal. So good! This was my first time making this cheese and I look forward to making it again!
Thank you so much for your great feedback Alanna 😉
Hi, it’s been 9 days but all I see is a bit of white fluffy mould and no blue. Does that mean it’s likely contaminated? The penicilllum is in liquid form, do you think I could a add a drop and maybe it takes hold?thanks
Hi Olivia,
You need to be patient, mold can take longer than 10 days to grow depending on the temperature. If you are aging your cheeses at a colder temperature, the mold will take longer to develop. There is no need to add extra penicillium.
NOT VEGAN:
Penicillium Roqueforti. Sufficient for 200 gallons of milk. Approximately 1/4 tsp of culture or about .3 grams. Not vegan. It is propagated on a lactose base containing gluten
Thanks for your heads up Christopher, but I would recommend checking the disclaimer in the article about that where we explain it all.
Hi, currently the penicillium roqueforti link is going to a Rodent Repellent Spray, could you update? Not sure which to choose if I just do a search. Thank you!
Hi Kirsi,
It has been fixed!
Thank you for sharing. I’ll try it soon. It’s amazing.
Please check your links! It takes you to anti rat spray. Yup plant based but still odd.
Thanks for the heads up! Well, at least it was plant-based 😉
More seriously, it can happen that Amazon will keep an URL but change the product on that URL. We fixed it.
This cheese looks amazing!
Too bad I can’t consume coconut oil. My cholesterol skyrockets when I have added it to my diet, even in small amounts. Have you tried anything like avocado oil or olive oil? Brazil nuts seem to be very high in fat. I wonder if they could be used in addition?
Thanks Thérèse! Some readers had success making this blue cheese without the use of coconut oil, so you might try that!
Many of the links are leading to rat poison…perhaps your blog has been hacked?
Thanks for the heads up Steve! I fixed the link, the issue is that sometimes Amazon will change the product sold on a specific URL.
Thank you for sharing your recipe Thomas. I started the aging process of my cheese. I realized that I will be on holidays for a week and unable to flip the cheese from day 17 of the aging process to day 23. Will the cheese ruin in my absence without flipping? Do you have any ideas of what could I do to prevent the cheese from ruining? I am aging them in a small fridge at 11 degrees. Perhaps leaving them at a lower temperature 3 degrees while away? And then continuing the process at 11 degrees when I come back from holidays. Or freezing them while on holiday and continuing aging once I’m back? Thank you. Any suggestion would be welcome although I understand you might not have tried it.
Hi Rocio,
I doubt you will ruin the cheeses by not flipping them for a week, it should be okay 🙂
Do not freeze them, you can simply lower the temperature to 9-10°C to slow down a little bit the mold growth though.
Kudos to you Thomas for creating this recipe. I’ve been missing a piece of blue since I converted to veganism about 40+ years ago. Now thanks to you I am eating blue cheese nearly every day.
A second batch is being prepared.
God bless.
You are welcome Joseph! Thanks for your feedback 😉
Hi!
I’m wanting to make this recipe but I’m confused. It say’s to refrigerate it at 8-11c but a domestic fridge is normally set at 1-4 °C. Does this essentially mean i need to buy a separate fridge to keep the cheese in at 8-11 °C?
Hi Nathan,
The best way would be to use a small fridge only for aging the cheeses. Otherwise, you will have to turn up the temperature of your regular fridge for a few weeks.
Hi, I’ve successfully got to the stage of having the formed cheeses and I’m now flipping them daily in the fridge. Your recipe says 8-11C but at the lowest setting my fridge is still 5-6C – is mold going to grow at this temp or do I need to find another solution?
Mold should still be able to grow at 6C, but it might take a bit longer.
I’m making your camembert, blue cheese, and hickory smoked cheese all at the same time! You made me buy a smoker, my friend… haha
I have made camembert and blue cheese in the past, but I had trouble with growing the mold. Your instructions were really clear, so I’m having a lot more success this time.
I got a fridge thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature around the cheeses and the mold is growing beautifully!
I’ll tag you on IG when they’re ready to show you the pictures.
Hi Thomas
Writing to tell you that I am seeing some mould growing after 12 days or so. How am I to know that it is the real one cos it seems there are fluffy ones too. Excuse me if this has been answered but I tried to search but it took a long time and gave up.
God bless.
Hi Joe,
Fuzzy mold grows in very small dots while fluffy white or blue mold will grow in larger patches. The latter is also shorter. You want mold that grows in large patches.
Hi Thomas! I need your help here! I did this recipe and all went fine till I placed the cheeses in aluminium foil in the fridge one week ago. Today, I open the foil just to check on the cheeses and saw that they have developed large white patches on the underside. It doesn’t look fluffy like mould but more like hardened coconut oil… but it left me wondering if it is safe to eat them next week… may I please have your thoughts on this?
Hi Ju,
It’s hard to tell without seeing it, but I would say your cheeses are safe to eat. A mix of blue and white mold can appear on blue cheeses, it’s normal and it happened to me many times.
Hello! My cheese has been aging for about 6 weeks. The blue is coming through but there is a powdery feel to some parts of it. Is that ok? Should I scrape or anything? Thanks!
Hello Charity,
The blue cheese can look sometimes a bit powdery, that is normal. As long as you don’t see black mold and the cheeses have a nice smell, it should be okay.
Hello Thomas! While the recipe looks amazing, I would change the usage of latex gloves for other kind of gloves since latex is not vegan (latex comes from casein, which comes from milk).
Hi Jorge,
Sure, you can use any type of gloves, or even plastic wrap.
Hello!
i wonder if i can add some vegan protein powder to your recipe, for a bit more protein. do you have any advice on this?
thank you so much!
Hi Kate,
I haven’t tried adding protein powder. I doubt it would prevent mold from growing, but it might alter the flavor and texture slightly.
The mould is just starting to develop on my vegan blue cheese and it is a grayish colour. Is it contaminated or might it still succeed?
If you are aging your cheese at a cold temperature, the blue mold may appear grayish. As long as you don’t see black mold or very fuzzy mold, you should be good.