This Creamy Vegan Sunflower Seed Cheese recipe is one of my favorite recipes, and I think you’re going to love it too. It’s a creamy vegan seed cheese with a tangy flavor that’s packed with delicious garlic and chives, is simple to make, nut-free, and is so much cheaper than store bought vegan cheese.
Instead of the usual cashew or almond base, this is a nut-free vegan cheese. Having a cheese made with sunflower seeds is great of course for those who are allergic to nuts, but it also means it’s great since it can be packed for school lunches at nut-restricted schools.
This Almond Feta is a fantastic cheese but having a nut-free alternative is doubly good.
Sunflower seeds have a bit of a stronger flavor, than almonds, but adding garlic and chive makes this cheese taste simply delicious.
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Ingredients
Following are the ingredients you’ll need for this cheese. For the amounts needed, simply scroll down to the recipe card below.
Instructions
Following are the basic instructions for making this cheese. For the full details, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Add ingredients to blender or food processor
- Blend or process to combine
- Form and serve raw or bake in the oven (or put on the grill) for an even better result.
- Top with chopped chives if desired.
Serving Ideas
There are so many ways to enjoy this creamy cheese. You can make it baked or raw, and even grilled. You can also use it as a
spread on wraps or flatbread
dip for veggies
topping for burgers
spread for crackers
sprinkle on top of pizza
topping for salads like this broccoli salad or this spaghetti squash salad
or gently melted and served on main dishes
So many options!
Recipe Notes
- Note that the miso and nutritional yeast are optional. They add a nice extra flavor, but the sunflower cheese tastes great even without!
- Paleo : If you are eating paleo, and are concerned about miso, you can leave it out, however some die hard paleo eaters do eat miso due to its stellar nutritional profile, including the fact that it is fermented.
- Soy-free: You can substitute chick pea miso for the soy miso if necessary.
- Storage: You should be able to store this in the fridge for about a week.
- Baking Notes: Baking the cheese isn’t needed, but it will result in a firmer top and sides, which I personally love. Either way, this cheese will still be very spreadable.
Other Vegan Recipes You’ll Love
- 2 cups raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup chives (loosely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon miso (optional)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
Soak sunflower seeds at least 8 hours or overnight (up to 24 hours) in water with 1 teaspoon of salt.
Drain and rinse.
Place the sunflower seeds and the remaining ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
While processing, you can stop every so often to scrape down the sides of the blender / processor if needed.
Taste the mixture, and add more seasoning if desired.
Form the cheese into whatever shape you’d like. You can free form it, make one or a few smaller wheels of cheese, or use a silicone mold to make it into any desired shape.
Serve raw, or you can also bake this vegan cheese recipe for even better results. Following are the directions to do so.
Preheat oven to 200F. Spread the mixture or form into a disk a parchment paper lined pan,approximately ¾ inches thick.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes.
Top with chopped chives, if desired.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
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- Raw vs. Roasted Seeds: It’s very important that you use raw sunflower seeds for this recipe. Roasted seeds will give it a completely different taste, and you likely won’t enjoy it.
- Miso and Nutritional Yeast Options: While the miso and nutritional yeast are optional, they add a nice extra flavor.
- Paleo: If you’re eating paleo, and are concerned about miso, you can leave it out, however some die hard paleo eaters do eat miso due to its stellar nutritional profile, including the fact that it is fermented.
- Soy-free: You can substitute chick pea miso for the soy miso if necessary.
- Storage: You should be able to store this in the fridge for about a week.
- Baking Notes: Baking the cheese isn’t needed, but it will result in a firmer top and sides, which I personally love. Either way, this cheese will still be very spreadable.
Serving: 14.3g | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbs: 1g
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What would you eat this sunflower seed cheese on?
Note that this post was originally published in November 2013. It was mostly rewritten, with new images added, and republished in December 2023.
