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Vegan Cheese Ball (Beer-Infused)

Easy beer-soaked cashew cheese is formed into a cheese ball and coated with walnuts and tempeh bacon. Serve with your favorite crackers, veggies, and plant meats!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Additional Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 208 kcal
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Cheese Ball:
  • 2 cups raw cashews
  • 12 ounces India Pale Ale or your favorite hoppy craft beer
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar plus 1 teaspoon, divided
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon white miso
  • 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil, optional The consistency will be softer without it.
Coating:
  • ½ package Lightlife smoky maple tempeh, optional (yields about ⅓ cup chopped bacon bits)
  • ⅓ cup raw or lightly toasted walnuts, chopped (if omitting tempeh, double the amount of walnuts)
Serving suggestions:
  • crackers
  • pretzels
  • variety of apples and/or pears, sliced Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.
  • raw veggies, such as carrots, celery, and peppers

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pulse cashews in food processor three or four times into a rough chop. Transfer cashews to a small bowl and cover with approximately 10 ounces of beer. Refrigerate remaining beer. Let soak 2 hours.
  2. Drain cashews well. Add to a food processor along with the nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon vinegar, ¾ teaspoon salt, smoked paprika, miso, oil, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved beer. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. This may take a few minutes. Taste the cheese and add more salt and vinegar if desired, but keep in mind the tempeh bacon will add some saltiness.
  3. Line a small bowl with a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap around the cheese ball. Scoop cheese into the bowl and let cool, unwrapped, in the freezer for 10 minutes. Once cool, wrap completely and use your hands to form it into a smooth ball. Freeze for an additional 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. While the cheese cools, if using tempeh bacon for the coating, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut the tempeh strips into thirds and place in a single layer on a parchment- or silpat-lined pan. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. Let cool then chop into bits.
  5. Just before serving add the coating ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and roll in the coating until fully covered. Serve with your favorite crackers, chips, fruits, and veggies. Store leftover cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • The cheese tastes great next day, which makes it a perfect make-ahead appetizer for a party or holiday meal. Store it in the refrigerator, without the coating, wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 days before coating and serving.
  • If you don't want to use tempeh bacon in the coating, plain chopped walnuts or sliced almonds also work well. 
  • Due to the higher moisture content of this cheese, a pretzel coating works only if the cheese ball will be consumed immediately. Otherwise, the pretzels get soggy after 1 to 2 hours.

Nutrition Information

Calories 208kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 11g (4%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Cholesterol 0mg (0%) Sodium 260mg (11%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 0IU (0%) Vitamin C 0.8mg (1%) Calcium 20mg (2%) Iron 2.2mg (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 208

% Daily Value*

Calories 208kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 11g 4%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 260mg 11%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 0IU 0%
Vitamin C 0.8mg 1%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 2.2mg 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.