Smoked Paprika Vegan Cheddar Cheese Balls
This vegan cheese ball recipe is perfect for a finger food buffet or a wine and cheese party. It’s a cheese for all sorts of occasions!
Want more vegan recipes? Try 3 issues of Vegan Food & Living magazine for just £3!
Sultry smoked paprika makes the flavour of these vegan cheese balls really pop! Rolled in a satisfying coating of mixed seeds and dried cranberries, they’ll be a popular addition to any party table.
This recipe makes 8 balls, each just big enough to cover a decent portion of crackers. However, you could also serve up one giant shareable ball, or make tiny balls on cocktail sticks for party guests to munch on.
What is a cheese ball?
This type of cheese ball isn’t like those fluorescent orange crisps you may be used to seeing. These cheese balls are made of a flavourful, firm-but-spreadable cheese, rolled in a crunchy coating.
These retro-style snacks are a popular party food in parts of America, often served as one giant ball for guests to dig into with knives and crackers.
They were extremely popular in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s and, after a period of being considered a bit to ‘cheesy’, they’re making a comeback. And with this vegan cheese ball recipe they can storm their way onto plant-based party tables, too.
How much water should be added to this recipe?
With luck, you won’t need any more water than is stated in the recipe. However, you want your cheese to be nice and smooth, so don’t be afraid to add a little extra.
If your blended ingredients are looking dry, grainy, or crumbly, or are not coming together into a smooth paste, then you’ll need to add a splash more water.
Add any extra water very gradually, blending well in between, to avoid your cheese becoming too wet. You’ll need to be able to roll it into a ball by hand so it’s best to err on the side of caution when introducing extra liquid into this recipe.
Total Time: 10 minutes plus soaking and setting time
Servings: 8
Total Time: 10 minutes plus soaking and setting time
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 8)
- 62.5 62.5 g cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
- 7.5 7.5 g nutritional yeast
- 0.0625 0.0625 lemon, juice only
- 0.03125 0.03125 red onion, finely chopped
- 1.25 1.25 g fresh parsley
- 0.125 0.125 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.25 0.25 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 10 ml water (plus more as needed)
- 0.125 0.125 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- To coat
- smoked paprika
- mixed seeds and chopped dried cranberries
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, adding water as needed. Put in the fridge to firm up – this could take a few hours or you could leave it overnight.
- With an ice cream scoop, scoop out the set cheese mixture and roll in your hands to form balls (a little bigger than a golf ball). Roll the balls in the chopped seeds and cranberries or dust with smoked paprika. Wrap each in cling film and refrigerate until firm.
Need to fill a cheeseboard? Find more vegan cheese recipes
