A salty, tangy delicious vegan cotija cheese that's easy to make and goes with just about everything. Four ingredients is all you need for this dairy free alternative!
Place dry cashews in a food processor and blend until they are a fine crumble. Do not over blend or it will make cashew butter.
Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until incorporated. Stop here if you prefer not to shape this into a wheel but simply use it in crumbled form. If you are shaping it into a wheel, then you can keep blending until smooth. It should come together into a ball, almost soft and dough like.
Shape into a wheel and refrigerate overnight. You can use plastic wrap to store it in or shape with your hands and store in an airtight container. It will be ready to use in the morning, but if you can’t wait keep checking for hardness every few hours. This also stores very well in the freezer if you know you won’t use it all within 7 days.
Use with everything!
Notes
Keep cheese cold in the fridge until ready to use. It will soften and not crumble well if left out. It also stores very well in the freezer for extended periods of time.
The white vinegar is what gives this recipe the sharpness and tanginess of Parmesan. If you sub it then you will not get the same flavor.
You can also just use this crumbled straight from the food processor or store crumbled in the fridge if you don’t want to grate it. If you simply store it crumbled, it will harden as crumbles in the fridge.
This makes 1 wheel about 5 inches by one inch, or a little over 1 ¼ cup grated. Serving size is 1 tablespoon.