Dairy-Free Almond Cheese
By Claire Georgiou, Reboot Naturopath, B.HSc ND
The world of dairy free continues to open up with tons of healthy alternatives. Whether you choose to consume dairy or not, it’s still great to enjoy food alternatives to vary your intake of healthy foods and broaden your horizons and your nutrient intake. This almond cheese is excellent as a spread, chopped up on meals, consumed as a dip, and when it’s baked it can be eaten cubed in salads and on any meals.
We’ll share a few steps with you but scroll down for the complete recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup blanched almonds, soaked for 24 hrs (I used slivered to hasten this step up – 4-6hrs)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp sea salt
- ½ cup (125 ml) water
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp for drizzling
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
Directions
- In a high speed blender, combine almonds, lemon juice, garlic, salt and water. Mix until a smooth consistency forms.
- Using a nut milk bag or a few layers of cheese cloth, place almond mixture in cloth and form this into a tight ball.
- Place this ball into a bowl in the fridge and chill it for a few hours.
- Once chilled, remove from the fridge and form into a slightly flattened ball then drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle the remaining herbs and served with crackers, vegetable sticks or used chopped on homemade pizza or as a spread.
- You can also bake this cheese for a firmer drier cheese for 40 minutes in a baking dish at 350F (180C). Do not add the drizzled oil or herbs until it’s finished baking.
Note: This will keep for up to 2 weeks in an air-tight container in the fridge. Other options can include mixing through herbs to give it a herbed cheese look throughout the cheese.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: Varies
Servings: 2 - 4
Substitutions
- Blanched Almonds – regular almonds with the skins removed, cashews
Calories: 250
Fat: 24g
Trans Fat: 2.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 290mg
Carbohydrates: 6g
Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 6g