A perfectly rich, creamy, and spicy vegan pepper jack cheese.  A simple plant-based cheese recipe that’s easy to whip up in about 10 minutes. Slice it up and serve it on crackers or add it to a vegan cheeseboard. 

Vegan homemade pepper jack cheese cut into cubes on a cutting board.

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Melt this dairy-free pepper jack cheese over corn chips to make unbelievable vegan loaded nachos, use it in quesadillas, or for a spicy vegan grilled cheese.

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

  • quick, easy, and simple to make.
  • filled red and green peppers for a pretty cheese platter.
  • bursting with flavor and you can adjust the spiciness.
  • gluten-free, soy-free, and cashew-free, so everyone can enjoy it.

You can adjust this recipe to be made with coconut milk, cashews, or plant-based milk and choose to make it firm or soft and meltable.

Dairy-free pepper jack cut into slices on a cutting board with crackers.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions 

  • Jalapeno Peppers – for flavor and color.  (You can use green bell pepper for a more mild cheese).
  • Red Bell Peppers – for flavor and color.
  • Oil – to saute the peppers in.  Any neutral oil like canola or refined coconut oil will work.
  • Coconut Milk – a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk or coconut cream works best.  You can also use any other type of plant-based milk or cashew cream.  (Coconut milk will give you the richest and creamiest texture).
    • If using cashews – you will need 1/3 cup cashew soaked and drained then blended with 1 3/4 cup water).
    • If using other plant-based milk – you will need 1 3/4 cups of milk plus 1/3 cup of any neutral-flavored oil.
  • Water – to add the correct amount of moisture.
  • Agar Agar Powder – to make the cheese firm.  This is a vegan gelatine that comes in the form of a powder.  I get mine for a good price at my local Asian market or they also sell it at many natural foods stores.  (If you can not find the powder, you can use agar agar flakes, but you will need to triple the amount of flakes and use 6 tbsp in total).  You can also use Kapa carrageenan instead of agar agar powder.
  • Nutritional Yeast – for a cheesy flavor.
  • Salt – for flavor
  • Cayenne Pepper – for added spiciness if needed. 
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor. (optional)
  • Lemon Juice – for flavor and acidity.  You can also use apple cider vinegar instead.
  • Tapioca Starch – aka tapioca flour – to make the cheese able to melt and stretch.  (Only use for the meltable variation).  I have tested and retested the amount of tapioca starch needed.  Anything less than the recommended amount will need high heat to melt, and anything more than the recommended amount will be too soft to grate or slice.   *You can’t use any other starch to get the same stretchy effect as tapioca starch.  Only tapioca starch will let your cheese melt and stretch similarly to real cheese. 
Vegan pepper jack cheese cubes on a cutting board.

🥄 Instructions

First, decide what your base ingredient will be. 

  • I think that coconut milk has the best flavor and texture, but you can also use other plant-based milk with additional oil, or blended cashews.  You will need a total of about 2 cups of liquid.  The higher the fat content of the liquid, the creamier your cheese will be.

You will also need to decide if you want a firm sliceable cheese or a softer cheese that will melt and stretch when heated. (You can’t have both, you must choose one or the other). 

  • The firm version –  is best for slicing for eating plain or on crackers.
  • The meltable version – is best for cheese that you can melt over nachos, and use in grilled cheese sandwiches, or quesadillas.   (The only difference between the two versions is the tapioca starch and the method of adding it to the pot).

🔪 How to make sliceable cheese

  1. Chop up 1/3 cup of red peppers and 1-2 Jalanos into very small pieces.
  2. Saute the peppers in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add a can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp agar agar powder, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
  4. Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  5. Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow it to boil for 6 minutes while stirring frequently.
  6. Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
A collage of 4 pictures showing the process steps for making homemade dairy-free pepper jack cheese.

🍕 How to make meltable cheese

  1. Chop up 1/3 cup of red peppers and 1-2 Jalanos into very small pieces.
  2. Saute the peppers in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add a can of coconut milk, 1/4 cup of water, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp agar agar,  1/2 tsp garlic, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
  4. Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  5. Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow it to boil for 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
  6. Add 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp of tapioca starch (7 tsp) to 1/4 cup of water and stir until it dissolves.
  7. Add the starch and water mixture to the boiling cheese sauce and stir it in with a whisk and cook for an additional 1 minute.  (Your cheese will become very thick and stretchy).
  8. Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before shredding.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

  • Jalapeno peppers vary greatly in spiciness.  Sometimes one is enough to make it spicy, sometimes I need a few dashes of cayenne to give it enough heat even after using 2 jalapenos.
  • Taste the cheese sauce before adding the cayenne and see if it’s needed. 
  • Make sure to measure the ingredients carefully!  Slight changes in the amount of liquid, the agar agar, or tapioca starch can change the texture of your cheese a lot! 
  • For a cheesier flavor, add an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast and/or 1 tsp of miso paste to your cheese sauce.
  • Store the cheese in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. 
  • If you want to grate the meltable version, pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes after it has been set to make it firmer and easier to grate. 
Sliced vegan pepper jack cheese with red and green peppers on a cutting board.

You can also check out this post if you want more information on how to make vegan cheese.

🧀 More vegan cheeses

If you are interested in learning how to make more easy homemade vegan cheeses, check out all of my vegan cheese recipes on the blog or my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.”

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!

📋 Vegan pepper jack cheese recipe

Vegan pepper jack cheese cubes on a cutting board.
4.87 from 15 rating

Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese

Yield: 8
Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 10 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A spicy vegan cheese made with red peppers and green jalapenos.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1/3 cup red bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil, or any neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk, or coconut cream (or see note to use other plant milk)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons agar agar powder
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

For meltable cheese:

  • 7 teaspoons tapioca starch, (this is the same as 2 tbsp + 1 tsp)
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions
 

How to make sliceable vegan pepper jack:

  • Chop up 1/3 cup of red peppers and 1-2 jalapenos into very small pieces.
  • Saute the peppers in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat for about 3 minutes.
  • Add a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbsp agar agar, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt, a dash of cayenne, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and a 1/2 tsp lemon juice.
  • Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  • Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow to boil for 6 minutes while stirring frequently.
  • Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

How to make meltable vegan pepper jack:

  • Chop up 1/3 cup of red peppers and 1-2 jalapenos into very small pieces.
  • Saute the peppers in 1 tbsp of oil over low heat for about 3 minutes.
  • Add a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbsp agar agar, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt, a dash of cayenne, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and a 1/2 tsp lemon juice.
  • Heat the cheese sauce over medium heat until it begins to boil.
  • Turn down the heat until it is just barely bubbling and allow to boil for 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
  • Add 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp of tapioca starch (7 tsp) to 1/4 cup of water and stir until it dissolves.
  • Add the starch and water mixture to the boiling cheese sauce and stir it in with a whisk. Cook for 1 additional minute (Your cheese will become very thick and stretchy).
  • Pour into a glass container and allow to cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before shredding.

Notes

Pro Tips for perfect vegan pepper jack!
  • Jalapeno peppers vary greatly in spiciness.  Sometimes one is enough to make it spicy, sometimes I need a few dashes of cayenne to give it enough heat even after using 2 jalapenos.
  • Taste the cheese sauce before adding the cayenne and see if it’s needed. 
  • Make sure to measure the ingredients carefully!  Slight changes in the amount of liquid, the agar agar, or the tapioca starch can change the texture of your cheese a lot! 
  • For a cheesier flavor, add an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast and/or 1 tsp of miso paste to your cheese sauce.
  • Store the cheese in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months. 
  • If you want to grate the meltable version, pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes after it has set to make it firmer and easier to grate. 
How to replace coconut milk:
  • If using cashews, you will need 1/3 cup cashew soaked and drained then blended with 1 3/4 cup water.
  • If using plant-based milk you will need 1 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup any neutral-flavored oil.
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Sodium: 370mg, Potassium: 172mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 235IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 2mg
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