This vegan blue cheese recipe will blow you away!  It has an amazingly similar taste to the real deal made with some common vegan ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. 

A salad with vegan blue cheese dressing and vegan blue cheese crumbles on top and a fork on the side.

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When I was a kid we used to go to a local restaurant on Friday nights where we got a salad with our entree. I always ordered creamy blue cheese dressing with crumbly blue cheese on top.  The waitress seemed surprised that such a small kid would want such a strong flavor, but I loved it! 

I spent years trying to recreate that flavor and I’m excited to say that I finally did it with this dairy-free blue cheese recipe!

I was surprised that my kids loved that tangy bite in this blue cheese too! 

❤️ You’ll love this recipe because it’s

  • quick and easy to make.
  • gives you the authentic blue cheese flavor that you miss and crave.
  • free of dairy, gluten, and nuts.
  • easy to make the dressing creamy or chunky.

🙋 What gives it the blue cheese flavor?

The secret to this recipe is tempeh.  Tempeh is a fermented soybean product that gives this recipe the cheesy bite of real blue cheese.  Since it’s fermented, the tempeh gives the authentic cultured cheese flavor without the need for making difficult cultured vegan cheese that takes weeks to ferment.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

For the blue cheese dressing

  • Soy Milk – to make the dressing creamy and make it emulsify.  Don’t use almond, oat, or cashew milk, they do not have enough protein to emulsify the dressing. (You can also use Ripple milk, but if you use tempeh, there is no way to make it soy-free).
  • Oil – for the base of the dressing and to make the dressing emulsify and become thick and creamy.
  • Tempeh – for a strong cheesy bite and cultured cheese flavor. (See more about tempeh below).
  • Nutritional Yeast – for a cheesy flavor.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – for acidity and flavor.
  • Lemon Juice – for acidity and flavor.
  • Salt – for flavor.

For the chunky blue cheese crumbles

  • Tempeh – to serve as the base of the crumbles and give it a strong blue cheese flavor. (See more about tempeh below).
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – for flavor.
  • Lemon Juice – for acidity and flavor.
  • Nutritional Yeast – for flavor.
  • Salt – for flavor.
A jar of crumbly vegan blue cheese.

❔ What is tempeh?

Tempeh is cooked soybeans that have been fermented and then pressed into a dense block.  It commonly has a white or blueish tint from the fermentation.  Don’t worry, this is normal and full of healthy probiotics (and gives it a sharp cheesy flavor).  Tempeh is frequently used similarly to tofu or as a meat substitute like in my recipe for tempeh bacon or BBQ tempeh.

❓ What type of tempeh should I use?

Many varieties have grains mixed in with soybeans, but for this recipe, I use plain tempeh for the blue cheese recipe to make it creamier since the grains don’t blend as smoothly. You can read more about tempeh here.

A jar of crumbly vegan blue cheese with another jar of vegan blue cheese dressing behind it.

🥄 How to make vegan blue cheese dressing

  1. Add all of the ingredients to the blender.
  2. Blend on high for about 30 seconds.
  3. Let it rest for about 5 minutes and blend again until very creamy.

🧀 How to make vegan blue cheese crumbles

  1. Break up the tempeh with your hands into small bitesize pieces into a mixing bowl.
  2. Drizzle with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and stir it around.
  3. Sprinkle nutritional yeast and salt and stir again.

🥗 How to make crumbly blue cheese dressing

  1. Combine both the cream vegan blue cheese dressing with the vegan blue cheese crumbles for a creamy dressing with a chunky texture.
A white plate full of salad with vegan blue cheese creamy dressing and blue cheese crumbles on top.

💡 Other ways to use vegan blue cheese dressing

Use it as a dip!  My buffalo cauliflower wings are delicious when dipped in this blue cheese dressing! You can also use it as a sandwich spread on my vegan buffalo chicken sandwich or serve it with buffalo seitan wings.

Buffalo cauliflower being dipped into vegan blue cheese dressing.

🌟 More creamy vegan dressings  

Try my easy vegan ranch dressing, creamy sweet onion dressing, or my recipe for the best vegan Ceasar dressing!

You may also like my vegan mayo, vegan yogurt, and vegan sour cream recipes too.

✨ More vegan cheese recipes

You can check out my guide on how to make vegan cheese if you want more information on vegan cheese making or get my vegan cheese cookbook, The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.

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

📋 Vegan blue cheese recipe

A salad with vegan blue cheese dressing and vegan blue cheese crumbles on top.
5 from 6 rating

Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing and Crumbles

Yield: 10
Prep: 5 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A vegan creamy blue cheese dressing with blue cheese-flavored crumbles.
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Ingredients

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup plain soy milk, or Ripple (pea milk)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled tempeh
  • 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For Crumbly Blue Cheese

  • 1/2 cup tempeh
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Equipment

Instructions
 

How to make creamy vegan blue cheese dressing

  • Add all of the creamy dressing ingredients to a blender.
  • Blend on high for about 30 seconds.
  • Let it rest for about 5 minutes and blend again until very creamy.

How to make vegan blue cheese crumbles

  • Break up the tempeh with your hands into small bitesize pieces.
  • Drizzle with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and stir it around.
  • Sprinkle nutritional yeast and salt and stir again.

For Crumbly Blue Cheese Dressing

  • Combine the creamy vegan blue cheese dressing with the vegan blue cheese crumbles.
Serving: 3tbsp, Calories: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 237mg, Potassium: 84mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 17IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
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