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. 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.
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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 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.
🧾 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.
- Charcoal - for color. (optional)
❔ 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 the 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 smooth. You can read more about tempeh here.
🥄 Instructions
For the dressing
- Add all of the ingredients to the blender.
- Blend on high for about 30 seconds.
- Let it rest for about 5 minutes and blend again until very creamy.
For the 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.
- Sprinkle with a tiny amount of charcoal by carefully opening up one capsule and sprinkling about 1/16 of a teaspoon on it. (optional for color).
For crumbly blue cheese dressing
- Combine both the cream vegan blue cheese dressing with the vegan blue cheese crumbles.
💡 Other uses for the blue cheese dressing
Use it as a dip! My buffalo cauliflower nuggets are delicious dipped in this dressing! You can also use it as a sandwich spread on my vegan buffalo chicken sandwich.
Want another amazing creamy dressing? Try my easy vegan ranch dressing or my recipe for the best vegan Ceasar dressing!
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan blue cheese recipe
Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing and Crumbles
Equipment
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
- 1 dash charcoal (for color)
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.
- Sprinkle with a tiny amount of charcoal by carefully opening up one capsule and sprinkling about 1/16 of a teaspoon on it. (optional for color).
For Crumbly Blue Cheese Dressing:
- Combine the creamy vegan blue cheese dressing with the vegan blue cheese crumbles.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
I love this recipe! I make both the crumbles and the dressing and mix them together, and I was thrilled to find they really do taste like blue cheese! Blue cheese dressing with something I was missing a lot, so it is really a delight to discover this. Thank you!
Also, just a plug for readers – I did end up buying the actual hardcopy cheese-making cookbook and find it truly handy. To me, it was worth the book’s modest price to have the recipes consistently available in the kitchen without having to find my phone, locate a webpage, and keep it open to keep referencing it. Thanks for offering cookbooks in addition to the great resource of your site, Monica!
I'm so happy that you like this recipe and my cookbook, Emily! I'm so glad that the cookbook is handy for you!
I used spirulina in place of the charcoal and added some dried parsley as well.
Great recipe. Thank you
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe! Spirulina is a great idea! 🙂
Bingo! This is fantastic!!!
If one happens to have fermented tofu on hand (easily available in an Asian market), I added 2 cubes to the dressing. Can't stop dipping everything in it!!!
I'm so happy that you liked it, Bev. 🙂
Hi there, thank you for all the cheese recipes. I'm a cheese freak, and slowly converting my family to "seagan". I plan on making your harder cheeses tonight and freezing them. Busy working mom, here... rather get it all done in one shot and freeze in bulk.
Can you freeze this blue cheese and your feta?
Thanks again, you rock.
Lesley
Thanks, Lesley! You can freeze the blue cheese, but the feta will have a grainer texture after you freeze it. I'm so glad that you are enjoying all of my cheese recipes! 🙂
Hi Monica can i use konjac in place of agar agar in your cheese recipes
Hi Harriette, I'm not sure about konjac, I have never used it before.
Ooooh, I'm excited to try this! I LOVED blue cheese when I was an omni and I do miss that flavor. I love how inventive you are with all of these types of vegan cheese. What a time to be alive 🙂
Aww thanks so much, Kelly! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
curious about the charcoal capsule? is it really needed for any flavor?
have made all of the other cheeses! amazeballs!
the mayo is the bomb!
your rrecipes never disappoint!
Hi Nicola, the charcoal is just to give it the color of blue cheese. It does nothing for the flavor. I'm so happy that you like my recipes! Thanks so much! It means a lot to me! 🙂
This satisfied all of those cravings that I've had for blue cheese since going off of dairy years ago! How genius to use tempeh for taste/texture and charcoal for color!
By the way - I LOVE your blog. You are like an inventor with recipes...everything is your own creation and it always turns out delicious. Thank you!
Aww, thanks so much Anna! I'm so happy that you liked the blue cheese recipe and all my others as well! 🙂