Vegan Smoked Gouda made with coconut milk may be the all-time best dairy-free cheese! It has a rich creamy texture with a subtle smoky flavor. This is a cheese that you just have to try to believe how good it really is.
What is vegan Smoked Gouda made from?
- Coconut Milk: There are many different methods of making vegan cheeses, but I have found the richest and creamiest vegan cheese is made from a can of full-fat coconut milk. You could use other plant-based milk instead or even cashew cream, but I find that the coconut milk gives it the rich creamy texture that I crave in cheese.
- Water: for the correct moisture content.
- Nutritional Yeast: To give it the cheesy flavor.
- Salt: for flavor.
- Liquid Smoke: For that smokey goodness of smoked Gouda.
- Agar-agar: A vegan gelatin to make the cheese firm. (This is absolutely necessary and can not be substituted).
What is agar agar?
Agar agar is a white powder made from seaweed. It’s essentially a vegan gelatin. (It comes in flakes or powder but be sure to use the powder if you can. It is less expensive, you need less of it, and it blends easier and smoother than the flakes). You can find great prices on it at most Asian markets or you can buy it on Amazon as well.
How do you make the vegan smoked Gouda?
To make this smoked Gouda, you will need to cook the cheese in a pan on the stove top.
- Pour all the ingredients into a saucepan.
- Bring to a slow boil while stirring constantly for 6 minutes allowing the agar agar to melt completely and get very smooth.
- Pour the cheese into an oiled glass container and let it sit uncovered for about 15 minutes until it cools slightly, then put the cheese into the refrigerator to cool for at least 2 hours.
It will set up firm enough to be sliced or shredded. If you are making the melting style vegan cheese, it will set up softer than the variety with less tapioca starch.
Make this vegan smoked Gouda into a smoked Gouda grilled cheese! Delicious with caramelized onions too!
Can’t get enough garlic and herbs? Check out my vegan cheese with garlic and herbs!
Looking for a classic vegan provolone recipe? Learn how to make vegan cheese – provolone style.
Want a sharp vegan cheddar? Try my homemade vegan cheddar cheese recipe.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for all of my latest homemade dairy-free recipes!
Vegan smoked gouda cheese made with coconut milk. Free of gluten, dairy, soy, and nuts!
- 1 can coconut milk full fat
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp agar agar powder
- 1 tsp tapioca flour (aka tapioca starch)
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp liquid smoke hickory flavored
Prepare cheese molds by spraying a glass bowl or container with spray oil or rub any neutral flavored oil on the molds to prevent sticking. (Recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese).
Pour the can of coconut milk into a saucepan.
Put 1/2 cup of hot water into the empty coconut milk can to melt all the remaining coconut milk and add the water to the pan.
Add all remaining ingredients to the saucepan and stir with a whisk.
Turn heat on to medium and stir frequently until it boils.
Turn down the heat until the cheese sauce is just barely boiling and stir constantly for 6 minutes until it is very smooth.
Immediately pour into the prepared cheese molds.
Let it cool with the lid off for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to firmly set.
Once the cheese is cooled completely cover and store in the refrigerator in a sealed for up to a week.
- To make this cheese able to melt and better for use on pizza or grilled cheese, add 2 additional tablespoons of tapioca starch.
- For a firmer cheese, leave out the tapioca starch from the recipe.
- For a smoker cheese, add an additional tbsp of liquid smoke.
- Delicious on pizza or grilled cheese especially with caramelized onions!
I’ve originally commented on the mozzarella recipe, but just wanted to add the 5 star rating and to let you know that I have already made this Gouda cheese twice! First time I made as written using coconut cream, except tapioca because I didn’t have any, but the finished product was great! It smelled really smoky but it had a moderate smoky flavor, which was good for my personal preferences. When I made it for the 2nd time (with coconut cream as well), I omitted tapioca again (still don’t have it but it’s finally coming in the mail, lol) but added 2 good shakes of smoked paprika (no idea how much that was, maybe 1/2 tsp?) and strangely enough, the smoky taste mellowed even further, even though I still used the liquid smoke as directed in the recipe! I am not sure if smoked paprika has any sweetness to it, but it sure worked great to perfect the taste to my preferences, and it added very subtle red specks throughout my cheese. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Once I get my refined coconut oil (in the mail, along with the tapioca, haha) I will be tackling the cheddar recipe!
Just remembered that I also added a sprinkle of the onion powder to the 2nd batch – that must have mellowed out the smokiness too.
Delicious. Made it with no changes. Makes a great sandwich with lettuce, marmite and chopped red onion.
It sounds like a delicious sandwich, Matthew! I’m so happy that you liked it! 🙂
Can I use any no flavored vegan gelatin iin place of agar agar? I’m getting a lemony flavor and I dont know where it’s coming from. I’ve added extra liquid smoke and less lemon juice but I can’t place where that flavor is coming from.
The agar agar shouldn’t have any flavor. There are some varieties that come with sweetener added for making candy. I’m not sure what would be causing a lemon flaovr.
You do not mention if the coconut milk has to be additive free (guar gum, locust bean, gellan, carrageean) which prevents jelling. I make a lot of Rejuvelac cashew, brazil or tofu cheeses but have not tried with coconut milk yet so this should be fun. But making sure about the additive free or not…..I know yogurt won’t culture when the coconut milk has additives. But I have four cans of Native Forest which I bought not realizing they put additives in their milk so if it doesn’t make a difference with this recipe I’ve found something to do with those four cans. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Davilyn, I usually make mine with full-fat coconut milk (15 grams of fat in 1/3 cup) that contains coconut extract, water, citric acid, and sodium metabisulfite. I had a cheap can of coconut milk from the dollar store with guar gum in it, so I just tested it out for you. It worked fine and had no issues jelling. I didn’t have as much fat in it and I don’t think the flavor and richness were quite as good, but it worked well. Hope this helps! 🙂
just went shopping for all the ingredients, or ordered on Amazon. Vegan foods like this are hard to find locally. I’m so so excited to try this! thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes all for FREE !! With the holidays around the corner i’m super jazzed to get this going. ….will be sharing all over social media! Oh and i’m leaving 5 stars just because i already know i will love it 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much! I’m glad that this recipe helps you out! Enjoy! 🙂
I only have almond milk – what do you think about adding a little vegan butter or refined coconut oil to improve creaminess? Or any other tricks?
Hi Lauren, You can use 1 1/4 cup almond milk or any other plant-based milk plus 1/2 cup refined coconut oil for a similar texture. Just make sure it’s plain milk and not vanilla or it will taste weird. (Almond milk tends to be a little sweet too). Enjoy! 🙂
Another amazing cheese recipe. This time I added the additional 2 tbsp of tapioca and made a grilled cheese. It didn’t melt yet it definitely melted in my mouth when I ate it. WOW! best grilled cheese of my life! I cannot believe how tasty it was!
I read the comments and saw your note about the cheese needing to be at a high enough temperature to melt, so I’ll try making another one again.
I’ve seen the swiss and provolone recipes, are there others, especially a cheddar? Thank you!!
So happy that you like it! Yes, I have a whole section of my blog on vegan cheeses! Here it is… https://thehiddenveggies.com/category/vegan-cheeses/
Enjoy! 🙂
Is it possible to actually smoke this and the other cheeses traditionally ?
Hi Neil, I have never personally tried it, but I think that it should work. Let me know if you try it! 🙂
Would another starch work instead of tapioca?
Sorry, no other starch works to make it melt and stretch as well as the tapioca does. You can just leave it out for a firmer sliceable cheese.
Hi, I want to know before doing that’s recipe, -that by the way looks delicious- without salt. Only the salt that have the nutritional yeast. I’m trying doing good with low or no salt at all. But I don’t want to mess not the flavor but the texture. I can deal with the no salt flavor… thanks for great recipe!!!
I would add at least a little salt or I think the sweetness of the coconut milk will take over the flavor more. You can definitely reduce the salt, but I wouldn’t omit it completely if you want a cheese-like taste. Let me know how it comes out! 🙂
Hi Monica!
I just made this recipe and the taste is absolutely delicious, however the texture is a bit on the gelatinous side- should I be putting less Agar or maybe putting in no tapioca starch at all?
Thanks for the recipe and your help! 🙂
Hi Emily, Glad that you liked the flavor! You can try making it without any tapioca starch. I prefer this texture for slicing and eating cold, but it will not melt easily. The agar agar is a vegan gelatine, so it will have a gelatinous texture that some people may not like. You can play around with the amount of agar agar and starch and see if you get a texture that you like better. Let me know. 🙂
Hi. I was wondering if tapioca starch would work well instead of the agar agar?
No, you can not omit the agar agar and get a solid cheese. The agar agar is essential for making it firm and set up like cheese. If you don’t use it, it tastes delicious, but you get wonder cheese sauce, not a slice-able cheese. Hope that helps! 🙂
Not sure if I missed it in the comments but I’m wondering if this freezes well?
Yes, it freezes well, but we usually eat it all the same day I make it so I’ve only done it once or twice. 🙂
Monica, I just finished making your smoked gouda for the first time and it is so rich and delicious! I completely forgot it was made with full-fat coconut milk because like you said, you can’t taste it at all! I didn’t realize I was so short on liquid smoke, so when I went to measure it, I had exactly one tablespoon left. I didn’t want to wait another day, so I used a tablespoon of Bakon powdered hickory smoked seasoning. I was concerned about adding the powder, thinking it would clump up, so I poured the whole recipe into my Bullet and ran it just to mix everything up then poured it in the pan to cook. It turned out beautifully. I had a little leftover after pouring it into my mold and poured it into a little cup. I just checked on it and it firmed up really well! I am really pleased with this recipe and I’m happy I found a good vegan cheese with no nuts. I’m not allergic to nuts, but it’s good to have variety. Thanks so much! I’ve gone through your website, but I haven’t found your cheddar cheese recipe. is it in the making? I love cheddar!
Thanks so much Wanda! I’m glad that you like it! I am still perfecting my cheddar recipe. Thanks for the reminder to get it on the blog. It will be coming soon. Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks! Can’t wait for that cheddar!
Just made this this morning, licked the spoon and saucepan and now really not sure how I’m going to be able to wait until it’s set! Already delicious!
So happy that you like the flavor Amanda! I frequently take a slice of the end where it cools faster because I just can’t wait! 🙂
Looks amazing! Do you think I can substitute the liquid smoke for smoked paprika?
Do you think this would work ok with smoked paprika instead of liquid smoke? I know it’s not quite the same but I don’t use liquid smoke. Thanks ?
Yes, you can add whatever herbs or spices that you would like. I’m sure smoked paprika is delicious, yet I haven’t tried it myself yet. It will have a different flavor than the liquid smoke, and it’s more powerful than liquid smoke, so you will not need as much. I would add 1/2 tsp to start and then add more to taste until you get the desired amount. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
OMG ….Best vegan cheese….EVER!
Thank you for your posts!
Made this yesterday. So good! I only had mesquite flavored liquid smoke, but it still tastes amazing. Yummy as a grilled cheese (will have to add the carmalized onions next time) and with spicy mustard on crackers. Thanks for the recipe! Since becoming vegan, smoked Gouda is the one cheese I miss the most! And I usually have all these ingredients at home. Only had to purchase the agar agar powder!
I’m so happy that you liked it! It is my favorite vegan cheese for sure! Caramelized onions are amazing with this cheese. We make caramelized onion pizza or just top crackers with this cheese and the onions! So glad that you gave this recipe a try! 🙂
Bonjour de la province du Québec au Canada,
Merci beaucoup pour ces délicieuses recettes qui ne ressemblent pas à la tradition culinaire…
De plu je suis reconnaissante pour toutes les heures passées à inventer pour nous offrir le meilleur
de ton inspiration !!! J’ai hâte à la la prochaine découverte gastronomique avec une autre recette exceptionnelle!!!
Thank you Denise.
OMG! This was amazing! I made the kind for just slicing. I had to stop myself from eating the whole block of cheese myself! My new favorite vegan cheese!
I’m so happy to hear this Amy! It’s my favorite vegan cheese too! Give me this with some crackers and wine and I’m happy! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe! It was really fantastic. I used 2 teaspoons of smoke instead of 2 tablespoons, 2T nooch, and 2T tapioca starch. I also added a fourth teaspoon ground mustard. The taste was spot-on, but it didn’t melt well. Not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Kate. I’m glad that you liked the flavor! I’m not sure why it didn’t melt for you. Make sure to use 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of tapioca starch. That is what makes it stretchy and helps it melt easier. Also, make sure that the cheese is warm enough to melt. When using it in a grilled cheese or quesadilla, make sure to heat it slowly so the middle gets warm enough to melt or stick it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to get the temperature up. It has to reach a high enough temperature to melt. (slightly higher than cows cheese). I hope that helps!
Thanks for your recommendations! Do you think it works better if you shred it? I cut mine into thin slabs, but now I’m thinking it would have been better to shred it.
The cheese has to heat all the way through, so shredding it will definitely help it to melt faster. 🙂
Is it possible to substitute the coconut milk with an avocado and some nut milk instead?
I have never done that before, but it’s a good idea! I think that it would work. I would puree the avocado with the plant milk first before adding it to the pan. Just make sure the total volume of the avocado/milk mixture equals 17.5 ounces. (That would be 2 cups + 1 1/2 tbsp.) (That is the volume of the liquid in the recipe). Let me know how it turns out!
OMG! Just made this – The BEST vegan cheese that I have ever had!!! Thanks you so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you made it and love it too!